The Good Wife

The Good Wife, He survived the wrath of Peter Florrick and the State’s Attorney office, but Will Gardner (Josh Charles) was no match for the Illinois State Bar Association on Sunday’s episode of The Good Wife. Faced with the possibility of losing his law license forever, Will took responsibility for that $45,000 loan and agreed to a six-month suspension. So what’s next? How will his time away from the law change Will? How will Lockhart Gardner Lockhart and Associates, and Alicia (Julianna Margulies), change without him? TVGuide.com spoke with show bosses Robert and Michelle King to get our burning questions answered.

How long has this been in the works?
Robert King: We started this year thinking the theme would be about risk. It really turned fairly quickly into being about consequences. Our people have a lot of close scrapes and get off. This one felt like it should come down like a lot of bricks on Will’s head. And we didn’t want to just disbar him completely.

Why was it important for Will in particular to kind of face more serious consequences?
Michelle King: It felt real. There were big threats against Will and we wanted to show that yes, in fact he was going to feel the pain and there were going to be changes in his life and in the show.
Robert King: It’s like the first year when there was a competition between Cary and Alicia. There’s a term TV writers called ‘Schmuck Bait,’ which is the idea that there are some plots that you know aren’t going to happen, like Superman is not going to die. Having Cary actually be fired in Season 1 felt like we were taking these threats very seriously and avoiding ‘Schmuck Bait’. For Will, it felt like there really needed to be repercussions from it.

How will Will continue to be a part of the show if he can’t practice law or go to the firm?
Robert King: He’s in every episode, but it is a delicate dance. There is the dance of what you are allowed to do as a business partner in that firm, and what you’re prevented from doing as a lawyer. This is difficult for Will and he really wants to honor the suspension too.

The Good Wife

The Good Wife, Lockhart Gardner lawyers aren’t always great at dealing with pesky human emotions. And, frankly, neither is The Good Wife.

Lately, there’s been so much feeling going on — Will confessing his love for Alicia, Eli insisting that he was betrayed by his ex, Diane experiencing pangs of guilt about limiting her pro bono cases — that I sometimes long for the days when everyone could put all that personal drama aside and concentrate on what’s really important: winning.

Also: keeping your cell phone on vibrate when you’re having a “late lunch” with your boyfr… I mean, boss. But mostly: winning.

So I was thrilled to see everyone get way more aggressive this week. The best part? Will versus Peter in a fight to the death! Or maybe just a fight to… harsh words? “You’re pitiful,” snarls Will at Peter. “Get a pair of balls and throw a punch.”

But they’re not the only ones acknowledging some tension between them. After hearing Alicia’s annoying heymompickupthephone! ring in the background during a phone call with Will, Diane’s pushing harder against her partner’s not-so-secret relationship. (Though, according to that sexual harassment video, “pushing harder against” might not be the most appropriate turn of phrase.) Plus, Alicia’s making the Treasury Secretary’s job so difficult, he’ll soon be stress-eating his way through his billionth box of red velvet cupcakes.

Let’s start with Alicia’s case, since it poses what might be the stickiest problem. Normally, Alicia’s only concerned with the best interests of her client and (by extension) the firm. But this week, things are getting more complicated. What’s good for the client isn’t necessarily what’s good for the firm. And, worse, what’s good for the firm isn’t necessarily what’s good for Alicia.

Vernon Jordan

Vernon Jordan:NEW YORK, April 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) – American Express / quotes/comstock/13 *! AXP / quotes / nls / AXP (AXP 43.33, 0.24, 0.56%) today welcomed 48 emerging leaders nonprofit to participate in its fourth American Express nonprofit Leadership Academy, a program national training to develop the next generation of leaders in the nonprofit sector. The American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy is a program of weeklong created in collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), which immerses participants in a series of training courses in leadership and development. Through the Academy, participants polish personal, business and leadership skills required to run a successful business profit in the “new normal” of the complex current economic climate.

Participants in the program will listen to the American Express senior executives, including company president and CEO Kenneth I. Chenault. Futurist Andrew Zolli also lead a discussion on the complex relationships between technology, sustainability and demographics – all crucial elements for enacting social change. Other speakers include Vernon Jordan, whose achievements as a lawyer in the nonprofit, government and business sectors have become one of the most influential figures in U.S. politics and business.

“Now more than ever, nonprofit organizations need leaders who are willing to adapt to the new reality of a post-recession climate, and American Express is pleased to offer this forum for important development for the next generation of emerging leaders” said Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation. “Our curriculum focuses on helping participants gain a better understanding of how best to use their own personal strengths and styles and apply their knowledge in practical situations, and our students are using the knowledge they gain in the program promote real change in their various organizations. ”

Launched in 2008 to meet the need created by a growing shortage of talent for leadership in the nonprofit sector, the Academy brings to forty-eight of the emerging leaders within the community, environment, international aid and cultural organizations. classes in the past twenty-four participants have registered, but this year, American Express has doubled the size of the incoming class because of the success of the program. The forty-eight participants are selected on a competitive application process and were selected from eight non-profit partners and local nationals from a variety of sectors:

– City Year

– Community Health Charities of America

– The Foundation Center

– Independent Sector

– The League of American Orchestras

– The National Consumers League

– United Way Worldwide

– Public Policy Impact of Women, Inc.

The local nonprofits based in American Express Service Center locations include:

– Able confidence (Ft. Lauderdale)

– Arizona Science Center (Phoenix)

– Emerge (Phoenix)

– Family Life Council (Greensboro)

– Kuera 90.1 (Salt Lake City)

The curriculum of the training program with the media, individual Myers Briggs assessments, leadership training, experiential exercises, individual executive coaching and team activities. Participants in this session is also combined with program alumni, who serve as mentors, answering questions about what to expect during the week, and general guidance on how to get the most from the experience of the Academy.

Recent participant John Abodeely, National Program Manager for the Partnership at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, said, “The Academy of Nonprofit Leadership has helped me to crystallize my own best practices for building relationships, both management of internal and external reputation, and affect the type of organizational change that we need to slow. Besides, I have an awareness of resources and information that can help me to solve problems, and is the Academy’s greatest asset – the knowledge. ”

About American Express

American Express is a global services company, providing customers access to products, ideas and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. For more information visit www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com / americanexpress, www.twitter.com / americanexpress and www.youtube.com / americanexpress.

American Express: Developing new leaders for tomorrow

One of three American Express for his philanthropy platforms is to develop new leaders for tomorrow. Under this initiative, indicating that recognizes the importance of strong leadership in the nonprofit sector, American Express is awarding grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st century .

About the Center for Creative Leadership

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL (R)) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that helps unlock the potential of individuals and organizations leaders through its exclusive focus on leadership education and research. Founded in 1970 as a nonprofit, educational, CCL serves more than 20,000 leaders and 2,000 organizations annually in corporate education, the governmental and nonprofit.

SOURCE: American Express

Sarah Jessica Parker Dead

According to Perez Hilton, Sarah Jessica Parker is dead.

But, so far, he’s the only one reporting the death.

And its not even really Perez Hilton. Instead, the report comes from PerezHiltonOnline – a knock-off site unaffiliated with the celebrity blogger.

Many are bracing (and hoping) that this stunt (and a deplorable one at that) will be revealed as an April Fools joke. For now, however, there’s nothing funny about the report, which claims that the Sex and the City star was killed in a car accident this morning.

The grizzly report claims that “Parker along with her 7-year-old son James Wilke Broderick were killed while her husband Matthew Broderick is in critical condition at Cedars Sinai Hospital.”

The report further suggests that alcohol is considered a factor in the crash.

Strangely enough, Sarah Jessica Parker‘s representatives are yet to comment on the matter.

Is this legitimate news or an elaborate and despicable hoax?