Jaycee Dugard Is Their Mom Girls Find Out Really

Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped when she was just 11 years old. After she was abducted, she was kept captive by her kidnappers for the next 18 years.While being held by the couple, Jaycee Lee Dugard gave birth to two daughters, both fathered by one of her kidnappers. And now, the two people responsible for taking her from that school bus stop twenty years ago have confessed.

Finally Phillip and Nancy Garrido have admitted that they abducted Jaycee, hoping for some kind of mercy. But regardless of the level of mercy distributed, the two are looking at some serious jail time.

How much time and does this finally give closure to this tragic tale?
The District Attorney offered a sentence of 241 years to Nancy Garrido and a sentence of 440 years to life for Phillip Garrido. And if they accepted the plea bargain offered, Jaycee and her two teenage daughters would not have to testify during a trial, which really would be best for everyone.

But even with a punishment of being in prison for the rest of their lives, does this really give any closure to Jaycee Lee Dugard and her family? And Dugard’s daughters must have a great emotional burden since it is their father, the only father they have ever known, who is behind bars. The two girls had never known about their mother’s past and that she had been kidnapped, but their mother’s reality became painfully clear after Phillip Garrido’s arrest. And it would undoubtedly be extremely painful if they were called to testify.

Should the girls not have to testify at the trial? And will they ever be able to find peace and closure?

Charlie Sheen Interview Today Show

(CBS) - A couple of things we now all know about Charlie Sheen: he's got "tiger blood," "Adonis DNA" and wants more cold hard cash to keep working on "Two and a Half Men."

Those are just some of the gems that spewed from the 45-year-old in a bombastic interview with NBC's Today Show on Monday.

In a televised chat that covered his battle with addiction, his feelings about CBS, and his feud with "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorrie, Sheen repeated his claim that he is clean and sober and ready to work.

"I have no interest in cocaine," he told Jeff Rossen on Today. When Rossen asked if Sheen was clean, he answered, "Look at me. Duh."

Sheen claims he has cured himself of addiction. How? "I closed my eyes and made it so with the power of my mind."

Right.

As for CBS, Sheen says, "We're definitely at war." Why? "They're trying to destroy my family."

He's not worried though. As he told Rossen, "defeat is not an option. They picked a fight with a warlock."

When asked if he should apologize to CBS for his recent antics, Sheen replied, "No, they owe me an apology, a public one. They should be licking my feet."

He shared a similar sentiment for Warner Brothers, suggesting they should rename it "Charlie Brothers." Sheen also continued his recent boasts that he is unlike most people. His "tiger blood" and "Adonis DNA" are part of what make him "special" and above addiction.

When asked if he was an anti-semite, Sheen insisted, "I'm not that guy."

"Two and a Half Men" fans hoping for a positive resolution to the whole situation can take heart. Near the end of his interview, Sheen said, "I will finish the TV show. I'm a man of my word. I'll even do season ten."

That is, of course, if CBS and Warner Bros. raise his salary to $3 million per episode, which Sheen has been asking for to return to the show.

CBS Entertainment had not commented by press time. CBS Entertainment and CBS News are owned by the same parent company.

Dancing With The Stars 2011

tmz.com:
WWE star Chris Jericho is locked in for the next season of "Dancing with the Stars" ... along with Kirstie Alley, rapper Lil' Romeo, and Kendra Wilkinson ... TMZ has learned.

Read the whole story: tmz.com

Jane Russell dead at 89

(CNN) -- The 1940s and '50s movie bombshell, whose name was synonymous with voluptuousness, died Monday morning at her home in Santa Maria, California, her family said. Jane Russell was 89.

Daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield said that Russell was a "pillar of health" but caught a bad cold and died of respiratory difficulties.

Russell's children, Thomas K. Waterfield, Tracy Foundas and Robert "Buck" Waterfield," were at her side, Etta Waterfield said.

Eccentric philanthropist and movie producer Howard Hughes was the first to put Jane Russell on the silver screen, signing her to a seven-year contract in 1940 and promptly putting her in his production of "The Outlaw," a film about a torrid romance between Billy the Kid and woman named Rio (Russell).

The film got only limited release -- in 1943 -- because censors at the time were skittish about the attention given Russell's figure. Hughes wasn't satisfied. He pulled the film from release and kept it out of circulation for six more years while he did more reshoots and re-editing.

And, Hughes kept Russell off the screen -- her only other appearance during those seven years was in "The Young Widow" (1946), shot while she was on loan to United Artists.

Hughes' extensive publicity campaign for "The Outlaw," however -- she has said that he had her making appearances five days a week for five years -- made Russell popular during World War II as a pin-up, and when the movie was finally released in 1946, she was a star.

Watch Video

While Hughes fetishized Russell's body in other films after her initial contract ended and the two negotiated another, the actress quietly made a name for herself as a talented actress capable of high drama or light comedy. She appeared as Calamity Jane with Bob Hope in "The Paleface" (1948) -- another loan-out -- and a sequel, "Son of Paleface," in 1952 -- earning an Oscar nomination for the song "Am I in Love?"

Robert Mitchum was her co-star twice -- in 1951's "His Kind of Woman" and 1952's "Macao." She shared the screen with Frank Sinatra and Groucho Marx in 1951's "Double Dynamite," and with Victor Mature, Vincent Price and Hoagy Carmichael in "The Las Vegas Story" (1952).

But it was 1953's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" with Marilyn Monroe that shot Russell into the stratosphere. She was hailed for her singing and comedic acting, and just two years later made her last film for Hughes.

Russell had some success as a singer in the 1940s, appearing with the Kay Kayser Orchestra, and in 1954 she and Beryl Davis, Connie Haines and Della Russell (later replaced by Rhonda Fleming) began recording religious-themed music and touring as The Four Girls.

Russell and her first husband, high school sweetheart Bob Waterfield -- an All-American quarterback for UCLA and a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played for the Cleveland Rams and the Los Angeles Rams -- formed a production company in 1955, producing three films starring Russell. But after "The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown" flopped in 1957, Russell took a break from film and concentrated on her music career.

When she returned to movies, however, she could not regain her prominence, ending her screen career with a series of Westerns in the 1960s and the 1970 detective film "Darker than Amber."

While it may have been the attention to Russell's figure that kept her away from superstardom, that figure brought her Madison Avenue stardom in the 1970s when she was featured in television commercials for the Playtex Cross Your Heart Bra "for us full-figured gals."

Russell had a few stage appearances in the 1970s and wrote an autobiography, "Jane Russell: My Path and My Detours," in 1985, revealing that her marriage to Waterfield ended in 1968 because of bouts with infidelity and alcohol.

Born in Minnesota to an Army lieutenant and a former actress, Jane Russell was drawn to drama but initially planned to become a designer. She took music lessons and acted in high school stage productions, but when her father died early, Russell went to work as a doctor's receptionist -- and did some modeling on the side -- to help support the family.

At 19, Russell had a botched, back-alley abortion that resulted in her inability to conceive children. She and Waterfield, whom she married in 1943, adopted three, and she devoted much of the rest of her life campaigning for adoption and adopted children.

Russell was married twice more, to actor Roger Barrett in 1968 and to businessman John Calvin Peoples in 1974. Her marriage to Barrett lasted but three months before he died of a heart attack. She and Peoples were together until his death in 1999.

Throughout her career, Russell was a staunch conservative who considered Democrats in Hollywood "crazy."

"In my day Hollywood was Republican," she once said. "All the heads of the studios were Republicans, and we were fighting Communism. You had John Wayne and Charlton Heston and myself and Bob Mitchum, and President Ronald Reagan came right out of that same group."

She was a vocal supporter of the Iraq war from its start in 2003, a vocal opponent of abortion, even in cases of rape or incest, a tireless fighter to "get the Bible back in schools." She despised the Clinton administration and was a fan of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and conservative commentator Ann Coulter.

And in 2003, she described herself as "a teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded, conservative Christian bigot," variations of which she frequently used.

American Idol will allow viewers to vote for their favorite contestants online

For the first time ever, American Idol will allow viewers to vote for their favorite contestants online at americanidol.com. Sponsored by AT&T, online voting begins immediately after the first performance show airing Tuesday, March 1 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. In addition to online voting, fans will continue to be able to vote via toll-free phone lines, as well as unlimited text-message votes for AT&T wireless customers during the voting window (standard text-messaging rates may apply).

 To vote online during the voting window, fans should visit AmericanIdol.com and follow the directions. Fans will be required to log in using their Facebook account to access the American Idol voting page, which will feature the name and photo of each of the current contestants. To vote, fans will simply choose their favorite contestant, complete the security verification and submit their choice. After each performance show and during the online voting window, fans may cast up to 50 total online votes for that evening’s performances. Only fans with a registered Facebook account in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be able to cast their vote(s) online.

“We have been wanting to do online voting for several years, and now Facebook has offered us a secure solution and we are ready to go,” said Simon Fuller, Creator and Executive Producer, American Idol. “The show has always involved a high level of engagement with its viewers through texting and phone voting, and it’s great to expand on this tradition.”

Jill Clayburgh Honored In Death At Oscars

 

Jill Clayburgh Honored In Death At Oscars

Jill Clayburgh Honored In Death At OscarsJill Clayburgh, who embodied hopeful and determined women in such '70s and '80s movies as An Unmarried Woman, Starting Over and It's My Turn, died at her Connecticut home on Friday from chronic leukemia, a disease she quietly battled for 21 years, her husband, playwright David Rabe, told The New York Times. She was 66.

Earlier this week, the couple's daughter, actress Lily Rabe, took a temporary leave of absence from the Broadway show in which she is about to open, Shakespeare's A Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino. A spokesperson for the show said only that it was a private family matter that caused Rabe to take leave.

Besides her movie roles, Clayburgh was also highly visible on TV, on Law & Order, The Practice and Nip/Tuck, as well as an ongoing role as mother Jeannie on Ally McBeal.

Nominated for an Oscar for 1978's An Unmarried Woman, which was arguably her best screen role, Clayburgh played a vulnerable-but-courageous abandoned wife on Manhattan's Upper East Side who finds her independence when she has an affair with a sexy artist (Alan Bates), with her character learning by the fade-out that being on her own is just fine.

The only daughter of a wealthy book-cloth manufacturer and an actress turned assistant to legendary theatrical producer David Merrick, Clayburgh grew up a poor-little-rich-girl on Manhattan's East Side. Her grandmother, Alma Clayburgh, was a prominent socialite and opera singer.

"I was very assertive as a child, verging on violence and self-destructiveness. Once I threw this short little boy down the stairs," Clayburgh told PEOPLE in 1979. "It was a kind of need for power at a young age that masks insecurity."

First Theater, Then TV and Movies
She got hooked on theater when a Sarah Lawrence College classmate talked her into summer stock one vacation. Then came a student film with other future lights: Brian De Palma as director and Robert De Niro as costar.

After her 1966 graduation, Clayburgh headed for Boston, where she joined the Charles Playhouse and met and began a five-year relationship with Al Pacino, who was appearing in the company's production of America Hurrah. Their struggles were cushioned slightly by Clayburgh's $200-a-month trust fund, and they soon made the move to a mice-infested walk-up in New York.

She was cast as Grace Bolton on the CBS soap Search for Tomorrow, but she mainly toiled Off-Broadway for $56 a week as Pacino's movie career began to take off. "Thank God we broke up!" Clayburgh later said, though she and Pacino remained friends. "We were all wrong for each other."

It was an unsuccessful audition for Rabe's 1973 In the Boom Boom Room that changed her luck. When the part went to Madeline Kahn, Clayburgh headed for L.A., and just when she was ready to chuck it all for graduate study in social work, she won an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of a hooker in the 1975 TV dramatization of Gail Sheehy's Hustling, followed by the 1977 big-screen sleeper hit Silver Streak with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.

She and Rabe married in 1978. When asked why, Clayburgh told PEOPLE: "So people would stop asking me about my personal life. If you're married, they just assume you're happy."

Besides David and Lily Rabe, Clayburgh is also survived by a son, Michael; a stepson, Jason; and a brother, James.

Story Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20440129,00.html

Randy Newman Wins Second Oscar Actress 2011

Live at the Oscars: Randy Newman Wins His Second Oscar for Best Song, Toy Story 3

Nominated 20 times, Randy Newman celebrates his second win, for best song “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3. His last win was best song for Monsters, Inc., another Pixar film, where he has done six pictures. “I want to be good television so badly,” he says. “I’ve slowed the show down almost every time.” Newman challenges the Academy’s timer. “To hell with it!” he says.

Melissa Leo Wins Best Supporting Actress 2011

Melissa Leo wins supporting-actress Oscar, apologizes for dirty word

Melissa Leo won the supporting-actress Academy Award on Sunday for her role as the domineering matriarch of a boxing family in The Fighter, while her co-star Christian Bale won for best supporting actor and Toy Story 3 claimed the prize for feature animation.

Network censors bleeped Leo for dropping the F-word during her speech. Backstage at the Kodak Theatre, Leo jokingly conceded it was “probably a very inappropriate place to use that particular word.”

“Those words, I apologize to anyone that they offend. There is a great deal of the English language that is in my vernacular,” Leo said.

But the Oscars, being a global affair, were telecast elsewhere in the world with Leo's words uncensored. Viewers who watched the show on Star Movies, a major channel available throughout Asia, heard the F-word loud and clear.

Leo's win capped an unusual career surge in middle age for the 50-year-old actress, who had moderate success on TV's Homicide: Life on the Street in her 30s but leaped to big-screen stardom in her late 40s, a time when most actresses find good roles hard to come by.

Some in Hollywood had speculated that Leo might have undermined her Oscar chances with self-promoting ads she ran in film trade papers. Such self-hype is considered tacky by some awards voters.

Whether it cost her votes or not, Leo still came out on top for The Fighter, also a best-picture nominee.

“I'm just shaking in my boots here,” Leo said. “Yeah, I am kind of speechless.”

Still, Leo's speech went on for a couple of minutes, contrary to producers' pleas before the show to keep the talk tight.

Best-picture front-runner The King's Speech, a tale of Britain's stammering King George VI that led contenders with 12 nominations, won only one of the first four prizes for which it was competing, best original screenplay for writer David Seidler.

The win capped a lifelong dream for Seidler, a boyhood stutterer born in London in 1937, a year after George took the throne. Seidler, who overcame his own stutter at age 16, had long vowed to one day write about the monarch whose fortitude set an example for him in childhood.

Seidler thanked Queen Elizabeth II, daughter of King George, “For not putting me in the Tower of London for using the Melissa Leo F-word.” The film includes two scenes where the king spouts profanity in anger to help force out his syllables.

The Oscar for adapted screenplay went to Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network, a chronicle of the birth of Facebook based on Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires.

While The King's Speech came in as the best-picture favorite, “The Social Network” was considered a potent prospect for an upset win.

The two films have led a strong and varied field of best-picture contenders since they debuted nearly six months ago. The Social Network was the early leader, grabbing key critics' honours and winning best drama at the Golden Globes. Momentum shifted to The King's Speech as the film dominated on Oscar nominations morning and swept top awards from influential actors, directors and producers guilds.

Toy Story 3, last year's top-grossing release and a contender for best picture, won the fourth-straight animated-feature Oscar for Disney's Pixar Animation unit. Pixar has produced six of the 10 Oscar recipients for animation since the category was added, including Finding Nemo, WALL-E and last year's winner, Up.

The Oscar for foreign-language film went to Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier's In a Better World, a saga of two broken families that centers on two teenage boys struggling with violence at school and plotting revenge.

The Lewis Carroll update Alice in Wonderland won the first prize of the night, claiming the art direction Oscar over a field that included best-picture favorite The King's Speech.

The show opened with co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco inserted into a montage of scenes from best-picture nominees, built as a series of dream sequences reminiscent of Oscar contender Inception. The footage included such guests as Morgan Freeman and last year's Oscar co-host Alec Baldwin.

Franco started off telling Hathaway how beautiful she looked. Hathaway shot back, “You look very appealing to a younger demographic, as well.”

Story Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/awards/academy-awards/melissa-leo-wins-supporting-actress-oscar-apologizes-for-dirty-word/article1922935/

Oscars 2011 Awards Winners

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards , hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, will be underway at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight.



Best Art Direction – ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Best Cinematography – INCEPTION

Best Supporting Actress – MELISSA LEO (THE FIGHTER)

Best Animated Short Film – THE LOST THING

Best Animated Feature – TOY STORY 3

Best Adapted Screenplay – AARON SORKIN (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)

Best Original Screenplay – THE KING’S SPEECH

Best Foreign Language Film – IN A BETTER WORLD

Best Supporting Actor – CHRISTIAN BALE (THE FIGHTER)

Best Original Score – THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Achievement in Sound – INCEPTION

Best Sound Editing – INCEPTION

Best Achievement in Makeup – THE WOLF MAN

Best Achievement in Costume Design – ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Best Documentary Short – STRANGERS NO MORE

Best Live Action Short – GOD OF LOVE

Best Documentary Feature Film – INSIDE JOB

Best Visual Effects – INCEPTION

Best Film Editing – THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Best Original Song – RANDY NEWMAN (TOY STORY 3)

Best Director – TOM HOOPER (THE KING’S SPEECH)

Mila Kunis Oscar dress Red Carpet 2011

Are you watching the Oscar Red Carpet 2011 live stream video or are your eyes glued to the TV set? There have already been some fabulous dresses tonight on the Red Carpet at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

One of the hottest yet is definitely Mila Kunis…just check out her lilac frock in this photo! The dress really brings out her eyes and dark hair, don’t you think?
Mila Kunis may have recently split from longtime beau Macaulay Culkin, but judging from how gorgeous she looked on the Oscar Red Carpet 2011, she won’t be single for long!

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon mentioned on the Oscars 2011: Everyone knows Kevin

James Franco, host of the Oscars and on the stage of the Kodak Theater tonight reminded everyone about the Kevin Bacon Effect. The unique aspect of the actor Kevin Bacon is a documented aspect that everyone in Hollywood has either worked with the actor or knows someone who has worked with him.
The key term, noted in the February 1994 Premiere magazine interview, had Hollywood give a smile as the professionals in the field are very aware this is true.  Adding a layer to this, the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a trivia game.  The name of the game is a play on the "six degrees of separation" concept that is based on the idea.
In 2007, Bacon started a charitable organization named SixDegrees.org and there has been no looking back. As James Franco mentioned tonight everyone in the business has much appreciation of the actor and to be part of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a badge of honor in Hollywood!
Take a minute to check out more about the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon online here where Kevin works with the world to help others, which obviously are a few degrees away.

Read More: http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-national/six-degrees-of-kevin-bacon-mentioned-on-the-oscars-2011-everyone-knows-kevin#ixzz1FE2nYXat

Watch Kirk Douglas Oscars 2011 (Video)

Watch Kirk Douglas Oscars 2011: Kirk Douglas, Melissa Leo (Video)

Watch Kirk Douglas in this Oscars 2011 video, where he presents the Best Supporting Actress Oscar to Melissa Leo.

What happened to Kirk Douglas? You may recall that Douglas had a stroke in 1996, but he’s in good health and obviously sharp as a whip.

Kirk Douglas killed at the Oscars – first, flirting with Anne Hathaway: “Where were you when I was making movies?”… and then ripping on Hugh Jackman, but not Colin Firth (who wasn’t laughing at Kirk).

How old is Kirk Douglas? Douglas is 94!!

Best of all, Kirk Douglas suspended the announcement of the winner, cracking up the entire room and the viewing audience.

Kirk Douglas presented the Oscar to Melissa Leo for her role in The Fighter.

Watch more of the Oscars live online.

Amber Portwood exposed in nude photos "Teen Mom"

(CBS) Nice tattoo, Amber.

It's very sweet getting a tattoo of your 2-year-old daughter to show your affection. Too bad we can only see it when you're posing nude - as is the case in a new series of photos that just popped up online showing MTV's "Teen Mom" Amber Portwood baring it all.

The exclusive photos revealed on Radaronline.com show the young mother in a variety of poses - all sans clothing. The pugnacious Ms. Portwood made headlines a few months ago when she was arrested for domestic assault against her daughter's father.

"Amber fancies herself an old-fashioned pin-up girl," a source told Radar Online. "She just wanted to pose!"

Cristin Milioti

Cristin Milioti: Watch the '30 Rock' scene-stealer's 'Sopranos' past

The Feb. 24 episode of "30 Rock" was, for lack of a better term, a perfect storm of awesome.

Not only did "Let Me In" star Chloe Moretz show up as ruthless, Bieber-loving, aspiring businesswoman-child, "TGS" almost got a new writer in Abby Flynn (Cristin Milioti).

Playing an up-and-coming stand-up comedian, with pigtails and a baby voice, Milioti kind of stole the episode for us -- if you ignore, for a moment, the sight of Alec Baldwin in an old sea captain's uniform.

But we couldn't help but wonder, under the wig and, ahem, cleavage... why Milioti looks so familiar. Enter: the Internet.

Milioti is a three-time "Sopranos" vet, playing the very small, but distinctly hilarious, role of Catherine Sacrimoni, which you might remember best as the grumpy bridesmaid in "Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request."

Though her shining moment ("God! Can't this family ever talk about anything besides food?") doesn't seem to be on YouTube, you can watch her look shocked when her mother keels over at the worst wedding ever.

Charo Disses International Pop Sensation

Charo Disses International Pop Sensation! Ay, Caramba!

Charo is the Spanish singer/guitarist who cuchi-cuchied (and shed) all over The Love Boat for years and who, after many decades living in this country, still speaks English with an accent thicker than a Meryl Streep character's.
It's part of her shtick, and she's muy delightful at it.
But on Frank DeCaro's Sirirus XM OutQ radio show yesterday, the shimmying Spaniard dared to get douchey-douchey with my gal Lady Gaga.
After praising Carol Burnett's performance as Charo's mom in various sketches, Charo said:
"What I don't like is when somebody copies somebody and just adopt it. Like, their own idea.
"You want me, I go a little further I can tell you, to me, Lady Gaga is Madonna with diarrhea".
Hotchi totchi!
That's outrageous!
If either of them is wearing diapers, it's...neither of them.

Space Shuttle Launch Schedule 2011

NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is set to launch today, February 24 at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Space shuttle Discovery will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-4 (ELC-4), a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) and critical spare components to the International Space Station on an 11 day mission.

Launch Time: 4:50 p.m. EST
Landing Date and Time: March 7, 12:44 p.m. EST

NASA’s Shuttle and Rocket Launch Schedule 2011 (Note: Schedules can change any moment. Visit NASA page for updates). The schedule below was updated — Feb. 23, 2011 – 6:10 p.m. EST.

Date: Feb. 25 *
Mission: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Orbital Sciences Taurus Rocket
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base – Launch Pad SLC 576-E
Launch Time: 2:09:43 a.m. PST/5:09:43 a.m. EST
Description: The Glory Mission will help increase our understanding of the Earth’s energy balance by collecting data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere and how the Sun’s irradiance affects the Earth’s climate.

Date: April 19 +
Mission: STS-134
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center – Launch Pad 39A
Launch Time: 7:48 p.m. EDT
STS-134 Description: Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station.

Date: June 9 *
Mission: Aquarius
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base – SLC 2
Description: The Aquarius mission will measure ocean surface salinity to understand the links between ocean circulation, global water cycle and climate.

Date: June 28 +
Mission: STS-135
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center – Launch Pad 39A
Launch Time: 3:48 p.m. EDT +
Description: Space shuttle Atlantis will carry the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module.

Date: Aug. 5
Mission: Juno
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Window: 12:10 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. EDT
Description: The solar-powered Juno spacecraft is to orbit Jupiter’s poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

Date: Sept. 8
Mission: GRAIL
Launch Vehicle: ULA Delta II Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Times: 8:35:52 a.m. and 9:14:35 a.m. EDT
Description: The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission’s primary science objectives will be to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

Date: Oct. 25
Mission: NPP
Launch Vehicle: ULA Delta II
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Window: 2:47:35 a.m. – 2:57:35 a.m. PDT / 5:47:35 a.m. – 5:57:35 a.m. EDT
Description: The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) mission for NASA and NOAA is to measure Earth’s atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity sounding, land and ocean biological activity and cloud and aerosol properties.

Date: Nov. 25 *
Mission: Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Launch Time: 10:21 a.m. EST
Description: The Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life and to determine the planet’s habitability.

"Deadliest Catch"s Justin Tennison found dead

“Deadliest Catch” crew member Justin Tennison of the F/V Time Bandit was found dead in a hotel Tuesday, and TMZ has learned cops discov

ered drugs and alcohol in the room.
Law enforcement officials in Homer, Alaska tell TMZ they got a call at 12:52 p.m.Tuesday reporting a deceased male at the Best Western Bidarka Inn. Read Full Story..

Carlos Bakery Remembering Cake Boss Star Sal Picinich

The “Cake Boss” family and Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey lost a member this week. Sal Picinich lost his battle with cancer at the age of 63.

Sal of Carlo’s Bakery had been sick for a while, and after 45 years of working at the bakery, he stopped appearing on the show and working as much as he dealt with his illness. But he did return to Carlo’s Bakery to receive a great honor, the Employee of the Century Award on the bakery’s 100th anniversary.

Buddy “The Cake Boss” Valastro looked to Sal as a “second father,” and Sal had worked for Buddy’s dad Buddy Sr. before he passed away.

Although his celebrity status was short lived, his wife said he enjoyed it.

Sal leaves behind his beloved wife Lucille and his children, Danielle Picinich Reinoso and Salvatore Picinich as well as two grandchildren.

Madawaska Maine

Welcome to the beautiful "Heart of the St. John Valley." The Greater Madawaska area is well known for its friendly people and warm hospitality. Serving as the center of Acadian culture in Maine, we have a lot to offer our guests.
Visit our neighbor across the border, Edmundston N.B.


Visit the historic site along the breathtaking St. John River where our ancestors first stepped foot in northern Maine. The spot is marked with a huge cross, erected at the location where Acadians landed after fleeing from their Nova Scotia homeland in 1785 to avoid being deported by the British. Experience the history and proud heritage of the people immortalized in the famous Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem "Evangeline" when you tour the Tante Blanche Museum, or attend any of the numerous cultural events, including the spectacular Acadian Festival in Late June. The central area of the St. John Valley is home to many other culturally and historically significant sites, all of which tell the story of the French-Acadian settlers.

If outdoor adventure is what you seek, the infinite recreational opportunities we offer will surely satisfy. Each of the four seasons boast a wide array of activities to experience and enjoy. The natural beauty of the St. John River, Long Lake, the rolling hills and panoramic countryside provides a picturesque playground for one and all.

Mike O Brien Seattle Seahawks

On the latest episode of "The Bachelor," we get what is my very favorite of all the episodes - the hometown visits. I love seeing the contestants' families because they are usually completely adorable or they are bat-crap crazy/scary and of course that's funny.

Chantal's Date

Chantal is the first hometown date we see. They are up in Seattle, where Chantal lives close to her parents. They go to her apartment to meet her two cats and a dog first, which is a nice house. Her father Mike O'Brien was a defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks and is now a auto dealership king in the Seattle area, so presumably the family has some money, in case you were wondering about the house ...

The O'Brien house is crazy impressive. Just a straight up mansion out on Mercer Island. And while her mom is a good indication that Chantal will age well, mom Billie Jo also has the Joan Rivers eyes going on, ifyaknowwhatimean.

Brad and Mike bond over Mike's dad and Brad's grandfather being masons, but it's also like - Mike played NFL football. He wasn't the Little Match Boy. Anyway, Brad assures him he'll be a damn good father because of his absent father and I have to cheer Brad on in that sentiment. Here's hoping, of course, and he seems into it, so you go on, Brad.

Chantal talks with her mom and - my god, it looks like she's talking to a "Dynasty" character. Seriously. Chantal is pretty, please don't do that to yourself. Just age. Just age gracefully. You can do it.

Ashley's Date

Ashley is from the northeastern most town in the U.S., which is awesome. I want to go to the NH/VT/ME area so badly, it looks beautiful. Plus, Stephen King says all the bad stuff happens in Maine, so I'm down.

Ashley speaks quite a bit of French because she's from near the border to Canada, which is awesome. Very cool. After an uneventful lunch, they go to Ashley's parents' house. They are the cutest. Her dad has on a lumberjack shirt and she hugs her sister so tight, it's just wonderful. I want to marry into that family, are you kidding?

The sister gives toast about Brad choosing Ashley and then he stops to say that they chose each other and not just him choosing her, which is so nice. It may be the wine talking, but that really touched me that he did that.

Sister Christy (oh, your time has come) and Ashley's mom seem to really like Brad, her mom even invites him to sleep over (in only a slightly inappropriate way). It's adorable.

Shawntel's Date

Creepy organ music ushers us into Shawntel's date, which is a bit unfair. My college roommate grew up in a funeral home family and she thought it was totally normal that she and her sister played it the casket room as kids, while it totally freaked the rest of us out. And her sister took over the family business and it's normal for them and it should be totally normal for the rest of us because it's a service just like any other service.

But I can tell that's not how this date is going to go. First off, they make Shawntel look like a total nutjob, which we know she isn't. Secondly, it's not weird to think about death or to not be afraid of death. But Brad is kinda freaking out that she embalms people. I am flashing back to what-his-face's Basement o'Taxidermy during Jillian's "Bachelorette," but honestly, this is just work and it's an important part of our society and stop making her look like a freak, please.

This is also making me think of the "Never Kill a Boy on a First Date" episode of "Buffy." Just me?

Brad gets major props for being impressed with Shawntel's passion for her work and recognizing what she does is important. He does not appear to be as freaked out as the editing would make us believe.

At Shawntel's house, she has two adorable parents and two beautiful sisters. At lunch, Brad tells how she had him "lie down on the table" at the mausoleum and her dad goes, "No rose for you." Haha, Shawntel's dad! Seriously, that was awesome.

Shawntel brings up Austin, TX and the vibe really changes. Her dad talks to her alone about how she is a part of the community and while she was gone filming "The Bachelor," her high school teacher's son was tragically killed and the teacher was looking for Shawntel to be there as funeral director, which speaks very highly of Shawntel in her job, but is something to consider when leaving the area.

Her dad gives her blessing after talking with Shawntel, but you can kinda tell they aren't super keen on her possibly moving away.

Emily's Date

Emily has to steel Rickie to meet Brad. She's old enough to know what is up with her dad, but young enough not to understand what is going on with Brad and the cameras, so this is super-tricky. I hope this doesn't get gross.

Rickie is very shy. Brad brings her a present to break the ice, but she is having none of it. She is very withdrawn and this is painful. Brad is making such an effort and finally when they fly her kite present, she seems to open up a bit.

The stupid romantic in me wants this ruggedly handsome Brawny man to just sweep this walking Barbie doll off her feet and make a family with her adorable little girl, but I'm just not sure Emily/Brad is the best couple on this show.

That night, they go back to Emily's "house." In case you didn't know, Emily's fiancee who was killed was from a very wealthy racing family and that explains the huge house she lives in.

After Rickie goes to bed, Brad wants to kiss Emily but he is reticent to do that with Rickie sleeping upstairs. Emily wants him to be himself and points out that if they work out as a couple, Rickie will always be upstairs. Haha, mama's got some needs.

But Brad can't do it. So Emily takes charge at the front door and the sweeping "Titanic" music comes up and it's lovely. Emily talking-heads that it's the happiest she's been in a long time.

Therapy Time

Brad and Chris Harrison sit down to dish about the hometown visits. It's nothing earth-shattering, just filler.

Rose Ceremony

Who's going home? Not Chantal or Emily, I don't think. I'd like to say Ashley, but I think Shawntel creeped him out too much, especially with her crazy dad. When Brad comes out, all the girls look ready to just vomit. It's interesting how much I like all of these girls and I've come to really like Brad too.

The roses go to Ashley, Emily and ... Chantal. Bummer. Shawntel was our favorite, hands down. We think she would make an awesome next Bachelorette, but we suspect that unless Brad picks Emily, it'll be her.

Brad sits her down on the way out and tells her how much he cares for her and that he just didn't feel the way a man should feel when she told him she was falling for him. She starts crying when she says that he treated her so well and he says she deserves that. It's nice.

This season is just making me so sappy, god! What is with this season?!

In the limo, Shawntel says she's never been treated like that in a relationship and she hopes she meets someone who does. Oh, Shawntel. You are wonderful! You will meet him!

Next week: South Africa! And overnight dates. And tears.

Amanda Knox Story

Amanda Knox Story: Is Amanda Knox Really Guilty? Amanda knox lifetime movie

The Amanda Knox story will no doubt be on viewer’s minds tonight as the Amanda Knox movie is premiering on Lifetime at 9:00pm ET. Hayden Panettiere is playing the role of Amanda Knox in the film.

People can’t help but be captivated by the story of Amanda Knox, the unassuming looking American student who found herself in the middle of a murder trial while abroad. She was sentenced to 26 years in prison after the death of her flatmate, Meredith Kercher, but is Amanda Knox really guilty?

Amanda Knox insists that she was at her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito’s apartment when the murder occurred, but later told police that she was in the kitchen of the flat she shared with Kercher when she was killed. Police became suspicious after Sollecito claimed that he did not know where Knox was during the crime. Amanda Knox’s story got even more interesting when she said that she made the confession under duress from the police.

What really happened to Meredith Kercher on the night of November 1st, 2007 may never be known, but the courts in Italy did convict Amanda Knox even though there was some conflicting evidence in the case. Do you think Amanda is guilty?

The Bad Seed Pretty Little Liars Show

The Bad Seed: Pretty Little Liars puts on a show

It's school play time in Rosewood!

"Pretty Little Liars" is putting a show -- a school play to be exact and they are adapting the classic novel "The Bad Seed" for the high school auditorium stage in Monday, Feb. 21's episode, "The Bad Seed."

"The Bad Seed," written in 1954 by William March, is about eight-year-old Rhoda, who is an only child. Her mother, Christine, believes she may just have a bad seed on her hands when one of Rhoda's classmates mysteriously drowns and discovers her daughter did it.

In a preview clip for the episode, we learn Ezra (Ian Harding) is the teacher in charge of the school play and that Spencer (Troian Bellisario) is taking it extremely seriously. We're assuming she relates to the whole penmanship award drama that's in the novel. Remember the time she stole one of her sister's, Melissa, essays?

In another clip, the show brings on the creepiness with Spencer discovering a crying baby in her house in the middle of the night. We repeat: Creepy. Who's baby is that? Why is in her house? And who grabs Spencer at the end?

Watch "The Bad Seed" on Monday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC Family.

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

Celine Dion shows off twin sons during lavish welcome at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

At just four months old, Celine Dion's baby boys are already cross-country travelers.

Dion and her family – including husband Rene Angelil and nine-year-old son Rene-Charles – brought twins Eddy and Nelson to Las Vegas Wednesday in preparation for her upcoming three-year engagement at Caesars Palace.

The entire brood was treated to a lavish welcome by the Palace staff and attracted hundreds of onlookers.

Dion, 42, happily held one of the infants in front of the adoring crowd while Angelil, 69, held the other.

The music icon's performance series is slated to begin March 15. Dion also held a residency at the Palace from 2003 to 2007.

Dion will preview her concert series and talk about her family on an upcoming episode of "Oprah," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

On the episode, which was taped on Feb. 16, the talk show host will announce that the entire audience is getting tickets to one of Dion's upcoming performances.

The show is expected to air on Feb. 21.



Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2011/02/17/2011-02-17_celine_dion_and_twins_get_lavish_welcome_at_caesars_palace_in_las_vegas.html#ixzz1Ee499WL0

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Oliver Wendell Holmes

A poem written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, in protest of the fact that the 44 gun frigate USS Con. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. August 29, 1809 October 7, 1894 was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author.

Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of . Old Ironsides By Oliver Wendell Holmes – Video Streaming Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. March 8, 1841 March 6, 1935 was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932. George Brennan wins the 2009 Oliver Wendell Holmes with Drop Red in 1:49.2. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2009 Oliver Wendell Holmes- Drop Red Video Streaming

Links to information about the poet and author, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and his son, Associate Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Oliver Wendell Holmes “Old Ironsides” Poem Animation Video Streaming Heres a virtual movie of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr reading his fathers much loved poem “Old.

[via : http://filesarena.com/oliver-wendell-holmes]

Justin Bieber New Haircut 2011

Justin Bieber

Have you seen Justin Bieber’s new haircut for 2011? Justin Bieber debuted his new haircut on the set of Rascal Flatt’s new video, and the pictures were released on TMZ. You can check out the photos of Justin Bieber’s new haircut here…he’s finally ditched the mop!

Fans with extreme Bieber fever will be pleased to hear that a few locks of Justin’s hair have been collected to be auctioned off for different charities. Can’t you just picture teenage girls lining up to nab a piece of the Bieber mop?

Of his new do, Justin Bieber said that he was a little nervous to cut it, but was ready for a change.

I don’t know about you, but I think Justin made the right move. His new haircut looks much more mainstream.

Trading James Neal 2011 NHL Deadline

2011 NHL Trade Deadline: Trading James Neal Makes Sense For Dallas Stars

We knew it was coming, but I figured most of the crazed trade talk when it comes to the Dallas Stars would revolve around Brad Richards.

Instead, this morning we were hit with a rumor from a substantial news source saying that the Stars are possibly discussing a trade that would involve James Neal in return for Alex Goligoski from the Pittsburgh Penguins. As expected, this has set the Dallas Stars fan world into fits as many feel that trading Neal for a player like Goligoski is definitely not in favor of the Stars.

I'll leave the merits of that specific trade rumor along, especially since I believe there would be more to that trade anyway. It's impossible to truly judge a trade until it's completed and official.

Instead, I wanted to touch on something that was a bit surprising to me: Stars fans feeling that James Neal is a vital part of the future of the team and close to "untouchable", and if traded would need to net a player much more impressive than Alex Goligoski.

The fact is...James Neal is possibly just not as good as we had all hoped he would be and there's a good chance that his value will never be higher than it is right now.

More after the jump.

Star-divide

James Neal, in theory, is a power forward with a sniper-esque wrist shot who is adept at "finishing" plays, taking advantage of the scoring chances created by his linemates. He's a big body, he skates well and he has a wicked wrist shot that is accurate, deadly and has the potential to be one of the best in the NHL.

Neal took the Stars and the NHL by storm three years ago when during his rookie season he was one of the most dynamic and exciting forwards we'd seen in a very long time. Not only did Neal score 24 goals that first season, but he was one of the hardest hitting and physical forwards the Stars had seen in years.

The problem is, Neal hasn't exactly lived up to the potential he showed that first season. Last year he played with Loui Eriksson and Brad Richards to form one of the most offensively dynamic top lines in the NHL, scoring 27 goals in 78 games. The numbers look good, but once more we return back to the "potential" he displayed early that season.

In the first few months of the 2009-10 season, Neal was off to a torrid start and looked as if he would threaten 40 goals. He was physical and more than any other player on the ice was capable of taking over the game with his powerful forechecking and playmaking ability. There were times as if he'd play like a player possessed and appeared to be capable of spurring the Stars to success all on his own.

Unfortunately, those few months were all we had. Since his suspension early that season, Neal has been nothing but a shadow of his former self.

We keep talking about his "potential" as a game-changing power forward, based on those flashes from near two years ago, yet the Stars cannot wait forever. He has 21 goals this season and is on pace for the most goals of his career, but once again you wonder just how much that production is a product of playing with Brad Richards and not so much his individual ability as a forward to create -- and finish -- scoring chances on his own.

Stars fans talk about Neal as a "vital piece of the team's future" and a player the Stars should build around in the future. If that were the case, then he should be more than capable of stepping up and shouldering more of the load when things get dicey and especially if the team is dealing with injuries.

In the 11 games since that great start in January, he has just one goal and two assists. There are times when Neal appears to be invisible on the ice and more than at anytime during his time in Dallas it's looking more and more like he relies on Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson more than we ever realized.

There have also been many times during this season when Neal has disappeared, even with Richards and Eriksson on the ice.

Let's not kid ourselves, either. James Neal has shown himself to be more of a one-dimensional forward than we ever thought. He's not exactly the best backchecking, defensive forward the Stars have and when you play the system the Stars do, the ability to backcheck is more important than ever. If Neal were much more consistent a goal-scorer and more able to create offense on his own, then those shortcomings could be overlooked. He's not, so it's impossible to overlook what he's not doing and as of now all we have is talk about his "potential".

All of this isn't to say that Neal is not a good player. He's a very good forward and he's certainly a top-six forward in the NHL.

Right now, however, his value is still high around the NHL based on two years ago and the potential everyone says he still has. Teams would love to have a hard hitting, power forward with sniper abilities on their team -- especially if they have a capable center to pair him with.

This is why Neal's name has come up more than any other player when it comes to trade talks surrounding the Dallas Stars. I guarantee you that of Eriksson, Jamie Benn, Tom Wandell and Steve Ott the Stars see Neal as much more expendable -- especially considering his potential value in a trade for a defenseman.

James Neal is a fan favorite, mostly based on what we saw from him his rookie season and the start of last year. Since then, all we talk about is "potential" while we wait for the old Neal to show back up. There's a very likely chance that Neal's value will plummet as he continues to struggle to create offense on his own and now more than ever the Stars are looking at the highest value they'd get for him.

Of all the forwards the Stars could use in a potential trade, James Neal makes the most sense. He has fallen from untouchable status to expendable while the rest of the NHL still covets the potential he brings to the table. If you think about it, a player like Goligoski in exchange for Neal makes sense and to expect anything more in return is asking way too much.

Whether it's in a trade for Alex Goligoski or any other defenseman, Stars fans should be ready to deal with a trade that sends Neal packing.

Celine Dion Her Twins Plus the McGhee Sextuplets

The Oprah Winfrey Show Today: Celine Dion and Her Twins! Plus the McGhee Sextuplets

I am so excited for the Oprah Winfrey Show today…Celine Dion is going to be on with her twins! Celine Dion is one of my most favorite singers…I just love her voice and her music! I have seen photos of her babies, but now we actually get to see them on TV, which is way better. And Oprah is going to include a tour of her Florida home, which Oprah calls a fantasy land. This is one case where I don’t have much envy for Celine…I think she has earned every penny she has, and should spend it how she likes. She does a lot of charity work too though, which is good of her.

Also on the Oprah Show today, the McGhee Sextuplets are going to be featured. I don’t know that story very well…so I had to look it up. Mia and Rozonno McGhee are from Ohio, and are really struggling with the bills since they unexpectedly had six babies all at once. I can imagine! Last year Mrs. McGhee had twins, which sadly died, and doctors advised them to do Selective Reduction of these babies when they were discovered. They could not…and who can blame them! Now they need help. They have one bedroom. It looks like Oprah is going to give them some help! There is also a trust fund set up at Chase Bank for people who want to donate.

McGhee Sextuplets Media attention has sparked donations

Update on the McGhee Sextuplets: Media attention has sparked donations

On June 9, 2010, Rozonno McGhee and his wife Mia became became an instant family of eight when Mrs. McGhee gave birth to sextuplets. The six babies, born at 27 weeks gestation, have all gained considerable weight and have been home since September.

With mounting medical bills, diaper, formula and baby equipment expenses, the McGhees were not sure how to manage the financial impact of raising six children solely off the profits of Mr. McGhee's carpet cleaning business. After not receiving much initial help, they are now starting to get assistance from friends and strangers alike, and have moved into a larger house.

Rozonno, Mia and the children Rozonno Jr., Isaac, Josiah, Elijah, Madison and Olivia moved recently from their old two-bedroom house to a new two-story, four-bedroom home in a neighboring suburb. Now, the girls and boys have separate rooms and the McGhees have more room for the cribs, swings, highchairs, and other baby paraphernalia. Donations have also started coming in from friends and strangers alike, much to the relief of the the busy but happy family. A "friend of a friend" started a Facebook.com fan page for the McGhees that has over 11,000 "likes" since August, and has helped to spread the word about their plight.

Mrs. McGhee told the Columbus Post-Dispatch that the babies go through about 50 diapers and 30 bottles each day, therefore monetary help is still needed. From recent news accounts, including a segment on Good Morning America, the family is much appreciative of everything they have received thus far.

Anyone inclined to help can do so by donating money at any CHASE bank locaction to“The McGhee Trust Fund” or Rozonno and Mia McGhee, or via paypal.com to rozonno1@yahoo.com. Additional donations in the form of toys, food, diapers, etc can be sent to IMPACT Attention: Tracy Taylor, 700 Bryden Road, Columbus OH 43205.

source:  http://www.examiner.com/stay-at-home-moms-in-atlanta/update-on-the-mcghee-sextuplets#ixzz1Edz0HRG8

TV Schedule 2011 NBA All Star Game

Live TV Schedule 2011 NBA All-Star Game

LOS ANGELES — After a weekend of meetings and events and, oh yeah, some basketball, it’s finally time for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. The SLAM crew is live high above courtside here at the Staples Center, ready for All-Star 2011.

Had a late night last night, as All-Star Saturday nights tend to be. Ben and I ended up at the adidas Originals party at The Standard hotel, where the lineup was pretty stellar. The opening acts included Far East Movement, Miguel, DJ Khaled, and finally Chris Brown, who also brought Busta Rhymes up on stage for a song. The headliner was Snoop Dogg, and Snoop had Warren G. and The Game with him on stage all night. He also brought out DMC, and together Snoop and DMC ran through a collection of Run DMC’s greatest hits, which was tremendous. Snoop didn’t even come on stage until near 2:00 AM, so…well, this morning was a slow one.

BUT! We’re here now and ready to get this game stizzarted. Sorry, Snoop overload last night. I’ll be back with more as we tick closer to tip-off in a few…

The NBA All Star Game

Tonight’s the NBA All-Star Game, held this year in Los Angeles. There are something like 85 teams in the NBA, which is why it’s been seven whole years since the last NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. In Major League baseball, where they truly do rotate the honor around, Los Angeles last hosted an All-Star Game in 1980.

But the NBA doesn’t give a shit about rewarding its local fans in places like Milwaukee. All they care about is boosting ratings, improving their image, and being seen with stars. The last time Milwaukee hosted the All-Star Game was 1977. Jimmy Carter was still president. LA has had it three times since. Hell, Las Vegas hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 2007 and they don’t even have a team. Meanwhile, Sacramento has had a team for 25 years and they’ve never hosted an All-Star Game. Good luck Toronto, Memphis, and Oklahoma City. You better hope that Mike Tyson moves there.

The big attraction of Los Angeles of course is its tie-in with Hollywood. God forbid the NBA tries to attract an audience with just its product. The NBA All-Star Game is your chance to watch the greatest basketball players in the world play 48 minutes of no defense. Final score will be 149-147. And I guarantee there won’t be an over-time. Too many parties for the players to get to.

Here’s my favorite quote: Jim Kahler, a former Cleveland Cavaliers executive who now oversees the Center for Sports Administration at Ohio University said, "It's a testament when the motion picture industry is interested in your sport." Oh yeah. What an honor, to be endorsed by the greatest attention whores the world has ever known. I’ll bet if you asked half these stars who just have to be there, to name ten All-Stars besides Kobe Bryant, half wouldn’t be able to do it. “Let’s see there’s LeBron James, Michael Jordan… give me a minute… oh, and that tall guy, Chien-Ming Wang…”

The only real suspense will be which stars get the courtside seats. Ironically, the two celebrities who really are fans and go to every game – Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington – won’t be there. But Justin Beiber will be. And in the front row. Why? Because he connects with the younger demographic that the NBA is hoping to snare. If Dyan Cannon wants to go I imagine she’ll be up in the upper deck with a seat partially obstructed by the American flag. Oh, and Chinese actress Huang Yi will also be courtside. The NBA wants to grow its brand in China.

And then there’s the music industry. Snoop Dog and Diddy and Bruno Mars will be aboard along with selected others. Hey, it’s not like they can be seen on MTV anymore.

Charlie Sheen is still checking to see if he can rehab in the Staples Center so we don’t know yet whether he’ll be coming.

Doing the seating arrangement for these stars has to be a nightmare. God forbid you have to sit in the third row. And what about all their posses and bodyguards? Where do they sit? Probably the team benches.

The NBA All-Star Game is not a sporting event. It’s another exclusive party that you’re not invited to. It’s entertainment for royalty, a pleasant diversion for the elite. And if you can believe this, some of the stars’ agents actually want the All-Stars to stop by and chat with their clients during halftime. Manu Ginobili needs to pay his respects to capo famiglia, Dustin Hoffman.

Let me know who wins. I’ll be watching U.C. Santa Barbara women’s basketball as they take on Seattle University. I’d rather see parents courtside who really care instead of Chris Tucker and Rob Reiner.

Aaron Baddeley Wins Riviera

Aaron Baddeley Wins at Riviera

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Baddeley returned to his old swing and a title he hadn't seen in four years — a PGA Tour winner.

In a battle of generations Sunday at Riviera, the 29-year-old Baddeley played mistake-free over the final six holes to hold off Vijay Singh and deny a fairy-tale finish for 51-year-old Fred Couples.

Baddeley closed with a 2-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Singh, who turns 48 on Tuesday.

It was the third career PGA Tour win for Baddeley, whose game had slipped so much that he had plunged to No. 224 in the world. This isn't enough to get back into the top 50, but at least he can book a trip to Augusta National in April for the Masters.

Singh, who only three weeks ago had fallen out of the top 100 in the world for the first time in more than 21 years, had his highest finish since he won the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008 on his way to the FedEx Cup. Despite back-to-back bogeys on the back nine, he gave himself a chance to the end and closed with a 69.

Singh said it was the best week with the putter in his career, which would include his 2000 Masters victory. He took only 105 putts for the week, including just one three-putt in the second round.

"That's a great, great thing to have when you're putting well," Singh said. "I haven't done that for a long, long time. This is going to get me some places."

The heartache, though, belonged to Couples.

Two decades after he last won at Riviera, Couples ran off three straight birdies to start his round and take the lead, revving up the Riviera gallery. But it all came crashing down with a double bogey on the seventh hole — where Baddeley made a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe — and Couples never could catch up again.

Couples bogeyed two of the last three holes for a 73 and wound up in a tie for seventh. He has an MRI scheduled for his back on Monday, then plans to return to the Champions Tour until the Masters.

Baddeley, who finished at 12-under 272, won for the first time since the 2007 Phoenix Open. He had been one of the early proponents of the "Stack & Tilt" swing method until deciding to go back to his old teacher, Dale Lynch. His goal was to be able to move the ball both ways without having to think about it, and the swing held up just fine on a sunny afternoon along Sunset Boulevard.

Kevin Na made good putts on the last two holes for a 71 that put him alone in third place. Robert Allenby and Jimmy Walker each had a 68, while Ryan Moore shot 69. They tied for fourth.

Couples was trying to become the oldest PGA Tour winner in 35 years. He was showing his age on the practice range, where his back is so tender that he only warms up with a driver and fairway metals to stay more upright. With a driver in hand, he teed up two balls at a time to keep from stooping over.

On the course, he looked like the Boom-Boom of old.

Couples opened with three straight birdies to bring Riviera to life, just like the old days. He chipped in for birdie from just off the second green, pointing his club to the cup with his left hand in a pose that has become familiar over the years. Then came a 20-foot birdie on the third to give him the outright lead.

But it started to come undone on the par-3 sixth, where the tee was moved forward and the pin was front and right, away from the bunker in the middle of the green. He flared it to the right and missed a 4-foot par putt, then fell off the pace with a double bogey on the seventh. Again, it was a tee shot to the right that started his trouble.

From thick grass in the barranca, Couples hacked out into a bunker, came up short of the green and two-putted from 15 feet.

He stayed in the game for most of the round, but never got closer than two shots the rest of the way.

Na also played in the final group. His father has gone back to South Korea to battle leukemia, and Na was hopeful of being able to send the Northern Trust Open trophy to him. But he missed too many short putts, including a three-putt bogey from 12 feet on No. 8.

The biggest challenge came from Singh.

He started the final round two shots behind and got into the mix with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 236-yard fourth hole. What slowed Singh were consecutive bogeys on the 12th and 13th, two of the toughest in the final round at Riviera. He bounced back with a birdie on the par-3 16th, but was never closer than two shots on the back nine.

Right when it looked as though Baddeley was pulling away, the Australian showed some vulnerability. He hit into the trees on his tee shot and his second shot on the par-4 12th, and appeared to limit the damage until he missed a 2½-foot putt to suffer a double bogey.

Just like that, Singh and Couples were back in the game. But not for long. Baddeley rolled in a 20-foot, bending birdie putt from the fringe on the 13th to restore his lead, and no one could catch him the rest of the way.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

AT&T Deal for Dish Network

AT&T Deal for Dish Network Still Okay After EchoStar/Hughes Merger? (SATS, HUGH, DISH, T, VZ, DTV, CMCSA, TWC, CVC)

EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS) has agreed to acquire Hughes Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: HUGH) for about $2 billion, including debt, in a deal that would give EchoStar, which makes set-top boxes and satellites for Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH), additional broadband satellite capability. Hughes shareholders get $60.70/share, which is less than Friday’s closing price of over $61/share, but a 31% premium over Hughes’ price on January 19th, the date on which speculation about the deal hit the news. Apollo Management IV L.P. is the majority owner of Hughes.

This acquisition really does nothing to jeopardize, or for that matter enhance, a long-rumored deal between AT&T (NYSE: T) and Dish, made headlines again last week when Credit Suisse suggested that AT&T may be ready to make an offer for Dish. For its part, Dish has agreed to purchase satellite communications provider DBSD North America Inc., which is currently in bankruptcy, for about $1 billion. If the deal goes through, Dish would add wireless spectrum, something AT&T would be more than happy to have.

The catch, of course, is whether or not regulators would allow AT&T to acquire either Dish or competitor DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV). And as soon as AT&T announces a deal, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) would be in line to acquire the other. President Obama has outlined a plan to expand wireless broadband access to residents of the rural US and to create a nationwide mobile emergency network. The more spectrum that AT&T and Verizon have available, the better their chances of getting a piece of the action.

The terrestrial cable broadband providers, Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC), Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), and Cablevision Systems Corp.(NYSE: CVC), are certain to object to any expansion or consolidation from the large wireless carriers. It’s unlikely that they will want to compete for wireless spectrum, but they could certainly raise objections that would slow down and perhaps persuade regulators to stifle consolidation in wireless broadband.

Dish may not be able to complete the buyout of DBSD as cheaply as the company had hoped because a bankruptcy judge has ruled that DBSD must entertain other bids that have been reported to be in the works.

The deal with Hughes doesn’t add a lot of value to Dish from AT&T’s point of view. EchoStar’s role with Dish expands, but doesn’t break into a new space. Dish’s deal with DBSD is more important, but could still fall through. Even if it does, though, it’s not enough to be a deal-breaker for AT&T.



source: http://247wallst.com/2011/02/14/att-deal-for-dish-network-still-okay-after-echostarhughes-merger-sats-hugh-dish-t-vz-dtv-cmcsa-twc-cvc/#ixzz1EYBvdp4S

Wood Brothers Racing's Trevor Bayne

Wood Brothers Racing's Trevor Bayne becomes youngest driver to win Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 has been known in recent years to watch as an underdog takes the cup and 2011 is no different as 20 year old Trevor Bayne of Wood Brothers Racing wins the Daytona 500.

“I keep thinking I’m dreaming,” Trevor Bayne said after the Daytona 500. “I’m so thankful for the job these guys did on my car. It’s just incredible. Carl helped us there to get across the line. How cool is it to see the Wood Brothers in victory lane?”

Trevor Bayne turned 20 the day before the Daytona 500. The Wood Brothers Racing Team holds the unique distinction of being the oldest active team in NASCAR, having fielded cars since 1950. The Wood Brothers had not stood in Winner’s Lane since 1976.

“That boy drove his heart out and I’m so proud of him,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. “It got crazy at the end. It seems like every race I am in gets kind of funny down there.”

Carl Edwards finished second in the Daytona 500.

Las Vegas' Daytona 500 odds had Trevor Bayne at 50/1 odds and there is a good chance not many fantasy owners had Trevor Bayne in their lineups.

Kevin Harvick, ranked at 8/1 odds finished No. 42 thanks to engine failure. Kurt Busch, who won the Budweiser Shootout and one of the Duel 150 qualifying race finished fifth in the Daytona 500.

Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip were other favorite Daytona 500 drivers who failed to finish the race.

The finishing order of the Daytona 500:

1. Trevor Bayne
2. Carl Edwards
3. David Gilliland
4. Bobby Labonte
5. Kurt Busch
6. Juan Pablo Montoya
7. Regan Smith
8. Kyle Busch
9. Paul Menard
10. Mark Martin


source: http://www.examiner.com/fantasy-sports-in-national/wood-brothers-racing-s-trevor-bayne-becomes-youngest-driver-to-win-daytona-500

Trevor Bayne Wins Daytona 500

Trevor Bayne Wins Daytona 500: NASCAR's Biggest Race Won By 20-Year-Old Rookie

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Trevor Bayne finally made a mistake. Fortunately for him, it didn't happen until he missed the turn pulling into Victory Lane at the Daytona 500.
The youngest driver to win the Great American Race gave the historic Wood Brothers team its fifth Daytona 500 victory – its first since 1976 with David Pearson – and Bayne did it in a No. 21 Ford that was retrofitted to resemble Pearson's famed ride.
In just his second Sprint Cup start, the 20-year-old Bayne stunned NASCAR's biggest names with a thrilling overtime win Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, holding off Carl Edwards after fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed in NASCAR's first attempt at a green-white-checkered flag finish.
"Our first 500, are you kidding me?" said Bayne, who needed directions to Victory Lane. "Wow. This is unbelievable."
Unbelievable, indeed.
Just one day after celebrating his 20th birthday and leaving his teenage years behind, the sport's biggest race was captured by an aw-shucks Tennessean who shaves once a week and considers "Rugrats" his favorite TV show.
The rookie had been great throughout Speedweeks, even proving his mettle by pushing four-time champion Jeff Gordon for most of a qualifying race.
With the win Bayne breaks Gordon's mark as the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history. Gordon was 26 when he won the 500 in 1997.
"I think it's very cool. Trevor's a good kid, and I love the Wood Brothers," Gordon said. "I'm really happy for him. And I think it's great for the sport. To have a young talent like that – he's got that spark, you know?"
The victory for NASCAR pioneers Leonard and Glen Wood ended a 10-year-losing streak, and came the week of the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's fatal accident on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
This was only the fourth win in last 20 years for Wood Brothers, which hasn't run a full Sprint Cup season since 2006.
And there were no plans to do so with Bayne, who drove in the Daytona 500 on a loaner from Roush-Fenway Racing. Bayne came onto the NASCAR scene in late 2009 with Michael Waltrip Racing but bolted late last year when the team couldn't promise a sponsor for this season.
He hooked up with Roush and planned to run for the Nationwide Series title this season, and a deal was made to get him some seat time in the Cup Series with the Wood Brothers for 17 races. It wouldn't be for points, and he wasn't eligible to run for rookie of the year.
But the stunning Daytona 500 win might change everybody's plans.
Bayne could potentially retract his decision to run for the Nationwide title, and the fat Daytona 500 payday could provide the funding the Woods need to become competitive again.
Sunday's race had a record 74 lead changes among 22 drivers, and a record 16 cautions that wiped out many of the leaders, including Earnhardt Jr. on the first attempt at NASCAR's version of overtime. It put Bayne out front with a slew of unusual suspects.
David Ragan, winless in 147 career starts, was actually leading the field on NASCAR's first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. But he was flagged for changing lanes before the starting line, then an accident that collected Earnhardt in the middle of the pack brought out the caution, and Bayne inherited the lead.
But he had two-time series champion Tony Stewart, now winless in 13 career Daytona 500s, lurking behind with veterans Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch, who had collected two previous wins over Speedweeks. All were chomping at the bit for their first Daytona 500 title, but Bayne never blinked, holding his gas pedal down wide open as he staved off every challenge over the two-lap final shootout.
"It was too easy," Bayne said.
He said he thought for sure he was going to brake, let Stewart in front of him, and push someone else to the win.
Then nobody ever passed him.
Edwards wound up second in a Ford and was followed by David Gilliland, Labonte and Busch.
Juan Pablo Montoya was sixth, Regan Smith seventh, and Kyle Busch, Paul Menard and Martin rounded out the top 10.
Earnhardt Jr. wound up 24th. It was a rough start to the season for Hendrick Motorsports as three of the team's four cars, including five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, were involved in an early 14-car wreck.
Gordon, who started on the front row, sustained damage in the melee and questioned the aggressiveness of his fellow drivers in the dicey two-car tandem racing, especially so early in the race.
"What I don't quite understand is why guys are doing it three-wide, three-deep running for 28th," he said.