Despite progress, agreement not imminent: Negotiations between NFL owners and players are fated to continue. Two people familiar with the talks told The Associated Press today that the sides will resume negotiations early next week at an undisclosed site. The lockout is deep into its fourth month, and this will be the fifth set of “secret” meetings. Those familiar with the negotiations spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are supposed to be confidential. While each side has acknowledged progress, a new collective bargaining agreement is not imminent. One of those knowledgeable about the talks says conference calls are being set up to discuss some topics, but not the major issue of splitting revenues. The person says that is being negotiated “face to face.” The sides completed two days of talks at a beachfront resort in Hull, Mass., on Thursday. On hand were NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, owners John Mara of the New York Giants, Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers, Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs, Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots and Dean Spanos of the San Diego Chargers. NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith was there along with several players, including Jeff Saturday of the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Richardson of the New York Jets and Domonique Foxworth of the Baltimore Ravens.
Falk famous for detective role: Peter Falk, the stage and movie actor who became identified as the squinty, rumpled detective in Columbo, which spanned 30 years in prime-time television and established one of the most iconic characters in movie police work, has died. He was 83. Falk died Thursday in his Beverly Hills home, according to a statement released today by family friend Larry Larson. In a court document filed in December 2008, Falk’s daughter, Catherine Falk, said her father was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Columbo began its history in 1971 as part of the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie series, appearing every third week. The show became by far the most popular of the three mysteries, the others being McCloud and McMillan and Wife. Falk was reportedly paid $250,000 a movie and could have made much more if he had accepted an offer to convert Columbo into a weekly series. He declined, reasoning that carrying a weekly detective series would be too great a burden.
