Launch

In an odd yet understandable marketing strategy, the folks behind E!'s new reality show "Mrs. Eastwood & Company" have spent a lot of pre-premiere publicity time explaining what the show isn't. Which is to say, Clint Eastwood. The legendary actor and director will appear in but a few episodes and then only briefly. He will not, for instance, be slamming doors or engaging in filmed therapy sessions with his wife, Dina, around whom the show revolves (see title.) That doesn't mean the show is not about Clint Eastwood; it is. If the principal characters -- Dina, her 15-year-old daughter Morgan and 19-year old stepdaughter Francesca -- were not related to him, there would be Absolutely No Reason to watch this, which, by reality show standards, promises to be tame to the point of sedation.

In a pivotal moment for private spaceflight, a towering white rocket lifted into space a cone-shaped capsule headed for a three-day trip carrying cargo to the International Space Station and a tricky rendezvous in outer space this week. The launch Tuesday marked the first time a private company has sent a spacecraft to the space station. On a column of fire, a Falcon 9 rocket - built by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX - carried the unmanned Dragon capsule into space after a 3:44 a.m. EDT launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla. But the launch is just the beginning of the mission, and some of the most challenging tasks lie ahead.

 Neil Diamond and Katie McNeil were married Saturday, the "Sweet Caroline" singer announced Sunday on Twitter, the same place he told the world of their engagement back in September. "Katie and I got married last night, we wish you all could've been there," the singer-songwriter told his more than 300,000 followers. "It was magical! Love, Neil. " The couple - he's 71, she's 42 - tied the knot in L.A. in front of friends and family, his rep told People. It's McNeil's first wedding, and the third for Diamond, who was previously married to high school sweetheart Jayne Posner, then to Marcia Murphey.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket roared to life before dawn at Cape Canaveral, Fla., today and blasted into space on a column of fire that lit the night sky for miles around. The nine-engine rocket lifted off at 3:44 a.m. EDT carrying a cone-shaped space capsule that's set to berth with the International Space Station later this week. SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is the first private company to embark on such a mission.

Juan Torres, 13, prepares to launch his airplane, which is powered by compressed air, from Valley Plaza Park in North Hollywood.

'Idol's' 'Dream'-y offshoot "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller has a new project: a Web-based series that also will explore the desire of ordinary people to become Hollywood stars. Fuller's "If I Can Dream," which is being billed as the first of "a new generation of post-reality entertainment," will document the story of five young people who dream of success in Hollywood. The show will allow viewers to interact with the individuals and narrative in real time, and will be seen live 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.ificandream.

Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has signed a deal to launch a commercial satellite for Loral Space & Communications Inc.'s space system unit. "It's a significant breakthrough," said Elon Musk, the company's founder and chief executive. "Loral is placing a bet on SpaceX and its technology. It's really one of the biggest endorsements you can get." Musk, who also co-founded PayPal and Tesla Motors Inc., said it was one of the largest commercial contracts won by SpaceX.

Paramount Pictures International is revving up its overseas presence with a Spanish operation and a 12-picture deal with a veteran Spanish producer, a trade paper reported. The operation, to launch in July, will be headed by Pierre Auger, former Paramount Home Entertainment marketing chief in Madrid, Paramount Pictures International President Andrew Cripps told the Hollywood Reporter.

Astronauts on the space shuttle Atlantis scoured their ship for signs of launch damage while heading to the International Space Station. The shuttle appeared to be in good shape. Atlantis and its crew of six will hook up with the space station today. Atlantis is delivering nearly 15 tons of parts.

Launching of an Air Force Delta 2 rocket carrying a military navigation satellite, grounded twice over the weekend by bad weather, was postponed again Tuesday for another 24 hours because of threatening winds and thunderstorms.

American Express has created a card that rewards FarmVille users with virtual cash for their real-world purchases. Users of the hit social media game can begin signing up for the FarmVille card starting Tuesday. The card is part of American Express' prepaid Serve platform. But this card is not like your typical credit card. Signing up for the thing is a game in and of itself.

Billionaire Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of SpaceX, sent his Falcon 9 rocket into space early Tuesday morning with an unmanned Dragon capsule after an original mission was aborted over the weekend. How’s he feeling? Extremely relieved. After the rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. at 3.44 a.m., Musk tweeted: “Falcon flew perfectly!! Dragon in orbit, comm locked and solar arrays active!!

In a pivotal moment for private spaceflight, a towering white rocket lifted a cone-shaped capsule into space early Tuesday on a mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carried the unmanned Dragon capsule into space after a 3:44 a.m. EDT launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., marking the first time a private company has sent a spacecraft to the space station.

Video-on-demand services usually come into play toward the end of a film's life span — either to follow a theatrical run or to take a movie straight to video. For the website Prescreen, however, VOD is the launching pad. Prescreen, which debuted in September, offers users a curated selection of independent films, most available for 60 days and many exclusive to the site. A single film is spotlighted in a daily email, and most rentals cost $2 to $8 for a 48-hour viewing window.

The first mission by a private company to the International Space Station was aborted before dawn Saturday at Cape Canaveral, Fla., when computers detected an anomaly in one of the rocket's engines and automatically shut down the launch sequence. The countdown forSpace Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, was flawless until about 4:55 a.m. EDT when, at the last second, the rocket engines briefly lit up and then went dark. "Three, two, one, zero and liftoff," announced NASA commentator George Diller before he realized what had happened.

Yahoo Inc. is trying to stake a claim on the summer movie season with the launch of Movieland, an interactive online game promoting 35 upcoming big-budget films. Developed with participation from all the major movie studios, Movieland is laid out as a virtual board game, with each square representing a summer film. Users will be able to watch trailers, answer trivia questions, earn and share online badges, buy tickets and win prizes. Ken Fuchs, vice president and head of sports, entertainment and games at Yahoo Media Network, said Movieland "game-ifies moviegoing in an interesting way. It sucks people into an experience.

The latest example of anti-nuclear hysteria involves NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn ("Cassini Foes Organize in Effort to Stop Launch," Sept. 22), with 72 pounds of plutonium in an on-board power source. This radioactive material has been packaged with great care to avoid release, even if the rocket blows up. To put in perspective the "danger," consider that radioactive uranium and thorium exist naturally within volcanic ash and magma. How much of these radioactive elements has been dumped into the atmosphere in finely divided form, for everyone to breathe, as a result of the eruptions of Mount St. Helens (1980)

There's the mime with the French accent, the Peruvian fashion designer and the Swiss sculptor. Their origins vary as much as their crafts but this weekend they, and dozens of other artists from across the globe, have gathered aboard the Queen Mary for something of a local world's fair. The goal: launch a project where artists of many cultures travel together in one ship taking their work and their ideas to docks across the world. The Queen Mary — a vessel that's long been stationary in Long Beach — won't be that ship, but the multinational nonprofit behind the project, Arts Olympus, is using the historic local site as its launch pad through today.

For the last half-century, space flight has been the domain of the world's superpowers. All that is set to change as soon as Saturday when SpaceX, the private rocket company in Hawthorne, will attempt to launch a spaceship with cargo into orbit and three days later dock it with the International Space Station. If successful, the mission could mean a major shift in the way the U.S. government handles space exploration. Instead of keeping space travel a closely guarded government function, NASA has already begun hiring privately funded start-up companies for spacecraft development and is moving toward eventually outsourcing NASA space missions.

Dino Land theme park in China recently unveiled the $20-million Dinoconda , a thrilling fourth-dimension roller coaster with independently rotating seats. PHOTOS: Dinoconda 4-D coaster at China's Dino Land Located in Changzhou about two hours west of Shanghai, the Chinese park known as the "Jurassic Park of the East" features roller coasters, thrill rides and attractions themed to dinosaurs and mythical creatures. The mechanically complex coaster boasts wing-shaped vehicles with seats that rotate head over heels, both forward and backward.