Shower

FOOTBALL URBAN LEGEND : Did a Gatorade shower lead to the death of a Hall of Fame football coach? After leading the New York Giants to a victory in Super Bowl XLVI earlier this year, head coach Tom Coughlin earned himself his second post-Super Bowl Gatorade shower (in the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory, it appeared to be water/melted ice while this time around it was purple Gatorade). While the Gatorade shower is a notable tradition for coaches who just won the big game (a tradition popularized by the New York Giants during the 1980s, although not one invented by the Giants, as I established in a Football Urban Legends Revealed here )

COLOMA-LOTUS VALLEY, Calif — In the week since a fireball shot across the sky and exploded, scattering a rare type of meteorite over California's Gold Country, these hills have drawn a new rush of treasure seekers. Once again there are lively saloons, fortune hunters jockeying for prime spots and astounding tales of luck — including that of Brenda Salveson, a local who found a valuable space rock while walking her dog Sheldon, named after the theoretical physicist on the TV show "The Big Bang Theory.

There is something about bright lights and loud noises that attract the child in all of us. And when they come from the heavens, they're fodder for even our adult selves. Take meteor showers, for example. Over the weekend, the Lyrids made their annual spin through the local skies, igniting the usual flashes, as they've done for some 2,600 years. This time, they also seemed to have caused an explosive boom heard in some parts of California and Nevada. This year's show was a bit more spectacular than in the past, because the moon was in a new phase -- meaning the sky was darker than usual, creating a nice, rich background that showcased the celestial sparks.

Gregory J. Bonann not only co-created "Baywatch" but he also lives the lifestyle from his Malibu beach compound, part of which he just sold for $5.25 million. The secondary house, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms in 2,618 square feet, features a master bathroom with an indoor shower that opens to an outdoor shower and beach access. The rooms open to beachfront decks. There is a patio with a hot tub, a three-car garage and six more parking spots on the property. Bonann, 59, was a creator, executive producer and director of "Baywatch" (1989-2001)

As concertmaster for the orchestra that recorded the soundtrack for the movie "Psycho," classical violinist Israel Baker helped create a piece of pop culture that is regarded as one of Hollywood's most terrifying. He led the piercing attack of the violins that accompanies the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film's chilling shower scene. He "was a renowned violinist and concertmaster in the Hollywood studio system" and was heard on dozens of movie scores, said Jon Burlingame, a film and music historian.

For Rick Santorum, it was the paparazzi moment that looked like it would never come. Cameras and correspondents awaited him Thursday at an event in eastern Iowa in numbers that had rarely, if ever, been seen by his campaign. Even the presidential candidate seemed a bit taken aback. "Enjoying the circus?" one reporter asked. "This is the first day," Santorum replied. Nobody has worked harder or spent more time traveling Iowa's rural highways and visiting its hamlets than Santorum — and until this week, no one had less to show for it. But with polls indicating that Santorum is rising in the minds of voters likely to attend next week's caucuses, there's a growing sense that if any candidate is going to leverage Iowa's wide swath of evangelicals, it will be the former Pennsylvania senator.

If you could redesign your hotel room, what would you include? Red Roof Inn, one of the nation's largest budget hotel chains, launched a $90-million redesign effort this month for its nearly 350 hotels across the country based on the comments of thousands of guests in Texas, Georgia and Ohio. The data were collected from email surveys taken over the last 12 to 18 months. The top request by guests was for more electrical outlets in each room to power smartphones, e-readers and other mobile electronic devices.

Clothing retailer James Perse has put a Hollywood Hills-area house up for sale at $3.75 million or for lease at $14,500 a month. The property has been rented out in recent years. The mid-century home, which is in the celebrity-populated "bird streets" area above the Sunset Strip, devotes its 2,300 square feet to open living space, one bedroom with a fireplace and oversized walk-in closet, and 1 3/4 bathrooms. The contemporary house sits behind gates on about a third of an acre with a swimming pool, spa and outdoor shower.

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky said he never spoke with Joe Paterno about any suspected misconduct with minors, the New York Times reported Saturday. Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of molesting eight boys over 15 years and is free on bail while awaiting a preliminary hearing Dec. 13. A grand jury investigating Sandusky said in a report that some of the allegations occurred in the team showers, including a 2002 allegation in which a graduate assistant coach testified he saw Sandusky assaulting a young boy. University trustees fired Paterno on Nov. 9, four days after charges were filed against Sandusky, amid mounting pressure that school leaders should have done more to prevent alleged abuse.

Getting investors excited about long-lasting batteries was a challenge for Leyden Energy in the early days. Raising funds was even harder. Then came the iPhone. The popularity of Apple's mobile device and other smartphones sent engineers into a frenzy to create batteries that could outlast the power hogs. The Fremont, Calif., lithium-ion battery company was already working on a solution, and as a result it recently raised $20 million in venture funding. Energy storage companies such as Leyden Energy led clean technology investment during the third quarter by raking in $421 million in venture capital, a 1,932% increase from the same period last year, according to an Ernst & Young report.