12.8
08
by admin ·
LAS VEGAS — Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader, is signing autographs for cash at Caesars Palace. Manny Pacquiao, who knocked out Oscar De La Hoya, is hanging out at the MGM Grand. The national rodeo finals are in town.
And, for the first time, baseball descended upon Las Vegas for its annual winter meetings, where every general manager has the opportunity to play poker with the fate of their franchise.
“It’s going to be crazy,” says veteran slugger Frank Thomas, who spent Saturday winning a charity poker tournament at The Venetian, and planned to cross Las Vegas Boulevard Sunday to start job-hunting at the Bellagio Hotel, site of the meetings. “I want to keep playing. I’m not done. I want to keep climbing the home-run (521) chart.
“I just hope CC (Sabathia) leaves a little money for the rest of us.”
Sabathia has already been offered the richest contract (six years, $140 million) for a pitcher in history from the New York Yankees. He is scheduled to meet with Boston and Milwaukee before leaving town today.
12.1
08
by admin ·
Rain and snow conspired against the crush of holiday travelers heading home Sunday, delaying flights and slowing traffic across much of the USA. Those on the move today will face fewer obstacles.
“The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will have an increasingly dry day,” said Mark Ressler, lead meteorologist at The Weather Channel. “I don’t think delays should be as horrible as they were” on Sunday.
On Sunday, passengers milled in airports from Los Angeles to Atlanta, delayed by ice, wind, low visibility and other weather challenges. Elsewhere, police raced to accidents on rain-slicked roads.
Flights in Philadelphia and Newark, N.J., were delayed nearly four hours, and fliers in Boston and the New York City area were waiting 2½ hours for their planes to take off, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Buzz Bernard, also a lead meteorologist at The Weather Channel, identified two major culprits: rain along the East Coast and snow in parts of the Midwest.
In Chicago, about 50 flights were canceled by mid-afternoon, said Karen Pride, spokeswoman for the Chicago Airport System, which includes Chicago O’Hare and Midway international airports. “We will be putting up cots and blankets for passengers if they choose to stay here at the airport,” she said.
12.1
08
by admin ·
Britain’s leading share index ended up 1.5 percent on Friday, marking its biggest weekly rise after recent heavy losses as gains in drugmakers and banks outweighed weakness in miners.
The FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 61.91 points at 4,288.01 in a choppy session despite falling as much as 0.8 percent during the session.
The UK benchamrk gained 13.4 percent over the week but is still down 33 percent for the year on fears of a severe global recession.
Pharmaceuticals were the best-performing sector after the publication of a long-anticipated EU report on generic competition. Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said preliminary results of a year-long probe showed competition in the pharmaceuticals industry did not work as well as it should.
Economic data has been universally gloomy but I suppose the optimists would say the fact that we have fallen on a day in which we have negative news in the real economy suggests that we are close to the bottom,” said Jeremy Batstone-Carr, head of private client research at Charles Stanley.
British retail sales plunged in November at their joint-fastest pace since records began 25 years ago while a growing number of Britons predicted prices would fall, not rise, next year.
Eeuro zone inflation plunged in November and unemployment jumped more than expected.
12.1
08
by admin ·
Show’s exec producer says cameras followed the couple to Mexico for their ‘vacation.’
After all the moving in and the fallings out, the first proposal and the post-engagement lull, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag eloped last Thursday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Now that they’ve made it official, what will their marriage mean for the show that has chronicled their relationship over the past four seasons?
Will the next season of “The Hills” feature footage captured during Speidi’s wedding ceremony? What have Heidi and Spencer been up to since they tied the knot? To find out, we reached out to executive producer Liz Gateley.
While she couldn’t tell us everything, she did say that the couple’s married life will figure prominently on the series’ upcoming fifth season, and that cameras are still down in Mexico, documenting the couple’s honeymoon. There’s still no word on when new episodes of “The Hills” will be ready for air, however.
“MTV is currently filming Heidi and Spencer in Mexico, as we were expecting to capture them on vacation,” Gateley told MTV News. “Fans will be able to see the exclusive footage from the ceremony in an upcoming episode, and we will continue to follow the newlyweds’ relationship as it plays out in real life.”
While most fans of the show seemed to question the wisdom of the marriage, and their family appeared shocked by the elopement, some celebrities and fellow ”Hills” stars congratulated the couple on Tuesday.
“They obviously adore each other and are very committed to one another,” Audrina Patridge told People. “I do think it’s very romantic that they eloped.”
12.1
08
by admin ·
Inches from an 11-point edge late in the first half, Matt Forte and the Chicago Bears hit the wall. The Minnesota Vikings turned around and quickly took the lead — in the game and in the division.
With a gutty goal-line stand and one big heave by Gus Frerotte, the Vikings grabbed control of the NFC North and sent Kyle Orton and the Bears home with a 34-14 loss Sunday night.
“If you’re going to win these tough games, you’ve got to make plays and you’ve got to capitalize,” Orton said. “Against a defense like this, you’re not going to have too many opportunities down there.”Inches from an 11-point edge late in the first half, Matt Forte and the Chicago Bears hit the wall. The Minnesota Vikings turned around and quickly took the lead — in the game and in the division.
With a gutty goal-line stand and one big heave by Gus Frerotte, the Vikings grabbed control of the NFC North and sent Kyle Orton and the Bears home with a 34-14 loss Sunday night.
“If you’re going to win these tough games, you’ve got to make plays and you’ve got to capitalize,” Orton said. “Against a defense like this, you’re not going to have too many opportunities down there.”
Seconds after the Bears were stopped four times at the 1, Bernard Berrian was wide open up the sideline for a 99-yard touchdown pass from Frerotte.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a 99-yard play, and I’ve been playing football since I was 8 years old,” said Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, who had three sacks. “That right there, that’s just a dagger in your chest. Defensively, if that happened to us, I’d be like, ’Holy smokes.”’
Orton’s team-record streak of 206 attempts without an interception ended with a thud. He threw three of them, and Minnesota (7-5) turned them into 17 second-half points. Orton finished 11-for-29 for 153 yards and, despite two touchdowns, suddenly looked more like the lost rookie who struggled through the 2005 season.
11.25
08
by admin ·
The Beatles back catalogue isn’t set to be available for legal download on iTunes any time soon, as Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that negotiations are “stalled” between Apple Corps and EMI.
McCartney said that despite having been involved in negotiations with the Liverpool legends’ label, no satisfactory outcome was likely to come about soon.
“When it’s something as big as The Beatles, it’s heavy negotiations,” he said in a London press conference this afternoon (November 24). “We’re [the band members and their estates] very for it, but there are a couple of sticking points.
“It’s stalled – there are a couple of sticking points between EMI and The Beatles. No change there then!”
The news on the updated situation follows reports in March that The Beatles and EMI were set to agree on a deal that would see the band’s music become available on iTunes.
A deal has, however, been struck that will see a Beatles version of the ‘Rock Band’ computer game released.
McCartney was speaking as he launched his side project with producer Youth. The pair record under the name The Fireman, so kicked things off at the Fire Station pub in Waterloo, south London.
The pair’s album, ‘Electric Arguments’, is released today (November 24).
11.25
08
by admin ·
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Tuesday and so-called safe haven assets such as bonds fell after the U.S. government rescued banking giant Citigroup to prevent further damage to the ailing global financial system.
The yen recovered from sharp falls a day earlier and gained against major currencies, but some traders said the Japanese currency could stall in the near term if investors continued to return to battered equity markets and other riskier assets.
Oil prices retreated below $54 after surging more than 9 percent in the previous session, a rally that was big enough to send regional commodity-related stocks such as BHP Billiton sharply higher. But shares gave up some of their early gains as plenty of near-term risks remained, including whether other global lenders are in need of rescue, the fate of U.S. auto makers and indicators that continue to signal a rough road ahead for the global economy.
“It will take a long time to bring the financial system back to health, as it happened in Japan, and it’s hard to believe market sentiment will turn around quickly,” said Hideki Amikura, deputy general manager of the forex section at Nomura Trust Bank. Japan suffered a “lost decade” in the 1990s after a real estate bubble burst, sparking a banking crisis and economic stagnation marked by deflation.
The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific stocks excluding Japan rose 2.9 percent as of 0400 GMT (11 p.m. on Monday night), heading toward a third consecutive daily gain, but off earlier gains of as much as 4.3 percent. Japan’s Nikkei average jumped nearly 3 percent, resuming trade after a public holiday on Monday.
The broader market rally comes after an initially tepid Asian reaction to the U.S. plan, announced early on Monday Asian time, to shoulder most potential losses on about $306 billion of Citigroup’s risky assets and inject capital into the struggling lender.
But a subsequent Wall Street rally, which capped the best two-day run since the aftermath of the 1987 stock market crash, put some of those doubts to rest, sparking optimism the U.S. government could similarly step in to support other big banks. The rally in global markets was also helped after U.S. President-elect Barack Obama promised to jolt the faltering U.S. economy with a stimulus package, raising the outlook for beleaguered exporters worldwide who depend heavily on U.S. consumer demand.
Shares in Australia and Hong Kong rallied more than 3 percent each, while markets in Taiwan and Singapore rose over 2 percent. South Korea’s KOSPI index was up about 2 percent, with Shanghai’s index up only 0.1 percent.
Gains in Asia were led in part by banking shares such as South Korea’s KB Financial Group and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which recovered from steep falls on Monday.
11.18
08
by admin ·
Amid a downturn in global tourism, a new U.S. travel rule is triggering optimism in the industry for more inbound visitors from several countries.
The federal government will expand its Visa Waiver Program today to include South Korea and six Eastern European countries — Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic. It paves the way for the citizens of these countries to enter the USA for up to three months without obtaining a visa.
They join 27 developed countries, including the U.K., France and Japan, that have been granted the privilege. U.S. tourism officials have been vigorously lobbying for expansion in recent years to include other countries as a means to generate more visitors and ease concerns that the USA hasn’t been as welcoming following 9/11.
In 2007, about 29 million travelers from overseas — excluding Mexico and Canada — visited the USA, up 10% from 2006, according to the Travel Industry Association. But given the global economic crisis, the number of overseas visitors to the USA is expected to drop 3% in 2009 to 25.5 million from an estimated 26.3 million this year, the TIA says.
In 2007, about 29 million travelers from overseas — excluding Mexico and Canada — visited the USA, up 10% from 2006, according to the Travel Industry Association. But given the global economic crisis, the number of overseas visitors to the USA is expected to drop 3% in 2009 to 25.5 million from an estimated 26.3 million this year, the TIA says.
11.18
08
by admin ·
Hall of Fame coach led Robertson, West, Lucas to Olympic title in 1960
Pete Newell coached his last game nearly a half-century ago, but his impact on basketball is felt at the game’s highest level even today.
The beloved Hall of Fame coach, who won an NCAA championship and an Olympic gold medal, and who later tutored some of the game’s greatest big men, died Monday. He was 93.
His death was confirmed by the University of California, the school Newell coached to a national title in 1959. Newell, who had been living near San Diego, had a serious lung operation in 2005.
Newell coached for 14 years at San Francisco, Michigan State and California before doctors advised him to give it up because of the emotional toll. His final coaching job came in the 1960 Olympics, when he took a U.S. team led by Oscar Robertson, West and Jerry Lucas on a dominant run to a gold medal in Rome.
Newell later returned to prominence with his famous “big men” camps. He instructed some of the game’s greatest stars, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Shaquille O’Neal and Ralph Sampson.
Among Newell’s biggest admirers was Knight, whose teams practiced Newell’s style of patient, disciplined offense and tenacious, hardworking defense.
11.18
08
by admin ·
Jamie Foxx will take a break from Hollywood next month to release his third album, “Intuition.”
Due Dec. 16 from J Records, the set is preceded by the single “Just Like Me” featuring T.I., which is the top debut this week at No. 48 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The track, which was co-written and produced by the hitmaking team of the-Dream and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, goes to digital retailers on Tuesday.
“Intuition” will also feature contributions from Timbaland, Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett, Salaam Remi and Carlos McKinney, among others. It’s the follow-up to 2005’s “Unpredictable,” which has sold 1.98 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Foxx next appears alongside Robert Downey Jr. in “The Soloist,” which opens March 13 in U.S. theaters.
