Listening to The Christmas Song is a Christmas Eve tradition that families enjoy every year. Get into the spirit of Christmas Eve a little early by listening to the video clip below of Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song.
There is something about Christmas time that really makes us appreciate spending time with our families even more. And there is definitely something about hearing The Christmas Song that makes Christmas Eve and Christmas Day seem complete.
I don’t think a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day has gone by in my lifetime so far without sitting in a cozy room, looking at the Christmas tree all lit up, and listening to Christmas carols, especially The Christmas Song.
Listen to The Christmas Song below with your kids and get excited about Christmas!
Dustin Hoffman, whose character learns how to flamenco in 'Little Fockers,' displays his skill at the Spanish dance with Meredith Vieira on 'Today' (weekdays, 7AM ET on NBC).
Matt Lauer jokes that Vieira was the "Eastern Rhode Island flamenco champion for the month of July, 1964," then challenges the two to show off their moves.
While they dance, Lauer, who's holding Hoffman's coffee cup, sniffs curiously at the contents of the beverage and exclaims, "Whoa! What is in there?"
captain beefheart dead, don van vliet, frank zappa, clip đột kích vũ trường new century, horse outside Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
Captain Beefheart, aka Don Van Vliet, died Friday. According to Entertainment Weekly, the avant garde rocker passed away at a California hospital due to complications from multiple sclerosis. He was 69.
The Captain, mostly remembered today as an icon from a certain time and place in American history, had command over an impressive four-and-a-half octave range. And while he had a vast working knowledge of a seemingly incongruous mix of genres -- from acid jazz to modern classical -- which he employed in his own blend of rock 'n' roll, truth be told, his unique fusion is best remembered as being, simply, true psychedelia.
Captain Beefheart will also forever remain loosely associated with Frank Zappa, whom he met as a teenager living with his family in the Mojave Desert. It was in that geographic location where he formed the Magic Band in 1964 -- his backing group, which would undergo many transformations in the years that followed. With their commercially challenging, though blues-based, sound, Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band would have several ill-fated dealings with record labels and releases, several of which left Beefheart disillusioned and, temporarily, unwilling to continue making music. He always returned, however, with an even more uncompromising vision.
In 1982, Beefheart retired from making music permanently, despite having attained near-mythical status among a certain demographic of music fan. His often underwhelming album sales in no way reflected the magnitude of his influence, however Beefheart spent most of the 1980s focused on his artwork, which was his original talent and love as a child.
Reissues, anthologies, covers and legend kept interest in Captain Beefheart very much alive and relevant in the years since, and his influence remains today, as felt and witnessed via a number of experimental artists from a variety of genres.
Students from the University of Illinois fight crime by establishing the website campuscrime.net. Responding to unprecedented concern about crime on campus, 41 University of Illinois students created this interactive online resource so fellow students, parents and others could get past myth and rhetoric and examine campus crime in a uniquely interactive way.
Students from Associate Prof. Eric Meyer’s courses — JOUR 425 Graphics and Design course (a required course for news-editorial seniors and first-semester journalism graduate students) and JOUR 199 Flash Journalism Online (a Discovery course for entering freshmen) — worked for more nearly a month researching and designing the site.
They adopted what can best be described as a 21st-century approach to the project, avoiding “he said, she said” stenographic journalism by focusing first on obtaining all underlying data and documents, then crowd-sourcing the story via social media and online surveys, before finally beginning to look for answers from authoritative sources.
To present their findings, they again chose a 21st-century technique — non-linear storytelling. Rather that create text-based narratives that force readers to follow only one pathway through the material, they presented without comment audio highlights of hundreds of interviews they conducted and created interactive features that allow readers to query the data their research uncovered in whatever manner the readers desired. This alternative storytelling technique is designed not only to maximize reader involvement but also to increase comprehension by allowing diverse readers to reach their own, personally relevant conclusions.
NEW DELHI: Bountiful days are in store on job street in the New Year, as in-bloom-again industry is expected to accelerate hiring by as much as 20 per cent and reward employees with an identical hike in salaries.
Notwithstanding a cautious start, hiring activities gathered momentum in the second half of 2010 and companies are estimated to have created over a million jobs in the organised sector alone.
Led by fast-growing sectors such as telecom, consumer durables and real estate, HR experts feel that hiring is most likely to jump 20 per cent in 2011. With escalation of the talent war between companies, pay packets too are expected to climb at a rate of about 20 per cent, they opined.
"There would at least be 20 per cent more hiring at the starting level and may be 10 per cent more at mid-management level as compared to second half of 2010. Almost all sectors of Indian economy would hire (in 2011)," staffing services firm Futurestep's Country Manager Asim Handa said.
Futurestep is part of global HR firm Korn/Ferry International.
Improving economic conditions, coupled with many companies' aggressive expansion plans, are expected to further fuel hiring activities, especially in the first half of 2010.
Recruitment firm TeamLease Services' Vice President, Rituparna Chakraborty, said the average hiring increase would be "anywhere between 10 to 18 per cent across sectors next year".
Global consultancy firm Deloitte India's Leader (Human Capital Advisory Services) P Thiruvengadam said recruitment levels have significantly improved in all sectors this year.
The sectors definitely creating jobs (next year) would be healthcare, life sciences, retail, infrastructure and manufacturing, among others, he added.
Online job portal Monster.com's Managing Director (India/ Middle East/South East Asia), Sanjay Modi, said India is going to emerge as a huge sourcing ground for global jobs across segments, positions and profiles.
Meanwhile, compensation is also likely to sail northward in 2011, as entities would mainly look to retain talent.
"I do not anticipate huge increases in salaries (in 2011), but performance would be rewarded and the levels of increase could be of the order of 11 to 18 per cent," Deloitte India's Thiruvengadam said.
TeamLease Services' Chakraborty said the hiring sentiment would be positive, especially for sectors such as consumer durables, FMCG, real estate and telecom.
"Salary growth will range anywhere from 10 to 20 per cent across these sectors next year," she noted.
According to Monster.com's Modi, organisations would have to look at new ways of structuring compensation — by considering a bonus, incentives and stock options, among other steps — to motivate and retain talent.
The country's organised sector is estimated to have generated more than 1.1 million jobs this year, a recent survey by staffing services firm Ma Foi Randstad showed.
Mirroring the improved labour market situation, TeamLease Services' net employment outlook — a measure of hiring prospects — surged to 68 per cent in the December quarter from 47 per cent in March quarter.
MUMBAI: French drinks giant Groupe Pernod Ricard's Indian whisky, Royal Stag, rocked away as the first MNC spirits brand to cross 10 million cases in annual sales during 2010, even as Allied Blenders & Distillers' (ABD) Officer's Choice Whisky stormed past McDowell's No.1 Whisky to emerge as the country's second-largest spirits brand during the year.
Industry leader United Spirits Ltd's regular-priced Bagpiper Whisky topped the charts with 16.5 million cases but reported flat growth as the brand lost numbers in key states like Andhra Pradesh.
Beer-to-airline billionaire Vijay Mallya-backed USL has five of the top 10 Indian spirits brands—based on the annual brand-wise numbers reported by their companies. But his spirits empire, which claims nearly 50% share of the domestic consumption, is now faced with hawkish rivals in the form of Pernod Ricard and ABD.
Not surprisingly, in a country with strong affinity to brown spirits, whiskies dominated the list with seven representations.
Officer's Choice Whisky reported the fastest growthit jumped 36% from 11.10 million cases in 2009—in one of the most profitable years for the domestic drinks industry as raw material costs eased considerably.
It could threaten Bagpiper Whisky as the top Indian spirits brand if the momentum continues in 2011.
Nevertheless USL's McDowell's No.1 Whisky (14.3 million), Celebration Rum (13.8 million) and McDowell's No.1 Brandy (11.7 million) occupy the remaining three slots in the top-five list for 2010.
At the sixth place, Royal Stag Whisky is ending the year with the depletion of nearly 10.6 million cases. The brand has reported about 30% year-on-year growth as it jumped from around 8 million cases in the year 2009. Royal Stag, with an average trade price of Rs 353 per quart, battles McDowell No.1 Whisky, which grew at about 6% during the year.
NEW DELHI: Following the Supreme Court order widening the spectrum probe to include telecom policy from 2001, the government plans to ask telecom firms to pay for excess spectrum allotted to them during this period. The probe will cover at least two instances of excess spectrum being allocated in 2006 and 2008-09.
The government's action would be in keeping with the Comptroller and Auditor General's report which said nine operators were allotted spectrum beyond the upper limit laid down in the Unified Access Service Licence agreement, costing Rs 37,000 crore in revenue.
"Whenever excess spectrum was allocated, no one paid for it," said a telecom ministry source.
The government has been considering action on the issue of allocation of excess spectrum since DMK's A Raja resigned as IT and communications minister in mid-November and its intent seems to have firmed up. The action would be in keeping with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which said nine operators were allotted spectrum beyond the upper limit laid down in the Unified Access Service Licence agreement.
"Thus while DoT, on one hand, was not processing pending applications for licence due to non-availability of spectrum, on the other hand it was allotting spectrum to existing operators beyond the contracted limit without any upfront charges being imposed or without determination of market price of spectrum," the CAG report said.
The nine firms named in the CAG report are Aircel, Bharti, BPL ( Mumbai), BSNL, Idea, MTNL, Reliance, Spice (Punjab) and Vodafone. The CAG report said excess spectrum had cost the government Rs 37,000 crore in revenue.
While some aspects of the debate are embroiled in the corporate war between "old" and "new" telecom operators, government-run firms were also found to be beneficiaries of excess spectrum.
Although a formula for levying charges on telecoms firms is yet to be worked out, if they are linked to the 3G spectrum prices, as is likely, the impact could be significant. The criticism that spectrum was sold cheap at 2001 rates in the 2G allocations of 2008 has hurt the government and it is wary of appearing vulnerable on this count.
The view in the government seems to be that even spectrum allocations before 2008 can be assessed and charges levied. Telecom minister Kapil Sibal is expected to offer an assessment of the telecom policy and announce his ministry's plans on excess spectrum and other issues shortly.
The DoT has in the past considered asking telecom firms to pay for spectrum in excess of 6.2Mhz with some firms holding airwaves up to 10Mhz in cities. Trai, in a report some months ago, recommended that telecom operators be asked to pay up.
NEW DELHI: The LTTE, which is almost on the verge of a wipe out, is trying to regroup and planning to launch spectacular strikes on high-profile targets like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P Chidambaram and Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi.
According to an intelligence input, some cadres of the LTTE, who escaped the wrath of the Sri Lankan Army during the all-out operations in the island nation earlier this year, were trying to regroup in India and planning attacks on top political leaders, particularly when they travel in Tamil Nadu.
The security agencies have taken the input seriously as former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE suicide squad members in the southern state in 1991.
Besides, Prime Minister Singh is also likely to visit Tamil Nadu next month to attend some public functions.
"Though LTTE is now a weak force and all top leaders were killed during the Sri Lankan Army's assault, attempts to regroup by some cadres is a disturbing report," an official said..
NEW DELHI: Congress on Friday suspected a conspiracy behind the release of the WikiLeaks cable which says Rahul Gandhi had told US ambassador Timothy Roemer that growth of "radicalised Hindu groups" could pose a bigger threat to India than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.
"Let us verify the truth. May be there is some conspiracy behind the pattern with which this all is being done," party general secretary Janardan Diwedi said when asked about his reaction to the WikiLeaks release.
According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New Delhi released by WikiLeaks, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009, the Congress general secretary was asked by the US ambassador about LeT's activities in the region and immediate threat to India.
"Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.
"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," it says.
Meanwhile the BJP condemned Rahul Gandhi's remarks and said "in one stroke", he has given a "big leverage" to the propaganda of all terror groups in Pakistan.
Strongly objecting to the remarks made to US ambassador Timothy Roemer, as claimed by a WikiLeaks cable, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said, "It is irresponsible. It is in the public domain and the US government has neither denied nor confirmed it. Therefore, it has sanctity."
"In one stroke, Rahul Gandhi has sought to give a big leverage to the propaganda of all terror groups operating from Pakistan and certain segments of the Pakistan establishment," he told reporters here.
Prasad said such remarks impinge upon India's strategic security and fight against terrorism.
"If he sees a fringe radical Hindu group as the biggest threat in spite of so many terrorist attacks including 26/11 in which involvement of Pakistani groups is confirmed, then it only underscores how ignorant he is about India and its problems," the BJP leader said.
The party also attacked him for making such remarks to a foreign diplomat and not before Parliament and said the opposition would take up the issue in next Parliament session and also before the people.
Prasad said the statement "underscores how little Rahul Gandhi knows about India. The PM has publicly acknowledged that Maoism and terrorist threat from across the border are the biggest challenges before India and Rahul Gandhi says certain lunatic, marginalised Hindu radical groups are the biggest threat?"
Senior opposition leader Prakash Javadekar said the statement shows "crass communalism and jaundiced world view".
NEW DELHI: Coming under attack after his reported statement that "radicalised Hindu groups" posed a bigger threat than outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Rahul Gandhi today diluted his comments saying that terrorism and communalism of all types are a threat to India.
"Rahul Gandhi's view is that terrorism and communalism of all types are a threat to India.We need to remain vigilant against acts of terrorism of all kinds no matter who commits them," AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a release issued on his behalf.
The statement came hours after Congress grappled with the issue of the WikiLeaks cable which claimed that Rahul Gandhi had told US Ambassador Timothy Roemer that growth of "radicalised Hindu groups" which create religious tensions in India could pose a bigger threat to the country than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.
This in a way is the first acknowledgement from the Congress that Gandhi had indeed talked to Roemer on the issue.
The initial reaction of the Congress on the issue was one of dilemma with party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi saying, "We will respond to it after verifying the facts. There is no reason to react in an excited manner. The issue should first be looked into and verified".
Dwivedi, who is also AICC media department chairman, had first suspected a conspiracy behind the release of WikiLeaks cable saying, " Let us verify the truth. May be there is some conspiracy behind the pattern with which this all is being done."
However, a clarification came quickly with the media department in-charge confining his remarks to "let us verify the truth".
Asked what is there to doubt in the issue, the Singhvi remarked, "I am not questioning anything and I am questioning everything".
To a query on whether what he says indicates that the party is distancing itself from Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Singhvi said, "The question does not arise.It is your interpretation."
According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New Delhi released by WikiLeaks, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009, the Congress General Secretary was asked by the US ambassador about LeT's activities in the region and immediate threat to India.
"Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.
"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," it says.
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: India's political princeling and Congress Party heir apparent Rahul Gandhi feels that the "the bigger threat (to India) may be the growth of radicalized Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," according to a cable by U.S ambassador to India Timothy Roemer which was released by Wikileaks on Thursday.
The August 3, 2009 cable records Roemer's observations from a "candid conversation" he had with Rahul Gandhi at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton two weeks earlier. Roemer reports Gandhi as saying, in response to his query about Lashkar-e-Taiba's activities in the region and immediate threat to India, that "there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community." However, the risk of a "home-grown" extremist front, reacting to terror attacks coming from Pakistan or from Islamist groups in India, was a growing concern and one that demanded constant attention.
In an addendum while citing the young Indian leader, Roemer comments that he (Rahul Gandhi) "was referring to the tensions created by some of the more polarizing figures in the BJP such as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi."
While comments from Congress Party leaders about internal threats from radical Hindu groups are not new, the fact that Gandhi expressed his views to U.S interlocutors is certain to spark a political firestorm in India in what is already a season of confrontation. The reported remarks add to the already controversial statements from Congress Party general secretary Digvijay Singh pointing to dangers from Hindu extremist groups.
The candid disclosures to Americans of such critical observations about internal security also comes at a time when Pakistan continues its defense of terrorism as a state policy, articulated most recently by former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, who suggested that there will not be any roll-back of the policy unless the Kashmir issue is settled.
The young Indian leader displays no inhibitions in describing the dangers from majority communalism, in a wide-ranging conversation seated next to Roemer at the dinner. The U.S envoy reports that Gandhi "expressed concerns regarding the challenges surrounding the UPA coalition's ability to implement its programs, and speculated about radicalization among Hindus and Muslims."
In a separate cable describing a meeting between India's National Security Adviser M.K.Narayanan and FBI Director Robert Mueller, a US official reports the former as describing ''a changing trend in terrorists being recruited to jihad, saying that while in the past Kashmiri terrorist recruits were vulnerable because they were economically disadvantaged, any of today's terrorists were professionals who came from well-to-do backgrounds.''
India, with its vast Muslim community living side-by-side with Hindus, was having difficulty identifying the sources of radicalization, Narayanan is cited as explaining, adding that even Muslim leaders were confessing they were "losing control of their flock."
The cable also attributes Narayan as saying ''India is also seeing the beginnings of Hindu extremist groups that use violence,'' agreeing, the cable says, with the Director Mueller's point that terrorists come from more than just Muslim backgrounds.
In a conversation in which Roemer says Rahul Gandhi shared his views on a range of political topics, social challenges, and electoral issues for the Congress Party in the next five years, the U.S envoy cites the young Indian leader as saying the UPA government's "honeymoon period" had been short and he now expected the BJP and Left Parties would be unrelenting critics of the government's program.
"His focus in the upcoming months would be on state assembly elections in Maharashtra and party building efforts at the local level," Roemer reports, adding, "He was busy trying to recruit more appealing candidates to run for Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) positions nationwide."
Gandhi's focus, Roemer says, was on finding younger party members who would not carry some of the baggage of older Congress candidates. He aimed at rebuilding party structures in small towns and rural areas to attract voters and believed the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was vulnerable there. Roemer also records that he did not seem to be as focused on electoral efforts in bigger cities, such as Delhi and Mumbai.
ROURKELA: It took more than six months for 27-year-old Minati Khatua here in Rourkela to realise that she had married a woman and not a man.
But when she realised, her 'husband' had by then vanished with a car and a jeep bought with loans taken from a bank in her name.
Minati today lodged a complaint with the local police which registered it as a case of cheating and was probing the matter.
The police said that Minati married Sitakant Routray, a frequent visitor to her sister's house at Golghar here where she was staying, in a temple and the next day their marriage was registered before a notary.
Though the two stayed together, there was no physical relation between them as the fraudster convinced her that he was observing a special 'brata' for six months after which a puja would be performed at Jagannath temple in Puri.
After two months, the couple visited Minati's native village in Cuttack district where her relatives grew suspicious of him and told her about this. Minati subsequently found out that Sitakant was a woman posing as a man.
Resnick made headlines when her friend Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered in 1994. She testified against O.J., claiming that he told her that he was going to kill Nicole. She later wrote several books about her experience with the O.J. trial.
Resnick posed nude for Playboy for the March 1995 issue, something Camille Grammer took a moral issue with on tonight’s episode (even though Camille has appeared in Playboy 15 times, she takes issue with the fact that Resnick used her friend’s death to gain fame.)
Resnick attended a dinner party with the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a guest of Kyle Richards, who describes Resnick as “like a sister.” She’s currently a Hollywood interior designer, and on her websites her clients are listed as Kyle and Maurico Umansky, Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Nick Lachay, and Kevin Connolly.
At the NOH8 Campaign Anniversary Celebration yesterday in Hollywood, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Kyle Richards said she's done trying to be friendly with Camille Grammer.
"I actually, in spite of everything did try to reach out to Camille," Kyle told Us Magazine at Monday's NOH8 party. "And she didn't respond, so...I'm done. I'm done."
On this week's episode of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Camille has a dinner party and invites the housewives as a friendly gesture, but things don't go well. Once again Camille and Kyle go at it, but this time Camille has backup in friend Allison Dubois (medium/Camille's friend) who feels the need to insult Kyle, "Well, you know what? You are not interesting to me at all. But you continue being interested by me. That's awesome. You have two legs, too. They can walk." Watch a preview here.
Camille also insults Kyle's close friend Faye Resnick who's attending.
Camille: "So now, how do you know Faye and who is Faye? I mean, I know she looks familiar, but I don't know who Faye is?"
Kyle: "She's a very close family friend, I consider her like a sister. "
Camille: "Oh, that's nice."
Camille: "You know how I know her? I saw her naked in Playboy. She posed naked in Playboy after the OJ trial. That's her."
Lisa Vanderpump, "I don't know if it was a calculated sentence on Camille's part. I find her difficult to read, but I do know as the host of a dinner party I wouldn't have said it."
Camille: "And i thought you looked amazing..."
In Camille's talking head shot she says: "I recognized during the dinner it was the hair. I think it was the extensions and the blown up fake lips. But ummm then I realized that's who it is...it's Faye Reznick, the morally corrupt Faye Resnick"
Camille also did Playboy, years ago, that's when she met Kelsey. She did a lingerie spread.
Lisa: "Lingerie. I thought the whole point of Playboy was no lingerie?"
Was this a friendly gesture or a set up? Watch the video posted to the left of this article.
‘I recognized during the dinner it was the hair, I think it was the extensions and the blown up fake lips, and then I realized, oh my God, that’s who it is, it’s Faye Resnick, the morally corrupt Faye Resnick.’ Camille Grammer, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
She’s back! The infamous Faye Resnick, good ‘pal’ of Nicole Brown Simpson who was murdered on June 12, 1994. Faye Resnick, a guest at Camille Grammer’s dinner party on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Faye Resnick, according to Kyle Richards, a close friend of Kyle and her family.
Camille: ‘She posed naked in Playboy after the OJ trial, that’s how I know her. I think you looked amazing.’
Lisa VanderPump: ‘I don’t know if it was a calculated sentence on Camille’s part, I find Camille difficult to read, but I do know, as a host of a dinner part I wouldn’t have said it.’
Based on Faye Fesnick’s actions in the past related to Nicole Brown Simpson, was Camille a ‘bad’ dinner host for outing Faye?
The preview from Bravo, then more about Faye Resnick’s ‘past’ related to OJ Simpson and the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. A past which included profiting off Nicole and Ron’s murders.
According to Kyle Richards, Camille, who lives in a glass house–Camille posed in Playboy-’threw a big stone’ at Faye Resnick. Both Kyle and Kim Richards, ‘horribly’ upset with Camille. While Camille may be a flake she did put what she said about Faye into context. Faye Resnick did pose for Playboy after Nicole was murdered, Faye’s claim to ‘fame’ her ‘friendship’ with Nicole. Faye’s posing for Playboy just part of Faye Resnick’s profiting off on the murder of her supposed friend Nicole Brown Simpson. Time for a trip down Nicole Brown Simpson, ‘best friend’ Faye Resnick Lane.
Faye Resnick, who has made money off her friendship with the late Nicole Brown Simpson with two books and countless appearances, has found yet another source of revenue and happiness – posing for Playboy.
”I had lost my sense of joy,” Resnick says in the magazine. ”It (posing) was part of my reawakening.”
Word is Resnick got six figures for baring hers for a 10-page spread in the March edition.
man show off his amazing dance moves. Once the man saw that he was shown on the "Dance Cam," he took it to a new level and appeared to be competing with a little boy. The dance-off seemed to be more entertaining than the game for Wizards fans, who watched their team record their fifth straight loss.
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There's nothing like the exploitation of the OJ Simpson murder trial to increase ratings, is there?
On last night's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Camille Grammer hosted a dinner party. By sheer, totally unscripted coincidence, a woman naked Faye Resnick showed up.
A friend of Kyle Richards and a former gossip columnist, Resnick is best known for having penned "Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted." She posed for Playboy soon after this book came out, an appalling fact in Grammer's eyes.
Yes, Camille has appeared in that magazine on numerous occasions, but never when using a friend's death for publicity purposes.
We don't care much about the contrived argument between these two, which you can watch HERE. We just want to know: Who would you rather...
man show off his amazing dance moves. Once the man saw that he was shown on the "Dance Cam," he took it to a new level and appeared to be competing with a little boy. The dance-off seemed to be more entertaining than the game for Wizards fans, who watched their team record their fifth straight loss.
The famous family released a very fancy Christmas card this year. Kim explained why on her website “We went super glam this year and each went for our own look. Kourt chose a tailored suit to match Mason and Scott. Khloe went for gorgeous peach ruffles and I chose a floor-length white gown. How stunning do Kendall and Kylie look!? This might be my favorite of all our family Christmas cards!”
Khloe seems to agree. “For as long as I can remember, my mom has made it a point to go all out, whether it was a ninja turtles themed card, or bringing a Santa into the mix, each year she always managed to top the year before. I’d have to say though that our card this year might be my favorite,” she posted on her blog.
Elaborate Christmas cards are a tradition in the Kardashian family, but the somber look on everyone’s face doesn’t exactly scream “Happy Holidays.” Who looks the best? We would have to agree with Kim and choose Mason!
On the heels of World AIDS Day comes a stunning medical breakthrough: Doctors believe an HIV-positive man who underwent a stem cell transplant has been cured as a result of the procedure.
Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the "Berlin Patient," received the transplant in 2007 as part of a lengthy treatment course for leukemia. His doctors recently published a report in the journal Blood affirming that the results of extensive testing "strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved."
Brown's case paves a path for constructing a permanent cure for HIV through genetically-engineered stem cells.
Last week, Time named another AIDS-related discovery to its list of the Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of 2010. Recent studies show that healthy individuals who take antiretrovirals, medicine commonly prescribed for treating HIV, can reduce their risk of contracting the disease by up to 73 percent.
While these developments by no means prove a cure for the virus has been found, they can certainly provide hope for the more than 33 million people living with HIV worldwide. Alongside such findings, global efforts to combat the epidemic have accelerated as of late, with new initiatives emerging in the Philippines and South Africa this week.
The big question rolling across the Internet today is "Is Facebook down today?" The answer is, "it was," when they rolled out, and rolled back, some new features.
The so-called Facebook panic occurs when the social networking site goes down, for any appreciable length of time. The Web then becomes flooded with searches like "what's wrong with Facebook," "is Facebook down," "Facebook not working," and so forth. The same sort of panic occurs when Twitter goes down.
In Facebook's case, since many use Facebook Connect to login to other sites, it's a bigger problem that just not being able to access Facebook.
The problem, it appears is that Facebook rolled out some prototype features a bit too soon. The company admitted as such in a Tweet which said:
Also, some internal prototypes were exposed to people and resulted in us disabling the site briefly. It's now back to normal.
The updates that rolled out, and then back, were:
An update to Facebook Pages, which made them look a lot like Facebook Place pages and the new user profiles.
Memories, which disappeared so fast it's still unknown what the feature is. It sounds, however, like some way of storing photos in perpetuity.
A new option for News Feed named "Outside World," which also disappeared too quickly to determine what it actually means.
New Fan Pages, that were redesigned and also allowed a Page admin to switch accounts, without having to logout and login again.
It's unclear how far along these new features were, and when the company will release them to the wild.
Morgan Freeman diaed on Thursday -- not in real life, but according to a Twitter hoax that duped countless users.
Though the actor is alive and well, a rumor rocketed across the internet on Thursday that CNN had reported his death.
"RT @CNN: Breaking News: actor Morgan Freeman has passed away in his Burbank home," many Twitter users posted on Thursday evening.
On Twitter, a post starting with the letters RT indicates that a user is simply re-tweeting what another user has said.
Confusion continued to spread as Twitter users "re-tweeted" or re-posted the post purportedly from CNN.
The post was re-tweeted by many other media outlets, including LiveNewsWire and ESPN's Bruce Feldman, as well as Borders headquarters.
This epidemic of re-tweets caused many to believe that CNN had posted the news, and others were simply passing it on.
But CNN's Twitter account did not display the original post, leading users to wonder whether it had been deleted as a retraction, or was potentially hacked.
"Now I'm curious if CNN even tweeted a statement about Morgan Freeman, or if someone simply hoaxed the tweet with a 'RT @CNN,'" one user wrote.
CNN itself cleared up the rumors on Thursday evening with a post to its official Twitter page.
"CNN did not report Morgan Freeman death," the network stated.
"Rumor is false. CNN will aggressively investigate this hoax."
BMX biker and host of the MTV reality show ‘The Challenge’ TJ Lavin attempted a gnarly jump yesterday evening at the Dew Tour Event in Las Vegas, but the stunt went horribly wrong. In the crash video you see Lavin take off from a dirt ramp and achieve some major air, but midway through it appears as if he lost his balance as a result of not being able to reach the bike’s pedals, which caused him to land lopsidedly. The high velocity of the impact caused TJ to fly off of the bike, and his body slammed against the ground. Immediately bystanders and the event’s crew rushed to his aid only to find him nearly lifeless.
He was quickly rushed to the hospital, where in order to minimize brain-swelling doctors purposely induced him into a coma. Reportedly, he is also suffering from both broken wrist and ribs.
A sympathetic spokesperson for MTV released the following statement earlier today:
“Our thoughts are with TJ. He is an important part of MTV’s extended family and we’re all praying for him.”
Just because of this tragic accident don’t think for one second that TJ Lavin was an amateur BMX biker by any means. In his career he has won silver and two gold medals at the X Games.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his fans, friends, and family.
Gwinnett, Barrow, Buford, GAC delay school openings Gwinnett County Public Schools, Barrow County Schools and Buford City Schools will delay openings two hours today due to inclement weather conditions, according to a posting on the systems' websites. Greater Atlanta Christian School also announced on its website that classes will begin at 10 a.m. and dismiss at 1:20 p.m. Check back with gwinnettdailypost.com for updates.
Jeff Bridges and musical guests Eminem and Lil Wayne. In this oh-so-silly set of promos with Fred Armisen, Bridges gives us a taste of what kind of comedy he'll be doing on Saturday. Hopefully the "Tron" jokes and Coen brothers hand puppets.
CLEVELAND — Bob Feller, the Iowa farm boy whose powerful right arm earned him the nickname "Rapid Robert" and made him one of baseball's greatest pitchers during a Hall of Fame career with the Cleveland Indians, has died. He was 92.
Feller, who won 266 games in 18 seasons – all with the Indians – died at 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday night of acute leukemia at a hospice, said Bob DiBiasio, the Indians vice president of public relations.
Remarkably fit until late in life, Feller had suffered serious health setbacks in recent months. He was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in August, and while undergoing chemotherapy, he fainted and his heart briefly stopped. Eventually, he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted.
In November, he was hospitalized with pneumonia and Feller was recently released into hospice care.
Even as his health deteriorated, Feller continued doing what he loved most – attending Indians games deep into last season.
"Nobody lives forever and I've had a blessed life," Feller said in September. "I'd like to stay on this side of the grass for as long as I can, though. I'd really like to see the Indians win a World Series."
Feller, in fact, was part of the rotation the last time the Indians won it all – in 1948.
Fiercely proud and patriotic, Feller was an American original. Blessed with a fastball that could make any hitter look silly, Feller began his major league career at the tender age of 17. His win total remains a Cleveland team record, one that seems almost untouchable in today's free-agent era.
"Bob Feller is gone. We cannot be surprised," Indians owner Larry Dolan said in a statement. "Yet, it seems improbable. Bob has been such an integral part of our fabric, so much more than an ex-ballplayer, so much more than any Cleveland Indians player. He is Cleveland, Ohio. Story continues below Advertisement
"To say he will be missed is such an understatement. In fact, more to the point, he will not be missed because he will always be with us," he said.
Feller was part of a vaunted Indians' rotation in the 1940s and '50s with fellow Hall of Famers Bob Lemon and Early Wynn. He finished with 2,581 career strikeouts, led the American League in strikeouts seven times, pitched three no-hitters – including the only one on opening day – and recorded a jaw-dropping 12 one-hitters.
His numbers would no doubt have been even greater had his career not been interrupted by World War II.
The first pitcher to win 20 games before he was 21, Feller was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1962, his first year of eligibility.
The Indians retired his No. 19 jersey in 1957 and immortalized the greatest player in franchise history with a statue when they opened their downtown stadium in 1994. The sculpture is vintage Feller, captured forever in the middle of his patented windmill windup, rearing back to fire another pitch.
"When you think Cleveland Indians, you think Bob Feller and vice versa," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "He was a genuine patriot and a big-time Hall of Famer. Boy, he loved the Indians and we all loved him back."
Baseball was only a part of Feller's remarkable story.
Stirred by Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy the following day – the first major league player to do so. He served as a gun captain on the USS Alabama, earning several battle commendations and medals.
Never afraid to offer a strong opinion on any subject, Feller remained physically active in his later years. At the end of every winter, he attended the Indians' fantasy camp in either Florida or Arizona. One of the highlights of the weeklong event was always Feller, in uniform, taking the mound and striking out campers, some of whom were 50 years younger.
Another rite of spring for Cleveland fans was seeing Feller at the Indians' training camp. Before home exhibition games in Winter Haven, Fla., or more recently in Goodyear, Ariz., Feller would throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Introduced to a rousing ovation every time, Feller delivered the throw with the same high leg kick he used while blazing fastballs past overmatched hitters.
"We have all lost a friend and the nation has lost an icon," former Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. "Bob was always there with a word of advice or a story. The thing is that they were always relevant and helpful. I will never forget before the first game of the '97 World Series, Bob came up to me and patted me on the back and told me how proud he was of me and the team, then gave me a buckeye and said it was for luck.
"I don't think that Bob ever believed in luck, just hard work and an honest effort. I will miss Bob very much. He was my friend," he said.
An eight-time All-Star, Feller compiled statistics from 1936 through 1956 that guaranteed his Hall of Fame enshrinement. He led the AL in victories six times and is still the Indians' career leader in shutouts (46), innings pitched (3,827), walks (1,764), complete games (279), wins and strikeouts.
Despite losing his two starts, Feller won a World Series title with the Indians in 1948.
When he returned from military duty in 1946, Feller arguably had his finest season, going 26-15 with a 2.18 ERA and pitching 36 complete games and 10 shutouts. For comparison's sake, the Indians' entire pitching staff had 10 complete games and four shutouts last season.
Born Nov. 3, 1918, near Van Meter, Iowa, Robert Andrew William Feller was 16 when he caught the eye of Indians scout Cy Slapnicka.
Feller made his first major league start on Aug. 23, 1936, two months shy of turning 18. He never pitched in the minors, and when the Indians decided to use him in a relief role on July 19, 1936, he was the youngest player ever to pitch in a major league game. Many wondered if the kid – who would later credit his arm strength to milking cows, picking corn, and baling hay – was in over his head.
Hardly.
Using a fastball later dubbed "the Van Meter heater," Feller struck out 15 – two shy of the major league record in his first game, beating the St. Louis Browns 4-1 – a star was born. Later that season, Feller established the AL record by striking out 17 Philadelphia Athletics.
In 1938, Feller set the major league record by striking out 18 against the Detroit Tigers. The record stood for 36 years before being broken by Nolan Ryan in 1974. By the time he joined the military at 23, Feller had won 109 games and was well on the way to baseball fame.
In his day, nobody threw harder than Feller, who sometimes had trouble with his control. Because speed devices weren't as advanced as they are today, it's impossible to gauge precisely how fast Feller threw in his prime. There is famous black-and-white film footage of Feller's fastball being clocked as it races against a motorcycle said to be traveling at 100 mph.
Feller once said he was clocked at 104 mph.
Even in his later years, Feller could recall pitch-for-pitch duels with great hitters like Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. He said his biggest thrill in the game was when he returned from the military to pitch a no-hitter against New York at Yankee Stadium.
"I had been away four years and people were saying I was washed up," Feller said. "They had a right to say it, too, since few come back after being away so long. But this game proved to me that I was still able to pitch."
He always credited his father, Bill, with encouraging his baseball ambitions.
"My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid," Feller said. "When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a tractor, I was heaving a baseball into his mitt behind the barn. I couldn't repay my debt to him, but I wanted to pass along the thought that if all the parents in the country followed his rule, juvenile delinquency would be cut in half in a year's time."
Feller said the greatest hitter he ever faced, without question, was Williams, although Williams had only a .270 average against him.
"I was a little luckier against him than the others," Feller said. "But he beat me in more games than I care to remember. Joe DiMaggio was the only right-hander who hit me consistently. The fellow who hit me best, though, was Tommy Henrich, the Yankees' old reliable.
"Funny thing, I've run across a lot of former ballplayers who said to me, 'You know, Bob, I wasn't a great hitter, but I've always had pretty good success against you.' I must have kept a lot of .250 hitters in the game."
After retiring from baseball, Feller worked in the insurance business, but he never got completely away from baseball. In 1981, he returned to work for the Indians as a spring training pitching coach and in the team's public relations office.
As recently as last season, Feller was a fixture in the press box at Progressive Field. Sitting in the media dining area before games or in the same seat during them, he would offer his thoughts on any current event and, of course, give his assessment on how the Indians were playing.
Cleveland's chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of American recently asked the Indians to turn Feller's press box seat into a shrine area.
Feller didn't care for crowds and didn't particularly enjoy interacting with fans, but he often attended memorabilia shows to sign autographs for a nominal fee. Sometimes gruff, Feller would sign his autograph and listen as fans asked him questions and posed for pictures with an iconic man who meant so much to them.
Feller was critical of contemporary ballplayers. He viewed them as spoiled and felt they didn't work as hard at their craft as he and his peers. Feller never softened on his stance that Pete Rose, baseball's hits leader, should remain banned for betting on baseball and he was revolted by the idea that players who cheated by taking steroids could one day join him as a Hall of Famer.
Feller, who lived in Gates Mills, Ohio, is survived by his wife, Anne, and three sons, Steve, Martin and Bruce.
A shooting at a tanning salon in an Orland Park, Ill. tanning salon Saturday left a man who is believed to be the ”honeybee killer” dead.
Gary Amaya entered L.A. Tan with a gun and confronted the woman at the front desk. A customer of the salon, Jason McDaniel, entered while Amaya had the worker bound behind the counter. Surveillance video shows McDaniel grabbing the gun after Amaya puts it down to bend over for rope. The men then move out into the hallway, where McDaniel shoots him. Amaya lunges at him and he shoots again, this time killing him.
The “honeybee killer” is suspected of shooting three men near the Illinois-Indiana border in October. The shootings appeared to be at random, with one fatality. The shooter was given his nickname after he had a conversation with one victim about honeybees before shooting him. The gun used in the robbery matched the gun used in the shootings. Amaya also resembles the police sketch of the fugitive, and his truck matches the description of the one that was at the previous shootings.
With news cameras rolling, a 56-year-old gunman entered a school board meeting in Florida on Tuesday and took several members of the board hostage, then fatally shot himself during a shootout with a security guard.
The episode was captured on video and broadcast on WMBB.com News 13 in Panama City, which ran several clips of the incident, including one in which the gunman fires a shot at a board member.
One extended clip shows the man, identified as Clay A. Duke, calmly walk up to a podium at the front of the room with a pistol after painting a mysterious red encircled “V” on the wall.
With news cameras rolling, a 56-year-old gunman entered a school board meeting in Florida on Tuesday and took several members of the board hostage, then fatally shot himself during a shootout with a security guard.
The episode was captured on video and broadcast on WMBB.com News 13 in Panama City, which ran several clips of the incident, including one in which the gunman fires a shot at a board member.
One extended clip shows the man, identified as Clay A. Duke, calmly walk up to a podium at the front of the room with a pistol after painting a mysterious red encircled “V” on the wall.
The video shows a woman in a voluminous cloak on her knees screaming and pleading with blue-uniformed policemen, identified as Sudanese, who take turns whipping her across the head and feet.
There is no way to verify the identity of the woman or the location of the event shown on the two minute video.
"The investigation was started immediately after the images of the young woman, being punished under Articles 154 and 155 of the 1991 Sudanese penal code, appeared on the Internet," the judiciary said in a statement.
"The King's Speech," the British drama about King George VI's battle to defeat a stuttering problem on the eve of announcing England's war with Germany, reigned over the nominations for the 68th annual Golden Globes, announced this morning in Los Angeles, with seven spots, including Best Picture.
Star Colin Firth nabbed a Best Actor in a Drama spot for his role as George VI, while Geoffrey Rush secured a Best Supporting Actor spot for playing HRH's unorthodox speech therapist and Helena Bonham Carter — as a stern, supportive Elizabeth, the queen mother — was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Director Tom Hooper and screenwriter David Seidler were also tapped, as was the movie's score.
"The Social Network" and "The Fighter" followed with six nominations each.
The coronation of "King's Speech" as the movie to beat when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hands out their awards on Jan. 16 makes this year's awards season even more of a now-versus-then battle.
"Social Network," the lightning-fast flick about accidental billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's creation of Facebook and the legal and societal tussles that followed, recently was named Best picture by several influential critics' groups, including the New York Film Critics Circle. It's nominations include Best Picture — drama, Best Director (David Fincher), Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin), Best Actor — drama (Jesse Eisenberg), Best Supporting Actor (Andrew Garfield) and Best Score.
"The Fighter," meanwhile, is a tough-minded drama about drugs and boxing in Boston circa 1993, and earned nods for Best Picture — drama, Best Actor — Drama (Mark Wahlberg), Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams and Melissa Leo), Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) and director (David O. Russell).
Russell and Fincher's kinetic style — in your face, and fast as Facebook — runs counter to the old-fashioned stateliness of "The King's Speech." As the Globes are often seen as a precursor to the Oscar race — this year's Academy Awards are to be handed out Feb. 27 — the lines seem to be clearly drawn.
Meanwhile, on the TV side, everything is "Glee"-ful. The musical-comedy about high school tunesters earned five Globe nominations, including Best TV series (Comedy), Best Actor and Actress in a comedy (Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele) and Best Supporting Actor and Actress (Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch).
HBO's freshman epic "Boardwalk Empire" came up a winner in three sports, earning noms for Best Series — drama, Best Actor in a Drama (Steve Buscemi) and Best Supporting Actress (Kelly MacDonald).
The other nominees for Best Picture — drama are "Black Swan" and "Inception." On the Comedy or Musical side, sure winner "The Kids are All Right" faces Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," "Burlesque," "Red" and "The Tourist."
Going up against Firth, Eisenberg and Wahlberg will be James Franco ("127 Hours") and Ryan Gosling ("Blue Valentine"). Each are tough performances, inside and out, by two of the best actors of their generation.
Gosling's costar in "Blue Valentine, Michelle Williams, earned a Best Actress- Drama spot, along with Halle Berry in the as-yet-unreleased "Frankie and Alice," Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone" and Natalie Portman in "Black Swan."
Their comedy/musical equivalents include Johnny Depp, nominated twice, for "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Tourist"; Paul Giamatti for "Barney's Version"; Jake Gyllenhaal for "Love and Other Drugs"; and Kevin Spacey for "Casino Jack."
Actresses in a comedy or musical include Annette Bening and Julianne Moore for "The Kids are All Right"; Anne Hathaway for "Love and Other Drugs"; Angelina Jolie for "The Tourist"; and Emma Stone, a surprise nominee for the teen comedy "Easy A."
Yamla Pagla Deewana Producer: Nitin Manmohan, Samir Karnik Director: Samir Karnik Star Cast: Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Kulraj Randhawa, Himanshu Mallik, Mukul Dev, Puneet Issar Release Date: January 11, 2011 Yamla Pagla Deewana is a upcoming Bollywood Comedy / Drama film directed by Samir Karnik. The film is produced by Samir Karnik and Nitin Manmohan. The film stars Dharmendra and his sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol in the lead roles. The whole Deol family is coming together after their last sports hit, Apne (2007). The film is scheduled to release on 14 January 2011.
: Giants Vs. Vikings: Eli Manning Closes Half With Kevin Boss TD
New York Giants QB Eli Manning has apparently decided to stage a Brett Favre tribute tonight to honor the 'Slinger's 297-start streak. After throwing two Favrely interceptions, he fired a touchdown through tight coverage to TE Kevin Boss for a six-yard touchdown with seconds left in the first half:
The catch was challenged by the booth, as Boss bobbled the ball between his legs as he went down, but was upheld. The Giants completed the nine-play, 71-yard drive in just under two minutes.
New York is outgaining the Minnesota Vikings 211 yards to just 94, but don't pin that entirely on QB Tarvaris Jackson. He's 10-of-13 for 77 yards, while the Vikes' running game has produced only 27 yards on 14 attempts. WR Sidney Rice has also dropped two tough but somewhat catchable passes. Jackson has also been sacked twice. Even after that great throw by Manning, Jackson has been the best quarterback at Ford Field so far tonight.
Dec138:55p by Jason Kirk - 0 comments
Update: Giants Vs. Vikings: Brandon Jacobs Gives New York 7-3 Lead
Already over 100 yards on the ground, the New York Giants are employing the time-honored Tarvaris Jackson countermeasure: keep him off the field. RB Brandon Jacobs pounded in the first touchdown of the night from one yard out after a goal line stand that took about forever, involving a Tom Coughlin challenge of a non-touchdown and so forth.
Giants QB Eli Manning is a mere four-of-ten for 34 yards and two picks. He did nothing but hand off on this touchdown drive, perhaps a winning recipe for the Giants. Jacobs produced a 73-yard run down the sideline, a terrifying sight for any defensive back.
After stepping out for a moment, Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson has been on the field for all but one play. He's completed nine of 12 passes for 71 yards and bulled his way to a fourth-down conversion. The Giants have otherwise taken Minnesota's running game out of play, allowing only 1.8 yards per carry.
8:24p by Jason Kirk - 0 comments
Update: Giants Vs. Vikings: Brett Favre's Streak Officially Over, Tarvaris Jackson Leads Vikings To Field Goal
The Minnesota Vikings got the ball first in tonight's strange, strange Monday night game at Ford Field, with QB Brett Favre watching QB Tarvaris Jackson from the sideline. On the quick opening drive, Jackson completed two of three before the Vikings punted away the ball.
After an Eli Manning interception, the Jackson and RB Adrian Peterson drove Minnesota into the red zone, where WR Sidney Rice appeared to trap a potential touchdown pass against the ground. After the incompletion, kicker Ryan Longwell kicked through the game's opening score. Here's Jackson just having fun out there:
Surprisingly, the Ford Field crowd isn't quite as anti-Vikings as one might've expected. The Detroit stadium is even playing the Vikings' traditional first-down horn-blowin' sound effect, a mighty neighborly gesture from one rival to another.
Jackson has completed five of seven passes for 36 yards and dove for a successful fourth-down conversion. Peterson has rushed for nine yards.
7:42p by Jason Kirk - 0 comments
Update: Brett Favre Consecutive Games Streak Ending Gives Tarvaris Jackson Start For Vikings
Brett Favre's consecutive games streak is now over. The Minnesota Vikings listed him as inactive for Monday night's game against the New York Giants. The Vikings (and the Giants) have already had to deal with a lot since this game was originally scheduled on Sunday before the Metrodome roof collapsed. Now that his consecutive games streak has been snapped, Tarvaris Jackson becomes the starting quarterback for the Vikings.
Jackson replaced Favre last week when he went down early in the game. Jackson completed 15-of-22 passes for 187 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
How long will Jackson be the starter? There's already been speculation of whether Favre will end the season on injured reserve. The Vikings have yet to make that decision. They have just three games remaining after Monday night against the Giants.
Favre hasn't practiced this week so it's been all Jackson in practice. We'll see if the Vikings go with a heavier dose of the run to take the pressure off of him.
For his career, Jackson has completed 59 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He was originally a Vikings second round pick in 2006. Now he has the task of replacing a football legend.
6:27p by Joel Thorman - 0 comments
Update: Percy Harvin Injury: Migraines Will Keep Vikings WR Out Vs. Giants
After a weekend of speculation that migraines would keep Percy Harvin out of tonight’s Minnesota Vikings game against the New York Giants, Harvin is “definitely out” tonight, according to NFL.com’s Steve Wyche.
Harvin’s condition seems to have gotten worse recently. He hasn’t been able to practice for two weeks now, and actually didn’t even make the team’s flight to Detroit. He’s struggled with migraines for most of his life, and hoped he’d found a solution this past offseason, but has still had to miss time this year.
With QB Brett Favre out as well for the first time ever, expect the Tarvaris Jackson-to-Sidney Rice connection to form the bulk of Minnesota’s passing game. Favre’s absence coupled with the Ford Field setting will make this a must-see-if-you-can game, but Harvin’s presence will be missed.
Harvin has 733 yards from scrimmage in his second NFL season. He posted 925 last year, turning in quite a few electrifying plays on offense and special teams.
6:01p by Jason Kirk - 0 comments
Update: Brett Favre Inactive For Vikings; Consecutive Games Streak Ends At 297
After nearly two decades of consecutive games started, Brett Favre will sit. The Minnesota Vikings announced their inactive for Monday night's game against the New York Giants and Favre's name was on it, which means he will not play.
Favre currently holds the record for consecutive games started. That streak now ends at 297 games. Colts QB Peyton Manning takes over as the new active leader.
Favre has ankle, chest and shoulder injuries and was knocked out of the Vikings Week 13 game. Favre said this weekend that he didn't think he would be able to play if the game had been on Sunday, but it was later rescheduled due to the Metrodome roof collapse. Even after the game was rescheduled, he said he didn't think he would be able to play.
Here's a photo of the inactive list the Vikings submitted to the league.
5:56p by Joel Thorman - 0 comments
Update: PHOTO: Minnesota Vikings Logo On Ford Field Turf
To prepare Ford Field for the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions grounds crew has had to pull off a quick and unexpected turnaround in the past 24 hours. The Lions played the Green Bay Packers yesterday, and even though the crowd will be largely anti-Vikings, the building still needed to be redone to at least look like a home game for the Vikes.
Midfield logo, end zone text, and smaller logos near the twenties all needed changing. Here’s the progress they’ve made, via Daily Norseman:
Not bad at all. The stadium has also recently hosted the MAC Championship Game, requiring some branding updates around the facility. But do you think the Lions crew will go out of its way to switch out the Lions walkout tunnel banner, goal post padding, and general fieldside flair for whatever purple stuff they can find? After all, if there are going to be Lions logos in the crowd, why not leave a few sitting near the field?
5:30p by Jason Kirk - 0 comments
Update: Giants Vs. Vikings: Detroit Crowd Could Counter Minnesota's Travel Advantage
So many Detroit football fans lined up to get free tickets to tonight’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants that Ford Field had to stop handing them out. Bad sign for the Vikings — Detroit’s an NFC North rival town, meaning the Vikes are walking into an all-out road game. And they won’t even boo the Giants!
Daily Norseman, our Vikings community, is just happy to be playing on Monday Night Football so late in the season, while Big Blue View is worried about the effects of all this travel on the Giants. New York has been on the road since early Saturday morning, and DE Justin Tuck has just about had it:
“A lot of guys are jet-lagged and tired,” defensive end Justin Tuck said from the Giants’ Detroit hotel earlier tonight. "Right now we’re just trying to get off our feet and trying to get our minds back into the football game. There’s been lot of ups downs and uncertainty around it. At least now we know where we’re playing and there are things we have to handle on the football field.
We’re going to get to see a really interesting crowd dynamic tonight, as Lions fans would cheer for just about anybody over the Vikings. Will that make up for all the time the Giants have spent traveling and sitting in hotels all weekend?
5:17p by Jason Kirk - 0 comments
Update: Brett Favre Injury Leaves Him Doubtful Vs. Giants; Streak Expected To End Tonight
Will Brett Favre’s games-played streak end tonight as the Vikings play impromptu Monday Night Football against the New York Giants? ESPN’s Ed Werder reports Favre believes it likely will, as the sprained shoulder he suffered against the Buffalo Bills last week is expected to keep him out. QB Tarvaris Jackson would get the start in relief.
He also has various other injuries, including an ankle and chest, and reportedly texted a USA Today reporter that he’s glad to be “chillin for a change,” which would mean he’s either not playing, thinks the game is being played in the snowed-up Metrodome, or has offseason plans that don’t involve tractor labor.
Favre has started an NFL-record 297 straight games. If he can’t go tonight, Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning would be the new streak-holder, with 205 straight starts. Tampa Bay Buccaneers CB Ronde Barber and Redskins LB London Fletcher have also started well over 100 straight games each.
Coach Leslie Frazier yesterday described Favre’s likelihood as “doubtful,” but added, “sometimes you never know with him.”
Yesterday morning, Twitter’s most popular joke was the one about the Metrodome roof collapse buying Favre an extra day to heal up and keep his streak alive. Even Vikings WR Bernard Berrian got in a punchline, though apologies in advance if you load his Twitter background on your work computer.
3:08p by Jason Kirk - 0 comments
Giants Vs. Vikings: Brett Favre Injury Has Him Doubtful For Monday's Game In Detroit
The Metrodome's roof collapsed in Minneapolis on Sunday which resulted in the NFL pushing back to Monday night the game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. So the two teams will now play at 7:20 p.m. at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. The game will be broadcast locally in New York and Minneapolis and will be available on DirecTV's Sunday Ticket.
The Giants have had their fair share of adversity as they spent the weekend in Kansas City where they had to divert their plane on Saturday after the Minneapolis airport closed.
The Vikings are going through their own bit of adversity -- QB Brett Favre isn't expected to play as he suffers from ankle, chest and shoulder injuries. If QB Tarvaris Jackson goes instead, it will mean the end of Favre's streak of 297 consecutive games started. The Vikings, though, are holding out some hope he'll be able to go, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Asked for Brett Favre's status in a text this am, Vikings HC Leslie Frazier responded: "Doubtful but sometimes you never know with him."
Favre's injury occurred last week when he was knocked out of the game against the Buffalo Bills. Though he's been injured and put his streak in doubt before, it appears this time it may be for real. The game kicks off Monday night at which point we'll find out if Favre will indeed miss the game.
Dustin Hoffman, whose character learns how to flamenco in 'Little Fockers,' displays his skill at the Spanish dance with Meredith Vieira on 'Today' (weekdays, 7AM ET on NBC).
On the heels of World AIDS Day comes a stunning medical breakthrough: Doctors believe an HIV-positive man who underwent a stem cell transplant has been cured as a result of the procedure.
The big question rolling across the Internet today is "Is Facebook down today?" The answer is, "it was," when they rolled out, and rolled back, some new features.
Morgan Freeman diaed on Thursday -- not in real life, but according to a Twitter hoax that duped countless users.
New York Giants QB Eli Manning has apparently decided to stage a Brett Favre tribute tonight to honor the 'Slinger's 297-start streak. After throwing two Favrely interceptions, he fired a touchdown through tight coverage to TE Kevin Boss for a six-yard touchdown with seconds left in the first half:
The catch was challenged by the booth, as Boss bobbled the ball between his legs as he went down, but was upheld. The Giants completed the nine-play, 71-yard drive in just under two minutes.
New York is outgaining the Minnesota Vikings 211 yards to just 94, but don't pin that entirely on QB Tarvaris Jackson. He's 10-of-13 for 77 yards, while the Vikes' running game has produced only 27 yards on 14 attempts. WR Sidney Rice has also dropped two tough but somewhat catchable passes. Jackson has also been sacked twice. Even after that great throw by Manning, Jackson has been the best quarterback at Ford Field so far tonight.