Los Angeles —In an odd yet understandable marketing strategy, the folks behind E!’s new reality show “Mrs. Eastwood and Co.” have spent a lot of pre-premiere publicity time explaining what the show isn’t.

Which is to say, Clint Eastwood.

The legendary actor and director will appear in but a few episodes and then only briefly. He will not, for instance, be slamming any doors or engaging in filmed therapy sessions with his wife, Dina, around whom the show revolves (see title.)

That doesn’t mean the show, premiering today, is not about Clint Eastwood; it most certainly is. If the principal characters — Dina, her 15-year-old daughter Morgan and her 19-year old stepdaughter Francesca — were not related to the icon, there would be Absolutely No Reason to watch this show, which, by reality show standards, promises to be tame to the point of sedation.

Ostensibly, it is a glimpse of the woman behind the man as she juggles motherhood, a menagerie of rescued animals, a budding career as a music manager and the ancillary celebrity that comes from being married to a big star. While there will always be noses-pressed-to-the-window fascination with how rich folk live — and this time in Carmel, CA! — the sight of a 1,000 square foot kitchen and walk-through closets no longer have the draw they once did. It’s Clint we’ve come to see, if not in person then in spirit. By getting to know the woman he married and at least two of his children, we hope to learn more about the man whom so many regard with something akin to awe.

Here is the first thing we learn: He signed off on a reality show about his family. And there is simply no way you can watch Dina engage in what is the undeniably narcissistic enterprise of having cameras follow her around and not think all sorts of worrisome and occasionally uncharitable things about her rationale.

Clearly, she is hoping the show will bring attention to the Overtone, a South African boy band she discovered while Clint was filming “Invictus.” As she tells the cameras, she convinced her husband to bring them over so she could launch their career in America — something, one assumes, that will be made easier by their appearance on a reality show.

And yet, in the first episode, what passes for A-story is not her foray into the music industry; it’s bellybutton rings. Morgan wants to get one and her mother refuses, in part because, as she says (and we all strain to hear), Clint (who is filming in Atlanta) will hit the roof. So Dina decides that the best thing for her to do is get a bellybutton ring herself. You know, to show Morgan how awful it is. Conveniently this calls for many shots of Dina’s flat and tan belly, and also, weirdly, the nose-piercing of Lisa, the Eastwoods’ wacky Korean housekeeper (who may wind up being the best thing about the show.) Dina sees this as maternal self-sacrifice, apparently oblivious to the creepy mother-daughter competition the piercing evokes.

Another story line introduces Dina’s new baby nephew — her brother Dominic is married to Jade Marx, daughter of Groucho — and Francesca’s ambivalence toward motherhood. Everyone else in the family loves babies, she tells us, especially Clint (hates bellybutton rings, loves babies, got it). But after she discusses the issue with her boyfriend, celebrity photographer Tyler Shields, Francesca changes a diaper and realizes she might actually be a good mom.

The good news about “Mrs. Eastwood and Co.” is that the participants are all articulate and literate, which is not true of many similar shows. But Dina has painted herself into a corner; a situational reality show demands drama of a certain embarrassing sort and, indeed, clips from upcoming episodes promise tears and anger and Dina declaring war on someone. The deeper she goes into that sort of thing, the more ire she will draw for exploiting her husband and sullying his name.

With any luck, the Overtone will turn out to be just terrific, with fabulous back stories and enough band tension to fill that particular narrative need without splashing back on Clint. But then Mrs. Eastwood will have to surrender a fair amount of camera time, and that’s not usually why someone decides to be part of a reality show.

From left, Francesca, Dina and Morgan Eastwood. (Jeffrey Thurnher, E! Entertainment )

In an odd yet understandable marketing strategy, the folks behind E!’s new reality show “Mrs. Eastwood & Company” have spent a lot of pre-premiere publicity time explaining what the show isn’t. Which is to say, Clint Eastwood. The legendary actor and director will appear in but a few episodes and then only briefly. He will not, for instance, be slamming doors or engaging in filmed therapy sessions with his wife, Dina, around whom the show revolves (see title.)

That doesn’t mean the show is not about Clint Eastwood; it is. If the principal characters — Dina, her 15-year-old daughter Morgan and 19-year old stepdaughter Francesca — were not related to him, there would be Absolutely No Reason to watch this, which, by reality show standards, promises to be tame to the point of sedation.

Ostensibly, it is a glimpse of the woman behind the man as she juggles motherhood, a menagerie of rescued animals, a budding career as a music manager and the ancillary celebrity that comes from being married to a big star. While there will always be fascination with how rich folk live — and this time in Carmel! — the sight of a 1,000 square foot kitchen and walk-through closets no longer have the draw they once did. It’s Clint we’ve come to see, if not in person then in spirit. By getting to know the woman he married and at least two of his children, we hope to learn more about the man whom so many regard with something akin to awe.

Here is the first thing we learn: He signed off on a reality show about his family. And there is no way you can watch Dina engage in what is the undeniably narcissistic enterprise of having cameras follow her around and not think all sorts of worrisome and occasionally uncharitable things about her rationale. Clearly she is hoping that the show will bring attention to the Overtone, a South African boy band she discovered while Clint was filming “Invictus.” As she tells the cameras, she convinced her husband to bring them over so she could launch their career in America — something, one assumes, that will be made easier by their appearance on a reality show.

And yet, in the first episode, what passes for A-story is not her foray into the music industry; it’s bellybutton rings. Morgan wants to get one and her mother refuses, in part because, as she says, Clint (who is filming in Atlanta) will hit the roof. So Dina decides that the best thing for her to do is get a bellybutton ring herself. You know, to show Morgan how awful it is. Conveniently this calls for many shots of Dina’s flat and tan belly, and also, weirdly, the nose-piercing of Lisa, the Eastwoods’ wacky Korean housekeeper (who may wind up being the best thing about the show.) Dina sees this as maternal self-sacrifice, apparently oblivious to the creepy mother-daughter competition the piercing evokes.

Another story line introduces Dina’s new baby nephew — her brother Dominic is married to Jade Marx, daughter of Groucho — and Francesca’s ambivalence toward motherhood. Everyone else in the family loves babies, she tells us, especially Clint (hates bellybutton rings, loves babies, got it). But after she discusses the issue with her boyfriend, celebrity photographer Tyler Shields, Francesca changes a diaper and realizes she may be a good mom.

The good news about “Mrs. Eastwood” is that the participants are all articulate and literate, which is not true of many similar shows. But Dina has painted herself into a corner; a situational reality show demands drama of a certain embarrassing sort, and, indeed, clips from upcoming episodes promise tears and anger and Dina declaring war on someone. The deeper she goes into that sort of thing, the more ire she will draw for exploiting her husband and sullying his name.

With any luck, the Overtone will turn out to be just terrific, with fabulous back stories and enough band tension to fill that narrative need. But then Mrs. Eastwood will have to surrender a fair amount of camera time, and that’s not usually why someone decides to be part of a reality show.

–

mary.mcnamara@latimes.com

–

‘Mrs. Eastwood & Company’

Where: E!

When: 10 p.m. Sunday

Rating: TV-PG-L (may be unsuitable for young children with an advisory for coarse language)

Kristen Wiig became a fixture on ‘Saturday Night Live’ after seven years on the sketch comedy show.

She’s known for her great spectrum of facial expressions, no holds barred stage antics and tongue-in-cheek jokes, but on Saturday’s season finale of “Saturday Night Live,” Kristen Wiig could only muster a small smile.

The “SNL” comedienne blinked back tears as she was musically toasted by her castmates and host of the evening Mick Jagger in a closing number marking the end of her career at the sketch comedy show.

“Many of you are moving onto college, but I’d like to take a moment to say goodbye to one particular student who is leaving this summer … to become a nun,” Jagger said in the skit, playing the part of a high school teacher.

“You’ve meant quite a lot to us over the last seven years – she got held back! – so our music department got together and prepared a song to say goodbye,” he continued.

Wiig, 38, was then twirled and danced around the stage to the tune of Rolling Stones hit “Ruby Tuesday,” which included the poignant line, “Still I’m gonna miss you.”

Castmates Bill Hader, Keenan Thompson, Andy Sudeikis, Andy Samberg and executive producer Lorne Michaels were among the somber string of pals who hugged Wiig farewell in what turned out to be an emotional end to the show.

Chris Kattan, Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler also returned for Wiig’s sendoff.

NBC did not make any formal announcements about Wiig’s departure prior to Saturday’s show, but there had been speculation that she, Samberg and Sudeikis were looking to leave the show in the near future.

“It will be a huge blow to the show,” a source told Us Weekly earlier in April about Wiig’s potential departure. “Kristen was talking about leaving a while ago. With her movie success, it’s no surprise.”

Wiig had memorable roles in a recent string of blockbuster hits, including “Bridesmaids,” “Friends With Kids” and “Knocked Up,” and will star in next year’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” opposite Ben Stiller.

There’s been much chatter about the sanctity of marriage of late, from the presidential campaign trail to the kitchen table, but yesterday Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg put his money where his mouth is. Ten billion dollars worth.

As you know by now, Zuckerberg had a busy week. Friday’s Facebook IPO made him one of the richest people on the planet. Yesterday he married his college sweetheart Priscilla Chan.

Now there are plenty of reasons to hate Zuckerberg–I could go on for about 10 minutes about Timeline alone–but for once he did the right thing, and did so in a very public way. He affirmed that age-old progression from Single to In a Relationship to Married. (Let’s leave It’s Complicated aside for the moment.)

If gay marriage opponents and proponents agree on one thing, it’s that the institution of marriage is under siege. Just ask Kim Kardashian, who likely spent more time negotiating the TV rights to her wedding than she did being married to Kris Humphries. Or Britney Spears whose wedding lasted about as long as a stomach virus. Or Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

Or the guy in North Carolina, interviewed on NPR, who supported Amendment One, because he was concern about the sanctity of marriage. Oh yeah, he’s a divorce lawyer.

Now nobody’s talking about this except Donald Trump, but there’s no way that Mark Zuckerberg asked Priscilla Chanto sign a pre-nup. They’ve known each other since they were teenagers. If he asked, she’d probably kick his butt, erase his hard drive, and take custody of their dog. And even if he insisted, there’s no way that it holds up court. In a community property state like California, a divorce would make Priscilla Chan so rich that she’d make Elin Nordegren look like Octomom.

Despite that, Zuckerberg popped the question. The guy who’s one of the faces of the 21st Century came right out and said that he believes in old-fashioned values like commitment, fidelity, and yes, love. Awwwwww. (And I say as a guy who’s still married to his own college sweetheart.)

And he did it the hard way. Being young, single, famous, and a billionaire is a Judd Apatow movie come to life. But Mark Zuckerberg avoided the many temptations that were no doubt dangled before him, and stayed true to the woman who would become his wife. (Look at that face. If he cheated, you just know he would have gotten caught.)

Yesterday in front of family and friends, Zuckerberg said some magic words that began with “for richer or for poorer” and ended with “til death do us part.” And he bet $10 billion on them. For once, I hope he’s right.

Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger did it all on the season finale of “Saturday Night Live.” The rock legend not only hosted the show, but also put on four memorable musical performances, backed up by an impressive roster of friends that included The Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters and Jeff Beck. He presided over Kristen Wiig‘s emotional sendoff and took a well-placed musical jab at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney‘s infamous prep-school forced haircut incident.

Jagger rocked out to three classic Stones songs with The Arcade Fire serving as his backup band, including a “She’s A Rainbow/Ruby Tuesday” medley at the end of the show that served as a farewell homage to “SNL” star Kristen Wiig, who was celebrating her final “SNL” episode after a 7-year-run.

Jagger flashed his comedic songwriting ability in a musical blues sketch with guitarist Jeff Beck about the presidential election titled “Tea Party” that included a lyrical dig at Mitt Romney. Jagger sang: “Mr. Romney he’s a hard-working man, and he always says his prayers, yeah but there’s one little thing about him, don’t ever let him cut your hair.”

Jagger and The Arcade Fire also performed a raucous version of the classic “This May Be The Last Time.”

The Foo Fighters got in on the action too, backig up Jagger on a medley of “19th Nervous Breakdown” and “It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It).”

LOS ANGELES — Kevin Durant stood above the 3-point line and watched the shot clock dwindle in the final seconds of Game 4. When Metta World Peace backed up slightly on defense, Durant hesitated only an instant before launching a 26-footer.

“It left my hand, (and) I was thinking, ‘If this doesn’t go in, it’s going to be a terrible shot,’” Durant said.

The three-time scoring champ trusts his instincts and his silky-smooth jumper. Neither let him down while he and Russell Westbrook engineered yet another late comeback that pushed a frustrated Kobe Bryant to the brink.

Westbrook scored 10 of his 37 points during a stirring fourth-quarter rally, Durant added 31 points and hit that tiebreaking 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left, and the Thunder seized control of their second-round series with a 103-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

Serge Ibaka scored 14 points and the second-seeded Thunder took a 3-1 series lead with a rally from a 13-point deficit in the final 8 minutes, moving one win away from their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals.

“Everybody kept fighting,” Westbrook said. “We all believed in each other. It’s the playoffs. You can’t afford to sit back and wonder about it.”

Game 5 is Monday night in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City improved to 7-1 in the postseason with a tenacious rally on the second night of back-to-back games against the Lakers and Bryant, who scored 38 points but struggled in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles’ fifth loss in seven games. After Durant put the Thunder ahead with his shot-clock-draining 3-pointer, Kobe couldn’t match it with 10 seconds left.

With a surge that seemed inevitable to the Lakers’ worried crowd, Durant and Westbrook led the Thunder back with teamwork throughout a 32-point fourth quarter. Bryant was left lamenting the help he didn’t get — particularly from four-time All-Star Pau Gasol, who made the unforced turnover that led to Durant’s decisive 3.

“Pau has got to be more aggressive,” Bryant said of Gasol, who managed just 10 points and five rebounds while committing three turnovers. “He’s got to be aggressive, got to shoot the ball, drive to the basket, and he will next game. … (The turnover was) just a bad read on Pau’s part. It happens.”

The Thunder finished Game 4 on a 22-8 run, punctuated by Durant’s dramatic 3-pointer and two late free throws from James Harden, who had 12 points. After sweeping Dallas in the first round, the Thunder are one win away from sending home the NBA’s last two champions — and in perhaps the greatest measure of the Thunder’s growth over the two years since the Lakers ushered them out of the first round on the way to their second straight title, nobody seems surprised.

“We know no game is over,” Durant said. “We’ve witnessed that before. We play hard every possession and live with the results, and we came out on top.”

Andrew Bynum had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who led 92-81 with 7:45 to play before Westbrook went to work with a furious series of drives to the hoop. The UCLA product scored nine points in just over 2 minutes, and Kendrick Perkins capped the 17-4 run on a putback layup with 1:16 left, putting Oklahoma City up 98-96 with its first lead since the first quarter.

After Bryant evened it with two free throws, Westbrook and Gasol then traded turnovers, with Durant swiping Gasol’s careless pass before burying a straightaway 3-pointer that silenced Staples Center. The Thunder made 10 of their 15 shots in the final period.

“I wish I could sit up here and say how that happened,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “It just happened.”

World Peace had 14 points in the second game of the Lakers’ first back-to-back playoff games in 13 years. A night after the Lakers got back in the series with a late comeback for a 99-96 victory in Game 3, Los Angeles led for most of the night, but couldn’t execute on offense late, struggling for even difficult shots.

“We can talk about us offensively, because we had some struggles,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said. “But it comes down to those guys scoring 32 points in the fourth quarter, and I thought they did that very easily. That’s the most disappointing thing.”

The game was the third NBA playoff contest in 27 hours at Staples Center, which will host six playoff games in hockey and basketball over a four-day stretch this weekend. With the Los Angeles Kings’ ice just below the Lakers’ court, several players appeared to slip and slide on the floor during the game, and Westbrook nearly did the splits at the halftime buzzer when his right foot slipped.

“I was a little stiff, but we needed this win,” Westbrook said.

Oklahoma City appeared to be unhappy with the floor’s condition, but Staples Center did nothing different in its changeover, and the referees deemed the floor safe for play. The San Antonio Spurs, on course to meet the Thunder in the conference finals, didn’t appear worried about the floor during their win over the Clippers.

Bryant shot poorly in the first three games of the series, but went 10 for 18 in the first three quarters of Game 4 before managing only a 2-of-10 effort in the fourth, including a meaningless bucket at the buzzer.

“We’re all upset and extremely frustrated, (but) I don’t think anybody is worried about going into Oklahoma City and getting a win,” Bryant said. “We don’t think about winning three in a row.”

Jordan Hill’s offensive rebound and layup put the Lakers up 91-78 with 8 minutes left, but longtime Lakers guard Derek Fisher kick-started Oklahoma City’s comeback with a 3-pointer.

After Oklahoma City defended its home court with a blowout win in the opener and a comeback from a seven-point deficit in the final 2 minutes of Game 2, the Lakers finally answered Friday night with their own late rally. Los Angeles took control of Game 4 early on while the Thunder struggled with their shots and their footing.

Westbrook slipped near midcourt at the halftime buzzer, his right foot sliding forward when he attempted to stop. He stayed down on the court for an uncomfortably long moment before walking gingerly to the locker room with his hand on his left hip, but got treatment at halftime and returned for the third quarter.

The game was Chapter 4 in the four-day extravaganza at Staples Center. The Kings play Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Phoenix on Sunday afternoon, followed by the Clippers’ fourth game against San Antonio — all while tens of thousands of fans gather outside to watch the Tour of California, the nation’s largest cycling race, which finishes on the street outside shortly before the Kings’ opening faceoff.

I’ll Have Another wasn’t fazed by the pressures of Pimlico and keeping his bid for horse racing’s Triple Crown alive on Saturday, as he rallied with a late burst to overcome favorite Bodemeister, once again taking the race in thrilling fashion. 

The colt’s epic win at the Preakness Stakes was almost identical to his victory at the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, when he saved his best for the end and blew past a dead-tired Bodemeister. 

Looking back at the race replay, we see that I’ll Have Another’s jockey Mario Gutierrez gets his racehorse out of the starting post fast and moves him toward the front, but remains patient running with the pack until it’s time for I’ll Have Another to make his move.

Bodemeister demonstrated his world-class speed once again as he broke to the front and built a decent lead, just as he had done at Churchill Downs in the Triple Crown’s first leg. Although Pimlico Race Course presents a slightly shorter track than Churchill Downs, 1/16 of a mile shorter, those watching had to believe Bodemeister would run out of gas just as he did two weeks earlier.

I’ll Have Another ran fourth for about two-thirds of the race until making an inevitable surge off the fourth and final turn. The Kentucky Derby winner went wide and looked much more energized than leader Bodemeister at that point. 

In the race’s final seconds, Gutierrez and I’ll Have Another powered past jockey Mike Smith and Bodemeister to win the 137th Preakness Stakes by a neck. Gutierrez rode his horse to perfection and got the absolute most out him no question.

Bodemeister placed second and Creative Cause showed, finishing third.

Current ratings for:‘Some “Good” Cholesterol May Be Bad For Heart’

Previous studies have shown that high levels of HDL cholesterol are strongly linked to low risk of heart disease. But trials where people have been given drugs to increase their levels of HDL cholesterol have yielded inconsistent results: leading to the idea that HDL cholesterol may actually have protective and non-protective elements.

Now, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that when the surface of HDL cholesterol bears a small protein called apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III), there is an increase in the risk of heart disease, and when it is absent, HDL cholesterol is especially heart protective.

They write about their study, the first to show this effect, in a recent online issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Senior author Frank Sacks is professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at HSPH. He told the press:

“This finding, if confirmed in ongoing studies, could lead to better evaluation of risk of heart disease in individuals and to more precise targeting of treatments to raise the protective HDL or lower the unfavorable HDL with apoC-III.”

ApoC-III is a proinflammatory protein that resides on the surface of some lipoproteins, including HDL and LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad”) cholesterol.

For their investigation, Sacks and colleagues examined blood samples from 18,225 men and 32,826 women who took part in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-based Nurses’ Health Study between 1989 and 1995.

They wanted to see whether apoC-III made a difference to the heart-protective qualities of HDL cholesterol: they wondered if there were two subclasses of HDL cholesterol, one that protected against heart disease and one that did not, depending on the presence of apoC-III.

The study participants had been followed for 10 to 14 years, during which time 634 of them developed coronary heart disease. Sacks and colleagues matched these participants with controls who had the same demographic status (eg age and gender), smoking status, and whose blood samples were drawn at the same time.

They compared the blood samples in several different ways: they looked at total HDL, HDL with apoC-III, and HDL without apoC-III, and assessed these concentrations against coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.

They also adjusted the results so as to eliminate, as far as possible, effects from other factors that impact CHD risk, such as age, smoking status, diet and lifestyle.

The results showed that after taking these potential influencers into account, two subclasses of HDL cholesterol appear to have opposite effects on risk of CHD in men and women.

A minor subclass, accounting for around 13% of HDL cholesterol, carries apoC-III and this was linked to a higher risk of future CHD.

The major subclass of HDL cholesterol is one that does not carry apoC-III, and this was linked to a lower risk of future CHD.

The analysis showed the participants with plasma HDL apoC-III concentrations in the highest 20% of the population had a 60% increased risk of CHD.

The researchers suggest rather than simply measuring total HDL, it might be better to measure HDL with and without apoC-III to provide a more reliable gauge of heart disease risk, or the protective capacity of HDL.

Jensen also proposed that:

“Reduction in HDL-apoC-III by diet or drug treatments may become an indicator of efficacy.”

Funds from The National Institutes of Health and the Villum Kann Rasmussen Foundation in Denmark helped pay for the study.

This is not the only study recently to doubt the heart-protective benefit of HDL cholesterol. A paper by Sekar Kathiresan of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues, published in the The Lancet on 17 May, questions the idea that raising blood HDL cholesterol translates into reduced risk of heart attack.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhDCopyright: Medical News TodayNot to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our cholesterol section for the latest news on this subject.
“Apolipoprotein C-III as a Potential Modulator of the Association Between HDL-Cholesterol and Incident Coronary Heart Disease”; Majken K. Jensen, Eric B. Rimm, Jeremy D. Furtado, and Frank M. Sacks; J Am Heart Assoc. 2012; 1: jah3-e000232; DOI:10.1161/JAHA.111.000232; Link to Abstract.Additional source:Harvard School of Public Health
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(CBS News) Aimee Copeland was told that she will have her hands and remaining foot amputated, complications from blood vessels dying after a two-week battle with the flesh-eating infection necrotizing fasciitis, her father wrote on Facebook Friday.

Her response? “Let’s do this.”

New case of flesh-eating bacteria reported in S.C. momGa. student fights to survive flesh-eating bacterial infection

Her father Andy has been updating a blog on a University of Georgia psychology department’s student website ever since Aimee was hospitalized with necrotizing fasciitis. She suffered a deep gash in her leg after falling May 1 from a homemade zip line over a Georgia river, and the flesh-eating bacteria, Aeromonas hydrophila, entered the wound.

Ken Lewis, one of the operators of that blog, told CBS News the family recently gained control of a Facebook page with over 49,000 followers set up by someone else. That is where Andy updated the world on his daughter’s condition Friday morning.

In the post, Andy said that on Wednesday doctors suggested Aimee have the breathing tube removed and that she get a tracheotomy, a procedure in which an incision is made into the neck and a tube is inserted to open an airway, allowing a person to breathe. Andy said the flesh wounds on her abdomen had been making it hard for Aimee to take deep breaths, and the “trache will make it easier for us to read her lips.”

“She hated the throat tube anyway (so did I),” he wrote. “Her respiratory therapy will also take a huge leap up in quality.”

He also wrote that on Wednesday Aimee was approved for hyperbaric treatments – she was scheduled for 10 – that will help her regain blood flow in her hands, but unfortunately her fingers are beyond saving. Early sessions had turned her hands from a purplish color to a reddish flesh tone.

But on Thursday, doctors said Aimee would not go to the chamber and they wanted to talk to Andy about her hands and remaining foot.

“The doctor explained that her body was trying hard to heal her hands, but the blood flow was too poor. There was an added risk of infection. The palm of her right hand had developed a sore. Today her hands had returned to their splotchy purplish coloration and they were actually hampering Aimee’s recovery,” he wrote.

The doctors were worried that if Aimee developed breathing problems and her hands released an infection into her body, she could become septic.

“We had to do what is necessary to save Aimee’s life,” Andy wrote. He recounted the conversation that took place over the next 30 minutes when he told Aimee about her hands.

She “shed no tears, she never batted an eyelash. I was crying because I am a proud father of an incredibly courageous young lady,” Copeland wrote. He said he was finally able to tell his daughter Thursday what had happened since the incident on the river, and how her left leg was amputated, and the outpouring of love she’s gotten from the public.

“We told her that the world loved and admired her,” he wrote in Friday’s update. “We explained that she had become a symbol of hope, love and faith.”

“Aimee’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped,” he wrote. “She was amazed.”

Then, Copeland took his daughter’s hands and held them up to her face. She did not draw back, he said.

Andy said he told her, “Aimee, I do not want anything to happen to you. Your mind is beautiful, your heart is good and your spirit is strong. These hands can prevent your recovery from moving forward. The doctors want to amputate them and your foot today to assure your best possible chance of survival.”

Aimee mouthed that she was confused “but I’ll figure it out,” her sister determined, and the family told her she’d be fitted with prosthetics. She nodded approvingly, raised her hands up, and mouthed three words the whole family understood: “Let’s do this.”

“A tear rolled down my face as I walked out of her room,” Andy wrote. “I wasn’t crying because Aimee was going to lose her hands and foot, I was crying because, in all my 53 years of existence, I have never seen such a strong display of courage.”

The remaining sun ring visible at the peak of the solar eclipse will  appear with a width of 3 percent of the sun’s diameter. While that might not sound like a lot, it will still be enough to drown out the beautiful solar corona, as well as the sun’s ruby red chromosphere and any prominences — such as plumes of hydrogen gas, leaping off of the limb of the sun.

Meanwhile, the sky (while getting somewhat dimmer) will never darken enough to see any bright stars or planets. All of these sights are reserved solely for a total eclipse.

Or are they?

As it turns out, we can have a wide variety of annular solar eclipses and that ring of fire can appear quite different depending on specific circumstances, namely the distance of the Earth to the sun and of the moon to the Earth. 

In fact, if the Earth revolved around the sun in a perfect circle, at its mean distance of 92.9 million miles (149.5 million kilometers), and the moon revolved around the Earth in a perfect circle equal to its mean distance of 238,857 miles (384,320 km), then a total eclipse of the sun would be impossible, because the moon as seen from the Earth would appear too small to completely cover the sun. So we would always see an annular or ring eclipse.

Fortunately, the moon can come closer to Earth than its mean distance. As a result, there are times when it will be large enough to totally eclipse the sun. In fact, there are occasions when the moon will be at a point in its orbit where its apparent diameter literally matches that of the sun (or very nearly so). The result is an annular eclipse that displays some of the characteristics of a total eclipse. [Annular Solar Eclipse of May 20 (A Photo Guide)]

Skinny ring: Some of our readers may remember an annular eclipse that swept across parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic States on May 30, 1984. On that day, the tip of the moon’s dark umbral shadow missed the Earth by less than 500 miles (800 km) and the moon’s disk had an apparent diameter less than two-tenths of 1 percent that of the sun. 

And because of the moon’s rugged topography, instead of a ring, observers who were positioned along the eclipse track that day (which included Atlanta and Greensboro, N.C.) saw an exceedingly thin ring, punctuated here and there by bright beads of sunlight. Those who blocked out the beads with their thumb could actually glimpse the corona. And even though it was only a few degrees from the sun, Venus popped into view. 

Because the ring was so delicately thin, annularity did not last very long – less than 10 seconds.

Fat ring: In contrast, on Dec. 24, 1973, an annular eclipse swept across parts of Mexico, Central America and Africa. It occurred around the time that the moon was at its most distant from Earth (called apogee), so it appeared to be very small. But it also took place near the time that Earth was near its closest point to the sun (called perihelion), so the sun appeared larger than normal. 

In the end, the moon appeared 9 percent smaller than the sun, creating a very “fat” ring nearly 5 percent of the sun’s diameter in width and causing the ring phase to last  almost 12 minutes for some. With so much of the sun left uncovered, the sky didn’t get overly dim; some who witnessed it later said that if you didn’t know in advance that an eclipse was taking place, you wouldn’t have noticed it at all. [Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Sun?]

Sunday’s eclipse: A typical annular

Sunday’s eclipse falls in the middle of these two extremes. 

The moon will be near its apogee point, making it appear rather small, but the sun is also approaching its farthest point from Earth (aphelion) in early July, making it appear somewhat smaller than normal and thus compensating for the moon’s smaller than normal size. So the ring will not be as wide as it was in 1973, but it will be nowhere near as thin as it was when it was almost total in 1984.

Next year: Interestingly, next year on Nov. 3, 2013, there will be a very special kind of solar eclipse — a “hybrid eclipse.”

The hybrid solar eclipse will start as an annular over the Atlantic Ocean about midway between Bermuda and Puerto Rico then transition into a total eclipse as the moon’s shadow heads for Africa. That eclipse will result in a partial eclipse at sunrise for the U.S. East Coast.  And for some places, like Boston (which will not see any of this Sunday’s solar show), it will be their first solar eclipse since the year 2000. 

Mark your calendars!

Editor’s note: If you snap any amazing solar eclipse photos that you’d like to be considered for use in a story or gallery, please send images and comments to SPACE.com managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.