Bristol Palin Dancing With The Stars

Bristol Palin Dancing With The Stars: Despite landing at the bottom of the leader board four times this season, Alaska’s abstinence-loving former First Daughter (and Mark Ballas, her dance partner) has managed to waltz her way into the finale of Dancing With the Stars. Tonight, it was revealed that Bristol and Mark beat out third-place finishers Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy— even though one of the singer’s dances was awarded a perfect score on Monday. Palin, by comparison, has never garnered a perfect 30.

This relatively shocking development—well, for Dancing fans, at least—might be evidence that some viewers have been voting for Palin because of who her mother is, rather than because of her ballroom skills. For weeks now, conspiracy theorists have been accusing Tea Party supporters of gaming DWTS’s voting system to ensure that Palin doesn’t get eliminated. The craziest thing about this accusation? It might not be off-base.

Earlier today, Tracie Egan Morrissey of Jezebel took a closer look at conservative message boards, where posters reveal that they’ve been exploiting a glitch on ABC’s website that allows Dancing viewers to cast unlimited votes via email. Here’s some of what Egan Morrissey found:

    Here’s a hint: They don’t have to be VALID email addresses to register them with ABC.com, there is apparently no validation process. The just have to be formatted like a valid email address, and you must use a valid zip code and a birthdate that makes you old enough to vote. I’m voting like a democrat, all night long…

    No, it doesn’t have to be a valid email address – I had one of my anonymous ones XXX@yahoo.com that I used, and then just did the sign-up process all over again with XXX1@yahoo.com and it worked.

    Got my 80 votes in online…took 2 hours. I am beat

    I only got 42 in, I have some catching up to do!

    Lord have mercy, I voted for 3 hours online! I got 300 in.

If Palin somehow comes out on top next week, when she’ll be dancing against season MVP Jennifer Grey—the recipient of numerous perfect scores—then we might know for sure that something fishy is going on. Then again, considering all that’s at stake in this competition is a tacky mirror-ball trophy, it doesn’t exactly matter who wins. Right? Right?

See a clip from tonight’s results show below.

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Eva Longoria Divorce

TMZ reported that Tony had filed for divorce.  Two clerks at the Bexar County Courthouse in Texas had told us the case was filed and sealed by a family law judge.

But Eva's rep tells us Tony did not file and does not even have a divorce lawyer.

Another clerk at the courthouse now tells us she's in charge of sealed cases and says no such case has crossed her desk.

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New York Marathon

Running 26.2 miles is tough. Running it minus a few toenails is tougher.
I will be in the pack of 43,000 runners in the New York City Marathon Sunday, and here’s what I’ve learned in five months of training: Building endurance for the distance is only one slice of the preparation needed to finish.
Marathon runners battle bizarre physical problems and hurdles in training and on race day – things I’d never imagined until I started doing it myself..

For Datails click here................

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Zab Judah

Bill Emes was on hand in Newark for BoxingScene.com, and reports that everyone made weight for Saturday's HBO Boxing After Dark event.

In the junior welterweight main event, Zab Judah came in at 139 pounds and Lucas Matthysse was on the division limit at 140.

In the televised lightweight co-feature, both competitors were under the limit. Robert Guerrero came in two pounds light at 133, with Vicente Escobedo a pound over that at 134.

Our quick previews of both fights, and others from this weekend, are just one post below this one (or here's a direct link). Unless someone else takes the card on Saturday night, we will not have live coverage of the Boxing After Dark double-header, as we'll be focused on the superior Showtime event. The Showtime card starts at 10pm EDT, with the HBO card starting at 11:15, so there is a chance we'll be able to get the Judah-Matthysse fight covered.  Full Story..............

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Mutiny On The Bounty

Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, and directed by Frank Lloyd based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel Mutiny on the Bounty.

The film was one of the biggest hits of its time. Although its historical accuracy has been questioned (inevitable as it is based on a novel about the facts, not the facts themselves), film critics consider this adaptation to be the best cinematic work inspired by the mutiny.
Full Story..............

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Denise BorinoQuinn

Actress Denise Borino-Quinn of "The Sopranos" fame is dead at the age of 46. She died on Wednesday after suffering for quite some time from liver disease. She had recently lost her husband, Luke Quinn, Jr. when he passed away in March.

According to MSN, Denise Borino-Quinn had no acting experience whatsoever, but attended an open casting call for "The Sopranos," and impressed producers and directors of the show. She had attended the casting call to lend support to an actress friend who was trying out as well; never imagining she had the tiniest chance of even getting a call back.

Borino-Quinn initially thought someone was playing a joke on her when she received a phone call saying she had been chosen for a role on the TV show that would be featured on HBO.

This kind of positive experience rarely takes place when inexperienced actors try out for major roles. It simply worked out perfectly that Denise Borino-Quinn, who worked in a law office when she wasn't on "The Sopranos," had exactly what the directors and producers were looking for.

Denise Borino-Quinn played the role of Ginny Sacrimoni, who was a mafia wife with a serious weight problem. She became a favorite with fans of "The Soprano."

It is especially sad for family members that both Denise Borino-Quinn and her husband Luke Quinn, Jr. have both passed away within such a short span of time. To lose two loved ones in less than a year's time has got to be a serious emotional blow.

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Time Change Fall 2010

What is DST? It is a practice of temporarily adavancing clocks for the miximum use of day light.Near the start of spring clocks are adjusted forward on hour are backward in fall.This is being done primarily to save the energy and maximum use of sunlight.

Now as the fall is approaching, when is Daylight saving time? For all residents of USA and Canada sunday, November 7, 2010 is the day when clocks fall back to standard time. The official change will occur at 7.30 PM IST (6 AM EST). During Standard Time, clocks are turned backward an hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from evening to morning. Daylight Saving Time will return on March 14, 2011 in the US and Canada.

It is important to note however that some US states and territories, including Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas, do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

 In the UK, the clocks fall back to Standard Time effective Sunday, October 31, 2010. The official change will occur at 6.30 AM IST (1.00 AM GMT). Daylight Saving Time will return on March 28, 2011 in the UK.

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Vivek Oberoi and Priyanka Alva marriage pictures

Vivek Oberoi and Priyanka Alva were married on Friday at the Alva farmhouse in Bangalore. We present some wedding photos from the Vivek - Priyanka marriage.

Vivek's baarat arrived with a band-baaja complete with dhols and firecrackers. The 34-year-old actor was dressed in a heavily embellished maroon sherwani and a turban. He then mounted a mare and rode around the venue like a true-blue dulha.

The wedding was solemnized according to Hindu rites amid the chanting of verses from Holy Scriptures.

Priyanka is the daughter of former Karnataka minister late Jeevaraj Alva and reputed dancer Nandini. At the wedding she gifted Vivek a sword with a jewel-studded sheath.

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PETN

DUBAI, Oct 30 (Reuters) - A parcel intercepted in Dubai and bound for the United States contained a bomb hidden in a printer cartridge and bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda, Dubai police said on Saturday.

The parcel contained explosive pentaerythritol trinitrate ( PETN) in a printer cartridge, police said. PETN was the material used in a failed plot to bomb an airline over the U.S. in December 2009.

"The parcel was prepared in a professional way where a closed electrical circuit was connected to a mobile phone SIM card hidden inside the printer," the statement said.

"This tactic carries the hallmarks of methods used previously by terrorist organisations such as al Qaeda."

The bomb also contained lead azide, which is used in detonators. Dubai police experts defused the device, the statement said.

Police were tipped off "via international communication channels" on the possibility that a package coming from Yemen through FedEx (FDX.N) contained hidden explosive materials.

Along with the statement, Dubai police also released pictures showing the contents of the parcel including a book on management and an English novel, as well as Yemeni souvenirs.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday that two parcels with explosives that were sent from Yemen and intercepted in Britain and Dubai had been bound for "two places of Jewish worship in Chicago".

Suspicion has fallen on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which operates out of Yemen and claimed responsibility for the December 2009 plot to blow up a U.S. plane headed for Detroit on Christmas Day.

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Canon s95

The Canon s95 is a very good camera and it is ideal for those people who can afford it and love taking good pictures and making videos. The Canon s95 will be replacing the old PowerShot s90. The s90 was a very good release by the Canon Company and the people just loved it as the PC Pro camera. The S90 came with many new features
. Many changes are included in the Canon S95, so now people will start buying the new model.

The changes that include in this new model are that the new one is a bit heavier than the s90 and it is slimmer than it also. The S95 looks better than the previous one because it’s a bit slim and slim cameras do look good and the others. The new Canon S95 is also having a tactile coating on it this will help the person holding the camera feel safer when it’s in his hands. This tactile coating is a good addition and it will prevent the camera from slipping from the hands of the user while holding it.

The controls of the camera are almost all the same as the previous S90; there is also a selection ring now available that is present on the lens barrel. The video mode is now proved; the new camera is now having an option for the 720p HD video recording. This is a very good addition to the series; the users will no be available to record good quality video with their S95.

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Free Halloween Music

Trick Or Treat! Free Halloween Music Available Online.

If you’re throwing your own Monster Mash this weekend, you’ll need a soundtrack. But let’s be real: Who wants to pay for songs you’ll enjoy only this year? Amazon has got you covered—they’re offering 16 free, Halloween-themed mp3 downloads. You can preview them, download them for free, and have some wildly appropriate background music to your sugar coma.

Happy Halloween!

Check out the Amazon downloads HERE

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Halloween Quotes And Sayings

Need a laugh this morning? We’ve gathered some funny celebrity Halloween quotes and sayings to get you into the Halloween spirit! Celebs love Halloween too, as you can see from the Halloween quotes and sayings below.

Here are some of our favorites:

Rodney Dangerfield – “On Halloween, the parents sent their kids out looking like me!”

Erma Bombeck – “A grandmother pretends she doesn’t know who you are on Halloween”

George Carlin – “There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.”

Conan O’Brien – “This Halloween the most popular mask is the Arnold Schwarzenegger mask. And the best part? With a mouth full of candy you will sound just like him.”

Loretta Lynn – “We used to go around tipping outhouses over, or turning over corn shocks on Halloween.”

Henry David Thoreau - “I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than sit on a crowded velvet cushion.”

Mark Twain - “Everyone is a moon and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody.”

Linus Van Pelt – “There are three things I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and The Great Pumpkin.

River Phoenix – “Acting is like a Halloween mask that you put on.”

We’d love to hear any funny Halloween quotes and sayings that you know of!

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Halloween Math Worksheets

Halloween Math Worksheets I just created an impression of the board game called subscribers.It my Halloween haunted house. Halloween In this game, players must move the paddle in the haunted house and spend the last player to bat in the winner.It is a strategy game, besides being fun, it’s actually educational too! Not the best type of game for your children This new application allows you to remember deceased relatives on your iPhone and iPod Touch with photos, tombstones and virtual memories.

You can create memorials for dead loved ones or someone you want to celebrate, including family, friends, pets and celebrities. You can put flowers on their graves and send virtual personal prayers and messages. Cemetery pocket is a positive way to treat pain and keep the memory of their loved ones near death. Colorful icons that pumpkins, ghosts, witch’s hat and other images. You can see samples of these available as Halloween Math Worksheets for free download.

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Monster Mash Song

The Monster Mash Song is one of my absolute favorite things about Halloween (followed closely by nonstop playings of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and of course the candy). The song by Bobby “Boris” Pickett was released in 1962 (listen closely, and you hear him say at one point, “Tell them Bobby sent you”), and it has become one of the world’s most beloved Halloween songs for kids.

Pickett was actually an aspiring actor who improvised the “Mash” bit at a performance while doing a Boris Karloff impression. It was such a hit that he developed it into its own song.

Read on for links to the song plus three fun “Monster Mash” videos.

Listen to a preview of the song on Last.fm, where you can also buy an MP3, and check out the lyrics here – but for the best Halloween fun, check out these three videos. The first one is great for little kids. The second one is a bit scarier, perhaps for tweens. And the third is probably best for teens.

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Halliburton,

Next Tuesday Americans will be deciding whether to hand over even more of our government to corporations that have been plundering America -- such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, Wellpoint insurance, Massey Energy, and Halliburton, the giant oil services company.

Not every large corporation is irresponsible, of course, but plunderers that get away with it gain a competitive advantage over the more responsible, and thereby lead a race to the bottom.

Case in point: The staff of the presidential commission investigating the BP oil spill has just revealed that Halliburton executives knew the cement it was using to seal BP's Deepwater Horizon oil well was likely to be unstable but didn't tell BP or act on the information.

In a letter to the commission's seven members, the staff found that the failure of the cement was a key factor in the blowout that caused millions of barrels of crude oil to escape into the Gulf of Mexico. (Not the sole factor, of course; most of the blame for the disaster, says the staff, still rests with BP and Transocean, the company BP hired to drill the well.)

Halliburton has not exactly sat out this election. Last May, as Congress began investigating its role in the disaster, its political action committee made 14 contributions -- 13 to Republicans and one to a Democrat. Many were involved in the investigation; others had responsibility for overseeing oil drilling in the Gulf. It was the biggest donation month for Halliburton's PAC since September 2008.

Halliburton, in case you've forgotten, is not exactly a model citizen. It has evaded U.S. taxes and export bans through foreign subsidiaries; admitted to bribing foreign officials (a subsidiary paid $2.4 million to a Nigerian government official in exchange for favorable tax treatment); conceded in an internal memo (leaked to the Wall Street Journal) its cost controls for government contracts in Iraq were "antiquated" and its procurement "disorganized; was found by Pentagon auditors to have overcharged estimated at $27.4 million for meals served to American troops at five military bases in Iraq and Kuwait (in one camp billing for an average 42,000 meals a day but serving only 14,000).

The list of Halliburton's crimes goes on and on. And yet, somehow, Halliburton goes on piling up profits. How? Because of its deep connections to Washington.

Dick Cheney hadn't had any experience in the oil business when he became Halliburton's CEO in 1995. But he did have experience in government -- as George H.W. Bush's Secretary of Defense. And those military ties were invaluable to the company. Under his reign, Halliburton rose from 73rd to 18th on the Pentagon's list of top contractors, and the money garnered from government-sponsored agencies (such as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Export-Import Bank) soared from $100 million in the five years prior to Cheney's arrival to $1.5 billion a few years after.

As vice president to George W. Bush, Cheney made sure Halliburton's stunning performance would continue (Cheney continued to receive checks from the company). According to congressional inquiries, Cheney's vice presidential office was instrumental in forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to remove sections on climate change from reports in 2002 and 2003 (a process Christine Todd Whitman, then the E.P.A. administrator, subsequently described as "brutal.") The Bush-Cheney administration also sought to control or censor congressional testimony about climate change by federal employees, and tampered with other reports in order to inject uncertainty into the climate debate.

Which brings us back to the Deepwater Horizon blowout. Halliburton's executives knew the cement it used to seal the well was filled with mud -- but Halliburton said nothing presumably because doing the job correctly would have cost too much. And, hell, Halliburton is in business to make money.

Halliburton isn't on the ballot next Tuesday, but it might as well be.

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Gigantic pile of Gold

In an earlier posting in October, I looked at China's massive foreign reserves totalling over $2.45 trillion and their rather small level of government debt.  In this posting, I will examine their investment in gold.

As it stood at the end of 2009, the People's Bank of China held $371 billion in "monetary gold" as shown on this chart:

China currently owns 1054 tonnes of gold (3389 million Troy ounces), up from 600 tonnes  in 2003.   By comparison to its foreign currency reserves, China's gold holdings are relatively small making up only about 1.6 percent of their total reserves.  This ownership places China in fifth place among gold-owing countries in the world.  Here's a list showing the reserve holdings of the top 5 countries and the European area along with some other countries of interest and their placement effective Q1 2010 (data from the World Gold Council website):

1.) Europe - 10793 tonnes
2.) United States - 8133 tonnes
3.) Germany - 3409 tonnes
4.) IMF - 2981 tonnes
5.) Italy - 2452 tonnes
6.) China - 1054 tonnes
8.) Japan - 765 tonnes
9.) Russia - 664 tonnes
11.) India - 558 tonnes
17.) United Kingdom - 310 tonnes
78.) Canada - 3.4 tonnes

In the case of China, an additional 3000 tonnes of gold are held privately by individual investors.

As a Canadian, the rather insignificant amount of gold reserves held by the Bank of Canada  shocked me, especially in light of the fact that Canadian gold mining companies are particularly well known to investors around the world, specifically, Agnico Eagle, Barrick and Goldcorp. 

Let's take a look at which countries mine the most gold.  China is the largest gold producing country in the world, producing 300 tonnes of gold in 2009, up over 62 percent since 2001.  Here's a list showing the top gold producing countries and their 2009 gold production volumes:

1.) China - 300 tonnes
2.) Australia - 215 tonnes (peak production in 1998)
3.) United States - 215 tonnes (peak production in 1998)
4.) South Africa - 210 tonnes (down from 402 tonnes in 2001)
5.) Russia - 185 tonnes
6.) Peru - 180 tonnes (15.5 percent lower than the peak in 2005)
7.) Indonesia - 100 tonnes (down 23 percent from 2001)
8.) Canada - 95 tonnes (down 43 percent since 1991 despite having half of the world's gold mines)

Both Russia and China are now producing at their peak rate; many other countries are experiencing dramatic declines in production rates as noted above.

China and India are both large consumers of gold.  Interestingly enough, according to the World Gold Council Gold Demand Trends August 2010 publication, gold bar hoarding by Chinese retail investment demand led to a 29 percent increase up to 96.3 tonnes during the second quarter of 2010.  China noted an increase in retail gold investment of 121 percent year over year to 36.3 tonnes, with the demand for bars and bullion coins more than doubling despite the massive price increases.  Total consumer demand for jewellery and retail investment for the 12 months ended Q2 2010 for Greater China (includes Hong Kong and Taiwan) was 532.1 tonnes, up 22 percent year on year.  China's consumer demand for gold is second highest in the world with India having the highest level of consumer demand.  In the same 12 month period as noted above, India's consumer demand reached 755 tonnes, also showing a 22 percent year on year increase.  To put these numbers into perspective, United States consumer demand was 247 tonnes, down 13 percent year on year.  Canada does not even make the list of consuming nations.

In conclusion, China is consuming all of its gold production and twice the level of Canada's annual production.  In addition, China has asked the International Monetary Fund to sell its entire reserve of 3217 tonnes.  In February 2010, China purchased 191.3 tonnes of IMF gold when the IMF announced its intention to sell 403.3 tonnes of gold in September 2009.  Most of the balance, 200 tonnes, was purchased by India.

We can see that China and its citizens consider gold to be a relatively important part of their overall assets.  Perhaps there is something that we can learn from the East as both individuals and as governments, especially in light of the massive sovereign debt levels being accrued by the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom.

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Pumpkin Carving Designs

Pumpkin Faces: Free Pumpkin Carving Design Ideas – There are a lot of ways to celebrate Halloween. Various trick or treat events for kids and Halloween parties for teenagers and adults are all over the place. Aside from those Halloween costumes which symbolizes the event, jack-o-lanterns are in demand during Halloween events.

We know that Halloween will not be complete without the traditional pumpkin which seems to be the icon and symbol of Halloween celebration specially in the United States. Here are some pumpkin carving patterns, stencils, design templates and ideas for everyone.

For those who are inspired by President Barack Obama, here is a pattern which you can use to carve your pumpkin.
               

Those who are thinking of various ways to style their Halloween pumpkin here are some ideas.
                  
        
Here is another pumpkin idea for Halloween which is quite interesting.
    

        

The key to making your pumpkin is to really be creative and just do what you think will be acceptable and presentable. Advance Happy Halloween!

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GWAR

It’s that time of the week again when all Late Night with Jimmy Fallon fans will be sitting in front of their TV sets tuned in to NBC for a brand new episode of their favorite show. Once again, we’ve got the preview of the episode, including ways to legally watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon season 3 episode October 28 2010 online, streaming download or on TV.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon might be in season number 3 but it’s still in the discussion as one of the top Celebrity Talk shows on TV today and the latest episode ‘Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson / GWAR’ should build on that. Today on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the host welcomes Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson / GWAR. The show will also have the usual comedy bits, stand up, and a variety of other interesting elements that are sure to keep viewers entertained. It certainly looks promising but will it look as good on TV as it sounds on paper.

Official site info to watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon online video content

Some of you might be looking for ways to watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon online if you won’t be able to catch the show on TV and we’ve outlined 3 legal alternatives below.The first is through popular online website Amazon.  The second option to stream Late Night with Jimmy Fallon video online is through the official website http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com.
Jimmy Fallon, Writes, and Celebrities will try to put on a good show today on NBC at 00:35 ET – so make sure to tune in if you want to watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon season 3 episode October 28 2010.

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Puma Punku

Puma Punku was once a majestic structure that dotted the face of the Earth in Bolivia, South America but is now just a confounding set of ruins that cannot be explained by any rational attempt.

The ruins of Puma Punku are said to defy logic, and they pose questions that nobody is able to answer. The structure, itself, when it was still standing does not seem to have any historical records and so, there’s no one alive who can say who built the structure. And that’s not all. The purpose of the structure and the period that it took to construct it can not be easily known, too.

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Soy Tu Duena Capitulo 139

Soy tu dueña is a Mexican television show which, when translated to English, means I’m Your Lady. It follows the dramatically complicated story of Valentina (played by Lucero) who was born rich and beautiful but eventually finds out that it does not necessarily translate to a good, happy life. She goes through a lot of events in her life that would ultimately lead her to Los Cascabeles, a hacienda or a plantation owned and managed by her family. There, she finds love in the form of Jose Miguel (played by Fernando Colunga) but has to experience a lot of hardships first from her cousin, her former lover, and a host of other characters who are determined to stop her from realizing her happiness.

Soy tu dueña Chapter 139 is now available over the Internet and anybody who wishes to see Valentina and her dramatic life can watch, at their own pleasure.


Read more: Soy tu Dueña Capitulo 139 – Watch It Now On The Internet | JackTimes.com

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Jessica Simpson Pregnant

Jessica Simpson Pregnant: Lots of rumors are circulating that Jessica Simpson was pregnant with Eric Johnson. Now, pop sensation, Jessica Simpson Pregnant became the hot topic in the Hollywood.

Earlier, lots of news has spread regarding Jessica Simpson pregnancy. Recently, she has been dating with NFL player, Eric Johnson and both are spending much time together.

In the beginning of this month, Jessica Simpson vomited during her show in the U.S. and there is news that she is revealing the facts regarding her pregnancy with Eric Johnson.

Few days ago, Jessica Simpson states that she is looking to start family with Eric Johnson and trying to give birth for a baby with Eric Johnson.
Jessica Simpson Pregnant
“I’ve never really been in such a healthy relationship. I’m like, ‘Something’s going to go wrong. Is he going to trip me or something?’” Jessica said on Tuesday.

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson have been dating since May and both are spending much time together. Recently, the pair has gone to Italy for Jessica Simpson 30th birthday celebrations.

Eric Johnson was divorced with his ex wife, Keri in this October. Jessica Simpson married Nick Lachey on October 26, 2002, at age 22 and on June 30, 2006, the couple got divorce.

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Eu Yan Sang

Eu Yan Sang is Asia's leading healthcare company with a core focus in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and integrative healthcare. We started out in 1879 with the mission of "Caring for Mankind".

Eu Yan Sang was founded in 1879 with the mission of "Caring for Mankind" (仁泽众生), and has been listed on the Singapore Exchange as Eu Yan Sang International Limited since 28 July 2000.

As a progressive, global healthcare company with a strong foundation in Traditional Chinese Medicine, we manufacture and retail traditional Chinese medicine and herbs in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Malaysia and Singapore. We also operate clinic services in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

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Solitaires

SolSuite 2010 is a high-quality collection of 504 solitaire games. All of the world's best solitaires are here including Spider, Klondike, FreeCell, Pyramid, Golf, Monte Carlo, Canfield, Gaps, Forty Thieves, Four Seasons, Napoleon, Diplomat, La Belle Lucie, Poker Solitaire, Flower Garden, Rouge et Noir; along with dozens of original solitaires that you cannot find elsewhere, such as King of Scotland, Baccarat Solitaire, and Mayflower!
SolSuite is a high-quality collection of 504 fun and easy solitaire card games with more than 9 trillion possible games for each solitaire!
All your favorite solitaires are implemented: Klondike, FreeCell, Pyramid, Golf, Busy Aces, Canfield, Forty Thieves, Four Seasons, Carpet, Flower Garden, Rouge et Noir, Monte Carlo, Spider solitaire… and more!

Games – How many
Total games – 506
Spider variations – 20
FreeCell variations – 16
Klondike variations – 26
Other games types – 259
Solitaire for Children – 15
Original solitaires – 165

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eBay To Merge Buying And Selling iPhone Apps; RedLaser For Android On The Way

It’s no secret that eBay’s mobile apps are growing by leaps and bounds. As of July, eBay had seen 11 million downloads of its primary iPhone app, which allows users to browse, bid and buy from eBay auctions. As of this week, the company has seen 13 million downloads of its primary iPhone app, and Steve Yankovich, eBay’s VP of mobile and platform; says he expects that number to climb to 14 million by November.

In a conversation with Yankovich, he told me that eBay will soon consolidate its buying and selling iPhone apps. Currently, eBay has a separate iPhone app for sellers, that allows users to quickly take photos of items and post them on eBay. This is all planning to take place ahead of the holiday shopping season, which for eBay (and most online retailers) is a extremely lucrative and trafficked time period. And Yankovitch says the company will be releasing a dedicated eBay Motors app, which he expects to be very popular with consumers based on the traffic the site sees.

Yankovich also said that RedLaser, the barcode scanning iPhone app that eBay acquired from Occipital in June, will soon be extended to Android phones. eBay has seen considerable success with RedLaser, adding 3 additional million downloads of the app since June. Last week, eBay announced that it would be populating the iPhone app with product results with eBay Marketplaces and Half.com listings, and also adding QR codes to the app.

While QR Codes aren’t as widely adopted as the standard bar code, says Yankovich, he believes the technology will one day be used much more frequently by consumers. One advantage of QR codes he explains, is that any store or brand can create their own unique code with varying information. And he wants eBay’s app to be the catalyst for making QR codes a more mainstream technology.

Regardless, barcode scanning is big. Amazon recently added barcode scanning to its main iPhone app. And eBay will soon be incorporating RedLaser’s technology into its main iPhone app as well, says Yankovich.

Whether through a QR Code or a barcode, online retailers are able to give consumers who are shopping in brick and mortar stores the ability to find the item online, at perhaps a more discounted price. It’s very much a traffic play, and way to take product interest offline back online. Moreover, QR Codes, can unlock rich, contextual information to products, including reviews, or even coupons for a particular product.

And as the holiday shopping season comes upon us, eBay is certainly ready to capitalize on the possible cash-cow that mobile could bring. One question is whether the number of downloads of its app can actually translate into sales. But currently, eBay is set on pace to reach a whopping $1.5 billion worth of goods sold via its mobile apps in 2010.

Over the past year, eBay has launched iPad, Android and Windows 7 apps for its auction business, a new Half.com app, and a Fashion-focused app. And PayPal’s mobile offerings should also help contribute to eBay’s potential holiday success, considering the million-plus downloads its iPhone app has seen.

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Taylor and Selena: Sweet BFFs

The friendship between teen queen Selena Gomez and country-crossover songstress Taylor Swift is still going strong. The two were spotted together Thursday as they took a break from promoting separate projects in London to dine at one of Jamie Oliver's restaurants. Later, the BFFs indulged in dessert at Ciao Italian Gelateria.

Taylor, 20, has been in the spotlight lately as fans and critics dissect the lyrics of her Speak Now album, which comes out Monday. Hanging out with a gal pal like Selena, 18, probably did her a lot of good! Meanwhile, the Disney cutie was in town for her Wednesday concert at the city's Hammersmith Apollo and to talk up her own new album A Year Without Rain.

In this month's issue of the U.K.'s Bliss magazine, Taylor dished about her relationship with the "Wizards of Waverly Place" star. When asked if she and Selena are as close as siblings, Taylor replied, "I'd definitely say we have a sister relationship. I've never had a sister, but I think if I did and I had this sweet, perfect younger sister, it would be Selena. I feel like she's my age, though. I forget she's 18."

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Blizzcon

BlizzCon 2010 is finally here and the schedule's pretty packed for opening day. If you lucked out on a BlizzCon ticket (and had the resources to make it out to Anaheim), you might be hard-pressed to choose which panel to attend, given that there are two stages where panels happen simultaneously. On top of that, the world's best StarCraft II and World of Warcraft arena players duke it out on separate areas, as well. After the opening ceremonies, there'll be a showcase of Diablo III gameplay concurrent with a showing of StarCraft II cinematics; these are followed by a World of Warcraft dungeons & raids panel and StarCraft II secrets of the masters; after those, there's a panel on WoW quests & lore, as well as a discussion on SC2 custom maps and editor; finally there's a live raid for WoW and a Q&A on the SC2 storyline. To close the first day, there are the costume, song, and dance contests which I'm fairly certain will be on everyone's itinerary.

One easy way to go about BlizzCon would be to just follow one game, such as World of Warcraft, and attend all the relevant panels. If you're like most folks who play Blizzard games, however, you're probably a big fan of everything they churn out (you're looking at BlizzCon, after all), which means picking the best panel to attend can be a bit of a dilemma. Happy problems aside, if you didn't have to choose which stage to sit in front of -- like those of us who picked up the DirectTV stream -- what part of today seems the most exciting? Personally, I think I'd have to go for WoW quests & lore. Now that we're already at Cataclysm, I can't wait to see what they've got in store for us, story-wise. Is there anything you're really looking forward to today? Or are the cooler events (e.g., the class panel) happening tomorrow? What do you think Blizzard's got up its sleeve?

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Jasmine Waltz

Hollywood power couple David Arquette and Courteney Cox have separated after being together for eleven years, a familiar name surfaces in the person of Jasmine Waltz as exclusively revealed by Life & Style. As confirmed by the source, Arquette and Waltz have been dating recently.

Cougar Town’s Cox and Arquette, through an issued statement last Monday have confirmed their amicable separation despite attending couple therapy. They have a six year old daughter named Coco.

As Life and Style further divulged, Waltz, a waitress and an aspiring actress is famously known for reportedly dating other celebrities like Ryan Seacrest, Jesse McCartney and even Paris Hilton’s former beau Doug Reinhardt. As a bartender, Waltz has also worked at nightclub Les Deux and an Italian restaurant called Bell.

The 28 year old Jasmine Waltz is also notoriously involved with the Las Vegas punching incident last summer concerning Lindsay Lohan during the celebration of LiLo’s birthday.

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Rakta Charitra

Raktacharitra, a film by Ram Gopal Varma, is totally based on the Andhra Pradesh political backdrop, which calls for a very revengeful flavor throughout the film.

As the story moves around the basic political turmoil, and how the protagonist, Vivek Oberoi, over comes each situation with a revengeful act. All this due to his bitter life experiences in the past.
As the film unfolds with a lot of bloodshed and the ultimate ugly path that politics can sometimes take one into, it becomes quite a gory experience for the viewer.

As is being said by many a reports, this film is certainly not for those who are interested in only dramatic family drama scenes in films, with almost all properties of a block buster full of the full time Bollywood theme, and the best of interiors, with the most expensive of interiors, and a great gorgeous looking heroine, this is a film with a completely tangent angle than this.

Thus, dirty politics, and absolute no frills for the protagonists clotheslines, and very meaningful dialogues, is quite an experience in itself!

So, the film is sort of a very realistic take on the political dealings, with some amazing performances actors, who all have the ultimate passion for acting it real.

The fact that the film revolves around the gory life of rural folks and the indirect area of political mileage does not make it a very staunch affair, rather, it is one of the most watchable films ever, by the RGV camp.

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Phaedra Parks

Soon-to-be reality starlet, Phaedra Parks, hasn’t even been on one episode of Bravo’s hit ‘Real Housewives Of Atlanta, and she’s already all over the entertainment wire with her business. Back in 2004, her husband was arrested of a white collar crime, despite that… or maybe BECAUSE of that, she still managed to get selected by RHOA producers. In a recent interview with entertainment blog, YBF, here’s what she had to say:

“I want to enjoy the ride and what comes with it,” Phaedra tells us.

If you are wondering if we will get a showdown with Phaedra and castmate Nene Leakes, or perhaps Phaedra vs. Sheree, she’s not revealing.

“Everyone has strong personalities, its explosive,” she says.  “I got to know each of the ladies in a different way and in different perspectives. I formed a relationship with all of them.”

The self proclaimed southern belle’s personal business has already been dragged through the press.  She fell in love with an ex-con and everybody seems to have an opinion about it.

“People always talk, but I know who he is and I know who I am. I have a wonderful marriage with him and we have a wonderful family.”

She says people love to talk but that doesn’t change or stop them from loving each other.

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Former US security men deny Afghan civilian killings

Two ex-employees of a US security company killed two Afghan nationals while fuelled by alcohol and rage, a US court has heard.

Prosecutors in the state of Virginia say that Justin Cannon and Christopher Drotleff opened fire at the scene of a road accident in Kabul.

They worked for a security company run by a firm formerly known as Blackwater.

Their lawyers deny murder charges, saying they opened fire because they believed they were under attack.

If convicted of murder, assault and weapons charges, Mr Cannon, from Texas, and Mr Drotleff from Virginia, could be imprisoned for life.

Their trial began on Wednesday in a US District Court and is expected to last two to three weeks.

They worked for Paravant, part of Xe - formerly Blackwater - which was blamed for killing civilians in Iraq in 2007.

The pair were in Afghanistan to provide weapons training to the Afghan National Army as contractors with Paravant.

Prosecutors said the pair were "a disaster waiting to happen" in May last year, as they had been drinking for several hours after two of their superiors were fired.

"They were drinking. They were driving. They were armed and they were out of control," said Robert McGovern, a Department of Justice lawyer.

Both sides agree that the men left their camp to drive two Afghan interpreters and another man to a taxi stand late at night on a road known for attacks on Americans.

When one of the vehicles in their convoy crashed, they allegedly shot at a car that sped from the crash scene.

Prosecutors say that the men fired about 30 rounds - Mr Cannon with an AK47 and Mr Drotleff with a 9mm pistol - hitting two men in the car and a man who was walking his dog with a friend.

One man in the car and the man on the street died from bullet wounds.

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IMF releases $451million loan for Pakistan floods

The International Monetary Fund says it is making a $451m emergency loan to Pakistan available immediately.

The IMF said the money would help Pakistan cope in the aftermath of the floods that have affected about 18 million people.

It said it hoped its decision would encourage more lending by international donors.

Meanwhile, new flooding has been reported from around the town of Dadu, near the Indus river in Sindh province.

The army is continuing relief efforts, rescuing hundreds of people trapped or isolated by floodwaters, in the area.

"The [IMF] board's approval enables the immediate disbursement of the full amount of this emergency assistance," the IMF said in a statement.

"Pakistan's economic outlook has deteriorated sharply as a result of the floods. The agriculture sector, which accounts for 21% of Gross Domestic Product and 45% of employment, has been hit particularly hard," it added.

The floods which hit the country at the end of July have killed at least 1,500 people and devastated large areas.

The United Nations has said that billions of dollars would be needed in the long term.

But charities say the response to the UN's appeal has been sluggish.

The US has made the biggest contribution so far, followed by the UK.

UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has called the international response "lamentable".

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Pakistan needs civilian rule, says US envoy

The US has dismissed suggestions that the Pakistani military could form a viable alternative to the civilian government, widely criticised for its handling of the country's flood crisis.

Special envoy Richard Holbrooke praised civilian politicians and said the US would support only an elected civilian government in Pakistan.

The army has been widely praised for its response to the floods.

Pakistan has a history of coups and only returned to civilian rule in 2007.

But some observers have suggested that the floods, combined with a widespread Islamist insurgency, are making it impossible for civilian politicians to govern.


    We intend to see this wonderful country and its people through these troubled times”

 Richard Holbrooke US special representative said.

     Indus flood diary

Mr Holbrooke, who is in Pakistan visiting flood-affected areas, told reporters: "We will only support a civilian, democratically elected government.

"I think the Pakistan government has done a fantastic job [handling the floods] so far - and we are here to help in any way we can."

However, he added that the US was happy to work with the Pakistani army, "which is a part of this government".

The US has been the biggest aid donor to Pakistan since the floods hit, devastating large parts of the country and affecting about 18 million people.

US officials say the country has donated more than $260m (£166m) for flood relief, and has provided 18 military helicopters to evacuate people and deliver food and supplies.

The US has also provided water-purification kits and deployed medical teams to help prevent the spread of disease.

In a boost to the aid effort, Mr Holbrooke said the US would begin diverting cash from US-funded infrastructure projects into flood relief.

And he denied that the US was helping Pakistan in a bid to bolster the fight against Islamist militancy in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"This is a humanitarian effort and we intend to see this wonderful country and its people through these troubled times," he said.

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BP's Gulf of Mexico oil well to be sealed 'by Sunday'

BP's ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to be permanently sealed by Sunday.

Adm Thad Allen, in charge of cleaning up the oil spill, has said a relief well, which has taken more than four months to drill, should intersect the damaged well later on Thursday.

A mixture of mud and cement will then be pumped in, permanently sealing it.

On Wednesday, the US said it would require oil firms to plug 3,500 non-producing Gulf of Mexico oil wells.

"We are within a 96-hour window of killing the well," former Coast Guard chief Adm Allen told reporters.

No oil has spilled into the Gulf since a temporary cap was placed on the well in mid-July. Mud and cement were later pushed down through the top of the well, and the cap removed.

The relief well is being drilled 2.5 miles (4km) through dirt and rock beneath the sea floor so that the ruptured well can also be sealed from the bottom, ensuring it never causes a problem again.

On Wednesday, the US government said it also wanted energy firms to dismantle hundreds of unused platforms to prevent potential leaks; some installations have been sitting idle for decades without inspection for leaks.

The new requirements are due to take effect in October.

BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in April, killing 11 people and causing one of the worst ecological disasters in US history, with nearly five million barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf.
'Devastating'

In London on Wednesday, BP's departing boss Tony Hayward told MPs that the oil spill was "devastating" to him.

"I understand why people feel the way they do, and there is little doubt that the inability of BP, and the industry, to intervene to seal the leak... was unacceptable."

But he said it would be wrong to blame only BP.

"No single factor caused the accident, and multiple parties including BP, Halliburton and Transocean, were involved," he told MPs on the Commons Energy Committee.

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Michael Jackson's mother sues concert promoter

The mother of pop star Michael Jackson has begun legal proceedings against concert promoter AEG, claiming it did not give her son proper medical care.

Katherine Jackson contends it failed to provide life-saving equipment and oversee a doctor who was hired to look out for the pop star's well-being.

Her legal action claims the singer was put under great pressure to complete the London concerts for which he was rehearsing at the time of his death.

AEG has yet to comment on the action.

Ms Jackson's civil action, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday.

Kenny Ortega, director of the planned This is It series of concerts, was also named as a defendant.

Katherine Jackson contends that AEG and its agents told her son it would provide the equipment and hire Dr Conrad Murray to care for him so he could perform at the concerts in London.

Her action alleges its representations were false "because in reality AEG was merely doing whatever it took to make sure that Michael Jackson could make it to rehearsals and shows".

"At the time of his death, Michael Jackson was under the immediate care of a doctor selected by, hired by, and controlled by AEG," the complaint continues.

It claims the company "demanded and required" the singer be treated by Dr Murray, who is alleged to have administered a lethal dose of Propofol and other drugs which resulted in the pop star's death on 25 June 2009.
Katherine and Joe Jackson Michael Jackson's parents have both filed wrongful death lawsuits

Dr Murray has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter and is expected to stand trial next year.

Katherine Jackson is the guardian of the singer's three children and is suing AEG on their behalf.

Her action claims Jackson's eldest son, Prince, suffered great trauma and severe emotional distress because he witnessed his father's final moments.

"The purpose of this lawsuit is to prove to the world the truth about what happened to Michael Jackson, once and for all," Katherine Jackson's lawyer said in a statement.

Earlier this year Jackson's father, Joe, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr Murray, accusing him of professional negligence.

Mr Murray's attorneys filed a motion on Wednesday seeking a dismissal of that action, which did not name AEG.

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Oil tanker freed in Northwest Passage off Canada

A ship carrying 9m litres (2m gallons) of oil has been freed after running aground two weeks ago off the coast of northern Canada.

A Department of Transportation spokeswoman told AFP news agency the ship's owner had lightened the vessel's load by pumping out some of the oil.

The oil tanker was dislodged without leaking any oil into Arctic waters, the Canadian Coast Guard said.


The MV Nanny became stuck when it hit a sandbar in the Northwest Passage.

The operation to free the ship, which is owned by Newfoundland-based Woodward's Oil, took place over a period of two days near the village of Gjoa Haven in the Nunavut federal territory.

The Department of Transportation is conducting an investigation into how the oil tanker became stuck on the sandbar.

Gjoa Haven, or Uqsuqtuuq in the Inuktitut language, is the only settlement on King William Island.

The Northwest Passage is one of the most fabled sea routes in the world - the most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia through the Canadian Arctic. Historically, it has been ice-bound throughout the year.

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Pope arrives for UK visit

The Queen has welcomed Pope Benedict to Edinburgh at the start of the first papal visit to the UK for 28 years.

He was officially welcomed at Holyrood House ahead of a parade through the city and an open-air Mass in Glasgow.

Tens of thousands of people are lining the streets of Edinburgh to greet him, although protests are also planned.

One of the Pope's aides has pulled out of the trip after reportedly saying arriving at Heathrow airport was like landing in a "Third World country".

The trip is the first to the UK by a Pontiff since John Paul II in 1982. It is also the first to be designated a state visit because the Pope has been invited by the Queen rather than the church.


The papal plane left Rome's Ciampino airport at about 0720 local time. On board with the Pope were about 30 senior Vatican officials and dozens of journalists.

The pilot raised the union jack and the papal standard from the cockpit as the plane taxied along the runway.

Child abuse

During the flight, in response to a question from the BBC, the Pope said the scandal surrounding the abuse of children by Catholic priests had come as a great personal shock to him.

He said he wanted to offer the victims "material, psychological and spiritual" help and to protect other children from dangerous priests in the future.

The Pope was greeted on the tarmac by the Duke of Edinburgh, Catholic leaders and a 30-strong honour guard from the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Lord Patten also welcomed him on behalf of the government.

Once at Holyrood House, the Queen and the Pope exchanged gifts before holding a private audience.

Vatican officials say Pope Benedict plans to use his visit to highlight the importance of the role of faith for everyone in contemporary Britain, not just Catholics and Anglicans.


Even before his arrival the Pope faced questions from journalists aboard the papal plane.

The Pope said the revelations about sex abuse by priests had caused him great sadness. How was it possible, the Pope asked himself, that priests who had been trained for years to be good pastors could fall into this state? The Church must show penance and humility. He congratulated the English bishops on the strong measures they have taken to deal with the problem.

Was he apprehensive about some opposition expressed in Britain to his state visit? No, he said. During his pastoral visits to France and to the Czech Republic, the Pope said there had been strong anti-clerical feelings expressed. But nonetheless, he had received a warm welcome in France from agnostics and in Italy, too, there was a long history of anti-clericism.

On how to create a more credible church, the Pope said the Church did not work for itself but for others in order to make the gospel message more accessible. Anglicans and Catholics have essentially the same task - to work together, he said.

Monsignor Michael Regan, who has been in charge of planning the first leg of the trip, said: "He's a Pontiff, he's the bridge-builder, and hopefully his visit to Edinburgh today, and to the United Kingdom, will be building bridges in a whole variety of different ways."

Prime Minister David Cameron has said it will be "a very special four days, not just for our six million Catholics, but for many people of faith right across Britain".

But in Edinburgh, Presbyterians, secularists, and other groups are planning to protest against Vatican policies on birth control, gay rights and abortion, as well as the abuse scandal, but police have said they do not expect large-scale demonstrations.

Asked about the protests, the Pope told journalists on his flight that the UK had a "great history of anti-Catholicism", but also "a great history of tolerance".

Meanwhile, one of the Pope's senior advisers - Cardinal Walter Kasper - will not make the trip after he made remarks about England to a German magazine, including claiming it was gripped with a "new and aggressive atheism".

The Vatican said the cardinal had not intended "any kind of slight" and had simply pulled out due to illness. Officials also said his "Third World" comment referred to the UK's multicultural society.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland Keith O'Brien said he was "sure Cardinal Kasper will apologise for any intemperate remarks which he made".

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Jimmy Smits

Outlaw TV Show NBC Pilot – New Jimmy Smits TV Series – Outlaw pilot episode 1 which was directed by Terry George and directed by John Eisendrath aired last night on NBC. It’s hard to imagine Jimmy Smits in a role where he isn’t lovable especially when he plays a public servant, which provided us with the old serious yet playboy Jimmy Smits that we all know and love.

Unfortunately for him, despite his gritty performance in the show, “Outlaw” suffers from a terrible script and plot that can, at times, leave the audience very confused about what it going on. Smits does a great job with what he’s given but the series is just too out of order and unrealistic for a normal audience to follow.
A supreme who dumps everything to become a lawyer in less than 24 hour ? Really?

Smits plays a conservative who decides to renounce his ways to become more liberal, resigns from the Supreme Court and sets out to change the system. It sounds like something that was made for a television show pilot, but the way that the plot is executed makes the story seem lesser.

The cast that surrounds Smits is not all that great either. Some of the names and faces may be recognizable, but it is hard to tell where the bad writing stops and the bad acting begins. At times, the dialogue is boring, and it comes off as an unintentional comedy.

After Smits appearance on “Dexter,” which was excellent, one would hope that he would receive an offer to appear on something of “West Wing” caliber. Unfortunately, “Outlaw” falls short in just about every category and likely will not make it through its first season.

Not many Republicans/conservatives will like this series but it could capture the attention of few liberals who believe in fighting for equal rights and justice for those wrongfully accused.

What are your thoughts on the episode?

That’s all we have for now on Outlaw season 1 episode 1.

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Mediatakeout

Mediatakeout  was the first news resource to make dating of NBA star Shaquille  O’Neal and his girlfriend Nikki “Hoopz” Alexander. Now here they are again with the report that the start is engaged to the bride and on way to make one happy family.

Shaquille and Nikki Hoopz have been dating for only a few months and according to MediaTakeOut.com, the superstar athlete came with the merry proposal for wedding the reality show star recently.

Nikki Hoopz is reported in all smiles declaring that she won show Flavor of Love but found true love in Shaquille O’Neal.

According to reports, Shaq was having a troublesome life when his wife and her lover Shaunie Vanessa Lopez have been set for divorce, amidst allegations of cheating.

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Big Brother 12 Winner

After a couple of months of drama, challenges, nominations, numerous Head of Household/Power of Veto competitions and evictions, the “Big Brother 12” winner was finally chosen. If you don’t already know who was voted as the 2010 winner, it was college student Hayden Moss.

According to a recent article at seattlepi.com, 24-year old Hayden managed to win the final HoH competition, which of course meant that he got to chose who to evict out of Lane and Enzo. Moss evicted Enzo off, leaving just him and Lane in line for the $500,000 prize money.

Lane and Hayden then faced a grilling from a jury of seven evicted houseguests, about the secret Brigade alliance and on their social gameplay. When the final voting results were announced, it was Hayden who had won with a total of four votes against Lane’s three.

However, Lane – a 24-year old oil rig salesman – didn’t go away empty-handed, as he received $50,000 for becoming the season 12 runner-up. 22-year old Britney Haynes also walked away with a prize of $25,000, after she was voted as the favorite houseguest of season twelve.

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Gates Death Panels

Gates Death Panels – Bill Gates On Health Care Savings – Bill Gates is a known advocate for what has been described as “death panels.” His stance on the issue has been a source of controversy among conservative commentators, but most actually overlook the fact that Gates is known as a hardcore eugenicist who has claimed that the global population is too high. His Bill Gates fund is known for donating millions of dollars every year toward vaccines.

He made his comments about the “death panels,” which would allow individuals who are suffering from the worst and most painful diseases to end their lives on their own terms, at the Aspen Ideas Festival which is held in Aspen Colorado every year. The comments did not garner all that much attention, until a video clip of his speech appeared on a number of conservative blogging sites on Sunday.

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Jimmy Johnson

Some of you may well remember, that back in July we brought you an article on the rumors surrounding possible cast members for the popular reality TV series “Survivor: Nicaragua.” One of the names mentioned back then, was former NFL head coach Jimmy Johnson.

Well it looks like those rumors turned out to be true!! According to a recent article over at latimes.com by Maria Elena Fernandez, the former Miami Dolphins/Dallas Cowboys coach was in fact one of the cast members of the new series, which kicked off on Wednesday, September 15th.

Johnson – who has been a fan of the popular reality TV survival series since it began in 2000 – did actually apply to be on the show three years ago, but doctors revealed that he had two blocked arteries which of course prevented him from competing on the show.

However, Johnson then underwent heart surgery, lost a total of 30 pounds and cut his cholesterol level in half, and re-applied. The network then decided to give the 67-year old Fox NFL sports analyst a try, and offered him a spot on “Survivor: Nicaragua,” which was filmed earlier this year.

Johnson told his fellow Espada tribe members that he wasn’t in it for the money, but just for the adventure. Although he could not reveal the results of the show for obvious reasons, Johnson said last week that he was happy with adventure he did have while appearing on “Survivor.”

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Edwin Newman

Edwin Newman, who spent decades as a newsman at NBC, has died. The veteran TV journalist, who was 91, passed away Aug. 13 in Oxford, England, though his death was only just announced by outlets including the New York Times so his family could have time to grieve privately.

Newman first joined NBC's ranks in the early 1950s and served as a correspondent, anchor, commentator, documentary host and theater critic over his three-decade tenure. He was known for his dry wit, stark eyebrows and love of plainspoken English.

In a statement, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw said, "Ed Newman was an early role model for my generation of NBC News correspondents. Worldly, erudite and droll, qualities that were enriched by his pitch perfect use of the English language."

Newman's many notable career moments included announcing President Kennedy's death on the air, moderating two Presidential debates and being the only Western journalist to interview Japanese Emperor Hirohito.



He was born in 1919 in New York City, graduated from George Washington High School, went on to earn a degree at the University of Wisconsin and served in the Navy during World War II, before pursuing journalism professionally.

Newman was regarded as a champion of proper grammar and usage. In 1970, he wrote two bestselling books, 'Strictly Speaking: Will America Be the Death of English?' and 'A Civil Tongue,' which warned against linguistic excesses.

Yet the newsman didn't take himself seriously, even appearing as a host on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1984, the year he retired from NBC.

Newman is survived by his wife, the former Rigel Grell, and a daughter, Nancy Drucker.

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America' s Got Talent Winner

America’s Got Talent Winner – Michael Grim – 2010 AGT Finale  – The winner of America’s Got Talent has been announced, after a showdown between soul crooner Michael Grim and 10 year singing sensation Jackie Evancho.

Evancho received high praise all round for her mature singing talents, as well as her mature attitude towards life and performing, unlike some other performers twice her age. After losing, Evancho showed her respect and maturity, saying “This experience has been amazing,” she said, without showing any sign of disappointment. “I have loved every single moment that I’ve been doing it, and I just really hope that I’ll be able to sing for you guys again.”

Grimm, the winner, was in disbelief and shock at the announcement, saying “Is this really happening, is this real?”

There were two other performers on the night, opera singer Prince Poppycock, who judge Piers Morgan told “You are a star and you will be star” after his elimination, and Blacklight performers Fighting Gravity, who got a glowing recommendation from Sharon Osbourne, who told the group that she’d want a front row seat for their shows.

There were some high quality guests appearing on the final night, such as Cirque Du Soleil’s Love performer, Usher, David Copperfield and Lionel Richie, offering the audience some quality entertainment.

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Halo Reach Reviews

Superhero and cartoon characters are integral parts of the electronic entertainment industry. With this in mind, I salute the meld of pop-culture character and video game with a look at Halo Reach: Limited Edition (from Microsoft Game Studios, developed by Bungie Studios, reviewed for Xbox 360, rated M for mature, $79.99).

One of the year's most anticipated first-person shooters continues the saga of humanity's fight for survival against the multispecies war machine known as the Covenant. This package not only offers players the full game, but also includes a fantastic history lesson about the creation of the United Nations Space Command's most famous weapon.

What's the story? From the package: It is the year 2552. Welcome to the planet Reach, the heart of the UNSC's military power and home to the iconic Spartan supersoldiers. For decades, humanity has fled from the relentless Covenant threat, and now the largest Covenant fleet ever witnessed looms in the darkened skies over Reach. Noble Team, equipped with a deadly arsenal of high-tech weaponry and abilities and bolstered by the full might of the UNSC, must stand and face a full-scale planetary invasion.

Play the role: During the solo campaign, the player assumes the role of Noble 6, a newly trained Spartan ready to defend Reach.

With help from five more team members, including silent killer Emile (his helmet is to die for) and heavy-weapons specialist Jorge, he will go on missions to help fellow Spartans, rescue citizens of Reach, and engage and destroy the Covenant on the ground and in the air.
Action from Halo Reach for Xbox 360Action from Halo Reach for Xbox 360

Noble 6 gets a fully customizable helmet and body armor (down to individual pieces) and successful players earn credits to create the most stylish and ferocious-looking Spartan in the galaxy.

Get to the action: Noble 6 can carry two arms and will have access to about two dozen types of weapons from the Spartans and Covenant forces as he battles Grunts, Brutes, Elites, Jackals, Hunters and Drones.

New weapons include the needle rifle, fuel rod gun (it blasts green-hued projectiles) and plasma launcher (hold the trigger down and shoot four tracking plasma grenades).

An assortment of temporary power-ups (one can be carried at a time) is available to the Spartan (look for the florescent glowing stations) and range from holographic decoys to jet packs to an impenetrable shield.

Additionally, Spartan eventually will find vehicles he can drive or whose weapons he can control, including the Warthog, Scorpion, Wraith and Falcon gunship.

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