Another big name going down:

VIDEO: Ezra Merkin Charged With Fraud in Madoff Case
source

New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo today charged money manager J. Ezra Merkin with civil fraud in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, alleging that Merkin funneled more than $2.4 billion in clients’ funds to Madoff while ignoring "glaring red flags."

Merkin, a well-known New York philanthropist and the former chairman of General Motors Corp.’s financing arm, GMAC Financial Services, "profited enormously from Madoff’s scheme, reaping huge commissions while investors lost all their money," Cuomo said in a statement.

Merkin earned $470 million in management and incentive fees over time by steering money to Madoff, Cuomo said.

"Merkin duped individual investors, non-profits, and charities into believing he was responsibly managing their investments, when in actuality he was dumping them into history’s largest Ponzi scheme," Cuomo said.

Andrew Levander, Ezra Merkin's attorney, said his client would "vigorously defend" against Cuomo's suit, which Levander called "hasty and ill-conceived."

Ezra Merkin, 55, has said he was stunned by Madoff’s scheme. He is already facing suits from other clients, including New York University and Mort Zuckerman, publisher of the New York Daily News.

Ezra Merkin’s funds, including Gabriel Capital and Ariel Fund, were "feeder" funds for Madoff. Cuomo alleges that Merkin presented himself to clients as an "investing guru," but says his true role was "master marketer."

VIDEO: Ezra Merkin Charged With Fraud in Madoff Case

More dire visions of the future:

VIDEO - Mike Mayo says bank losses worse than Great Depression
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Recent actions by the U.S. government to support the banking sector won't stop loan loss levels from exceeding those reached during the Great Depression, banking analyst Mike Mayo of Calyon Securities said Monday.

Mike Mayo, a long-time bear on the banking sector who recently left Deustche Bank, started Calyon's coverage of the U.S. banking sector with an "underweight" rating, indicating investors should minimize exposure in their portfolio.

Though the comments in Monday's report largely reiterate those made in a report Mike Mayo released March 11 while still at Deutsche Bank, they underscore the lingering concerns among investors about the prospects for stabilization in the financial sector. Shares of banks have gained in recent weeks owing to the government intervention, hopes for improved earnings reports and thawing in credit markets, but uncertainty about the health of banks remains high.

Shares of banking sector stocks were leading the decliners in the S&P 500 index Monday morning. Shares of all 11 banks Mike Mayo mentioned in his report were down by more than 3% each in early trading.

Mike Mayo put "underweight" ratings on Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Citigroup Inc. (C) , JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Comerica Inc. (CMA), PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (PNC) and Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC). He assigned more- bearish "sell" ratings on BB&T Corp. (BBT), SunTrust Banks Inc. (STI), U.S. Bancorp (USB), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) and KeyCorp (KEY).

VIDEO - Mike Mayo says bank losses worse than Great Depression

Respect to Carrie Underwood for well-earned regards, regardless of her costume..

VIDEO: Carrie Underwood's Dress at the Country Music Awards
source

Carrie Underwood's dress almost stole the singer's own thunder for her Entertainer of the Year win at Sunday's Academy of Country Music awards in Las Vegas.

The country music awards show has only given its most coveted award to a woman six times previously. But Carrie Underwood's dress during her performance "I Told You So" made a bigger splash -- the dark red strapless dress practically billowed across the set and threatened to swamp the MGM Grand, as seen in the video below.

The Associated Press, which got access to the dress rehearsal, was sworn to secrecy, but Carrie Underwood herself leaked a few details about her dress: "Kind of like water, maybe? Like red water? That sounds scary, doesn't it? Maybe like lava. It's like lava. Or icing. Red icing."

VIDEO: Carrie Underwood's Dress at the Country Music Awards

VIDEO: Taylor Swift "You're Not Sorry" Country Music Awards CMA 2009

Young Country star Taylor Swift's performance of "You're Not Sorry" at the 2009 CMAs

VIDEO: Taylor Swift "You're Not Sorry" Country Music Awards CMA 2009

Taylor Swift performance at the 2009 CMA awards, or is it ACM? Aanyway here she is doing Picture To Burn:

VIDEO: Taylor Swift "Picture to Burn" Country Music Awards

Video Performances at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 5 have hit the web. Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are among the performers taking the stage of MGM Grand Garden Arena to entertain music fans.

Taylor appeared from a huge container brought down by magician David Copperfield. She then performed a track entitled "You're Not Sorry". The singer, who got crystal milestone award at the event, also sang another song called "Picture to Burn".

VIDEO: Taylor Swift "Picture to Burn" Country Music Awards

Carrie Underwood's performance at the 2009 Country Music Awards, of All American Girl:

VIDEO: Carrie Underwood "All American Girl" Country Music Awards

VIDEO: Carrie Underwood "All American Girl" Country Music Awards 2009

Carrie Underwood's performance of I Told You So at the 2009 Country Music Awards:

VIDEO: Carrie Underwood "I Told You So" Country Music Awards 2009

Carrie Underwood delivered two songs at the gala ceremony. The winner of Entertainer of the Year and Top Female Vocalist performed "All American Girl" and "I Told You So". Other singers rocking the awards included Miley Cyrus, who delivered "The Climb", host Reba McEntire, who debuted her brand new song called "Strange" and Sugarland who treated fans with "Here Comes the Pain".

VIDEO: Carrie Underwood "I Told You So" Country Music Awards 2009

Looks like this guy is gonna get over pretty nicely. Been a little turned off by the amount of hype but I'm not mad at him..

Asher Roth "I Love College" Video, Lyrics

Asher Roth "I Love College" Video, Lyrics

The New Kid Cudi, featuring the voice of Lady Gaga & a sample of the song "Poker Face", along with vocals from Kanye West and Common. Plus excellent scratches from A-Trak. As a representative of the PC Police, I could live without yet another frat-boys-in-the -locker-room ode to oral sex from artists who are capable of something much smarter. So I like the music more than the lyrics on this one..still a pretty dope track though. .Video and lyrics below:

Kid Cudi "I Poke Her Face" Lyrics, Video (w/ Kanye, Common, Lady Gaga)

Kid Cudi "I Poke Her Face" Lyrics, Video, Lyrics (w/ Kanye, Common, Lady Gaga)

The newest mp3 leak from Asher Roth's album, featuring the great Cee-Lo.. good pop music, not mad at it. Courtesy of dajaz1

Asher Roth & Cee-Lo "Be By Myself" Audio

sharebee

Asher Roth & Cee-Lo "Be By Myself" Audio

Now that the Oscar race is over, Mickey Rourke had no reason to put off this adventure...the repot below is a little naive, though, about how this might have affected his Oscar chances.. nobody's saying it's fair, but it is a reality..

VIDEO: Chris Jericho vs Mickey Rourke, WrestleMania 25
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Hollywood tried hard to stop Mickey Rourke from donning his tights at WrestleMania, but the star of The Wrestler couldn't be contained. In a match Sunday night in Houston against Chris Jericho, Rourke laid his rival out with a quick left hand.

Watch video of the Chris Jericho Mickey Rourke battle right here.

OK -- so it's definitely not the opera, but the hypocrisy of Mickey Rourke's people not wanting him to get involved with wrestling is the same garbage reasoning behind why comedies never win Academy Awards: Inherent snobbery which equates popular culture with trash. And while wrestling and its corny plotlines may very well be the McDonalds equivalent of sports, Mickey Rourke's performance in The Wrestler has nothing to do with how he acts outside that ring.

VIDEO: Chris Jericho vs Mickey Rourke, WrestleMania 25

The big match from last night:

VIDEO: John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge Wrestlemania 25

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These guys had the unenviable task of following Undertaker-Michaels, but they worked hard and the crowd got more and more into it as the match went on.

Cena, who came out with an army of his followers, regained the world heavyweight title after hitting the Attitude Adjuster on Big Show and Edge in succession, making the winning pin on Show after about 15 minutes of action. Before delivering the moves, he had both Big Show and Edge on his shoulders at the same time.

After the match, the 2009 Hall of Fame class was recognized. Steve Austin, dressed in his black suit, appeared onstage with the other inductees and then headed to the back. Moments later, Austin's music hit and he drove down the aisle in an ATV. Now wearing his Austin 3:16 t-shirt, Austin had a beer-drinking celebration in the ring before driving back up the ramp and off into the sunset.

VIDEO: John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge Wrestlemania 25, Part 1

VIDEO: John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge Wrestlemania 25, Part 2

VIDEO: John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge Wrestlemania 25, Part 3

VIDEO: John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge Wrestlemania 25

By all accounts, the highlight of the night:

VIDEO: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25

source

The Undertaker and Michaels more than lived up to the hype, putting on an instant classic and adding to both of their legends. The two veteran superstars took the sold-out crowd on an unbelievable roller coaster ride that culminated with Undertaker improving his WrestleMania record to 17-0 by scoring the pinfall after approximately 31 minutes.

They say there's no cheering in the press box, but I and my fellow journalists were marking out like crazy in the Reliant Stadium press box for this match. This was one of the best -- if not the best -- matches that I have ever seen live. The atmosphere was amazing, as a "This is awesome!" chant broke out at about the 28-minute mark.

The drama here was off the charts, even though deep down everyone knew that Undertaker was winning. Both guys kicked out of each other's finishers time and again. Michaels survived the Last Ride and a Tombstone piledriver, before succumbing to a second Tombstone when Undertaker caught him after an attempted moonsault.

VIDEO: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25 Part 1

VIDEO: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25 Part 2

VIDEO: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25 Part 3


VIDEO: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25 Part 4

VIDEO: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 25

Can't wait to not buy one of these!

VIDEO: The New GM/Segway Puma source

GM and Segway are teaming together to build a new two-wheeled vehicle made for zipping around city streets. The GM-Segway PUMA — short for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility — combines the small size of Segway’s Personal Transporters with the real-world application of GM’s motor vehicles.

We just lived, breathed and experienced GM and Segway's joint press conference, where they "unveiled" the PUMA. one more time for effect. Larry Burns and Jim Norrod from GM and Segway, respectively, talked up what they each brought to the table, and described the vehicle's inception as a partnership.

Segway obviously brought the two-wheel mojo, and seems responsible for most of what's being shown at the moment. As opposed to the Segway's tilt-and-cringe system of navigation, the PUMA has a more regular steering wheel, but while they're currently demonstrating it with Segway-style acceleration, they plan on swapping that for "Nintendo-style" buttons behind the wheel for acceleration and braking. For GM's part, they plan to integrate its "connected vehicles" technologies to improve safety and efficiency -- and we might not see PUMA. on the road until they can pull it off. The car will not only communicate with other cars and with GPS, but will sense and stop for pedestrians. They plan to show a connected version that will be available for test drives by Real Actual Humans this coming fall, and then next year will come the scariest of all unveilings: GM styling. Right now this is just a chassis, GM plans on slapping on all sorts of "fashionable" candy shells, and if the incredibly unrealistic and "futuristic" renders we saw are any indication (see the gallery below), we'd really rather do without...

VIDEO: GM/Segway Puma!

Ugh, I really want to like Em's stuff, but he makes it difficult. The description below pretty much covers my feelings:

VIDEO: Eminem "We Made You" w/ Lyrics
source

Literally just yesterday, my friend and I were talking about how Eminem has fallen off the face of the earth, blaming it largely on the rock-bottom unintentional self-parody that was “Ass Like That” but agreeing that he probably still has some solid singles still left in him.

Today, Eminem unveiled his newest music video, “We Made You,” to mercifully kill any of our outstanding hopes that he might return to relevance. Although it’s about time someone pointed out that Brett Michaels is ridiculous and Kim Kardashian’s ass is bigger than most people’s, as Eminem accomplishes in the groundbreaking "We Made You" video! He’s so edgy he’s practically standing on the edge of a can of Edge shaving gel high-fiving The Edge!

VIDEO: Eminem "We Made You" w/ Lyrics

Pretty lame for TMZ to even put out a headline that implies this, knowing how things can spread online.

Snoop's Wife Shante Broadus NOT Dead
source

"If this frightening incident report on the California Highway Patrol's website is correct -- which we hope it's not -- Snoop Doggy Dogg "has the dead body of his wife Shante Broadus in his basement." Murder was the case!

At 3:19 yesterday afternoon -- while Snoop was getting high live on the internet -- an anonymous tipper called the CHP to alert them of the alleged heinous situation... but apparently it was so ridiculous that no one at the CHP bothered to forward the message about Snoop's wife Shante Broadus to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. So this is either really funny... or really, really, really messed up. "

Snoop's Wife Shante Broadus NOT Dead

Latest business news:

Goldman Sachs Equity Offering
source

Goldman Sachs Group is considering a multibillion-dollar equity offering as the investment bank tries to repay a $10 billion investment it got from the U.S. government in the midst of the financial crisis last year, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The share sale, which could be announced as early as next week, comes as the firm prepares to report "solid" first-quarter earnings Tuesday. Goldman (GS:
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GS 124.33, +9.58, +8.4%) executives haven't determined the exact size of the offering, but it is expected to be at least several billion dollars, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.
Goldman Sachs spokesman Ed Canaday declined to comment on the equity offering.

If a Goldman Sachs equity offering succeeds, that may suggest private investors are becoming more willing to invest equity capital in the U.S. banking sector. That appetite has been sorely lacking in the past year, as the financial crisis pushed several firms into bankruptcy or into the arms of the government.

Goldman Sachs Equity Offering

Business news today:

Bank "Stress Test" Results
source

The U.S. Federal Reserve has told Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and other banks to keep mum on the results of “stress tests” that will gauge their ability to weather the recession, people familiar with the matter said.

The Fed wants to ensure that the report cards don’t leak during earnings conference calls scheduled for this month. Such a scenario might push stock prices lower for banks perceived as weak and interfere with the government’s plan to release the results in an orderly fashion later this month.

“If you allow banks to talk about it, people are just going to assume that the ones that don’t comment about it failed,” said Paul Miller about the stress test results, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets in Arlington, Virginia.

Regulators are using the bank stress tests to determine whether the 19 biggest banks have enough capital to cover loan losses during the next two years if the economy shrinks, unemployment surges and housing prices keep declining. The tests are a linchpin of the plan Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced in February to bolster confidence in the nation’s banks and restore financial-market stability. Geithner has likened the stress tests to those used by doctors to evaluate a patient’s health...

Bank "Stress Test" Results

Guess they're stock wasn't having a Great Adventure (ugh, sorry)

Six Flags Delisted from Stock Exchange
source

Six Flags Inc. will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange on April 20, after failing to meet the NYSE's quantitative listing criteria.

"The delisting of our common stock is a by-product of the inherited debt load on our balance sheet and the overall financial markets,” said Six Flags President and CEO Mark Shapiro. “In no way does it reflect the operational strength or turnaround of this company. This development will have zero impact on our park operations, the guest experience this summer or our vendor relationships."

Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) will not appeal the NYSE's decision.

Six Flags Delisted from Stock Exchange

Yikes

PHOTOS: Face Transplant at Boston Hospital
source

A Boston hospital has performed the nation's second face transplant on a man who suffered traumatic facial injuries from a fall.

Click here for photos of the procedure (WARNING: photos are graphic)

Hospital spokesman Kevin Myron said the 17-hour operation took place Thursday at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. A team led by plastic surgeon Dr. Bohdan Pomahac (Bow-DAWN POE-mahawk) replaced the man's nose, palate, upper lip, and some skin, muscles and nerves with those of a dead donor.

The hospital would not identify the donor or the recipient in the face transplant surgery in Boston today, but plans a news conference Friday afternoon.

The first U.S. face transplant was done in December by doctors at Cleveland Clinic who replaced 80 percent of a woman's face with that of a female cadaver. The woman's identity has not been revealed, nor the circumstances that led to the transplant, except that her injury occurred several years ago.

The woman left the Cleveland hospital in February, and her progress was described as astonishing by her doctors.

The Boston surgery is the world's seventh face transplant, as an operation once considered the stuff of science fiction is suddenly becoming more common.

PHOTOS: Face Transplant at Boston Hospital

The latest list of recalled pistachio products to be aware of:

Pistachio Product Recall List

The following recalls have been announced because the products may be contaminated with salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems:

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Wegmans is recalling select sweets. No illness has been reported. The recalled items were distributed to Wegmans stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland. Details: by phone at 800-934-6267.

This recall includes the following products:

_Large 8-inch raspberry custard tart; UPC 2-08499-00000; purchased on or after October 8, 2008

_Large 8-inch pineapple almond tart; UPC 2-08484-00000; purchased on or after October 8, 2008

_Small 3-inch raspberry custard tart; UPC 2-08488-00000; purchased on or after October 8, 2008

_Small 3-inch pineapple almond tart; UPC 2-08490-00000;purchased on or after October 8, 2008

_White chocolate bark with pistachio nuts candy; random weight; UPC 2-08236-00000; purchased on or after December 1, 2008

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Marathon Ventures Inc. is recalling select pistachio items. No illness has been reported. The recalled products were sold at grocery stores and other retail outlets, as well as through foodservice in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Minneapolis, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana and Pennsylvania. They were sold after Feb. 2, 2009. Details: by phone at 800....

This recall includes the following products:

_UPC 75450 07924; HyVee pistachios (roasted, salted, in-shell); 1.5 ounces; beset by FEB02 2010, MAR26 2010 and MAR29 2010

_UPC 75450 07939; HyVee pistachios (roasted, salted, in-shell); 16 ounces; best by FEB03 2010, FEB04 2010 and MAR12 2010

_UPC 75049 00166; Herman's Nut House pistachios (roasted, salted, in-shell; 1.5 ounces; lot number 03I17D

_UPC 75049 00201; Herman's Nut House pistachios (roasted, salted, in-shell); 6 ounces; lot number 03I04A

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Harry and David is recalling six pistachio-containing products. No illness has been reported. Details: by phone at 800-233-1101.

This recall includes the following direct marketing products, which were distributed nationwide and in Canada from October 2008:

_Capiz three-box tower; all lots; the top box contains a 4.3 oz. assortment of 10 caramel and nut candies with pistachios in the one dark chocolate pistachio cluster candy in the assortment (UPC7 8099430816 9)

_Direction engineering buffet; all lots; the basket contains a 10 ounce box of caramels and clusters with two chocolate pistachio cluster candies (UPC 7 8099430848 0

_Garden tote, also known as garden party tote, also known as garden delight basket; contains a 2-ounce bag of Sahale Snacks/Harry & David ksar pistachios; affected pistachio bags have a best-by date of 10/30/09, 11/20/09 or 11/27/09; UPC 8 9386900001 0.

_Start the party wine gift basket, also known as start the party with wine basket; contains a 2-ounce bag of Sahale Snacks/Harry & David ksar pistachios; affected pistachio bags have a best-by date of 10/30/09, 11/20/09 or 11/27/09; UPC 8 9386900001 0.

This recall also includes the following store products, which were available at Harry and David stores nationwide:

_Caramels and clusters; 10-ounce boxes; lot codes starting with 3188M, 3248M, 3258M, 3518M and 3528M; UPC 7 8099475181 1

_Sahale Snacks/Harry & David branded Marrakesh pistachios; 2-ounce plastic bag; best-by dates 11/13/09, 11/27/09 and 12/25/09; UPC 8 9386900587 9

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Powers Candy and Nut Co. is recalling 16,000 pounds of Powers Snack Time pistachios. No illness has been reported. The recalled pistachios were available nationwide at convenience and grocery stores. Details: by phone at 509-489-1955 extension 111.

This recall includes the following products:

_Powers Snack Time high energy snacks pistachios; UPC 41373-01415; 3 ounces; best by 11-07-08 through 04-02-09

_Powers Snack Time high energy snacks pistachios; UPC 41373-01611; 4.5 ounces; best by 11-07-08 through 04-02-09

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Renfroe Pecan Co. is recalling all pistachio-containing products. No illness has been reported. The recalled pistachio products were sold nationwide through mail order. They were also sold at Renfroe's retail store and in bulk bins labeled "California Pistachios" with "Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc." Details: by phone at 800-874-1929.

This recall includes the following products:

_Item 846; in-shell roasted & salted pistachios; 16-ounce clear cello bag; J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label

_Item 846FR; in-shell roasted & salted pistachios, 16-ounce clear cello bag; J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label

_Item 846RMIC; in-shell roasted & salted pistachios; 8-ounce clear cello bag

_Item 848; shelled roasted & salted pistachios; 16-ounce clear cello bag; J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label

_Item 222; imperial mix; 16-ounce clear cello bag J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label.

_Item 91A; fancy nut tin; octagonal-sectioned liner inside a decorative gift tin with pistachios included in the imperial mix section; J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label.

_Item 92B; blue snowman stack tin; packaged in a 4-ounce clear cello bag included in the gift tin; J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label

_Item 90; the trendy snack & coffee combination contained item 846, roasted & salted in-shell pistachios in a 16-ounce clear cello bag; J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label.

_Item 95; the deluxe snack assortment contained item 846, roasted & salted in-shell pistachios in a 16-ounce clear cello bag; J.W. Renfroe Pecan Company label.

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Sahale Snacks Inc. is recalling 2-ounce Ksar Pistachios Nut Blend, 5-ounce Ksar Pistachios Nut Blend and 4-ounce Harry & David Marrakesh Pistachios Nut Blend. No illnesses have been reported, according to the company. The recalled products were distributed in nationwide in the U.S., and to Canada, Panama, the Philippines, and Dominican Republic. They were sold through retail stores and retailers on the Internet. The Marrakesh Pistachios Nut Blends are packaged by Sahale Snacks and sold in Harry & David stores nationwide. For more information, consumers can call 206-518-5878.

Recalled Ksar Pistachio products distributed in the U.S.:

_Ksar Pistachios with Sesame Seeds, Pepitas, Fig and Moroccan Harissa; 2 ounces; item UPC 8-93869-00001-0; case UPC 8-93869-00011-9; lot codes: Best By 10/16/2009; Best By 10/30/2009; Best By 11/20/2009; Best By 11/27/2009; Best By 12/25/2009.

_Ksar Pistachios with Sesame Seeds, Pepitas, Fig and Moroccan Harissa; 5 ounces; item UPC 8-93869-00501-5; case UPC 8-93869-00511-4; lot codes: Best By 10/16/2009; Best By 10/30/2009; Best By 11/20/2009; Best By 11/27/2009; Best By 12/25/2009.

Recalled Ksar Pistachio products distributed in Canada:

_Ksar Pistachios/Pistaches with Sesame Seeds, Pepitas, Fig and Moroccan Harissa; 5 ounces; item UPC 8-93869-00541-1; case UPC 8-93869-00551-0; lot codes: Best By/Meilleur Avant 09 OC 16 (time of pack) 3; Best By/Meilleur Avant 09 OC 30 (time of pack) 2; Best By/Meilleur Avant 09 NO 20 (time of pack) 2; Best By/Meilleur Avant 09 NO 27 (time of pack) 5; Best By/Meilleur Avant 09 DE 25 (time of pack) 1.

Recalled Marrakesh Pistachio products distributed in Harry & David stores:

_Marrakesh Pistachios with Pomegranate, Sea Salt and Marash Pepper; 4 ounces; item UPC 8-93869-00587-9; lot codes: Best By 11/13/09 (time of pack) 3 Lot Code 042 9; Best By 11/27/09 (time of pack) 1 Lot Code 054 9; Best By 12/25/09 (time of pack) 2 Lot Code 083 9.

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Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks Inc. is recalling Garlic Flavored Pistachio and Jalapeno Flavored Pistachio items. No known illnesses have been reported, according to the company. The recalled products were distributed to retail stores nationwide. For more information, consumers can call 800-459-6420.

This recall includes:

_Garlic Pistachios; UPC 7 09972 80074 7; best by dates: Jan. 5, 2010, through April 1, 2010.

_Jalapeno Pistachios; UPC 7 09972 80097 6; best by dates: Jan. 5, 2010, through April 1, 2010.

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Ann's House of Nuts Inc. expanded its recall of certain packaged in-shell pistachio products. No illnesses have been reported, according to the company. The recalled products were distributed to customers nationwide. For more information, consumers can call 800-466-2667 or visit http://www.annshouseofnuts.info/.

The recall includes:

_Ann's House of Nuts Colossal Pistachios; 5-ounce clear bag; UPC 38718 06054; best by 082109 to 011110.

_Ann's House of Nuts Colossal Pistachios; 6-ounce clear bag; UPC 38718 06056; best by 082109 to 011610.

_Ann's House of Nuts Colossal Pistachios; 16-ounce clear bag; UPC 38718 06066; best by 081609 to 011110.

_Ann's House Dry Roasted & Salted In-Shell Pistachios; 9-ounce clear bag; UPC 38718 06023; best if used by AUG292009 to JAN182010.

_Ann's House Roasted & Salted Pistachios; 12-ounce clear bag; UPC 38718 06020; best if used by 11SEP2009 to 18JAN2010.

_Ann's House of Nuts (sold in the company retail outlet store) R/S pistachios; approximate 2-pound twist tie clear bag; sold from Oct. 10, 2008, to March 25, 2009.

_Setton Farms (bulk product sold in institutional cases) Naturally Opened California Pistachios Roasted & Salted 21/25 US Extra No. 1; 25-pound corrugated case; lot numbers: 2648C05LgB-5, 2698D08LgB-1, 2948C08LgB-1, 2948C08LgB-2; sold from Oct. 10, 2008, to March 25, 2009.

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Ashdon Farms is recalling certain code dates of 7.5-ounce Girl Scouts pistachios packed in pop top cans. No illnesses have been reported, according to the company. The recalled products will have a code date beginning with 8264A6, 8266B6, 8297A6, 8297B6 or 8318A6 on the bottom of the can. They were distributed by Girl Scout Councils as part of fundraising efforts. All the products were distributed between October and early December 2008, except for product distributed in Northeastern Illinois and Northwestern Indiana in March 2009. The 2008 products were distributed by Girl Scout Councils in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. For more information, consumers can call 800-274-3666.

QSP Inc. is recalling one code date of Pleasantville Farms 7.5 ounce in-shell pistachios packed in pop top cans. No illnesses have been reported, according to the company. The recalled products were distributed nationwide by schools and other organizations as part of fundraising programs. The recall involves Pleasantville Farms 7.5-ounce pistachios packed in pop top cans, UPC 79113-41802, with a best buy date of Oct. 15, 2009.

Pistachio Product Recall List

The latest reality show singing sensation:

VIDEO: Susan Boyle on "Britain's Got Talent"

Susan Boyle, local scottish woman, surprises everybody singing les miserables. 47 Year old Susan Boyle wows the judges with her performance in the auditions for Britains Got Talent, singing I dreamed a dream from Les Miserables. A Wonderful Song Sung by Susan Boyle... The Audience was laughing before starting the song... after the song the audience were silent, with smiles on their faces and judges gave her 3 thumbs up!

VIDEO: Susan Boyle on "Britain's Got Talent"

For those who feel the need:

Chelsea Handler/Padma Lakshmi/Eliza Dushku Photos in Allure, Sexist?
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Oh, tastefully nude national magazine photo shoots, how you vex us. Sometimes you boldly declare that a former child star is passed puberty, sometimes you are just trying to be funny, and sometimes, most vexing of all, you aim to "empower" us. The latter, which is what Allure's annual naked issue strives to be, brings up complicated feelings for us ladies. (And it's primarily ladies who are the subjects of such things, unless you count famous beefcake shots of Burt Reynolds or Richard Gere as empowering, which you could.)

Celebrating women's unadorned bodies? Genuinely awesome. (Especially these days, when most of us lack the funding for the designer threads normally featured in women's mag pages.) But Allure seems to have airbrushed the likes of Padma Lakshmi, Chelsea Handler, and Eliza Dushku "like a Playboy spread," as one of my astute straight male colleagues observed. Not to mention that there's something, well, confusing about how proud we're supposed to be that the freakishly attractive people we call celebrities, who have trainers and possibly other body-oriented professionals on speed dial, are proud of their toned flesh. (And how they provocatively coo to the female readership, via Q&As, that they sleep naked, are "sensual" beings, etc., in a way that's about half a step from being a Maxim interview)...

Chelsea Handler/Padma Lakshmi/Eliza Dushku Photos in Allure, Sexist?

Wow...

David Shuster Teabagging Video, MSNBC
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For most Americans, Wednesday April 15 will be tax day, but in our first story tonight, it's going to be teabagging day for the right win and they're going nuts for it. Thousands of them whipped out the festivities early this past weekend, and while the parties are officially toothless, the teabaggers are full-throated about their goals and want to give president Obama a strong tongue lashing and lick government spending -- spending they did not oppose when they were under Bush and Reagan. They oppose Obama's tax rates, which will be lower for most of them, and they oppose the tax increases Mr Obama is imposing on the rich, whose taxes will skyrocket to a rate about 10% less than it was under Reagan. That's teabagging in a nutshell...

David Shuster Teabagging Video, MSNBC

Good old Kim..cool to see her doing so well on this show, regardless of this mishap:

VIDEO: Lil Kim Dancing With The Stars Wardrobe Malfunction, DWTS 4/13/09
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Lil' Kim nearly had a big wardrobe malfunction on "Dancing With the Stars."

This week's front-runner on the DWTS ABC dance competition had some trouble with her top at the end of a jive with partner Derek Hough on Monday night. Host Tom Bergeron provided cover while the rapper adjusted as she and Hough approached the judges table, as seen in the video above.

Lil' Kim told KABC-TV after the DWTS show: "I don't know why this happens a lot of the time, but ... the girls were tryin' to come out."

The nearly X-rated DWTS video moment was edited out by the time the show was rebroadcast on the West Coast, but it didn't seem to bother the judges: Lil' Kim and Hough posted a night's best 28 out of a possible 30 for their spirited dance.

Lil’ Kim dancing with the stars video wardrobe malfunction on DWTS is all the buzz today - but did you catch it during the April 13 Dancing with the Stars performance of the jive? Watch the video clip closely for a sneak at the Lil’ Kim dancing wardrobe malfunction. But don’t blink, you may just miss it.

When she first took to the stage, I though Lil Kim’s outfit looked pretty boob bustin’… and wondered how she would keep her girls in check. Turns out the Lil’ Kim wardrobe malfunction was significant enough for people to take a closer look.

Watch a bit after the 5 minute mark, where host Tom Bergeron helps Lil’ Kim readjust her wardrobe malfunction.

A near miss, really… as no one saw any more of Lil’ Kim than they should have. It was a close nipple slip moment, at most.

VIDEO: Lil Kim Dancing With The Stars Wardrobe Malfunction, 4/13/09 DWTS

This is the top search on Google right now.. followed by "slow news day" and "Jesus wept."

VIDEO: Julia Allison & Jay Cutler
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We don't know what happened after Julia Allison reportedly left a Chicago nightclub with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. But we do know the fameball was "standing between his thighs, touching them" before she left.

That's per Page Six. Per the oversharing queen's Twitter, we know Allison was showing the new QB her headband at 2 am in one tweet, and then not posting again until 7:35 am the next morning.

"Jay is one of the top 10 quaterbacks in the NFL," she wrote a friend. "I didn't know who he was until last night." Now she knows him.

The newly minted Chicago Bears quarterback, who landed in the Windy City after being traded by the Denver Broncos, spent Saturday night canoodling with Internet celebrity Julia Allison at club Sub 51 in his new town. "He was sitting in a banquette and she was standing between his thighs, touching them and facing him," says a spy. "They were all over each other. It was kind of gross. He was drinking beer all night but she stuck to water." Our witness says Cutler and Allison left together, but not before he asked the deejay to play the Bears' fight song.

VIDEO: Julia Allison & Jay Cutler

Danny Gokey tugging at the heartstrings again in this Anerican Idol Top 7 video. I've been thinking Adam Lambert is the favorite but maybe Danny Gokey can pull it out:

VIDEO: Danny Gokey "Endless Love" American Idol
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"Danny Gokey sings Endless Love by Diana Ross from the film Endless Love on American Idol 8 Top 7 Hmmm… a bit of dead wife pimping from Simon Cowell in the end there. Which only means once thing: Danny Gokey is going to win American Idol!"

VIDEO: Danny Gokey "Endless Love" American Idol

I still think Adam is the favorite to go all the way:

VIDEO: Adam Lambert "Born To Be Wild" American Idol
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"Adam Lambert sings Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf from the film Born to be Wild on American Idol 8 Top 7 WOW! That was another amazing performance from Adam! Such a star. Electrifying!" More very positive response from the public for Adam Lambert as he always does a great job of picking songs that fit his voice and his style. I think Adam Lambert is a strong favorite to win the prize this year on American Idol 8.

VIDEO: Adam Lambert "Born To Be Wild" American Idol

She's still my favorite, I don't think he will quite pull it out though.

VIDEO: Alison Iraheta "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" American Idol
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"Allison Iraheta sings Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith from the film Armageddonon on American Idol 8 Top 7 Allison Iraheta is the first Idol we are supporting at Vote for the First! Simon Cowell dropped hints that Allison could go all the way to the finale as the “girl’s only hope.” "

VIDEO: Alison Iraheta "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" American Idol

VIDEO: Matt Giraud "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" American Idol

VIDEO: Matt Giraud "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" American Idol

Naltrexone, a new drug that might be good news for kleptomania victims...guess the drug store better keep this one locked up behind the counter though! Wocka wocka wocka.

Naltrexone, New Drug For Kleptomania
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Naltrexone, a drug commonly used to treat alcoholism and drug addiction, reduces stealing urges and associated behavior in individuals with kleptomania, according to study results published in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry.

"Kleptomania appears to share many...similarities to substance use disorders: urges or cravings, tolerances, withdrawal, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop, and impairment in areas of life functioning," Dr. Jon E. Grant and colleagues at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, point out.

Naltrexone belongs to a class of drugs called opioid antagonists, which among other functions, diminish "stealing-related excitement and cravings," they note.

In an 8-week clinical trial, the researchers examined the effectiveness and tolerability of naltrexone in 25 adults with kleptomania who were randomly assigned to receive naltrexone or placebo. Twenty-three subjects completed the study.

Naltrexone, New Drug For Kleptomania

More good news. I guess science is actually good sometimes.

Forteo, New Drug For Healing Broken Bones
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Researchers could barely believe their eyes: a drug that could make the hard-to-heal broken bones of elderly patients recover like they were decades younger.

Forteo, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration seven years ago to treat osteoporosis that patients inject once a day, works by activating idle stem cells in bones, so they turn into bone cells and start building more bone, more quickly...

...Researchers are saying that Forteo could be an important breakthrough in treating hard-to-heal bone fractures faster and with less pain. ...Preliminary results of the emerging research found that of 145 patients with unhealed broken bones -- many for six months or longer -- who were tested, 93 percent had significant healing and pain control after just weeks on Forteo...

Forteo, New Drug For Healing Broken Bones

Have to agree this seems inhumane and unnecessary:

VIDEO: The Rodenator, Anti-Squirrel Device
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Spokane, Washington, is making national news, and it is not in a good fashion, as their treatment of ground squirrels has become quite questionable. At issue is the use of a Rodenator Pro, which the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department is using Rodenator Pro
to alleviate a problem with an over-population of ground squirrels. The Rodenator Pro injects the squirrel burrows and tunnels with a mixture of propane and oxygen, and then detonates it in an explosion that kills everything in the tunnel, and then finishes them off by collapsing the tunnels. This brings into question whether something as drastic as a Rodenator Pro is really necessary.

The killing of the ground squirrels gained the attention of the Spokane Humane Society, who has not turned a kind eye on how these squirrels are being treated. They even went as far as sending a letter to the Spokane City Council, where Executive Director Dave Richardson impressed their opinion of the situation on Spokane. In the letter he called the killing of the squirrels a "temporary, unethical and reactionary response to a problem that could be solved by limiting the animals' food supply." He makes a good point, and there are a lot of Spokane residents on his side when it comes to dealing with the squirrels humanely.

VIDEO: The Rodenator, Anti-Squirrel Device

Is firing really necessary here? Is reporting this story really necessary here?

PHOTOS: Carlie Christine, Playboy Model Fired From Cheerleader Job
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Take for instance the cheerleading squad at Casa Robles High School in Sacramento. Their cheerleading coach, Carlie Christine aka Carlie Beck, used her winter break in February to pose nude for Playboy. Carlie Christine was Playboy's Cyber Girl of the Week, whatever that is. After a few cheerleaders got cut for what I assume was excessive ugliness, they decided to use her Playboy photos to get even.

What apparently uncovered the coach was when some girls didn’t make the cheerleading squad because they had a few unexcused absences from school. Their parents then made copies of Christine and dropped the pictures on the principal’s desk.Carlie Christine was then fired from her position at Casa Robles High School. I'm sure the principal thought long and hard about whether or not to fire Carlie Christine for her Playboy photos. I know I would have.

See Carlie Christine's photos right here.

PHOTOS: Carlie Christine, Playboy Model Fired From Cheerleader Job

I'm all in favor of Susan Roesgen's work here.

VIDEO: CNN's Susan Roesgen Vs. the Teabagging Teabaggers
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CNN reporter Susan Roesgen was out with the Chicago teabagging protesters this afternoon and she was riled up beyond belief. Add to that some serious heckling from the crowd, this cannot be missed.

Check out the clip and some highlights below.

Here is how she starts the report: "This is a Party for Obama bashers."

She goes on to argue with a man who calls Obama a fascist, but can't seem to muster up an explanation. He also carries a sign with Obama dressed as a Nazi. Then she tries to correct a man who is all riled about being poor with a baby by spewing her knowledge about tax credits. It's a lost cause, sister.

And she ends with: "I think you get the general tenor of this. It's anti-government, anti-CNN since this is highly promoted by the right-wing conservative network FOX. And since I can't really hear much more, and I think this is not really family viewing, I'll toss it back to you Kyra."

CNN's Susan Roesgen, in Chicago and showed how the teabagging movement is about "Obama bashers" and is "highly promoted by the right-wing conservative network Fox," and then got abused by the hostile Teabagger crowd.

VIDEO: CNN's Susan Roesgen Vs. the Teabagging Teabaggers Part 1

CNN Reporter Susan Roesgen get surrounded by 'Anti-CNN' crowd Chicago "Tea-Party"

VIDEO: CNN's Susan Roesgen Vs. the Teabagging Teabaggers Part 2

VIDEO: CNN's Susan Roesgen Vs. the Teabagging Teabaggers

Have I seen her before? Can't place it..

Noot Seear in "New Moon" Twilight Sequels
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It’s no secret that the “Twilight” movies have an uber-hot cast, and now yet another stunner has been added to the list - fashion model Noot Seear. According to FOX Pop Tarts, Seear has just signed on to appear in the next three “Twilight” sequels. She’ll be playing “vixen vampire” Heidi, who seduces unwitting victims to follow her back to her lair

While TWILIGHT fans get their fix on their newly aquired DVD's, the production of NEW MOON is ramping up. E! Online reports that Noot Seer has been cast as Heidi in the Chris Weitz-helmed sequel.

E! blogger Marc Malkin states, "I can exclusively reveal that Canadian supermodel Noot Seear has won the coveted role of the beautiful human bait in the Twilight sequel. Heidi is described in Stephenie Meyer's novel as a "fisher" who brings humans to the Volturi vampires to eat. She has "exceptional, unforgettable" beauty, which includes stunning legs, long hair and violet eyes".

Noot Seer in "New Moon" Twilight Sequels

I'm not into calling people "rednecks," but this whole teabag phenomenon is a rather sad spectacle.

VIDEO: Janeane Garofalo & Keith Olbermann on Teabagging
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No doubt 24 co-star Janeane Garofalo has strong opinions - check out this video clip of Janeane on last night’s Keith Olbermann, where they discuss the tea parties and Garofalo gives her opinons about the participants being nothing but “tea-bagging rednecks.”

Do you agree with Janeane Garofalo’s opinion that the teabagging folks are motivated by “hating a black man in the White House”? Watch for Garofalo at around 3 minutes in, but Olbermann’s “teabagging” double entendres in the beginning of the clip are fantastic.

VIDEO: Janeane Garofalo & Keith Olbermann on Teabagging

Scary...flew in one of these small planes once, did not wish to ever repeat it..

VIDEO: Cessna 421 Plane Crash in Florida
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Firefighters are on the scene of a plane crash in Oakland Park, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale, where a Cessna 421 plane has crashed into a house.

Video from the scene shows that the crash split the home in two. It is not believed that anyone was in the home at the time of the crash. Officials say the plane was a Cessna 421. That is a twin engine turbo prop. It is not yet known how many people were on board, or what their current condition is. The crash left a gaping hole in a house in Oakland Park, Florida.

Officials believe the aircraft is a Cessna 421, which is a twin-engine prop plane. It crashed shortly after takeoff. Witnesses say it practically disintegrated upon impact. According to initial reports, it appears that no one was home when the plane hit.

The Cessna 421 is a popular commuter aircraft, used by corporations and charter companies for trips of 1,000 miles or less. The twin-engine aircraft cruises at about 260 mph, generally seats six passengers and weighs about 3.4 tons. The plane has been flying since the mid 1960s.

VIDEO: Cessna 421 Plane Crash in Florida

Hope this pick works out well

VIDEO: Jeffrey Zients, Obama's Chief Performance Officer
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President Barack Obama named men including Jeffrey Zients, who have been executives at Washington-area businesses to lead efforts to improve the government’s use of technology and the performance of federal employees.

In his weekly Saturday morning radio address, Obama announced the appointment of investor Jeffrey Zients, former CEO of the Advisory Board Co. and former chairman of the Arlington-based Corporate Executive Board Co. , as federal chief performance officer...

...Jeffrey Zients is managing partner of Portfolio Logic LLC, an investment company that concentrates on health care and business services. Zients founded the company after he left the Advisory Board in 2004, where he had served as chairman since 2001. Previously Zients was chief operating officer of the Advisory Board from 1996 to '98 and CEO from 1998 to 2001. He was chairman of The Corporate Executive Board from 2000 to 2001. He currently serves on the board of Sirius XM Radio Inc.

A group led by Jeffrey Zientz and D.C. venture capitalist Fred Malek made a bid to become the owner of the Washington Nationals in 2006 but lost out to a group led by the Lerner family.

Jeffrey Zients wasn’t Obama’s first choice for chief performance officer. The president nominated Nancy Killefer, senior director in the D.C. office of management consulting business McKinsey & Co., for the position in January, but she withdrew the next month because of the publicity over tax problems related to her household help.

The chief performance officer also serves as deputy director of management in the Office of Management and Budget.

VIDEO: Jeffrey Zients, Obama's Chief Performance Officer

Sad to see Chuck go out like this.. is he gonna pack it in now?

VIDEO: Shogun Rua vs Chuck Liddell UFC 97
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Mauricio “Shogun” Rua looked like his old self. Chuck Liddell just looked old.

The flashy 27-year-old Brazilian stopped the former light heavyweight champion on second-round strikes in the co-main event. Rua dropped Liddell with a lead left hook and finished him off with hammerfists on the ground 4:28 into round one.

“I’m very happy,” Rua said. “Liddell is a legend in MMA.”

Rua’s gameplan was clear from the outset, as he attacked Liddell’s lead leg with kicks and kept him honest with overhand rights. The 2005 Pride middleweight grand prix winner took down Liddell and threatened him with a leg lock before the two light heavyweights resumed their exchanges standing.

In his first appearance since his brutal knockout loss to Rashad Evans last summer, Liddell’s moments were few and far between. He answered Rua’s takedown with one of his own but failed to consolidate it with any damage on the ground. Once the two men stood, Rua looked for an opening and capitalized.

by Sino21

VIDEO: Shogun Rua vs Chuck Liddell UFC 97

Another highlight from the UFC event this weekend.

VIDEO: Luis Cane vs Steve Cantwell UFC 97 source

In the first main card bout at UFC 97, Luis Arthur Cane outlasted former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champion Steve Cantwell and notched a unanimous decision in an entertaining and highly competitive bout. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in a match that never went to the ground.

Cane (10-1, 1 NC) dictated the pace early, as he used pinpoint striking and controlled the action from the center of the Octagon. Jabs, straight lefts and left uppercuts flowed freely from the gifted Brazilian, who also battered his opponent in the clinch with knees to the body against the cage. Still, Cantwell did not go away. The 22-year-old found his rhythm in round two, as he stung Cane with kicks to the head and body.

Pushed into a third round for the first time in his career, Cane finished strong, as his power punches, kicks and knees took their toll on Cantwell (7-2), who saw his four-fight winning streak grind to a halt in his UFC debut.

uf
VIDEO: Luis Cane vs Steve Cantwell UFC 97

Not an exciting ight but I guess you gotta respect Silva doing what he has to for the win. Still, Fedor woulda found a way to make it interesting, i bet..

VIDEO: Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites UFC 97
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Like a movie that just doesn't live up to the hype, Anderson Silva left fans discontented and discouraged following UFC 97. Coming off the unsatisfying resolution of his fight with Patrick Cote at UFC 90, many expected to see a fighter energized and motivated to quickly work towards a finish.

Instead, Silva continued where he left off with Cote. Silva fought a patient, intelligent fight refusing to follow Leites to the floor while economizing the output of strikes standing.

However, one must question whether Silva deserves the inevitable criticisms of his latest performance.

Silva retained his middleweight title for the fifth time, even though countryman Thales Leites took him the full five rounds in a bout that had the fans booing by early in the second round, and calling “Bull...” by the fourth round.

Silva apologized to the crowd afterwards, vowing to up the performance level next time. “He’s a great fighter from a great jiu-jitsu school. Sometimes we can’t come out here and give a spectacular show,” Silva said of his younger countryman. “I want to do what the fans want, but sometimes it’s not always possible,” he said.

It was the first time Silva had been taken the distance in a fight since Sept. 11, 2004.

Full video here

VIDEO: Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites UFC 97

Hmmm..

Karen Sypher Extorting Rick Pitino? source

University of Louisville head men's basketball coach Rick Pitino has reportedly asked the FBI to investigate his claim that he's the target of attempted extortion by a woman named Karen Sypher. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the FBI confirmed Pitino went to the agency with the claim a month ago and that there is an ongoing investigation.

The paper also quoted Pitino in a statement released Saturday saying he and his family were recently threatened with the scheme, and he went to the FBI after receiving the threat. The statement also says he intends to "vigorously defend my reputation and the character of my family against any criminal scheme to extort money."

Louisville TV station WDRB reported that it confirmed the person attempting extortion is Karen Sypher, who is married to Louisville equipment manager Tim Sypher.

The Courier-Journal also had a statement from the school, specifically Louisville president Dr. James Ramsey and athletic director Tom Jurich, that said it stands by Pitino and his family and it will have no further comment.

Karen Sypher Extorting Rick Pitino?

Good for Perez, I guess? Might as well stir things up if they're gonna let you on a show like this.

VIDEO: Perez Hilton vs. Miss California Carrie Prejean on Gay Marriage Question
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Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, of San Diego, did not capture the Miss USA crown on Sunday night and some are wondering whether her answer to a question from pageant judge and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton might have cost her the title. Here is a transcript of the exchange:

Perez Hilton: “Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?”

Prejean: “Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.”

On a video blog posted on his website late Sunday, Perez lit into the beauty queen, insisting that Prejean should have beem more diplomatic.

“She [Carrie Prejean, Miss California] lost not because she doesn’t believe in gay marriage, she lost because she’s a dumb bitch!”

He suggested Miss California Carrie Prejean should have said: “Perez, that’s a great question and gay marriage is a very hot topic in our country right now. I think it’s a question that each state should answer for themselves because that’s our forefathers designed our government. The states rule themselves and then there are certain laws that are federal.”

VIDEO: Perez Hilton vs. Miss California Carrie Prejean on Gay Marriage Question

This means gay marriage is legal now, right?

PHOTOS: Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, New Miss USA
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Amid all the smiling perfection that was on display in photos during the 58th annual Miss USA pageant Sunday night, Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton managed to stand out from the crowd on stage, on TV and in her photos and snare the sparkly crown, passed on by outgoing Miss USA Crystle Stewart.

Miss West Virginia Jessi Pierson was named Miss Photogenic; Miss Wyoming Cynthia Pate landed the Miss Congeniality title.

Kristen Dalton, Miss North Carolina 2009, took home the Miss USA crown Sunday evening in Las Vegas, edging past Miss California Carrie Prejean and Miss Arizona, Alicia-Monique Blanco. Dalton is part of a North Carolina pageant dynasty (we were surprised as you to learn that such a thing exists): Her mother was Miss North Carolina USA 1982 and her sister was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2008.

Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, seen in photos as a blue-eyed blonde who studied psychology and Spanish at East Carolina University, hails from Wilmington and, according to the press release from the Miss USA organization, is a talented singer and dancer, though you wouldn't know it from the pageant, which, unlike Miss America, does not have a talent competition (although parading across a stage in a bikini designed by none other than esteemed tastemaker Jessica Simpson and gold high heels does require an abundance of balance, poise and at least two other things.

See photos of Miss USA Kristen Dalton here.

PHOTOS: Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, New Miss USA

Looks like she wasn't meant to pull this one out in the end:

PHOTOS: Kara Goucher in the Boston Marathon
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Kara Goucher is now on the lead pack in the 113th Boston Marathon. A 30 year old lady from Queen's New York, Kara Goucher had her debut in 2008 Beijing Olympics where she qualified for the in the 5000m and 10,000m. Right now, Kara Goucher is apparently trying her way to be the first U.S. female winner since Lisa Larsen Rainsberger in 1985 in this year's Boston Marathon.

See photos of Kara Goucher here

Kara Goucher stared straight ahead, running tall as she entered the final mile of the Boston Marathon. Deriba Merga of Ethiopia took the lead at mile 19 and never looked back, winning the men's race in Boston.

The women’s defending champion from Ethiopia, Dire Tune, was on Goucher’s heels, and Kenya’s Salina Kosgei was not far behind. But when Goucher, the newest hope for American women’s distance running, reached for that last kick, she had nothing left.

Kara Goucher finish third, nine seconds back, collapsing in tears in the arms of her husband, Adam.

Third place makes the podium, but for the Americans Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall, each heaped with weighty expectations on this day, it turned into a deflating consolation prize.

Kara Goucher, who finished third in New York last November in her debut, was trying to become the first woman from the United States to win here since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach did so in 1985.

Look for photos of Kara Goucher right here

PHOTOS: Kara Goucher in the Boston Marathon

This story is really capturing people's attention for some reason.. aren't there more important things going on?

PHOTOS: Carlie Beck, Playboy Model Fired As Cheerleader Coach
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Carlie Beck turns out to be the real name of Carlie Christine, the woman fired from her cheerleading coach job for posing in Playboy.

Carlie Christine aka Carlie Beck, used her winter break in February to pose nude for Playboy. Carlie Christine was Playboy's Cyber Girl of the Week, whatever that is. After a few cheerleaders got cut for what I assume was excessive ugliness, they decided to use her Playboy photos to get even.

What apparently uncovered the coach was when some girls didn’t make the cheerleading squad because they had a few unexcused absences from school. Their parents then made copies of Christine and dropped the pictures on the principal’s desk.Carlie Christine was then fired from her position at Casa Robles High School. I'm sure the principal thought long and hard about whether or not to fire Carlie Christine for her Playboy photos. I know I would have.

See Carlie Christine's photos right here.
PHOTOS: Carlie Beck, Playboy Model Fired As Cheerleader Coach

Russell continues getting his political leader game on:

Russell Simmons Letter to Governor David Patterson
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Dear Governor Paterson,

I write this letter to you, my friend, to publicly announce my gratitude for your courage and leadership on issues that will ultimately make this state, nation and the world a better place. I have known you for a very long time and have always admired your passion for doing what is right, which is often times not the most popular. This is what makes you a great leader, especially for our under-served communities that you have advocated on behalf of for decades. We were all inspired by your dedication to reforming the drug laws of our state and recognize the accomplishment your administration achieved by ending the Rockefeller Drug Laws after 36 years. So, we know when you believe in something, what you can do.

However, as your friend and supporter, we know you can do much more, if you forget about what the poll numbers say and let your heart lead. You have recently done this in showing support for the legalization of gay marriage. History will show you are right and will we support you on this issue. Mr. Governor, we want to go to work for you and we will, but we will not be easy on you, because we know your potential. When you were unexpectedly put into the role of Chief Executive of New York State, you were handed a plate full of problems. Although your first year was a bumpy ride, we are beginning to see your great leadership and vision shine through and take over. I encourage you to keep leading with your heart, and address issues like the promotion of good diet, well-being and education for youth, as well creating new jobs (hopefully green jobs) for our workers and making sure that every person in our state can afford health care. As the first African-American Governor of New York, you have already made history. We now want to help you create a legacy.

Respectfully,

Russell Simmons Letter to Governor David Patterson

VIDEO: Baby Mammoth Found, Preserved From Ice Age
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Discovered in 2007, the 1-month-old mammoth Lyuba died suddenly, probably trapped in mud. "She was doing great, very healthy," says paleontologist Dan Fisher of the University of Michigan, part of the international team researching Lyuba. "She just had this terrible misfortune."

Lyuba appears in video on the May National Geographic and in Waking the Baby Mammoth Sunday (9 p.m. ET/PT) on the National Geographic Channel. She's perhaps the best-preserved mammoth ever discovered: Lyuba's skin and internal organs appear intact, as well as traces of mother's milk found in her stomach. The only damage to the mammoth, which is less than 3 feet tall, are bite marks from village dogs.

Covered in coarse hair, the woolly mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius, roamed Eurasia and western North America at least 200,000 to 10,000 years ago. Dozens of partly intact woolly mammoths have been uncovered from Siberia's tundra, but Lyuba exhibits remarkable preservation. "She's all there," Fisher says. Preliminary analysis by Fisher and colleagues suggests the clay and silt that swallowed up the baby mammoth effectively "pickled" her...

VIDEO: Baby Mammoth Found, Preserved From Ice Age

Someone come and translate this for me

VIDEO: Neil Barofsky.on Toxic-Asset Relief Program (TARP) source

Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky calls for better reporting on use of taxpayer funds.

Treasury Department lawyers have determined that firms participating in a $1 trillion program to relieve banks of toxic assets could be subject to limits on executive compensation, contradicting the Obama administration's previous public position, according to a report to be released today by a federal watchdog agency.

...Treasury lawyers have told the special inspector general for the federal bailout that executives involved with that initiative and another $1 trillion consumer lending program "could be subject to the executive compensation restrictions," according to the report from Special Inspector General Neil M. Barofsky...

...The 247-page report by the special inspector general criticizes the Treasury Department for failing to adequately oversee the bailout program, which now includes 12 programs that could involve nearly $3 trillion in public and private funds...

Barofsky's report raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and money laundering in the program to buy toxic assets, and renewed his call for the administration to require bailout recipients to report on their use of taxpayer funds.

"Time is running short to address these shortfalls," Neil Barofsky said in an interview. "The time is now for a comprehensive oversight and compliance framework."

Neil Barofsky's report revealed that his office has opened almost 20 criminal investigations, including those into large corporate and securities fraud related to bailout investments, tax issues, insider trading, public corruption and mortgage-modification fraud...

VIDEO: Neil Barofsky.on Toxic-Asset Relief Program (TARP)

Adam Lambert continues to pick perfect songs and arrangements for himself in these American Idol videos.

VIDEO & LYRICS: Adam Lambert "If I Can't Have You" American Idol
source for this review

Tonight was disco night on American Idol and out of seven performances we got three Donna Summer songs (Hot Stuff, Dim All The Lights, She Works Hard For The Money) and two Bee Gees songs (Stayin' Alive and If I Can't Have You). Because that's all there was to disco. Feh. Anyway, Adam Lambert blew everybody away with If I Can't Have You, as usual, although Kris' slowed-down take on She Works Hard was quite good. This video will likely have a short life on YouTube.

VIDEO & LYRICS: Adam Lambert "If I Can't Have You" American Idol

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LYRICS: Adam Lambert "If I Can't Have You" on American Idol
Originally by Yvonne Elliman

Don't know why I'm surviving every lonely day
When there's got to be no chance for me
My life would end and it doesn't matter how I cry
My tears of love are a waste of time
If I turn away am I strong enough to see it through
Go crazy is what I will do
* If I can't have you, I don't want nobody baby
If I can't have you ah ah, I can't have you
I don't want nobody baby, if I can't have you ah ah

Can't let go and it doesn't matter how I try
I gave it all so easily to you my love
To dreams that never will come true
Am I strong enough to see it through
Go crazy is what I will do
(Repeat * till fade)

LYRICS: Adam Lambert "If I Can't Have You" on American Idol

Matt Giraud continues clinging to life..

VIDEO & LYRICS Matt Giraud "Staying Alive" American Idol
source of review

"Okay, how obvious is choosing Staying Alive the week after you almost got eliminated? But that's what Matt Giraud does. He tries to downplay the disco in favor of more horn-band funk. It gives him plenty of opportunities for vocal runs and falsetto notes, but it's not nearly up to the best performances of the night, especially when it comes right after Adam. And his run at the end is pretty shoddy. He could be really vulnerable, especially if the judges thrash him..."

TOP7 Disco Week HQ VIDEO American Idol - APRIL 21 2009 ( Season 8 Episode 31 ) The remaining seven finalists perform disco tunes

VIDEO & LYRICS Matt Giraud "Staying Alive" American Idol
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LYRICS Matt Giraud "Staying Alive" American Idol
originally by the Beegees

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm.
I've been kicked around since I was born.
And now it's all right, it's O.K.
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin'
And ev'rybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right, it's O.K.
I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin'
And ev'rybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Life goin' nowhere.
Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Stayin' alive
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm.
I've been kicked around since I was born.
And now it's all right, it's O.K.
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin'
And ev'rybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Life goin' nowhere.
Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Stayin' alive
Life goin' nowhere.
Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Stayin' alive

Anoop barely hanging on, hope Simon didn't push him off the ledge.

VIDEO & Lyrics Anoop Desai "Dim All The Lights" American Idol
source

"Anoop Desai, who's growing some facial hair, has definitely decided that ballads offer him the best possibility to last the longest. Anoop goes with Donna Summer, but pulls something a little less well-known: 1979's Dim All the Lights. He ends horribly, but, otherwise, I kind of liked it.

...Simon disagrees completely: "That was mediocre at best." He hoped the tempo wouldn't come in (it did), and he thought it was a horrible arrangement and Anoop's worst performance by a mile."

VIDEO & Lyrics: Anoop Desai "Dim All The Lights" American Idol

Dim all the lights sweet darling
cause tonight it's all the way
turn up the old Victrola
gonna dance the night away

Love just don't come easy
no it seldom does
when you find the perfect love
let it fill you up

Dim all the lights sweet darling
cause tonight it's all the way, hey baby
turn up the old Victrola
gonna dance the night away

Love just don't come easy
no it seldom does
when you find the perfect love
let it fill you up

Dim all the light sweet honey
cause tonight it's you and me
no need to worry darlin'
cause it's for eternity

Love don't come easy
this you know I understand
I want to be your woman
if you'll be my man
let yourself go freely and I'll
show you things that you've dreamed of
don't think that your dreaming
we've found the perfect love
and I'm like a cup
so fill me up

Dim all the lights sweet darlin'
cause the night is on the way, oh baby
turn up the old Victrola
gonna dance the night away

Do what you want
you can use me all up
take me bottom to top
don't leave even one drop
No, no, no
Do it tonight
you know the moments are right
turn my brown body white
come on, dim all the lights

Dim all the lights sweet darlin'
cause the night is on the way, hey baby
turn up the old Victrola
gonna dance the night away, hey baby
dim all the lights sweet darlin'
dim all the lights sweet honey...

Alison is still my favorite by far, but I don't think she will make it all the way

VIDEO & LYRICS: Alison Iraheta "Hot Stuff" American Idol
source

"Allison Iraheta, sitting on red-lit stairs, turns Donna Summer's Hot Stuff into a riff-heavy '70s-style rocker. It's simultaneously a creative re-arrangement that plays to her strengths and a display of just how limited she is musically. As a vocal showcase, though, it's a killer."

VIDEO & LYRICS: Alison Iraheta "Hot Stuff" American Idol

LYRICS: Alison Iraheta "Hot Stuff" American Idol
originally by Donna Summer

Sittin' here, eatin' my heart out waitin'
waitin' for some lover to call
dialed about a thousand numbers lately
almost rang the phone off the wall

Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'
I need some hot stuff baby tonight
I want some hot stuff baby this evenin'
gotta have some hot stuff
gotta have some lovin' tonight
I need hot stuff
I want some hot stuff
I need hot stuff

Lookin' for a lover who needs another
don't want another night on my own
wanna share my love with a warm blooded lover
wanna bring a wild man back home

Gotta have some hot love baby this evenin'
I need some hot stuff baby tonight
I want some hot stuff baby this evenin'
gotta have some lovin'
got to have a love tonight
I need hot stuff
hot love
lookin' for hot love

Hot, hot, hot, hot stuff
hot, hot, hot
hot, hot, hot, hot stuff
hot, hot, hot

How's that hot stuff baby this evenin'
I need some hot stuff baby tonight
gimme little hot stuff baby this evenin'
hot stuff baby got to I need your love tonight
I need hot stuff
lookin' for hot stuff
gotta have some hot stuff

Sittin' here eatin' my heart out no reason
won't spend another night on my own
I dialed about hundred numbers baby
I'm bound to find somebody home

Gotta have some hot stuff baby this evenin'
I need some hot stuff baby tonight
lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'
I need your love baby
don't need your love tonight

Hot stuff
baby this evening
I need hot stuff baby tonight
yes, yes, I want some hot stuff baby this evenin'
I want some hot stuff baby tonight
yes, yes, yes now hot stuff baby
I need your hot stuff baby tonight
I want some hot stuff baby this evenin'
hot stuff baby
got to I need your love tonight

Kris Allen flipping the script for American Idol Season 8 Week 7, disco week. I thought this was competent but kinda blah, didn't have enough swing, but the judges liked it more..

VIDEO: Kris Allen "She Works Hard For The Money" American Idol
source

"Kris Allen's up second, and he says he was "pretty worried" when the Disco Week theme was announced (considering that he was born after the fad was over). He's thinking pretty out of the box for his song choice -- he's going for Donna Summer's She Works Hard for the Money, because he likes the story it tells (not a bad reason, when you're thinking Disco Night).

He gives it a groove reminiscent of the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Runnin', and the way he sings the melody makes me think of the verses to Carly Simon's You're So Vain. But he does a great job telling the story of the song."

VIDEO: Kris Allen "She Works Hard For The Money" American Idol

Lyrics: Kris Allen "She Works Hard For The Money" American Idol

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

Onetta there in the corner stand
and wonders where she is and
it's strange to her
some people seem to have everything

Nine a.m. on the hour hand
and she's waiting for the bell
and she's looking real pretty
just wait for her clientele

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

Twenty five years have
come and gone
and she' seen a lot of tears
of the ones who come in
they really seem to need her there

It's a sacrifice working day to day
for little money just tips for pay
But it's worth it all
just to hear them say that they care

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

She already knows
she's seen her bad times
she already knows
these are the good times

She'll never sell out
she never will
not for a dollar bill
she works hard

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right

Lyrics: Kris Allen "She Works Hard For The Money" American Idol