Daily Surf Report: Senator Al Franken, Jackson’s Perscription Troubles Jul 1, 200911:46 PDT

Wednesday, July 1, 2009.

It only took eight months, but Minnesota finally has two Senators again. Meanwhile, Michael Jackson’s will has surfaced, and not everybody is happy with it. This is your Daily Surf Report, using the best videos on the web to keep you abreast of the day’s top stories.

Court Awards Al Franken Senate Seat

After an eight month battle, the Minnesota Supreme Court declared Democrat and former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken the victor in November’s state Senate election. Franken’s appointment gives the Democrats a 60 seat super majority in the Senate.

Jackson’s Will Surfaces, and So Do His Pill Bottles

Despite Joe Jackson’s earlier claims that his son left no valid will, Michael Jackson did create a 2002 will, which has been submitted and now verified by the Jackson Family. Named as beneficiaries are Jackson’s three children, his mother, and various charities.

Notably absent from the will are Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of the children, and Jackson’s father, Joe.

In a more salacious update, reports of a powerful prescription sedative found in Jackson’s home have led to further speculation as to the cause of his death.

Firefox 3.5 is Web Video’s New Best Friend

Released on Tuesday, the Mozilla Firefox 3.5 browser includes quite a bit of forward thinking technology. One large piece of that is the browser’s ability to display the contents of the <VIDEO> tag. Just like the <P> tag displays text in a paragraph, or the <IMG> tag displays an image, the <VIDEO> tag for the first time makes online video a fully integrated part of a web page. Right now, the videos you watch on the web (including those displayed on VideoSurf.com) rely on plugins like Adobe’s Flash to display the video. Think of it like nailing a window to the outside of your house, which is quite different than building a window into the wall itself.

Flash, by the way, is the reason most web video can’t be displayed on the iPhone. The <VIDEO> tag removes this problem.

Mozilla’s Executive Director, Mark Surman, explains why this new addition to Firefox changes the future of web video:

Tuesday’s Top Plays

Albert Pujols dances into the stands, and Alex Rodriguez brings the leather to the hot corner in a Yankees win. These are your ESPN Sportscenter Top Ten Plays!

Public Enemies Opens This Friday

Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp as bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale as the Federal Agent that pursues him, has been well received in early previews - especially in Osh Kosh, WI, where the bulk of the movie was filmed.

The Daily Surf Report is your daily primer of the world in video. Check back every week day for the best video highlights of the day’s top stories.