‘Mad Men’ Dominates Emmy Nominations – “Mad Men” dominated nominations for the primetime Emmy awards once again, a triumph for the 1960s-themed series that almost failed to return for its fifth season. The show is up against “Boardwalk Empire,” “Breaking Bad,” the British-made “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones” and “Homeland” for best drama series, but unlike any of its rivals, it figures in all nine drama-related categories. [bangpo]

Beginning Of The End For Syrian Regime – Syrian rebels have captured a number of positions on the country’s borders with Turkey and Iraq. A senior Iraqi official said all the crossings on Syria’s eastern frontier had been seized. At one point, two Turkish posts were also in rebel hands. [bbc]

Microsoft Posts First Ever Quarterly Loss – As was widely expected, Microsoft announced a loss of $0.06 per share for the fourth quarter, ended in June, which marks the first time the software giant has posted a quarterly loss in the 26 years it has been a public company. [theregister]

Google Flying With Last Quarter Showing $10 Billion Revenue – Google Inc’s revenue increased 21 percent as strength in its Internet advertising business offset a persisting drop in ad rates, stirring hopes among investors the Web search leader is close to slowing that decline. [reuters]

Local Man Blames His Wife For Driving Drunk – A man was fined by the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after he was caught driving drunk while on his way to fetch his irritated wife. He told magistrate Sean Lea he had been celebrating Father’s Day with a friend when he was called by his wife. [news24]

Nadal Out Of Olympics – Reigning Olympic men’s singles champion Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the London 2012 Games. Nadal, who was due to carry the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony, made the decision due to lack of fitness. The world number three has not played since losing in second round of Wimbledon to Lukas Rosol. [sportlife]

Morgan Freeman Pumps $1 Million Into Obama Campaign – Actor Morgan Freeman is the newest seven-figure donor to the Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action, Politico has confirmed. In a statement, Freeman lauded both the president’s record and Priorities USA for its role in the 2012 campaign. [politico]

Death Of The Phone Call – After a decade and a half of uninterrupted growth, the amount of time we spent talking on our mobile phones went into reverse last year for the first time since they became ubiquitous in the late 1990s. [guardian]

Porn Stars Use Twitter To Go Mainstream – Once relegated to sleazy red-light districts and the darker corners of the Internet, porn stars are now gaining followings in a surprising place: Twitter. They are using the social media site to engage directly with their fans and build their individual brands. [cnn]

ANCYL Wish ‘President’ Motlanthe Happy Birthday – The ANC Youth League on Thursday sent birthday wishes to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, referring to him as “president”. “The ANCYL wishes president Kgalema Motlanthe a joyous and productive birthday,” read the statement issued by ANCYL spokesperson Khusela Sangoni-Khawe. [news24]

Go Gramps, Go! [VIDEO] – Samuel Williams, 71, saved a group of patrons at a Florida Internet café when he whipped out his gun to fend off two robbers. This is a classic in the making. [thedaily]

Willards / Big Korn Bites Refuse To Engage Public Outrage – No statement has been released yet, in response to the public backlash against SA favourite ‘Big Korn Bite’ chips, following the outcry on social media platforms. Former fans of the snack have complained that the brand is skimping on seasoning and the tomato flavour in particular is virtually plain. [2oceansvibe]

Did you know you can now listen to 2ov Radio on News24?

Tonight’s EuroMillions Lottery Is Sitting At R1 Billion – Tickets Online – Well it’s sitting at EUR 101 Million, to be exact. And you have just as good a chance as anyone else to win it. You just need to buy a ticket. It would be pure madness not to spend such a small amount on such a big possibility. [tickets]

Meet the ‘Scientology Princess’ Who Could Be the Fourth Mrs. Tom Cruise – 27-year-old model-slash-actress Yolanda Pecoraro is reportedly being considered by the Church of Scientology as a potential mate for Tom Cruise in the wake of his split from third wife Katie Holmes. [gawker]

Australian Runner Michelle Jenneke’s Pre-Race Ritual Is Viral Smash [VIDEO] – On your mark, get set, dance! With some crafty editing – and just the right soundtrack – Michelle Jenneke’s pre-race warm-up ritual has turned the Australian runner into the latest YouTube star. [people]

Rocket Lab: 12 Week Course For Entrepreneurs – It’s like being on the TV shows “The Apprentice” and “Shark Tank” at the same time. Participants leave with their own fully-fledged business and have the opportunity to get funding from a pool of investors. Open Day Presentation on 8 August 2012. [rocketlab]

Paris Jackson Lashes Out At Michael Jackson Siblings – Paris Jackson has hit out at “family members” who she claims has been spreading false rumours. The 14-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson has become embroiled in a recent scandal stemming from a letter allegedly from Janet, Rebie, Tito, Randy and Jermaine Jackson. [belfasttelegraph]

Amanda Knox Is BACK! – An Italian court in Perugia has set March 25 for the prosecution’s appeal of Amanda Knox’s acquittal in the 2007 murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher. [huffpo]

The Who’s Pete Townshend Very Complimentary About Mick Jagger’s Penis – At a press conference in London today (July 18) announcing The Who’s 36-date tour of North America, which kicks off this autumn, Townshend made his comments. He said: What I remember of the size of Mick Jagger’s penis – I remember it as being huge and extremely tasty. [nme]

Harry’s Kisses In A Nightclub With Model Daughter Of A Former It Girl – With a mane of blonde hair, endless legs and an impeccable pedigree, Cressida Bonas would certainly appear to be – as her friends suggest – ‘posh, pretty and perfect’. And the 23-year-old model’s charms have not been lost on Prince Harry. [dailymail]

Behind The Scenes: Justin Bieber’s Rolling Stone Shoot [VIDEO] – Justin Bieber was in full heartthrob mode when he met up with photographer Mark Seliger in Malibu to shoot his new Rolling Stone cover, on newsstands Friday, July 20th. In this behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot, the 18-year-old enjoys the California sun and goofs around with Seliger. [rollingstone]

Gorgeous Behind-The-Scenes Photos Of Barack And Michelle Obama – White House photographer Pete Souza posted a new crop of beautiful, behind-the-scenes pictures to the administration’s Flickr feed this week, offering another inside look at what life was like in the West Wing this June. [businessinsider]

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COMING UP TODAY

Nick Farr-Jones And Colin Charvis Live On The IanF Show – As part of the run up to the JAG Invitational celebrity golf tournament, Nick Farr-Jones and Colin Charvis will be live at 09h00 this morning. They’ll discuss everything from golf to rugby, and anything Ian and Spike can throw at them. [2ovfm]

The Premier Show With Seth And Bruce 10h00 to 13h00 – Easing you into your Friday, Seth and Bruce discuss the topics of the day, with a smattering of sport, entertainment and finance. Powered by Jack Daniels! [2ovfm]

Famous podiatrist Bastien Gonzales is famous worldwide for his glamorous and unique approach to foot treatments. The passion for his profession has brought him to the highest levels of perfection in terms of quality, innovation and savoir-faire. He chats to Angel and Kamini from 2 Girls, 1 Mic at 13h30 about what makes his treatments so special. [2girls1mic]

FRESH PODCASTS

Biz Connect With Kathea Communications – Bob chats to Brennan van Heerden, Strategic Account Manager of Kathea Communications about how sales orientated businesses have morphed into a relationship based business around products and needs of businesses. [podcast]

The Rolling Stone Chart – 2ov Radio has teamed up with Rolling Stone magazine to bring you the weekly charts. This week, Rolling Stone SA featured the top 5 local hip hop tunes. [podcast]