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Do Some Actual Running on a Runway Next Saturday in South Carolina

Now that fall has finally arrived and the temperatures have dropped to jacket-wearing weather, we can all finally get back to doing what we love most: sitting on the couch snuggled in a blanket getting active outdoors! Your next chance for a very unique sport experience is coming up soon however, so start planning for a weekend in South Carolina.

On Saturday, October 29, South Carolina's Columbia Airport (CAE) will shut down its runway to airplanes and open it up to runners for the second annual 5K Runway Run and 1-mile "Wing Walk."

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Beer Travel / Drinking Travel / Beer Festivals / Festival Travel / Events / → All Tags

Where Is Next Weekend's World Beer Festival?

We’re only about a week away from the World Beer Festival in Columbia, South Carolina. All About Beer Magazine has been putting on festivals like this for several years, and even though most hop-heads don’t travel across the globe to attend, the organizers do a great job of having plenty of libations from around the world. We’ve attended their offerings in North Carolina before and definitely think it’s worth your time.

There’s going to be at least 250 different beers for everyone to sample, and they’ll be coming from craft brewers, microbreweries, and even breweries that have enough cash to advertise during the Super Bowl. We’re happy that Anheuser-Busch is attending the festival, but we’re going to have to pass on the Bud Light Golden Wheat—thanks anyway.

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Music Festivals / Music Travel / Virgin Mobile FreeFest / Recessionomics / Richard Branson / → All Tags

Baltimore's Virgin Mobile Festival Drops Ticket Prices To Free

There’s been a lot of talk about 2009 being the year the music festival died, (see Summercase, Langerado and the San Francisco Blues Festival), and the long-rumored next casualty has been the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore. Despite being a hit in its first three years out, concert organizers have waited forever to announce any details on dates or lineup, leading many around the music blogosphere to assume the fest wouldn’t be able to pull it together this year.

Well our old billionaire buddy Richard Branson must have taken those nasty rumors personally, because Virgin has announced that not only will the show go on, but they don’t need to make any stinkin' money on it anyway. That’s right, this year’s concert is 100-percent free.

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Do Not Do / Celeb Travel / Michael Phelps / → All Tags

Michael Phelps Should Probably Not Go To Vegas Anymore Either

Just when we thought it was okay to get angry at the octuplet mom instead, more details about Olympian Michael Phelps' trip to South Carolina. Now we know not only has the swimming champ enjoyed some wacky tobaccy, he is a horrible gambler.

At the same University of South Carolina party where he was snapped breathing in the questionable fumes, Phelpsie put down $2,000 on a beer-pong game... and lost. Whether these two events are related is not clear, but let's hope he didn't meet his Las Vegas-based girlfriend by trying to impress her at the tables.

Frankly, if all the pot-smokers we know lost their jobs, it would have a greater effect on our circle than the recession has so far. But we're fascinated by the idea that, without the bong hits, Phelps might have won every single event at the Beijing Olympics -- singlehandedly! The Australia national swimming program should be sending him special brownies every day from here on out.

On the other hand, if any enterprising casino decides to add a few beer-pong tables, we will happily show up and get killed by the pros, whoever they are.

Related Stories:
· Michael Phelps Lost Two Grand At Beer Pong [The Superficial]
· Where Is Michael Phelps' Bong? [Jaunted]
· The Good Ol' Days: Phelpstival Finally Official [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: crankymediaguy]

Celeb Travel / Travis Barker / DJ AM / → All Tags

Barker-AM Crash Lawsuit: The Finger-Pointing Frenzy

Travis Barker's showing up to the Grammys with his arm in a sling (alongside bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge) reminded us of the last major airline accident before Flight 1549. (Barker just had surgery for nerve damage stemming from the accident.) Has Barker gotten any justice since the crash that took four lives?

Well, no, but at least he's performing again since his highly publicized reunion with fellow survivor D.J. AM on New Year's Eve. Barker filed suit against the owner of the plane and the manufacturer of the blown tire that sent their Learjet 60 off the runway at Columbia Metropolitan Airport Sept. 19. (AM, alias Adam Goldstein, sued later that month.) In turn, the owner of the plane has sued Learjet and the airport, claiming they were both "defective."

We gotta wonder whether there's any money in suing an airport. The family of a woman who died at a Phoenix airport last year sued the city, but not Sky Harbor International; San Francisco Airport faced a class action suit brought by deaf passengers who felt the airport did not accommodate them, but settled in 2005. If law enforcement is involved, it's probably more productive to sue them.

Related Stories:
· Travis Barker Reveals Reason For Arm Sling [US Magazine]
· Barker/AM Jet Owner Blames "Defective" Runway [TMZ]
· Miami Trumps Vegas In Star-powered-Soirees [Jaunted]
· Barker Sues Over Plane Crash [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Zimio]

Drug Travel / Where Is / Michael Phelps / Marijuana / College Tours / Rosetta Stone / → All Tags

Where is Michael Phelps' Bong?

In case you were too involved with your seven-layer dip last night and missed the news, the ubiquitous British tabloids caught Michael Phelps smoking the pot. Apparently he was rocking out at a house party at the University of South Carolina in November, when someone snapped a pic of him using a marijuana smoking device.

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Inevitable Lawsuits / Celeb Travel / Travis Barker / Small Plane Travel / Private Jets / → All Tags

Barker Sues Over Plane Crash

Who wants to go to court? Former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker has filed suit against the owner of the plane whose September crash sent him to the burn unit, as well as tire manufacturer Goodyear.

Because a blown tire contributed to the crash that killed four and sent Barker and DJ AM to the hospital, Barker is alleging that the plane was not in flying shape when it took off from Columbia Metropolitan Airport September 19. But pilot negligence may have contributed: In tapes from the air-traffic control room, the pilots are instructed to continue flying despite the blown tire, advice they clearly disregarded.

Barker, who still cannot swim because his body is covered in third-degree burns, told E! Online that DJ AM is not involved in the lawsuit, in which he seeks compensation for "pain and suffering, mental anguish, psychological and emotional distress and disfigurement and pre-impact fear of death and burning."

Related Stories:
· Audio Tapes From Travis Barker/ DJ AM Crash Released [MTV News]
· Recovery Travel: Details Emerge On AM/ Barker Crash [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: The Superficial]

Celeb Travel / Movie Set Travel / Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus / → All Tags

Dangerous Movie Set Travel: Extras in Peril on "Hannah Montana" Set

If you're not already familiar with the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana phenomenon, you will be by the time "Hannah Montana: The Movie" hits theaters in 2009.

But filming on the most important tween movie of next year was halted this weekend when a Ferris wheel snapped some cables and injured several extras.

Apparently Cyrus had just wrapped some kind of fair scene on the Columbia, Tennessee set of her film when a lighting rack was blown into the wheel, causing pandemonium on set. No one was killed, but kid's cursed! Just ask the white sheet she posed with in Vanity Fair.

Related Stories:
· Evil Ferris Wheel Attacks "Hannah Montana" [TMZ]
· Where in the World is Miley Cyrus? [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Console Hero]

Movie Set Travel / → All Tags

Movie Set Travel: Death Sentence

Suburban white mild-mannered man goes pyscho in today's pick, Death Sentence. Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon--always good at the suburban white man roles) is a middle-class executive with a nice life, a wife Helen (Kelly Preston--who somehow always gets stuck in this same role) and two boys.

One night Nick witnesses a gang initiation murder and violent act on a family and never recovers. The rest of the movie is spent tracking down each gang member and exacting revenge. Nick can't go too far. We know, sounds a little fantastical, but it's a suburban-style thriller, not a piece of neorealist cinema. Let the tripped out mind games begin!

This one was all shot in stunning Columbia, South Carolina, so we offer you some cool things to check out there:

Where To Stay: Inn at USC -- Pass up the tons of chains here, and check into the Inn at the University of South Carolina. Sure, it's plain and simple, but has all the basics (free wi-fi, coffeemakers, fireplaces) and a dose of Southern charm. Originally built in 1912 as a family home, if you look hard enough you'll see traces of Georgian, gothic and art deco features throughout.

Where To Visit: Riverbanks Zoo -- Head to this mammoth zoo and Botanical Garden (two birds, one stone) and visit the animals in their authentic habitats, like Lemur Island and Koala Knockabout. Spend the day there for a thrifty $9.75 but be aware they close at 5pm sharp most days.

Where To Eat: Blue Marlin -- Don't be fooled by their "steaks and seafood" claim: The chef at Blue Marlin trained in NYC under Alain Ducasse and worked at the James Beard House. The ambiance is a bit lacking, but the crab cakes and fried green tomatoes with cracked cornmeal make up for that.

Related Stories:
· Movie Set Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Columbia, SC Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: TheMoviesCuracao.com]