Amory Gritta

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:

1863 – In New York City, opponents of the draft begin three days of rioting which will be later regarded as the worst in US history (More info)

1923 – The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Los Angeles; it originally reads Hollywoodland but the four last letters are dropped after a 1949 renovation (More info)

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Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:

Harrison Ford
Age: 69
Occupation: Actor
Known For: Roles such as Han Solo in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy and Indiana Jones in the eponymous movie franchise, and his marriage to human swizzle-stick Calista Flockhart

Cheech Marin
Age: 65
Occupation: Actor and Comedian
Known For: Being half of the legendary stoner comedy duo Cheech and Chong, starring in movies such as 'Up in Smoke,' and co-starring in the TV series 'Nash Bridges'

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Texas is a pretty big place -- but is it big enough for Glenn Beck? The Lone Star State is about to find out.

Conservative pundit Beck, whose New York-based television show for Fox News was recently canceled -- or he voluntarily left, depending on whom you ask -- sold his $3.6 million Connecticut home and is renting a $20,000-a-month two-acre spread in Dallas. “I can’t wait,” Beck told listeners during his radio broadcast on Monday.

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The Westboro Baptist Church is at it again.

The fundamentalist and anti-gay group has announced it will picket the funeral of former first lady Betty Ford, who died last week, because she got divorced before marrying the man who would later become President Gerald Ford. This, the group says, made her an adulterer who "loved to sit with tawdry reporters and blather about sex."

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Next summer, TNT will take TV viewers back to Texas for a reboot of the long-running primetime soap 'Dallas,' promising plenty of sex, drama and, of course, oil.

This time around, 'Dallas' will focus on the scandalous misadventures of J.R.'s son, John Ross (Josh Henderson), and Bobby’s adopted son, Christopher ('Desperate Housewives' hunk Jesse Metcalfe).

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The CMA is sticking with what works for the 2011 CMAs, tapping Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood to return for their fourth round of hosting the awards show.

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Gonorrhea, a bacterial sexually transmitted infection, used to be easily treated with antibiotics. But now, a "superbug" strain of the STD has been found in Japan and scientists fear it could become a global public health threat.

"Since antibiotics became the standard treatment for gonorrhea in the 1940s, this bacterium has shown a remarkable capacity to develop resistance mechanisms to all drugs introduced to control it," said Magnus Unemo of the Swedish Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, who discovered the strain with Japanese colleagues.

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If you've ever watched the 'Harry Potter' films and thought to yourself, "What this movie really needs is for Malfoy to bust out some rhymes," you're in luck.

Tom Felton, 23, who plays Hogwarts badboy Draco Malfoy in the popular film franchise, just inked a recording deal with an independent label. His chosen musical path? Rap.

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McDain’s Restaurant, in suburban Pittsburgh, isn’t what you would call a kid-friendly establishment.

The eatery has instituted a new policy banning children younger than six beginning this coming Sunday.

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During high-profile bike races like the Tour de France, there are often official cars driving fairly close to the riders, raising the specter of an accident.

But the collision that took place during the Tour Mo

Like the robot maid, the flying car is part of our ‘Jetsons’-promised future that has yet to materialize.

However, that could change soon. Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration granted the Transition Roadable Aircraft a series of special exe

Boosted by unexpectedly strong word-of-mouth and generous reviews, 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' was number one for the second weekend in a row, becoming the top-grossing movie of 2011 thus far with a total take of $261.0 million.

Coming in second, the Jennifer Aniston-featured dark comedy 'Horrible Bosses' earned an estimated $28.1 million, while the family flick 'Zookeeper' came in third with $21.0 million.

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