Stars load up on freebies

Sundance is as much about movies as it is about swag. Maybe even more so, in recent years, as celebrities have loaded up on clothes, gadgets, even pet gear.

We're talking about loads of freebies showered on the stars who attend the film festival in Utah.

This year, one of the most coveted items is the special edition white Burnett jacket from Canada Goose, one of the festival's sponsors. Only 300 are being given out. Two of the recipients thus far: Ellen Page, Dave Grohl and Josh Radnor. And there's a version for sale for $650 for regular non-Hollywood folk.

And on the beauty side of things, Fresh is gifting stars -- including Very Good Girls cast members Elizabeth Olsen and Dakota Fanning -- with its Lotus Youth Preserve face cream and Sugar Petal lip balm.

Meanwhile, in the nation's capital, inaugural activities are in full swing.

And that also means gifting.

One key item: The simulated pearl necklace from jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane, which is included in the official inaugural gift bag handed out at the Creative Coalition gala.

source:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/01/19/sundance-inauguration-products/1846029/

Oprah interview with Lance Armstrong airs January 17

(CNN) -- Lance Armstrong will give his first television interview since being stripped of his Tour de France titles to Oprah Winfrey, her network announced Tuesday.

A news release from the Oprah Winfrey Network said the 90-minute "no-holds-barred" interview will air at 9 p.m. ET January 17 and will be simulcast on Oprah.com.

Winfrey will ask the disgraced cycling star to address the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's report, which said there was overwhelming evidence he was directly involved in a sophisticated doping program, the statement said.

The International Cycling Union, which choose not to appeal the USADA's lifetime ban, stripped Armstrong of his record seven Tour victories in October.



The World Anti-Doping Agency also agreed with the sanctions, which means Armstrong may not compete in sports governed by WADA code.

Before the ban, he was competing in Ironman triathlons and had won two of the five events he had entered. Since the ban he has entered two non-sanctioned events.





According to his Twitter feed, Armstrong has been biking, running and swimming in Hawaii. The Winfrey interview will take place at Armstrong's home in Austin, Texas.

The New York Times reported last week that Armstrong, 41, was contemplating publicly admitting he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Such an admission might lead toward Armstrong regaining his eligibility.

One of his attorneys denied Armstrong was in discussion with the two anti-doping agencies.

Attorney Tim Herman, in a recent e-mail to CNN Sports, did not address whether Armstrong told associates -- as reported by the newspaper -- that he was considering an admission.

Armstrong has repeatedly and vehemently denied that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs as well as illegal blood transfusions during his cycling career.

In the past, Armstrong has argued that he took more than 500 drug tests and never failed. In its 202-page report that detailed Armstrong's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions, the USADA said it had tested Armstrong less than 60 times and the International Cycling Union conducted about 215 tests.

The agency did not say that Armstrong ever failed a test, but his former teammates testified as to how they beat tests or avoided the tests altogether.

The New York Times, citing unnamed associates and anti-doping officials, said Armstrong has been in discussions with USADA officials and hopes to meet with David Howman, chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency. The newspaper said none of the people with knowledge of Armstrong's situation wanted to be identified because it would jeopardize their access to information on the matter.

Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, an athlete who confesses to using performance-enhancing drugs may be eligible for a reinstatement.


Armstrong has been an icon for his cycling feats and celebrity, bringing more status to a sport wildly popular in some nations but lacking big-name recognition, big money and mass appeal in the United States.

He fought back from testicular cancer to win the Tour from 1999 to 2005. He raised millions via his Lance Armstrong Foundation to help cancer victims and survivors, an effort illustrated by trendy yellow "LiveSTRONG" wristbands that helped bring in the money.

But Armstrong has long been dogged by doping allegations, with compatriot Floyd Landis -- who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after failing a drug test -- making a series of claims in 2011.

Armstrong sued the USADA last year to stop its investigation of him, arguing it did not have the right to prosecute him. But after a federal judge dismissed the case, Armstrong said he would no longer participate in the investigation.

In October 2012, Armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned from cycling. Weeks later, he stepped down from the board of his foundation, Livestrong.

It is unclear whether Armstrong would face criminal prosecution for perjury should he confess. Armstrong was involved in several cases where he gave sworn testimony that he never used banned drugs.



Ground search called off for missing skydiver

(CNN) -- Police have abandoned a ground search for a man who went missing five days ago over the Cascade Mountains in Washington.

Kurt Ruppert of Lake City, Florida, disappeared Thursday after he jumped from out of a helicopter at 6,500 feet while wearing a special jumpsuit known as a "wingsuit," which allows a person to soar and glide before deploying a parachute.

"The only areas left to search are areas (authorities are) not able to search on the ground. They're steep cliffs and ravines, and when the weather clears, we'll hopefully get our helicopter back up there to look," Sgt. Cindy West, a spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff's Office, said Monday.

It is unlikely Ruppert is still alive given the low temperatures on Mount Si where rescuers have focused their search, authorities said.

"Initially we thought he was probably flying 50 to 60 miles per hour," West said, "but after talking to his jump friends, we found more likely he was traveling 80 to 100 miles per hour, which ... in just a matter of a few seconds he's going to be over a large area. And then the other issue is we don't know exactly what direction he went."

In a written statement issued Sunday, West said: "There are cliff areas that could not be searched due to the extreme risk to searchers. The Sheriff's Office said they will search those areas by helicopter when weather permits."

CNN affiliate KOMO reported there was too much fog on Monday for air crews.

Searchers covered 9 square miles looking for Ruppert, West said.