Merritt Wever Talks Nurse Jackie Season Five

It's always thrilling when a deserving actor has their work acknowledged with an Emmy nomination, but when Merritt Wever's name was announced as one of 2012's five Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy nominees, I felt Zoey-levels of frenetic jubilation because she's long been one of the most underrated actors on television and that kind of uniquely exhilarating talent tends to be celebrated by online devotees (like me!) but ignored by organizations like The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

But, in the end, there was no denying the hilarious, intimate and sterling performance Wever has been serving on Showtime's Nurse Jackie. Emmy night was doubly sweet for Wever as her good friend (and Tiny Furniture boss), Lena Dunham, also scored several nominations for Girls.

I recently caught up with Wever to talk about the sensational season four (now on DVD), what fans can expect from season five and how she learned to stop letting Girls criticism get her down.

ETonline: There was so much I loved about season four -- especially Zoey living at Jackie's house. Looking back, what did you enjoy?

Merritt Wever: I thought it was a really strong season for us. I think there was a lot of energy and things rolled along faster. Living with Jackie was Zoey's dream come true, but you might be a little disappointed in season five because Zoey moves out pretty early on this season. But I loved having the opportunity to be in the house. It was another way to, unintentionally, invade her space.

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ETonline: I thought the season also did a great job of reinforcing how much the staff of All Saints loves Jackie. What do you, as an actor, take away from a moment like the slow clap?

Wever: That this is a dysfunctional family but they really care about each other. I mean, it was awful when Akalitus and Eddie got fired. I hated that scene when they're sitting beneath the statue looking at their severance checks -- it was just so sad. Much like actors, [hospital workers] put in these crazy hours and see their co-workers more than their families most times. Accepting that support is an important part of struggling to stay sober -- more so than Jackie probably wants to deal with or admit. I don't think she wants to admit that to herself because it's unpleasant, but it's something she's really going to have to accept in the upcoming season.

ETonline: What else can you say about season five?

Wever: We return a couple of months later, there are a few new doctors on the floor and Dr. O'Hara decides she needs to live in London to be with her family, so right away Jackie loses her best friend and biggest ally in the hospital. There's a lot of transitions right in the beginning of the season -- especially for Jackie.

ETonline: What about for Zoey -- where do we find her in season five?

Wever: It's a much different season and I'm worried people may not like Zoey this year. I don't know, I don't think she's all that different, but I'm not sure how people are going to respond. Zoey is recommitted to her career this year, although after four years, it's not so much about her finding her way in the hospital any more. She's no longer a newbie, which is hard for me because I had trouble progressing the character when so much of her identity has been about being the fresh-faced new person. That was something I contended with this year. Zoey doesn't date, but she does have a casual encounter, which is very un-Zoey, but something that would happen to a girl in NYC.

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ETonline: Speaking of, what's your take on Lena's vision of young NYC life in Girls?

Wever: I love Girls. I love it. I think Lena is crazy-talented and I love that she's on the air right now with this exciting show. Sometimes the conversations that get sparked are really annoying, but I love her.

ETonline: You mean like after the Patrick Wilson episode?

Wever: Yeah.

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ETonline: Is it tough to have that kind of second-hand experience with her work?

Wever: In the beginning I would read things are feel strangely overprotective of her. But I quickly realized that girl can hold her f*cking own. She's smart and capable and I don't need to worry about Lena. She's got a great family, great friends and she's doing it right. I get annoyed sometimes about the stuff around her that she has nothing to do with, but I'm glad for many, many reasons that Girls is on the air.

ETonline: Was it surreal to both find yourselves as first-time Emmy nominees this past September.

Wever: It was nice to be recognized when you weren't expecting it. It was really nice having her nominated too. I went with a friend of mine who is a writer on Nurse Jackie, so to be able to have a moment of personal life amid all the business stuff was really refreshing because the business stuff can make events like that not easy to enjoy. If you can bring a small part of you to events like that, it's very useful. I was relieved when I realized we were sitting near one another. It made me feel a little more normal.

Nurse Jackie: The Complete Fourth Season is now available on DVD, and season five premieres April 14 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.

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Blade runner nearly shot friend days before attack on stunner girlfriend

Gun-loving “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius nearly shot a friend two weeks before allegedly blowing away his gorgeous gal pal, according to published reports today.

Pistorius, in jail since the Valentine Day’s slaying of stunner Reeva Steenkamp, accidentally shot one round at the foot of boxer Kevin Lerena, while they dined with friends at a swanky Johannesburg restaurant, the fighter told Beeld newspaper.

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Lerena said Pistorius mishandled the weapon and it fired one round that nearly hit his foot.

“I got a huge fright, because the bullet hit the ground just centimeters from my foot. I must emphasize that the gun belonged to one of Pistorius’ friends,” Lerena told the newspaper.

“Oscar just wanted to look at the gun, and it sort of snagged on his pants, releasing the safety catch. A shot went off. I wouldn’t call him negligent, it was just an accident. He apologized to me for days afterwards.”

Steenkamp’s funeral is set for tomorrow, as a court weighs Pistorius’ bail application.

She was shot four times early Thursday morning inside the Olympian’s home near Pretoria.

The beautiful FHM mag pinup Steenkamp was a law school grad and outspoken advocate for victims of domestic violence.

Pistorius became an international hero this summer and after running in the London Olympics on two prosthetic legs.

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Presidents' Day is observed Monday. Here is what will be open and closed

Holiday schedule

Federal offices: Closed

Miami-Dade County offices: Closed

Broward County offices: Open

Miami-Dade and Broward courts: Closed

Public schools: Closed

Garbage collection: Varies; check with your municipality

Banks: Most are closed

Stock markets: Closed

Post offices: Closed

Miami-Dade and Broward Transit: Regular schedule

Tri-Rail: Regular schedule

Miami-Dade libraries: Closed

Broward libraries: Open

Malls: Open

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Hugh Grant is a Dad Again

Hugh Grant confirmed Saturday that he is a dad again.

PICS: Celebs and Their Cute Kids

The 52-year-old British actor tweeted, "In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum."

Hugh and actress Tinglan Hong welcomed a daughter named Tabitha in 2011. No word yet on what Tabitha's little brother is named.

Related: Hugh Grant Responds to Jon Stewart Diss

Hugh told The Guardian in 2012 of being a dad, "I like my daughter very much. Fantastic. Has she changed my life? I'm not sure. Not yet. Not massively, no. But I'm absolutely thrilled to have had her, I really am. And I feel a better person."

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NBA’s best player (LeBron James) isn’t best-paid

HOUSTON --
When LeBron James walks onto the court for Houston’s NBA All-Star Game Sunday, he’ll do so as the undisputed king of his sport.

Named the league’s most valuable player three times in the past four years, James is once again dominating the NBA and most likely headed for his fourth MVP award — two fewer than Michael Jordan — with presumably a long career still ahead.

But while James is the most valuable player in the NBA, he’s nowhere close to being the league’s highest paid. Of the 10 players voted into the starting lineup of Sunday’s All-Star Game, five earn more than James, whose salary for this season ranks 13th in the NBA.

James’ decision a while back to “take my talents to South Beach” was a case of trading dollars for victories. The league caps what teams can spend on salaries.

The bimonthly checks cut by team owner Micky Arison this year will equal a bargain come season’s end: $17,545,000.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, the league’s highest-paid player, will earn about $10 million more than that this season.

James understands he’s underpaid in the purest sense, but he also understands reality: He makes obscene amounts of money playing a game. Super-rich athletes who gripe about money seldom get much sympathy — witness the outpouring of scorn when golfer Phil Mickelson recently complained that increased taxes on high earners, coupled with California’s high tax rates, might force him to make “drastic changes” in his playing schedule.

James also makes a fortune in endorsements, from companies ranging from Nike to Sprite to Samsung to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Still, the obvious question remains: Considering not only James’ impact on the Heat, but also his overall contribution to the entire NBA, how much money could James command on the open market if there were no league-imposed economic constraints?

“Per year, if there were no salary-cap restrictions, I think he’s worth well over $100 million, easy,” said Shane Battier, the Heat’s heady forward and former Duke University schoolmate of Heat CEO Nick Arison.

That’s $100 million per year.

It’s an audacious and historic number, but considering James’ recent run of play, it’s not complete fantasy. James is performing at a historic level of excellence. After thoroughly wiping the court in Oklahoma City on Thursday, scoring 39 points, pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing out seven assists, James has scored at least 30 points in seven straight games.

The last player to accomplish that feat going into the All-Star break was Wilt Chamberlain back in 1963.

“This guy, LeBron James, he’s doing stuff that I’ve never seen,” said Hall of Famer Charles Barkley on Thursday night during TNT’s Inside the NBA. “He’s on another planet.”

Considering Barkley’s sharp criticism of James in the past, not to mention his history of going head-to-head with Michael Jordan during both men’s prime, that’s high praise.

But a market value of $100 million?

“Really, it boils down to the ego of an owner,” Battier said. “A lot of owners would pay just to have LeBron James on their team. I can think of a couple that would pay him, easily, nine figures per year.”

According to one numbers cruncher — John Vrooman, an economics professor at Vanderbilt University — Battier’s figure is an overestimation of James’ worth by about $60 million. Here is how his math works: Vrooman used an advanced metric known in the sports world as “win-share,” which assigns a number to each player on a team based on his contributions, both offensively and defensively, for a season. Last season, when James led the Heat to the championship, he had a win-share value of 14.5, which translates to 31.5 percent of the 2011-12 Heat’s 46 regular-season wins.

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Obama golfing with Tiger Woods in Florida

WASHINGTON – President Obama was working on his golf game today, playing with none other than the sport's most famous player, Tiger Woods.

The two played at the Floridian Golf and Yacht Club in Palm City, Fla., where Obama was spending a President's Day weekend vacation, according to Golf World writer Tim Rosaforte.

"The President is arriving at The Floridian range. Awaiting is Tiger Woods and club owner Jim Crane. Historic day in golf. Their first round," Rosaforte said on Twitter. Crane is also the owner of the Houston Astros.

Obama spent time on the links over the weekend with Woods’ coach Butch Harmon but the game with Woods was unexpected.

The White House

Obama and Tiger Woods at the White House in 2009.

The two met each other when the president invited Woods to the White House in 2009. But today is the first time they played together. Obama has become an avid golfer since becoming president, racking up 100 rounds played during his time at the White House.

Woods is the most successful golfer of all time, having been named the PGA Player of the Year a record ten times. In 2009 and 2010 his career suffered after revelations about extramarital affairs.

Obama flew aboard Air Force One to Florida to play golf, after delivering a speech in Chicago on Firday. The first lady and the two Obama daughters are skiing in Colorado.

On Saturday, Obama played golf with Chicago friend Eric Whitaker, White House trip director Marvin Nicholson, outgoing US trade representative Ron Kirk and Houston businessman Tony Chase.

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Escobar Barber Shop in Little Havana gains fame with LeBron James’ commercial

The Escobar Barber Shop is more than a place to get a shave and a haircut.

For decades, it’s been a place to hear stories and see the occasional celebrity.

Comedian Leopoldo “Tres Patines” Fernández has been here. So have legendary boxer Roberto “Mano de Piedra’’ Durán and former Sen. Mel Martínez.

And now, the shop at 803 SW Fifth Ave. in Little Havana, can add Miami Heat superstar LeBron James to the list.

Escobar was the backdrop for James’ day-in-the-life commercial for the Samsung Galaxy Note II.

How did it happen?

Thomas Escobar, who with his brother, Evelio, has run the barbershop for 42 years, got a little suspicious one day when he saw someone taking photos of his business while another asked permission to tape a few scenes. Then they identified themselves as part of the team that manages the NBA star’s image and explained the purpose of the commercial.

But it was up to James to make the final call.

“They didn’t make any promises and only said that they would show the photos to LeBron and that he would make the decision,” said Thomas, born in Villa Clara, Cuba, 75 years ago. “That was a Thursday in the middle of October, and the following day about 10 trucks full of equipment came with 70 people who turned the barbershop upside down and stirred interest in the neighborhood.

“It became clear then that LeBron had liked it and that they were going ahead with the commercial.”

The production team got to work depicting two worlds: the nostalgia of a barbershop with the fast-moving communication via cellphones.

Instant attraction

James was attracted to the shop with its photos of Cuba and old-time conversations.

“They told us they had seen and photographed other barbershops with a better look and more luxurious, but LeBron had been attracted to this one,” said Neorlando Urdanivia, a 77-year-old barber born in the Cuban city of Cienfuegos who speaks with pride of his small contribution to the commercial.

“When he arrived and got off this tremendous SUV, there was quite an upheaval. Fortunately, I was sitting outside wearing my glasses and the first thing LeBron did was to say hello to me with a fist bump. That, as everybody can see, came out very well and very natural.”

Except for that segment with Urdanivia and another brief one with Evelio Escobar, the rest of the barbershop staff remained outside during the filming. James’ personal barber cut his hair. And he was surrounded by his inner circle.

In a matter of seconds, James enters the shop asking everyone how they are and telling the barber, “I need the best, because it’s an important day.”

Meanwhile, his friends show him a video on the phone in which someone is dunking a ball. The player, impressed by the image, sends it to others.

The phone is the center of the commercial, but the barbershop steals the show.

José Pañeda, a top executive of the Heat in charge of the team’s Hispanic market, wasn’t surprised that James and his team chose the Little Havana barbershop.

Latino base

“Since he came to the Miami Heat, LeBron has always felt sensitive toward the community and understands the growing importance of the Latino fan in a city like Miami,” Pañeda said. “He was recently in the Three Kings Parade on Calle Ocho and he knows that our team, because of its privileged geography, has millions of followers in Latin America.”

The video, released on Oct. 29, one day before the NBA season started, attracted interest from as far away as Russia, with people calling the barbershop to ask about James sitting in one of its chairs.

Once the filming ended and the cameras were turned off, James talked to each of the barbers and thanked them before leaving.

“Some people are saying that we are LeBron’s Cuban barbers,” Thomas Escobar said. “Because of the commercial they think that he always gets his haircuts here.

“If they ask me, I tell them the truth. But if others out there believe it, who am I to contradict them. Right?”

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Hugh Grant is a Dad Again

Hugh Grant confirmed Saturday that he is a dad again.

PICS: Celebs and Their Cute Kids

The 52-year-old British actor tweeted, "In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum."

Hugh and actress Tinglan Hong welcomed a daughter named Tabitha in 2011. No word yet on what Tabitha's little brother is named.

Related: Hugh Grant Responds to Jon Stewart Diss

Hugh told The Guardian in 2012 of being a dad, "I like my daughter very much. Fantastic. Has she changed my life? I'm not sure. Not yet. Not massively, no. But I'm absolutely thrilled to have had her, I really am. And I feel a better person."

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Woman wounded by stray bullet in the Bronx

A woman was wounded by a stray bullet in the Bronx, authorities said.

An unknown gunman shot the victim, 51, in the right side of her stomach about 9:40 p.m. in front of the Soundview Houses on Seward Avenue near Noble Avenue, cops said.

Investigators do not believe she was the intended target.

EMS rushed her to Jacobi Hospital, where she is expected to survive, authorities said.

No arrests have been made.

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Glades plan could siphon water from county wells

For years, Everglades restoration engineers and scientists have been working on ways to control the ripple effects when they finally start returning healthy water flows to the marsh.

Increased suburban flooding has long been the big concern from raising water levels in the Everglades but a critical plan now on the fast track surprisingly poses the opposite problem.

Initial computer modeling for the $1 billion plan, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is rushing to complete by year’s end, suggests the proposed re-plumbing of assorted levees, canals and pumps could divert too much water from a well field that supplies Miami-Dade County with much of its drinking water. At certain times of the year, it also could reduce already meager freshwater flows to southern Biscayne Bay that have turned much too salty.

Kim Taplin, chief of the Corps’s Central Everglades branch, acknowledged the results from the first modeling runs last month were unexpected but she also stressed that the suite of projects can be tweaked to ensure groundwater continues to recharge county wells in West Miami-Dade.

“It is truly a tentatively selected plan,’’ she said at a meeting on the plan this week. “There are a lot of policy issues that have to be worked out.’’

But the time frame for resolving the problem and other issues is short, and the stakes are high.

This particular plan, called the Central Everglades Planning Project, is an important experiment by the Corps to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that has tangled and slowed restoration since Congress first approved the joint state-federal restoration effort in 2000. The Corps — partnering with the South Florida Water Management District and a large “working group” of other state and federal agencies, environmentalists and outdoors groups — is trying to crunch its typical planning process of five-to-six years to 18 months.

The goal is to formally select a plan by April and have it approved by Corps leadership in Washington in time to include it among a handful of already authorized Everglades projects stalled until Congress approves funding — most likely through a massive public works spending bill. Such measures, called water resources development acts, are passed periodically, with the last one coming in 2007. Everglades supporters are pushing hard for another one.

The Central Everglades plan is designed to finally help the ailing heart of the Everglades — moving more water through state-owned water conservation areas south of Lake Okeechobee, down through the Shark River Slough, the historic headwaters of Everglades National Park and finally out into Florida Bay.

Though the plan wouldn’t do everything called for in the larger $13.5 billion restoration plan, which was expected to take decades to complete, it would represent a major first step toward restoring natural flow to a system long bottled up by dikes and drainage canals.

The plan calls for siphoning water currently released from the lake and “lost to tide” down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and redirecting it to the south.

The water — up to 65 million gallons annually — is intended to refresh long-parched swaths of the Glades and too-salty Florida Bay and offer relief to sections of state-owned marsh where water has historically been held too high, destroying tree islands and reducing wild life populations. After studying four alternatives, a working group hammering out the plan made a tentative choice last month, combining features from two alternatives. The new plan, known as 4R, includes nearly 20 separate projects to backfill portions of canals, remove or shorten levees, add gates and pumps, extend bridging along Tamiami Trail and remove the old road bed.

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