Buzzmakers: David Beckham Strips and Miley Cyrus Loves Her Hair

What had ET readers buzzing this week?

1. David Beckham Strips Down to His Skivvies

He may have a new job with the Paris Saint-Germain team but David Beckham is still finding time to strip down for his American fans. The overwhelmingly good-looking soccer dad shared photos from his new underwear line that he, of course, is modeling. Posting not one, but two shirtless shots, Beckham wrote on his Facebook page: "Here are a few campaign shots from my latest H&M range."

Click here for a closer look at the fashionisto's sexy photos!

2. Miley Cyrus: I'll Never Have Long Hair Again

Though Miley Cyrus' super-short 'do definitely has its fair share of haters, according to Miley herself, she has no intentions of growing it out -- ever.

"You will never see me with long hair again!," she tells E! News. "My fiancé [Liam Hemsworth] loves it…It's so easy and [I] don't need to wash it. It looks better grungy and not washing it."

And clearly, she doesn't miss her formerly long locks "in any way."

"I feel like I had bun every day of my life," she says, referring to her often-copied topknot. "I hated the extensions hair -- that's sewn into your head. It's creepy."

Miley first debuted the drastic cut in August, and seems to be cutting her hair even shorter progressively.

3. Stars Flock to Super Bowl XLVII

Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson kicked off the Super Bowl Sunday with stunning renditions of the national anthem and America the Beautiful (respectively).

Check out the pics here!

4. Designer: Beyonce Was 'Losing Weight Every Day'

One of the most anticipated events at this year's Super Bowl was Beyonce's performance during the halftime show and ET spoke exclusively to the superstar's costume designer about her rigorous rehearsals and how much work went into her various outfits.

"When a performer is working so vigorously, they're shrinking constantly, and so she was losing weight every day," fashion designer Rubin Singer told ET. "So we had to keep taking it in and taking it in and taking it in and doing tweaks and changes."

Singer said he was based in New Orleans all last week preparing for Beyonce's Super Bowl performance and that a team of 14 people put about 200 man hours into producing and tweaking the costumes. "When you have the dress rehearsals and you actually get to see the footage the next day, or that night, and you see all the little nuances that you need to change," he said.

In addition to Beyonce's costumes, Singer also created the outfits for former Destiny's Child band member Michelle Williams as well as the jackets for the show's 120 backup dancers.

5. Jennifer Love Hewitt Debuts Lingerie Music Video

Jennifer Love Hewitt's Lifetime series The Client List is known for pushing the envelope with racy story lines and revealing wardrobe. In advance of the show's upcoming second season, we've got a sneak peek of a sexy new music video in which Jennifer sings, struts and strips down to lingerie!

"I had a dream about it in the middle of the night," Jennifer explains about how the video came about. She said she loves the song -- I'm a Woman from the Broadway play Smokey Joe's Cafe -- and thought it would be fun to do something burlesque-oriented "to shake things up a bit."

In the show, Jennifer plays a Texas single mother who secretly also provides sexual favors for money at a day spa. She said one of the things she's most proud of about the show is that she feels it portrays the subject matter in a way that is not degrading to women. "I feel like we've been able to take an unconventional story line and make it female empowerment in some weird way."

Watch the video for scenes from the steamy music video and also to hear Jennifer talk about getting in shape for the shoot and then splurging at the end.

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Michelle Obama, friends and family remember inaugural performer shot dead

CHICAGO — Hundreds of mourners and dignitaries including first lady Michelle Obama stood and applauded the family of a 15-year-old Chicago girl for their strength Saturday, a week and a half after her death brought national attention to the city's staggering gun violence.

A funeral service was held Saturday for Hadiya Pendleton, a band majorette who was shot and killed on Jan. 29, just a few days after performing for events surrounding President Barack Obama's inauguration. Police say Pendleton was an innocent victim in a gang-related shooting.

Michelle Obama met privately with the family and accompanied the girl's mother to the open casket at the front of a packed South Side church just before the start of the service.

Obama, who grew up on Chicago's South Side, put her arm around Cleopatra Pendleton and patted her back. The woman threw her head back and wailed as the lid of her daughter's flower-strewn casket was closed.

Moments later, the hundreds in attendance rose to their feet to begin the service with a round of applause "to the strength of this family." Then, the choir began to sing so loud the floor shook.

Some of Illinois' most recognizable politicians and clergy were also in attendance, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Father Michael Pfleger. But Pendleton's family says her Saturday funeral service was not about politics — it was about remembering a girl who loved to dance, who once appeared in an anti-gang video.

"Everything is about Hadiya," said Shatira Wilks, one of Pendleton's cousins and a family spokeswoman.

None of the dignitaries was slated to speak during the service, which was officiated by the teen's pastor, the Rev. Courtney Maxwell, and the Rev. Eric Thomas, the pastor of the Greater Harvest Baptist Church, where the service was held. The teen's brother was also expected to speak, and the musical group that Pendleton was a member of will perform.

Pendleton was shot and killed while she talked with friends after school at a park not far from the Obamas' home in the Kenwood neighborhood. Police have said the shooting appears to be a case of mistaken identity involving gang members who believed the park was their territory. No charges have been filed.

Pendleton's death brought new attention to Chicago's homicide rate and the national debate over gun violence. Pendleton's slaying came in a January that was the city's deadliest in a decade. In 2012, Chicago recorded 506 homicides.

Earlier Saturday morning, a line of hundreds stretched from the church as mourners filed past Pendleton's casket. A woman who walked in with the girl's family sobbed loudly while organ and piano music played.

A glossy, eight-page funeral program included photos of Pendleton and details about her life, including her favorite foods — cheeseburgers, fig cookies, Chinese and ice cream — and the numerous school organizations she was involved in, and said she wanted to major in pharmacology and journalism in college.

The program also included a copy of a handwritten note from President Obama addressed to the girl's family.

"Michelle and I just wanted you to know how heartbroken we are to have heard about Hadiya's passing," it reads. "We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God bless, Barack Obama."

Other dignitaries at the service were Gov. Pat Quinn, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett — all of whom are from Chicago.

Quinn mentioned Pendleton's death in his State of the State address earlier this week as he called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

"There are no words in the English language . or any language . to relieve the pain of parents who lose a child," said Quinn, who said he spoke with Pendleton's family two days before his speech.

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IRS dealt a setback on tax preparer regulations

To help combat fraud by tax preparers, the Internal Revenue Service created the “Registered Tax Return Preparer” program. Then just before the tax season got under way, the agency was told by a federal judge that it doesn’t have the authority to regulate the hundreds of thousands of tax preparers covered under the program.

Although some tax-return preparers are licensed by their states or enrolled to practice before the IRS, many don’t have to pass a government or professionally mandated competency test to prepare a federal return. When the IRS issued its last “dirty dozen” tax scams, return preparer fraud was third on the list.

“Tax return preparers sometimes alter return information without their clients’ knowledge or consent in an attempt to obtain improperly inflated refunds or to divert refunds for their personal benefit,” wrote Nina E. Olson, the national taxpayer advocate, in her most recent report to Congress. “Often, the refunds are directed to an account in the preparer’s control.”

In other instances, preparers lure clients by promising large refunds even before reviewing their tax information.

The IRS program would have required any individual who is compensated for preparing or assisting in the preparation of a return to obtain a preparer tax identification number, pass a qualifying exam and complete annual continuing-education requirements.

Three independent tax preparers joined the Institute for Justice in challenging the IRS’ authority to create the program. Recently, Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled against the agency.

Said Dan Alban, the lead attorney on the case: “The licensing requirements harmed the ability of mom and pop operations to compete with big tax preparation firms. Two of the three plaintiffs would have been put out of business because of the cost of complying with the regulations.”

The ruling now means tax return preparers who would have been covered by the program are not required to complete competency testing or secure continuing education, the IRS said. However, all paid preparers are still required to have a preparer tax identification number.

There are tax professionals — attorneys, certified public accountants and enrolled agents — who were exempt from the program but are licensed by state or federal authorities and are subject to censure, suspension or disbarment from practice before the IRS in the event of wrongdoing. The ruling does not affect the regulatory requirements for these professionals.

Still hoping to continue with the regulatory program, the IRS asked the court to delay the ruling pending its appeal. The motion was denied.

“The IRS continues to have confidence in the scope of its authority to administer this program and is working with the Department of Justice to address all options, including a planned appeal,” the agency said in a statement.

In response to the lawsuit, the IRS said it has established 250 testing centers, that the program has cost more than $50 million to roll out, and nearly 100,000 preparers have registered to take the competency test.

When the IRS first announced the program, I was in favor of licensing preparers. Though many tax professionals do their jobs well, there are enough unscrupulous preparers to warrant some changes. Olson, the national taxpayer advocate, has recommended that Congress enact a federal registration, examination, certification and enforcement program for unenrolled tax-return preparers. “Creating a class of certified return preparers is a very positive step toward combating fraud,” she said in her report.

But perhaps Judge Boasberg has it right. He said his ruling doesn’t require the IRS to dismantle the registration scheme.

The IRS “may choose to retain the testing centers and some staff, as it is possible that some preparers may wish to take the exam or continuing education even if not required to,” Boasberg said in his decision. “Such voluntarily obtained credentials might distinguish them from other preparers.”

And some preparers might still take the exam in case his ruling is reversed on appeal, “just as the IRS may similarly decide it is financially more prudent not to shutter the centers in hopes of an appellate victory or congressional action,” Boasberg wrote.

“We have no opposition to preparers going through the program voluntarily,” Alban said. “If you are in the market looking for a new tax preparer, there could be value in selecting one with the registered tax return preparer certification. Keeping it voluntary allows consumers to decide what’s important rather than the IRS.”

I see great service to consumers in the IRS preparer program. So until things are settled, Boasberg offers a good compromise.

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Police seek help finding Super Bowl Sunday shooter

Three gunmen open fired in front of a Miami Gardens home on Super Bowl Sunday, killing Brandon Bryant, a local promoter, and injuring his father and brother.

At a press conference Friday morning, police released graphic footage of the shooting.

From a red four-door sedan, gunfire can be seen coming from the passenger-side back-seat window. The car stops and the driver, dressed in dark orange or red, jumps out with a gun and disappears from the screen. The passenger slides over to the driver seat and also begins to fire. As the driver returns to the car, the passenger exits with a long barreled gun and continues to shoot before he too gets back in the car, and they drive off.

In all, police say they are looking for three gunmen.

Miami Gardens police and Bryant’s family at Friday’s press conference asked for the community to come forward with any tips about the shooting.

“We believe that someone out there has information that can help bring closure to this family and bring these violent individuals to justice,” said Police Chief Matthew Boyd

Bryant and his family were at a Super Bowl barbecue watching the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers face off in New Orleans. Witnesses told police at least 30 shots rang out near the home on the 2300 block of Northwest 204th Street

Police say one of the victims remains in the hospital, but declined to say which one. Police would not release their names or a motive for Sunday night’s shootings.

A Miami Gardens pastor who has spoken publicly about the prevalent no-snitching culture pleaded with Miami Gardens residents to break the cycle.

“Remember today is their day, tomorrow could be your day,” he said.

Bryant’s family describe the 25-year-old as a beloved member of their family who had an entrepreneurial spirit.

He ran a marketing and artist-development firm that worked with local hip-hop artists. He was the father of two young boys, ages 15 months and 4 months.

“It’s very difficult for us right now to endure this,” said Nina Packer, Bryant’s aunt and the family’s spokesperson.

“As lifelong members of this community, this has got to stop,” she said. “This is a problem”

Police ask anyone with information to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers anonymously at 305-471-8477 or Miami Garden Police at 305-474-4673.

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'Nemo' storms Twitter

As a massive blizzard is set to hit New York, the jokesters on Twitter have already taken the golden opportunity to mix the title character from Disney/Pixar's "Finding Nemo" with weather-related humor.

The storm, nickednamed "Nemo" by the Weather Channel, is no laughing matter -- winds could reach 75 mph and over two feet of snow could accumulate in some places.

BLIZZARD NEMO COULD BRING HEAVY WINDS AND A FOOT OF SNOW TO NYC

Such conditions could bring down power lines with authorities fearing widespread power outages, but apparently the Twitterverse is unafraid of such disaster scenarios, including its own @nemoflakes Twitter account.

Some of the better lines the account has spawned include: "The only reason I'm dumping 3 feet of snow on New England is because .... Tom Brady. #nemo" and "I went from a movie star to making the front page headline. #fishproblems."

Below we've pulled together some of the best blizzard Nemo memes making their way through Twitter right now.

@AndrewLucksHead via Twitter

@ItsStormNemo via Twitter

everythingiskrystalclear via Tumblr

@samkille via Twitter

@ItsStormNemo via Twitter

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Sign up for Feb. 21 Miami Herald Small Business Forum

Prepare your best pitch for the Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum, Feb. 21 at the south campus of our sponsor, Florida International University.

In addition to how-to panels and inspirational stories from successful entrepreneurs, our annual small business forum will include interactive opportunities with experts to learn about financing options and polish your personal and business brands.

During our finance panel, audience volunteers will be invited to explain their financing needs to the group. During our box-lunch session, they will be invited to pitch their business or personal brand to our coaches.

Those who prefer just to listen will be treated to a keynote address by Alberto Perlman, co-founder of the global fitness craze Zumba. Panels include success stories from the local entrepreneurs who founded Sedano’s, Jennifer’s Homemade and ReStockIt.com; finance tips from experts in small business loans, venture capital, angel investments and traditional bank loans; and insiders in the burgeoning South Florida tech start-up scene.

Plus, it’s a real bargain. $25 includes the half-day seminar, continental breakfast and a box lunch.

Register here.

Program

8 a.m.

Registration and continental breakfast, provided by Bill Hansen Catering

8:30 a.m. Welcome

Host: David Suarez, president and CEO, Interactive Training Solutions, LLC

•  Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

•  Alice Horn, executive director, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE South Florida)

•  Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge Overview:

•  Nancy Dahlberg, Business Plan Challenge coordinator, The Miami Herald

8:45 a.m. Session I – Success Stories

Moderator: Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

Speakers:

•  Jennifer Behar, founder, Jennifer’s Homemade

•  Matt Kuttler, co-president of ReStockIt.com

•  Javier Herrán, chief marketing officer, Sedano’s Supermarkets

10 a.m. Session II – All about Tech

Moderator: Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Speakers

•  Susan Amat, founder, Launch Pad Tech

•  Nancy Borkowski, executive director, Health Management Programs, Chapman Graduate School of

Business, Florida International University

•  Mark Slaughter, CEO, Cohealo.com

•  Chris Fleck, vice president of mobility solutions at Citrix and a director of the South Florida Tech Alliance

11:15 a.m. Keynote

Speaker: Alberto Perlman, CEO and co-founder of Zumba® Fitness

Introduction: Jane Wooldridge, business editor, The Miami Herald

11:45 a.m. Session III – Show me the money: Financing your small business

An interactive session featuring audience volunteers who will be invited to make a short investment pitch before a panel, including experts in microlending, SBA loans, traditional bank loans, venture capital and angel investing. Audience volunteers should come prepared with a two-minute presentation that includes details about current backing, how much money they are seeking and a brief synosis of ow that money would be used.

Moderator: Melissa Krinzman, founder and managing director, Venture Architects

Panelists:

•  Marjorie Weber, chairman, SCORE of Miami-Dade

•  Cornell Crews, Jr., program director, Partners for Self Employment

•  Darius G. Nevin, co-founder, G3 Capital Partners, a mid-market and early-stage investment company

•  Boris Hirmas Said, chairman of the board, Tres Mares S.A. (Santiago, Chile) and entrepreneur in

residence at the Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center

1 p.m. Lunch session - Polish your Pitch, Brighten Your Personal Brand

An interactive session featuring audience volunteers who will be invited to make short pitches about their businesses and themselves. Audience volunteers should come prepared with a two-minute presentation.

Coaches: Melissa Krinzman of Venture Architects and Michelle Villalobos of Mivista Consulting

advise audience volunteers on how to best pitch themselves and their products.

Box lunch provided by Bill Hansen Catering

All speakers confirmed unless otherwise noted. Agenda is subject to change without notice .

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Sweetwater officer hurt in crash with school bus

A Miami-Dade school bus driver may be ticketed for an accident that left a Sweetwater police officer hospitalized Thursday morning.

According to Sweetwater police chief Roberto Fulgueira, the school bus was making a “three point” turn in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant at Southwest 112th Avenue and 152nd Street in South Miami-Dade.

During the turn, the driver backed into the roadway and into the path of the police car.

Fulgueira said the officer had “nowhere to go” and could not avoid hitting the back of the bus.

The officer, a corporal who has worked for at Sweetwater for four years, was not at fault, according to Fulgueira.

The bus driver will likely be ticketed.

The officer was cut by flying windshield glass and also had a minor injury to his arm caused by the airbag that inflated.

He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition.

The school bus driver wasn’t hurt and there were no students on the bus.

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Ginnifer Goodwin Once Upon A Time Interview Listerine 21 Day Challenge

For Ginnifer Goodwin, joining the cast of Once Upon A Time has resulted in more happy endings than she could have dreamed of. Not only is the fantastic fantasy series one of ABC's biggest hits, but the show's popularity has allowed Goodwin to use her celebrity status to bring attention to worthy causes. Like she did on February 5 by helping Listerine kick off their 21 Day Challenge!

To help Americans develop better oral hygiene, and improve access to dental care for children in need, Listerine donated $21,000 after Goodwin's "swish," and will continue to donate every time someone signs up for the challenge on Facebook!

ETonline caught up with Goodwin to talk about this mighty cause and this even mightier season of Once Upon A Time (particularly what you can expect from the introduction of Snow White's mother)!

ETonline: How'd you come to partner with Listerine?

Ginnifer Goodwin: I made some friends at Listerine and they taught me a little bit about oral care. That half of adults suffer from oral disease, that the number one chronic disease among children is oral disease, that we're only taking care of 25% of our mouths when brushing alone and there are more germs in your mouth than there are people on the planet.

ETonline: Well that's a terrifying statistic.

Goodwin: Oh yeah, I immediately had the heebie jeebies when they told me that. So then they offered to donate $21,000 to Oral Health America for my first swish of the Listerine 21 Day Challenge. The thinking is it takes 21 days to form a habit and implementing that into a morning and evening routine, one can assume it will become a lifetime commitment. It's quick, easy, and inexpensive -- plus you prevent so many problems. I really couldn't turn down such a generous offer.

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ETonline: What does it mean to you to have reached a place professionally where you're able to raise so much money simply by rinsing your mouth with Listerine?

Goodwin: It's incredibly humbling, and I'm glad you're bringing it up because it's important for me to remember. A lot of times, I think that what I do for a living has no integrity. Once Upon A Time has changed that to a certain extent because the reaction we get from children out in the world is so fulfilling, I can not even articulate it. There's nothing like being greeted as Snow White by a hyperventilating child versus Ginnifer Goodwin. It makes me feel like Santa Claus. But often times, I feel like I'm so blessed, it's not fair. That what I'm doing is not contributing to the good of the world. That acting is self-centered and elitist in many way, so to be able to participate in something that gives back is so important to me. That's where I really get my rocks off. I like partnering with companies that have really accessible, really easy changes we can all make that create a difference.

ETonline: When you initially signed on to Once Upon A Time, did you, in any way, anticipate it could be as successful, creatively fulfilling and resonant with fans as it has been?

Goodwin: I never dreamed our numbers would be what they are. I knew the show would be special and I knew it was risky, so I knew it would be creatively fulfilling. And I knew I would be a geeky fan of it and that even if it only had a tiny niche audience, I would be jealous watching the show if I wasn't on it. So I knew I had to be a part of it so I wasn't green with envy every Sunday.

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ETonline: Is that what fuels which projects you sign on for?

Goodwin: Sometimes. There's always a different reason. Sometimes I make very selfish choices; like I did Once Upon A Time for my inner 8-year-old and my hypothetical future child. I've done some movies because I would regret them if I didn't, but other projects I've done because they've scared me or if I felt I needed to do a big romantic comedy to help me professionally. Then I'll take a teeny movie when I need to work on myself and become a better actor.

ETonline: I've really loved this season ... except maybe for the pink sweater-set Snow was stuck in for so many weeks.

Goodwin: Oh my god! Thank you so much for hating it with me! I truly kept joking, except I was serious, that I desperately wanted to have an actual bonfire where I burned that freaking costume. Even the costume department despised it in the end. Thank God my character had some off-camera makeover.

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ETonline: Now that she and Charming have their memories back, what's the next hurdle in their relationship?

Goodwin: Thus far, based on what we've filmed, it’s the first time they're realizing that an obstacle could be self-created as opposed to it coming from an external source because he wants to go back and she wants to stay. They're struggling right now with whether or not this particular obstacle is surmountable. Selfishly I hope that Snow White and Prince Charming end up living happily ever after -- I'm not quite sure what our version of Snow White stands for if she's not going to get that.

ETonline: Snow's mother also becomes a major player in the show, via flashbacks, over the coming weeks. What excites you about that storyline?

Goodwin: Snow White has some mother issues, and they have affected her self-definition. I think it's going to be very exciting for the audience to see what has impacted Snow White in her past and that will effect how we feel about Snow White's relationship with her own daughter. And, totally unrelated to actual storylines, I'm excited for the incredible guest stars we have coming up. Like Lesley Nichol from Downton Abbey! Mrs. Pattmore joined our cast!!!! I freaked the fudge out all over her.

ETonline: You better hope your shows stay in adjacent timeslots. I worry about you should OUAT and Downton overlap on Sunday nights.

Goodwin: Yeah, no. I won't ever let that happen. I will throw myself on the grave of Walt Disney and beg for that to never happen.

For more info on Listerine's 21 Day Challenge, click here! Once Upon A Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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787 battery approval should be reconsidered: NTSB

AP

This slide shown on a video screen during a news conference at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today shows a comparison of an exemplar battery with the Japan Airlines Boeing 787 battery.

WASHINGTON — The government should reassess its safety approval of the Boeing 787 lithium ion batteries, the nation's top accident investigator said Thursday.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman said the board's investigation of last month's battery fire in a Japan Airlines 787 "Dreamliner" while it was parked in Boston shows the fire started with multiple short-circuits in one of the battery's eight cells. That created an uncontrolled chemical reaction known as "thermal runaway" and spread to the rest of the cells, she said.

That's at odds with what Boeing told the Federal Aviation Administration when the agency was working to certify the innovative aircraft for flight, Hersman said. The manufacturer asserted its testing showed that any short circuiting could be contained within a single cell, preventing thermal runaway and fire, she said.

Boeing's testing also showed the batteries were likely to cause smoke in only 1 in 10 million flight hours, she said. But the Boston fire was followed nine days later by a smoking battery in an All Nippon Airways plane that made an emergency landing in Japan.

The 787, Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced plane, has recorded less than 100,000 flight hours, Hersman noted.

The same day as the ANA emergency landing, FAA officials ordered the only U.S. carrier with 787s — United Airlines, which has six of the planes — to ground them. Aviation authorities in other countries swiftly followed suit. In all, 50 planes operated by seven airlines in six countries are grounded.

The groundings have become a nightmare for the company, which has about 800 Dreamliner orders from airlines around the world.

The 787 is the first airliner to make extensive use of lithium batteries. Aircraft makers view the batteries, which are lighter and can store more energy than other types of batteries of an equivalent size, as an important way to save on fuel costs. The Airbus A350, expected to be ready next year, will also make extensive use of lithium ion batteries. Manufacturers are also looking to retrofit existing planes, replacing other types of batteries with lithium ion.

But lithium batteries are more likely to short circuit and start a fire than other batteries if they are damaged, if there is a manufacturing flaw or if they are exposed to excessive heat.

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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture fund, the Knight Enterprise Fund.

Led by CEO and founder Freddie Laker and COO Leslie Bradshaw, Guide’s team of seven is focused on turning online news, social streams and blogs into video for users who may be cooking, exercising, commuting or getting ready in the morning. The free application offers consumers a selection of about 20 “anchors” — including a dog, a robot and an anime character — that will read the article and present the accompanying photos, pull-out information and video clips in its video presentation. Revenue drivers for Guide could include in-app purchases, advertising-based anchors and customizations from publishers, said Laker, a former vice president at SapientNitro.

Laker and his team plan to launch a public beta next month, which they plan to do with a splash at the huge technology conference South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.

Read more about Guide here on the Starting Gate blog. Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg

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