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Gio van Bronckhorst: Goal of the tournament?

2010-07-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

It doesn't get much bigger than a World Cup semifinal (unless we're talking about a World Cup final) and Giovanni van Bronckhorst's opening strike against Uruguay was more than worthy of the occasion. It sparked the Netherlands to a 3-2 victory over Uruguay — their most impressive win of the tournament — and sends them through to their first final since Argentina '78. Gio's thunderous left-footed strike went just over Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's fingertips, rocked the far post and bounced into the net, giving the Clockwork Oranje a clockwork start to the semifinal.
[Photos: See more of Dutch defender Gio van Bronckhorst in action]
Some are calling it the goal of the tournament and it makes a strong case. Between the sheer awesomeness of it and the fact that it came in the biggest game of the tournament so far, it's hard to argue different.
That absolute rocket is going to be tough to top, but if he can somehow get the ball over the line in the final as the Netherlands try to win their first World Cup, van Bronckhorst would surely be the king of Holland.
http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Gio-van-Bronckhorst-Goal-of-the-tournament-?urn=sow,254033

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.Tigers' Miguel Cabrera in Home Run Derby

2010-07-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Detroit -- Miguel Cabrera is going to Monday's Home Run Derby, the prelude to Tuesday's All-Star Game at Anaheim, Calif.
He wasn't sure how the selection affected him when asked about it late Tuesday night, following the Tigers' 7-5, 11-inning victory over the Orioles.
That's because Cabrera wasn't feeling well following a hot, four-hour evening at Comerica Park. He asked politely if he could talk about the Derby on Wednesday.
Cabrera was expected to feel like a million bucks after slamming a mammoth, two-run, game-tying home run in the ninth inning that kept the Tigers alive until Johnny Damon's two-run homer in the 11th won it for manager Jim Leyland's team.
Cabrera was named Tuesday as one of six players who will compete in the annual power-hitting contest that has helped turn the All-Star Game into All-Star Week.
The others who will be joining him: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox; Robinson Cano, New York Yankees; Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays; Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals; and Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers.
Two more players will be named sometime this week.
A couple of Cabrera's teammates had mixed emotions about his appointment to the Derby, in which he also competed when he played for the Florida Marlins in 2006.
"I hope it doesn't mess with his swing," said Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers outfielder who competed in the Home Run Derby in 2007, in San Francisco.
"One round, and see ya later," Ordonez said, laughing at his early dismissal from the fence-clearing tournament.
Brandon Inge was a late addition to last year's All-Star Game in St. Louis -- and a late addition to the Home Run Derby. As with Ordonez, he also made an early exit.
"He'll be fine," Inge said of Cabrera.
"I enjoyed it. I had a blast."
Cabrera's home run Tuesday night was his 21st of the season. He also had a triple (his first since 2008) and a single. He is batting .343 on the season with 73 RBIs. From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100707/SPORTS0104/7070365/1129/Tigers--Miguel-Cabrera-in-Home-Run-Derby#ixzz0t1hujBhm
THIS STORY CAME FROM DETNEWS.COM

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Germany and Spain in fight for final

2010-07-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

By Barry Moody
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Germany and Spain do battle Wednesday for the right to meet the Netherlands in the World Cup final, in a semi hoped to be one of the most exciting clashes of the tournament.
A 3-2 Dutch victory Tuesday against a Uruguayan side who battled until the last in an entertaining encounter, guaranteed Europe would win its first trophy outside the continent in the final at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Sunday.
“It is hard to comprehend, such a small country, but not a small footballing country, reaching the World Cup final,” emotional Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk said.
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At home, the Dutch partied and prayed their new heroes could go one better than the past masters who reached finals in 1974 and 1978 but in both cases agonizingly failed to win.
The second semi-final in Durban Wednesday could be a thriller with both teams committed to attack and fast passing.
The speed and quality of the German side has been one of the surprises of the tournament while European champions Spain are one of the world’s most stylish teams, able to torment opponents with precision passes and possession.
IMPRESSIVE GERMANY
Germany are looking to avenge their defeat by Spain in the 2008 Euro final.
The Netherlands, in their first final since 1978, had to endure some nail-biting moments Tuesday night when Uruguay pulled a goal back in added time and looked in danger of scoring another in the dying seconds.
Germany and Spain have suffered only one defeat in the tournament, both to small teams—Switzerland beat Spain and Serbia shocked Germany in the group stages.
But Germany have been the most impressive, their youngest squad in 76 years scoring four goals on three occasions past Australia, England and Argentina.
German coach Joachim Loew said Spain would be much harder to beat than Argentina and rival coach Vicente del Bosque paid tribute to his opponents’ blend of youth and experience.
Spain started more slowly in this tournament and have scored fewer goals, but striker David Villa is in deadly form, joint top scorer at the tournament on five goals.
VUVUZELA CONTROVERSY
Superstitious German fans may be worried that a supposedly psychic octopus which has correctly predicted the result of all their matches so far here, foresees a loss against Spain.
Paul the octopus, which lives in an aquarium in western Germany, makes his prophecy by picking food from containers marked with the flags of the two teams.
Perhaps to counter that, Germany coach Joachim Loew is refusing to change his trademark blue sweater on the touchline because staff and players think it brings them luck.
Away from the soccer, South African authorities continued their case against a British tabloid journalist accused of helping a fan illegally enter the England dressing room after their goalless draw against Algeria in Cape Town.
Although the fan did no more than make his angry feelings clear, the case seems to be the highest-profile security breach in an otherwise fairly trouble-free tournament.
Journalist Simon Wright, who has had to surrender his passport and report to police every day, will go to trial in Cape Town after prosecutors rejected his bid to have charges dropped.
On a happier note for organizers, the overall attendance will pass 3 million at Wednesday’s match, making it the third highest after the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006.
Vuvuzelas may have been the unique symbol of South Africa 2010, but the plastic trumpets which sound like a swarm of angry bees are proving controversial.
In New Zealand, which hosts next year’s rugby World Cup, stadium authorities are banning them.
“I can’t see that that sort of deafening drone is going to be in any way well received,” said Bryan Pearson, chief executive of one venue management company.
The vuvuzela craze has even reached Peru, but for all the wrong reasons. Two women were arrested in front of a Lima school for trying to sell marijuana stuffed into the horns.
(Reporting by World Cup team; Editing by Ossian Shine)
This story came from yahoo Sports!

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Bosh to join Wade in signing with Heat

2010-07-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Dwyane Wade (notes) and Chris Bosh (notes) have decided to sign with the Miami Heat while continuing to recruit LeBron James (notes) to help them form an All-Star triumvirate that threatens to shift the NBA’s balance of power, two sources with knowledge of the plans told Yahoo! Sports.
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“They think they’ve got a real chance to pull this off with LeBron,” a league source said.
Said an official with one team that made a formal presentation to James: “It’s down to Cleveland or Miami for him.”
The three players shared a call after midnight on Wednesday, when Wade and Bosh told James they were committing to the Heat, a source said. James didn’t commit with them, but kept his own plans private for a television announcement on Thursday night. Wade and Bosh plan to formally announce their decision on Wednesday afternoon.
Still, Wade and Bosh decided they needed to make a commitment to give them the best possible chance of luring more talent – including James – with the additional salary-cap space in Miami.
The New Jersey Nets have turned their attention to trying to sign either Carlos Boozer or David Lee.
As a possible contingency plan if they don’t get James, the Heat have had trade conversations since before the draft about sending point guard Mario Chalmers (notes) and a first-round pick to Portland for shooting guard Rudy Fernandez (notes), a league source said. Another possible deal for Blazers point guard Andre Miller is now considered doubtful.
ESPN first reported Wade and Bosh’s plans.
This story came from yahoo sports!

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The World Cup hero with no reward

2010-07-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – In a week’s time, Andre Ooijer could be returning home to the Netherlands with a World Cup winners’ medal in his pocket and the thanks of a nation ringing in his ears.

And he won’t have a job.

After being released by Dutch club PSV Eindhoven at the end of last season, Ooijer has just a single offer on the table. It is from AEK Larnaca in the tiny European nation of Cyprus, whose national team is ranked 67th in the world.

On the surface, it is difficult to see why Ooijer is not in greater demand. After being drafted into the Netherlands lineup in its quarterfinal against Brazil after Joris Mathijsen was injured in pregame warmups, Ooijer performed strongly and shut down striker Luis Fabiano in the second half.

But Ooijer turns 36 in a week, and while he can stir reserves of energy from his aging legs for a handful of games at the World Cup, his ability to perform strongly over the course of a long club season is questionable.

“I am no longer 18 years old,” he said. “And for the moment I am without a club. It has affected me, but now, that is a thousand miles away from my mind.”

No surprise there. The next week gives Ooijer the chance to be a part of something truly special, something he could barely have dreamed of when he headed into this tournament as a central defender backup to Mathijsen.

Mathijsen has undergone treatment to his knee since the 2-1 win over Brazil, but it is still doubtful whether he can get through 90 – and possibly 120 – minutes of semifinal action.

That means Ooijer is likely to retain his place against Uruguay at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium on Tuesday, where he would be charged with handling the South American side’s in-form striker Diego Forlan.

If Forlan can be controlled then the Netherlands would have one foot in the final, and Ooijer, a veteran of 56 international appearances, will have helped out his country once again.

Even if it doesn’t help his own career much.

“I am not doing this for how it can benefit my chances of finding a club,” Ooijer said. “I am doing this to help us win the World Cup. I am the daddy of the team. The guys are so much younger than me and it is interesting to be around them.

“But I believe in all of them and I know that with this group of players we have what it takes to become the champions of the World Cup.”

The Netherlands has never won a World Cup, having come tantalizingly close in both 1974 and 1978 in losses to host nations West Germany and Argentina in the final.

“For most of the players, that is so long ago it is like ancient history,” Ooijer said. “I am a bit older so I realize how close they came and what it would mean to the country if we could win the prize. That itself would be worth more than anything, better than anything else that could happen to me.”

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Music Chart News

2010-07-05T15:38:00.001-07:00

Eminem's "Recovery" (Interscope/Universal) started a second week as the U.K.'s No. 1 album and Katy Perry a second atop the singles chart with "California Gurls" (Virgin/EMI), featuring Snoop Dogg.

"Recovery" thus matches the performance of Eminem's last album "Relapse," which spent its first two weeks at No.1 in late May and early June last year. The single "Love The Way You Lie," featuring Rihanna, climbed 7-6 on the new July 4 Official Charts Company listing, while the album outdid the Scissor Sisters' "Night Work" (Polydor/Universal), which debuted at No. 2 as its single "Fire With Fire" slipped 11-12 in its second week.

Two former No. 1 albums, Alicia Keys' "The Element of Freedom" (J/Sony Music Entertainment) and Plan B's "The Defamation of Strickland Banks" (679/Atlantic/Warner Music), climbed back 6-3 and 7-4 respectively. Mumford and Sons' "Sigh No More" (Universal Island) improved 10-8 and David Guetta's "One Love" (Positiva/Virgin/EMI) 13-10.

There were notable sales spurts for performers at the previous weekend's Glastonbury Festival. Friday (June 25) headliners Gorillaz climbed 24-12 with "Plastic Beach" (Parlophone/EMI) and Saturday's bill-toppers Muse raced 62-13 with "The Resistance" (Helium 3/Warner Music). Stevie Wonder, who headlined at Hard Rock Calling in London's Hyde Park and then Glastonbury the next night, saw his "The Definitive Collection" (Motown/Universal Island) improve 57-16.

Perry's "California Gurls" withstood the challenge of "Airplanes" (Rebel Rock/Atlantic/Warner Music) by B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams, which rose 12-2. Kylie Minogue's "All The Lovers" (Parlophone/EMI), which fell 4-6 last week, bounced back 6-3 after her appearance on BBC1's "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" June 25.

Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It" (Interscope/Universal), the lead single from his new "Euphoria" album released today (July 5), debuted at No. 4, while labelmate Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" moved 8-7 and "Commander" by Kelly Rowland featuring David Guetta 13-9.

Eminem's "Recovery" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's European Albums chart, while K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" (A&M/Universal) is in a second week atop European Hot 100 Singles.
news from Billboard.com
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Rafael Nadal ready to claim US Open title to complete full set of slams

2010-07-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

If Federer stays in third spot throughout the hard-court swing in North America, he could end up having to play Nadal, the world No1 and Wimbledon champion, in the semi-finals of the US Open, which could have all sorts of consequences.
New York is supposed to be Federer’s town, as he has appeared in the last six finals, with his only defeat coming against Juan Martin del Potro in last summer’s title-match, but it sounds as though Nadal is going to arrive at Flushing Meadows next month as ready as he has ever been to win the US Open and to complete his collection of grand slam titles.

When Andre Agassi achieved his career grand slam, he was 29, and when Federer finished his set of majors, by taking last season’s French Open, he was 27, yet if Nadal can win in America, he will join that exclusive club at the age of 24. The only other players to have won all four slams at least once are Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver and Roy Emerson.
Nadal is winning grand slam titles at a faster rate than Federer did. At the age of 24 years and one month, Nadal has eight slams, while, at that same stage in his career, the Swiss had six.
Nadal has never reached the final on the New York concrete. The last couple of years he lost in the semi-finals. In 2008, he was exhausted by the time he reached America as that summer, in addition to achieving the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, he had flown to China and back to win an Olympic gold medal in Beijing. He lost to Andy Murray in New York.
Last summer, his knees cost him his titles in Paris and London, and an abdominal strain ended any chance of success at the US Open. Nadal won just six games against Del Potro, an Argentine with a nasty forehand, for his heaviest defeat at the slams. “I hope to be ready, to be healthy, because for the last few years I have had problems,” Nadal said. “Maybe this year it will be different. Now the most important thing is for me to rest in Majorca, to enjoy the summer there and then have a mini-pre-season practice there.”
John McEnroe, who called Nadal “an animal”, said that this could be the year that the Majorcan holds up the trophy in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Nadal wants to win the US Open so badly. It would be hard not to pick him at this time even though he’s never won it,” McEnroe said to the ATP Champions Tour website.
“The guy’s just an animal; he’s mentally and physically incredible and he can definitely do it if he’s in this shape. The conditions in New York don’t suit Nadal so well and he needs to make his body hold up. So I think after Wimbledon he is going to take some time off and get his knees recovered and then maybe not play too many matches before the Open.”
Everyone seems agreed that Federer, who lost in the quarter-finals at the All England Club to the eventual runner-up Tomas Berdych, will never again dominate men’s tennis.
“Federer has done so amazingly well that anything but a win is almost considered a bad tournament,” McEnroe said. “But he’s won the Australian Open and been in two quarter-finals at majors this year, and almost any other player would love that.
“It’s inevitable at some stage, when you’ve won 16 slams and you’ve broken every record, that maybe you lose that will at certain times. I think Federer is going to win a couple more majors but you won’t see him dominate the way he has before.”

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2010-04-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

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Sunday August 29, 2010 at 2:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Saturday April 24, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Sunday April 25, 2010 at 2:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Thursday June 10, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Friday June 11, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Sunday June 13, 2010 at 2:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Monday August 2, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Tuesday August 3, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Winston-Salem Dash vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston-Salem, NC
Wednesday August 4, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Boston Celtics Playoffs Round 1, Game 1
Boston, MA
Saturday April 17, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Boston Celtics Playoffs Round 1, Game 2
Boston, MA
Sunday April 18, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Ida McBeth
Kansas City, MO
Friday April 16, 2010 at 8:30PM
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Je Caryous Johnsons Cheaper To Keep Her
Beaumont, TX
Tuesday May 4, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
Tuesday November 2, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
Wednesday November 3, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
Friday November 5, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
Saturday November 6, 2010 at 3:00PM
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
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Je'caryous Johnson's Marriage Material
Houston, TX
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Trixter
FRIDELY, MN
Saturday May 1, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Berry Sakharof
Boston, MA
Thursday April 22, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Israel Independence Day Celebration Featuring Berry Sakharof
Boston, MA
Thursday April 22, 2010 at 8:00PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: 4th of July Celebration
Cary, NC
Sunday July 4, 2010 at 7:30PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: Beethoven's Emperor
Cary, NC
Saturday July 17, 2010 at 7:30PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: Celebrating 10 Seasons
Cary, NC
Saturday June 19, 2010 at 7:30PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: Play with the Pros
Cary, NC
Saturday May 29, 2010 at 7:30PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: Red, White & Blue
Cary, NC
Saturday June 5, 2010 at 7:30PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: The Ahn Trio
Cary, NC
Saturday June 26, 2010 at 7:30PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: Tiempo Libre
Cary, NC
Saturday June 12, 2010 at 7:30PM
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NC Symphony Summerfest: Wizard of Oz
Cary, NC
Saturday July 10, 2010 at 8:30PM
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Adler's Appetite
Agoura Hills, CA
Sunday July 11, 2010 at 8:00PM
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Great White
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Friday August 13, 2010 at 9:00PM
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NMSU Cheer and Dance Classic
Las Cruces, NM
Saturday April 10, 2010 at 9:30AM
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Legends
Thousand Oaks, CA
Friday June 18, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Legends
Thousand Oaks, CA
Saturday June 19, 2010 at 7:00PM
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Legends
Thousand Oaks, CA
Sunday June 20, 2010 at 1:00PM
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Angels rookie pitcher Adenhart killed in car crash

2009-04-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was among three people killed in a crash in Fullerton, California, early Thursday, according to the team and a hospital spokesman.
Adenhart, 22, from Silver Spring, Maryland, died at UC Irvine Medical Center, according to spokesman John Murray.
"The Angels family has suffered a tremendous loss today," Tony Reagins, the team's general manager, said in a written statement. "We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick's family, friends, loved ones and fans."
One person was arrested in connection with the three-vehicle accident occurred about 12:23 a.m. Thursday in Fullerton, south of Los Angeles. Witnesses say a red minivan ran a red light and struck two vehicles at a Fullerton intersection, police Lt. Craig Brower told CNN.
One of the vehicles, a gray Mitsubishi, slammed into a power pole, Brower said. Two of its passengers were dead at the scene, he said. The other two were transported to UC Irvine Medical Center.
Murray said Adenhart underwent surgery and died at the hospital, but did not know if he died during or after the procedure. Brower said the remaining passenger was in critical condition.
The Angels said the two dead at the scene included the female driver of the Mitsubishi and another male. No other members of the Angels organization were involved, the team said.
Adenhart reportedly was "in bad condition at the scene," team spokesman Tim Mead told reporters, and there wasn't much that could be done for him at the hospital. He died "mid- to late morning," Mead said.
A passenger in the minivan was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Brower said. The third vehicle sustained minor damage, and its driver was unhurt, he said. Police did not identify any of the dead.
The minivan's driver fled the scene and was later arrested, Brower said. Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside will face charges of manslaughter, felony driving under the influence and hit-and-run, he said.
Footage from the scene showed the minivan with a smashed front end and the Mitsubishi, which was heavily damaged. Debris littered the intersection where the crash took place, and it was cordoned off with yellow police tape.
The Angels' game Thursday night with the Oakland A's was postponed at the direction of Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball. No information was released as to when the game would be played.
"Major League Baseball is in mourning today upon the news of this tragedy that has taken Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others," Selig said in a statement. "Nick was just 22 years of age, with a wonderful life and career ahead of him. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my sincere sympathy to the families and friends of all three victims and to the entire Angels' organization. I send my deepest condolences to Nick's parents, Jim and Janet. The hearts of everyone in baseball are with them at this most difficult time."
The Angels quoted Adenhart's family in the team statement, saying they "expresses sincere gratitude for all the help the Angels have provided.
"He lived his dream and was blessed to be part of an organization comprised of such warm, caring and compassionate people," Adenhart's parents said in the Angels statement. "The Angels were his extended family. Thanks to all of Nick's loyal supporters and fans throughout his career. He will always be in everyone's hearts forever."
Funeral and memorial arrangements were pending, the team said.
MLBPA Executive Director Donald Fehr issued the following statement.: "We were shaken and deeply saddened when we learned about the terrible accident that claimed the lives of Nick Adenhart and others. Just hours before the accident, Nick demonstrated his passion for baseball and his prospects for a very bright future when he pitched six scoreless innings for the Angels. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick's family, his teammates, the Angels organization and his many friends and fans; it is very painful to lose a son, a teammate and a friend under these circumstances, and we also extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the other victims of the crash."
Adenhart pitched in a game against the Oakland A's Wednesday night in Anaheim, California, making what was characterized as a "brilliant effort" despite the Angels' 6-4 loss, according to Major League Baseball's Web site, MLB.com.
In his fourth major league start, Adenhart pitched a scoreless six innings, allowing seven hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
"I thought he pitched a terrific game," manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com after the game and before the crash took place. "He gave us a chance to win. He has better tools out there now. He pitched ahead a lot and was able to get back in counts and put guys away."
"It felt good to work out of some jams early," Adenhart told MLB.com. "My curveball was really working for me, and then my change came on later when I felt I needed it."
Jim Adenhart had flown out from Baltimore, Maryland, and was at Wednesday night's game to watch his son's start, his first of the season, Mead said. He remained in California Thursday, and Janet Adenhart was expected to fly out later in the day.
The Angels drafted Adenhart in the 14th round of the June 2004 draft, according to the team statement. He was in his fifth professional season and made the Angels Opening Day Roster for the first time.
"Adenhart earned his spot in the Angels rotation via a spring training in which he recorded a 3-0 record and a 3.12 ERA over the course of six starts," the team statement said. "During that span, he struck out 18 while allowing only five base on balls."
Adenhart made his major league debut May 1, 2008, against Oakland, the team said. At the time, he was the youngest active-roster pitcher in the majors.
Adenhart was a 2004 graduate of Williamsport High School in Williamsport, Maryland. His baseball coach there, Rod Steiner, told CNN affiliate WHAG, "After watching last night, as well as he pitched ... things seemed to be going so smooth. This is the last thing that you ever imagine."
He remembered Adenhart as a hard worker who knew he wanted to be a major-league pitcher while still in high school, and worked hard to achieve that goal, despite a setback when he had to undergo shoulder surgery.
He said area residents who didn't even know Adenhart followed his career and cheered him on. "He touched a lot of lives."
Adenhart was a member of the 2006 Olympic Qualifying Team that traveled to Cuba and qualified the United States for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He started one game for Team USA, earning a no-decision and striking out six batters in an 8-7 win over Brazil.
"You're never prepared for this kind of news," USA Baseball Executive CEO Paul Seiler said. "We, like the entire the baseball community, mourn the loss of someone so young who was in the prime of his life. Our thoughts go out to his family, his teammates and the entire Angels organization."
Davey Johnson, who managed the 2006 Olympic Qualifying Team, fondly remembered his time with Adenhart.
"One of the highlights of managing for USA Baseball is the opportunity to work with bright, young players who are eager to learn the game. Nick embodied all of those attributes. He was a joy to manage in Cuba and was a key contributor to our success there. This is such a tragedy -- his career was just getting started."

Kanye West Launching Energy Drink, Cologne

2009-04-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Rapper Kanye West is expanding his empire into branded beverages and fragrances.West will have his own energy drink through a collaboration with GURU Beverages Inc., a maker and distributor of organic and natural drinks. West will be involved in the entire development process of a new beverage "inspired by his own personal artistic vision," the company announced yesterday (April 8). The new drink is expected to launch later this year. As part of the deal, West is now an equity partner in the company."I express myself through music, fashion, art and design and that's why I am excited to collaborate with GURU; because the brand values what I value, and I can put what inspires me into this new product," West said in a statement. West is also part of a deal that will see branded perfumes and colognes from Jay-Z, Rihanna, and West himself. Parlux Fragrances, Inc., announced Tuesday (April 7) that it has signed an agreement with Iconic Fragrances LLC, Jay-Z's own licensing company. The agreement allows for royalties, profit sharing, and stock options for West and the others.

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Announces Solo Tour

2009-04-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will tour selected Eastern and Southern U.S. cities in June, the band announced on its website today (April 8). Vedder's new 14-date solo trek starts June 8 in Albany, N.Y. and hits intimate venues in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Nashville, Memphis and Atlanta before wrapping up with a trio of Hawaii dates June 29 - July 2.Liam Finn, who was also the opening act on Vedder's inaugural solo tour last year in support of the "Into The Wild" soundtrack, will open for Vedder on the entire run of new dates.A presale for current Pearl Jam fanclub members runs through April 10 at 5pm Pacific at PearlJam.com.The Pearl Jam frontman recently performed alongside Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at the David Lynch Foundation benefit "Change Begins Within" at New York's Radio City Music Hall on April 4. Vedder is also on the bill for folk icon Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Concert at New York's Madison Square Garden on May 3.
June 8: Albany, N.Y. (Palace Theatre)June 9: Albany, N.Y. (Palace Theatre)*June 11: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)June 12: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)June 14: Baltimore (Lyric Opera House)June 15: Baltimore (Lyric Opera House)June 18: Nashville, Tenn. (Ryman Auditorium)June 20: Memphis, Tenn. (Orpheum)June 21: Memphis, Tenn. (Orpheum)*June 23: Atlanta (Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center)June 24: Atlanta (Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center)*June 29: Maui, HI (Arts & Cultural Center, Castle Theatre)July 1: Honolulu (Hawaii Theatre)July 2: Honolulu (Hawaii Theatre)* indicates the "unconfirmed, possible 'rollover'" date.

Rascal Flatts On Track To Score No. 1 On Billboard 200

2009-04-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Rascal Flatts' new album "Unstoppable" looks like it'll live up to its name, as it's on course to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart next week. Industry prognosticators project the Lyric Street set will sell over 300,000 copies in its first week, and suggest that number could grow even higher.If it does open at No. 1, it will be the fourth chart-topper for the band -- the most of any country group. They are currently tied for the most with the Dixie Chicks.Unsurprisingly, "Unstoppable" leads the Nielsen SoundScan Building chart that was released on April 8, which reflected unweighted sales through the close of business on Tuesday, April 7.Billboard estimates the seven merchants who report to Nielsen SoundScan's Building chart -- Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, iTunes, Starbucks, Borders, Target and Anderson Merchandisers -- comprise about 60% of all U.S. album sales.Rascal Flatts' last studio album, 2007's "Still Feels Good," opened at No. 1 with 547,000 and has sold 2.2 million in the U.S.
Other albums looking good for a top 10 debut on next week's Billboard 200 chart include Jadakiss' "Last Kiss" (Ruff Ryders/D-Block/Def Jam) and Jason Aldean's "Wide Open" (Broken Bow). Also, watch for Walt Disney's "Hannah Montana: the Movie" soundtrack to post a big gain next week, as the film bows in U.S. theaters on Friday, April 10. The Easter holiday, which falls on Sunday, April 12, will also likely be a sales driver for the set.Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week, as reflected in the official Billboard 200 chart, runs from Monday through Sunday of each week. The newest Billboard 200 chart, released today (April 8) -- where Keith Urban's "Defying Gravity" debuted at No. 1 with 172,000 -- reflected the week that ended on Sunday, April 5.

Fall Out Boy Takes 50 Cent On Tour

2009-04-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

It was 50 Cent's proposal to play some shows with Fall Out Boy this month. But he didn't have to ask twice."He came up with the idea, and we were like, 'Yeah. Totally. Yeah. Why not?," frontman Patrick Stump tells Billboard.com. "He had been talking for awhile about doing something together. We definitely like hip-hop a lot, and I think a lot of people know that at this point. We've toured with Paul Wall. We've had Lil Wayne on our record. I worked with Gym Class Heroes extensively. So I think it works."But Stump acknowledges that hasn't been a universal sentiment."We've encountered a little bit of negative feelings about it," he says, "but I think that you should challenge your audience a little bit. And I think the reality is that, OK, if you don't like 50 Cent, if you're that stuck-up that you're going to stand there and hate him actively, then go to the concession stand during (his set). Go get a T-shirt or go to the bathroom if that's how you feel. Otherwise, challenge yourself."I'm excited to see how it goes because it will certainly add something to the tour in a different way that I think is worth seeing. I think it should be interesting."
The rapper -- whose new album, "Before I Self Destruct," is due in June -- is playing five shows with Fall Out Boy, starting April 14 at the Fillmore in Denver. Both acts are also playing at this weekend's Bamboozle Left festival in Irvine, Calif. Stump says there are no plans yet to collaborate on stage, but he doesn't rule it out, either."We haven't really talked about it," Stump says, "but I think a tour kind of has a life of its own. On the first day it's just like summer camp -- you're really awkward. But by the last day you have your group of friends and you've figured yourself out, so who knows? It may happen. I could just as easily see him and Cobra Starship hanging out, so we'll see."Fall Out Boy kicks off its Believers Never Die Part Deux tour today (April 3) in Mesa, Ariz. Other opening acts on the tour include Metro Station, All Time Low and Hey Monday.

Aerosmith To Tour With ZZ Top, New Album Delayed

2009-04-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Health issues and touring commitments have combined to postpone Aerosmith's next album, according to guitarist Joe Perry.Perry tells Billboard.com that the record sessions -- for the group's first album since 2004's "Honkin' on Bobo" and first of all-original material since 2001's "Just Push Play," were delayed when he had to have surgery earlier this year to clear out an infection in his knee replacement. Then, last month, singer Steven Tyler came down with pneumonia, after which the veteran Boston rockers "realized there wasn't any chance of getting it finished before we hit the road for the summer. So basically we had to push (the album) back, and when the band gets off the road, that's when we'll pick up the Aerosmith record."Aerosmith's tour, the group's first since 2007, starts in June with ZZ Top. Perry says about 40 dates are set so far for North America, with South America, Europe and Japan also under consideration. The itinerary should be announced soon.Perry -- who was in Cleveland to attend Saturday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and perform the Yard Birds' "Train Kept A Rollin'" with Metallica, Ron Wood and inductee Jeff Beck -- says Aerosmith has "probably two or three (songs) that could be mixed right now, maybe even more. But there's a long way between two or three and doing the 12 or 14 that you have to have to do a whole project." He says what's been done so far at his home studio with producer Brendan O'Brien "sounds like 'Rocks'" and hews closer to the rougher sound of "Honkin' on Bobo" than the more polished production of "Just Push Play." "It's everybody in the room with a producer cracking the whip," Perry notes, "laying the tracks down and getting a good take without having to (edit) too much."
The silver lining in the Aerosmith delay, Perry adds, is that he's been able to go "full blast" on his next solo album, the follow-up to 2005's Grammy-nominated "Joe Perry." He has 10-12 songs ready -- three of which, including a cover, he played for Billboard.com -- which he'll record with "an A-list producer I can't name, but will very soon." David Hull from the Joe Perry Project is playing on some tracks, along with Ben Tileston, who plays drums with two of Perry's sons in TAB the Band. He's also considering using other players and possibly guest vocalists."I have a big chunk of time before the tour, so I'm gonna try to get the solo record done as soon as I can," Perry says. "Chances are you're gonna be hearing that before you hear an Aerosmith record...'cause I expect the Aerosmith tour, God willing. to continue through the fall."

Metallica, Run-DMC Inducted Into Rock Hall Of Fame

2009-04-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Metallica shoved the mosh pit into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Heavy metal's heaviest hitters, whose menacing, monstrous sound has banged heads around the globe for decades, were inducted into rock's shrine on Saturday night, capping a star-studded ceremony that felt much more like a concert than an awards show.For the first time, the no-holds-barred show, back in Cleveland following a 12-year holdover in New York's Waldorf-Astoria ballroom, was open to the public.And nearly 5,000 fans partied in the balconies inside renovated Public Auditorium as 1,200 VIPs dined below at tables costing as much $50,000 each.Many of the came to pay homage to Metallica, which earned top billing in an eclectic 2009 class that included rap pioneers Run-DMC, virtuoso guitarist Jeff Beck, soul singer Bobby Womack and rhythm and blues vocal group Little Anthony and the Imperials.
Metallica's members have survived some of the dark themes — death, destruction and desolation — that threads through its music, and their induction was a chance to celebrate their legacy as perhaps the hardest band to ever walk the earth. The event also served as a reunion as bassist Jason Newsted, who left the group in 2001, joined his former bandmates on stage for seering versions of "Master of Puppets" and "Enter Sandman.""Whatever the intangibles elements are that make a band the best, Metallica has them," said Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who delivered a heartfelt speech in presenting the band. He recalled being on tour and hearing Metallica on the radio for the first time."My mind was blown. It wasn't punk rock. It wasn't heavy metal. It just stood by itself," he said. "I didn't know what it was, but I knew it was a mighty thing."In accepting their awards, Metallica's members were joined by Ray Burton, the father of original bassist Cliff Burton, who died tragically in 1986 when the band's tour bus skidded off an icy road in Sweden."Dream big and dare to fail, because this is living proof that it is possible to make a dream come true," said frontman-guitaristr James Hetfield, who then rattled off a long list of hard-rocking bands he feels deserve induction."Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Rush, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Iron Maiden, Motorhead. We'd like to invite them through the door," said Hetfield, who concluded his remarks by wrapping Ulrich in a bear hug.The evening ended with a jam for the ages as Metallica, Beck, Jimmy Page, Aerosmith's Joe Tyler and Flea brought the house down with a performance of the Yardbirds' "Train Kept A Rollin."A guitar virtuoso, Beck, who was previously inducted in 1992 with the Yardbirds, was put in for his solo work. Although best known for his rock accomplishments, Beck's career has wandered a fretboard of genres ranging from blues to jazz to electronica."Jeff's style is totally unorthodox to the way anyone was taught," said Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, who presented his longtime friend. "He keeps getting better and better and better."Beck, wearing all white, was joined on stage by Page, a fellow guitar god, who played bass during a searing rendition of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song."With two turntables and a microphone, Run-DMC broke down the barriers between rock and rap. With sparse, stripped-down lyrics above pounding beats, the trio of Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell changed rap in the 1980s by taking the realities of the streets to the suburbs.

Phish To Play Fenway Park

2009-04-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Green Monster is getting scaly.Phish announced a May 31 concert at Fenway Park on Monday, one of a handful of shows the Vermont-based jamband added to its summer tour.The home of the Boston Red Sox has only recently been used as a concert venue, first by Bruce Springsteen in 2003. Jimmy Buffett, the Rolling Stones and the Police followed suit at the world's oldest baseball park.The Phish foursome reunited last month in Hampton, Va., after nearly five years off.

Simon And Garfunkel Confirm Reunion Tour

2009-04-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Simon and Garfunkel have crossed their personal bridge over troubled water and will reunite for a rare concert tour, kicking off in New Zealand and Australia.Veteran Australian promoter Michael Chugg has confirmed the music industry's worst kept secret with the news that Paul Simon and his long-time running mate Art Garfunkel will return to the stage for a string of Australasian dates mid-year.However, fans of the hit-making singers and songwriters will have to sit tight on international dates, which so far have yet to be announced.The enduring duo will first visit New Zealand for a June 13 concert at Auckland's Vector Arena, before traveling west for seven shows in Australia, beginning June 17 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and concluding July 2 at the Burswood Dome in Perth. It will mark the pair's first Australasian visit since their 1983 Summer Evening Tour."It's been 25 years since they've been here and I'd put money on the table this will likely be the last time for us with these two legends together," comments Chugg, executive chairman of Sydney-based Chugg Entertainment. "This is probably a twice in a lifetime chance, but the last time you'll get to take it I'd say."
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General tickets go on sale April 17 in Australia via Ticketek, and through Ticketmaster in New Zealand. A special Visa Entertainment pre-sale for all shows began today at 12 noon local time and runs until 5pm this Wednesday.Speculation on a reunion tour has ramped up since the partnership played a surprise reunion gig Feb. 13 at New York's Beacon Theatre, which was hosting its first event after a seven-month renovation by Madison Square Garden Entertainment.The pair performed "The Sound of Silence," "The Boxer" and "Old Friends" during the encore, in what was understood to be just their third appearance together since concluding a 2004 U.S. and European reunion run, entitled Old Friends In Concert Tour.

Chris Brown Pleads Not Guilty

2009-04-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Monday to threatening and assaulting his girlfriend, fellow music star Rihanna.The 19-year-old R&B singer entered his plea, speaking in a soft voice, while standing alongside his lawyer, Mark Geragos. His mother sat in the first row, red-eyed.Within moments of the hearing, a lawyer for Rihanna said the singer was hoping a plea deal could be reached before the case goes to trial. "She would be pleased if this was over quickly," attorney Donald Etra said. He reiterated that Rihanna would testify if required.Brown was charged in March by Los Angeles County prosecutors with felony assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats. He was arrested nearly a month earlier after police said he was involved in an early morning altercation with a woman who identified the "Run It!" singer as her attacker.Court records list Brown's victim as "Robyn F." Rihanna's real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
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Etra represented the 21-year-old "Umbrella" singer at Monday's arraignment, but did not speak during the five-minute hearing. He said afterward that that the singer is in "fine spirits" and spending time with her family in Barbados.Etra said Brown's plea was "totally expected."If convicted, Brown could be sentenced to probation or nearly five years in prison.Neither side has publicly addressed Brown and Rihanna's relationship since the incident.But there has been discernible fallout and backlash since Brown's arrest.Neither singer performed at the Grammy Awards hours after the alleged beating, and both were also no-shows for the Kids' Choice Awards show March 28.Sponsors have stopped using Brown, some radio stations have stopped playing his music and some broadcasters have even started playing an anti-Chris Brown song created by the little-known dance group Smoke Jumpers.Brown left the courthouse with his mother, two bodyguards and an entourage. On his way out, he had to walk through a phalanx of cameras. He was picked up by a car in front of the courthouse.Geragos offered no comment and quickly left the courthouse with his client.

AC/DC Adds Summer Stadium Shows

2009-04-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Following a successful run of North American arenas earlier this year, AC/DC will bring its Black Ice tour back to the United States this summer. New dates begin July 28 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., and are currently scheduled through Sept. 8 in Anaheim, Calif. Nine new U.S. dates were confirmed at deadline, and more will be announced shortly. AC/DC is currently touring in Europe through late June. Tickets for summer concerts in Foxborough; East Rutherford, N.J.; Detroit; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Tacoma, Wash.; go on sale Saturday (April 11) through ticketmaster.com and the band's Web site, acdc.com. Tickets for the San Diego show go on sale April 18, and the Los Angeles concert goes on sale April 25. Since starting its tour in late October, most of AC/DC’s North America dates sold out. From October 2008 through March 2009, the band grossed $49.1 million from 36 concerts that drew nearly 561,000 fans, according to Billboard Boxscore. AC/DC's ongoing Black Ice world tour -- its first outing since 2001, when it grossed $28.5 million from 52 shows, according to Boxscore -- is in support of the rock act's latest album release "Black Ice." The Columbia set, released exclusively through Wal-mart, Sam's Club and AC/DC's Web site last October, has moved 2 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Depeche Mode announces venues for North American tour

2009-04-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

Depeche Mode has unveiled the venues for this summer's North American leg of its "Tour of the Universe."
The new-wave pioneers begin their North American trek July 24 and are currently scheduled to make stops in 20 cities by earlier September. The itinerary is included below.
The international portion of the jaunt launches May 10 in Tel Aviv, Israel, before heading to Europe for a string of 35 stops. Details for the overseas performances are posted at the band's website.
The British icons are promoting their 12th studio album, "Sounds of the Universe," which hits shelves stateside April 21. The group recently released the video for the effort's first single, "Wrong," on their website, and announced last Tuesday (2/24) that they would be the first artists to participate in the iTunes Pass. Fans who purchase the new album for a slightly higher price through the iTunes Pass option will also be the first to receive exclusive singles, remixes and videos over a set period of time. A Black Light Odyssey Dub remix of another new Depeche Mode track titled "Oh Well" was the first exclusive unveiled.

Metallica Announce Second North American Tour

2009-04-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Metallica have a new North American tour set-out for late 2009.
Starting in Nashville, TN on September 14, the second leg of the rockers' 'Death Magnetic' tour will continue through until December 12 with a final performance in San Jose, CA.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1981, Metallica rose from humble beginnings to become one of the biggest and most influential heavy-metal bands on the planet. Their 1983 debut, Kill 'Em All, is widely considered one of the first thrash-metal albums, thanks to its blitzkrieg riffs and breakneck tempo. Their subsequent albums — 1984's Ride the Lightning, 1986's Master of Puppets and 1988's ... And Justice for All — saw the band expanding not just their sound, but their audience. Their self-titled 1991 album (also known as The Black Album for its iconic onyx cover) made them one of the biggest bands in the world, with a long run at #1 on the Billboard albums chart, selling a staggering 22 million copies worldwide. Last year, they released the return-to-form Death Magnetic, which also debuted atop the Billboard charts and was one of 2008's biggest-selling albums.

U2 360 Tour: Chicago, Boston and New York All Instantaneous Sell-Outs

2009-04-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES, March 30, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ ----TORONTO - 2 SHOWS COMPLETELY SOLD OUT!
With sales this morning of over 82,000 tickets sold in New York, 72,000 in Boston and 65,000 in Chicago U2 360 Tour will set the largest single day attendance record in each city.
Response has been overwhelming and records continue to shatter. In London, with over 6700 tickets sold in just 60 seconds, ticket sales for U2 360 Tour at Wembley Stadium resulted in the highest sales rate ever in the UK. At Dublin's Croke Park, 160,000 tickets for U2 360 Tour performances on July 24th and 25th sold out in just 40 minutes, leading the announcement of a 3rd and final event in that city. Sales in Gothenburg and Amsterdam were so brisk that 2nd performances were added and sold out within hours of them going on sale. Zagreb sales broke all sales records in that country and last week - U2's tour opener in Barcelona sold out in 54 minutes becoming the fastest ever sold out show in the history of pop music in Spain.
The North American tour opener in Chicago September 12th at Soldier Field was an instantaneous sell-out. Due to overwhelming demand, a 2nd and final performance September 13th also with special guest Snow Patrol has been confirmed. In Boston, in addition to the sold out September 20th performance, fans will be able to see U2 with special guest Snow Patrol at a second event - September 21st at Gillette Stadium.
In New York at Giants Stadium, Muse will be the special guest at both the September 24th and now 2nd and final performance on September 25th. In Toronto, response to the announcement of U2's performance was so strong that a 2nd performance was announced prior to it going on sale this morning and both performances September 16 and 17th at Rogers Center are also now sold out.
Also confirmed this morning, U2 360 Tour will visit Washington - September 29th at FedEx Field; Charlottesville, October 1st at Scott Stadium; Atlanta - October 6th at Georgia Dome; Tampa - October 9th at Raymond James Stadium; Los Angeles - October 25th at the Rose Bowl; and Vancouver - October 28th at BC Place Stadium.
Tickets in Charlottesville will go on sale Friday, April 3rd. Tickets for all additional performances including the 2nd and final performances in Chicago, Boston and New York will go on sale next Monday, April 6th at 10:00 am.
Full details of all dates and on-sale information as well as a virtual model of the unique production and seating positions can be found on a dedicated microsite at U2.com. Subscribers to U2's official website U2.com will have an opportunity to purchase tickets in advance of the public on sale date.

No Doubt Announces 2009 Summer Tour With Special Guest Paramore

2009-04-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES, CA – Grammy-winning rock band No Doubt announced plans for their 2009 summer tour today. The band will launch their highly anticipated tour this May, playing outdoor amphitheaters and arenas throughout the summer. Singer Gwen Stefani said, “The whole reason for going on this tour was to have fun, try on all our favorite songs again and to get inspired to make new music. It feels good to be all together again."No Doubt has selected Paramore as the special guest for the tour. "What a dream tour! We couldn't be more excited to kick off 2009 by touring with a band like No Doubt,” said Paramore singer Hayley Williams. "Get there early...this is going to a be a great night from the moment the lights go down," said bassist Tony Kanal. The third act that will open the show will be shared among The Sounds, Janelle Monae and Bedouin Soundclash. Check your local listings for more specific information. “Now that five years have passed, the excitement level for us is extremely high. We are so fresh and ready! I feel like a kid again when rehearsing these songs,” said drummer Adrian Young.The 2009 No Doubt Summer Tour will be produced by Live Nation and will include stops in both the U.S. and Canada. The band last toured in 2004, co-headlining with Blink 182.

Busy Neil Young to release box set

2009-03-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Neil Young’s a busy guy. He’s got a new album, “Fork in the Road,” due out April 7. He has put out a pair of videos, drawn from songs on the album; one (“Cough Up the Bucks”) comments on the economic mess, while the other (“Light a Candle”) strikes a more optimistic note.
And, if you’re a fan, the biggest news of all is that he’s finally putting out a long-awaited box set of his first 10 years, from some 1963 live sets through material for his 1972 classic, “Harvest,” and on to his 1973 film, “Journey into the Past.” In typical drily humorous Young fashion, the 10-disc set is called “Archives, Vol. 1.” (One can only imagine that a complete Young overview will be like one of those 150-CD sets compiling everything Bach ever wrote.)
Young can be notoriously — and justifiably — fussy about his recordings, paying strict attention to sound quality, microphone selection and basic “feel.” So it’s a real treat that this box set is finally seeing the light of day, particularly given what’s sure to be some exciting work: the years with Buffalo Springfield, the early material with Crazy Horse, perhaps even those Mynah Birds records with Rick James.
The box set comes out June 2, and is being released in three forms: an 8-CD box, a 10-DVD box, and a 10-disc box on Blu-ray DVD. The man is nothing if not accommodating.

T.O. a no-show at Bills' workouts

2009-03-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- T.O. was a no-show Monday for the start of the Bills voluntary offseason conditioning program.
That didn't stop his new teammates from eagerly awaiting Terrell Owens' arrival -- whenever that might occur -- and even getting in a laugh or two.
"I'm really excited about meeting the guy," center Geoff Hangartner said. "I've heard he's a great teammate."
Hangartner, who signed with the lls on Feb. 28, even got a joke in at Owens' expense, showing there's more than one Bills newcomer with a playful side.
With an obvious wink and a smile, Hangartner complained his free-agent signing has since been overshadowed by Owens, who made a far bigger splash a week later when he signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal.
"I'm pretty angry about it really," Hangartner said, barely able to contain his laughter. "I figured all along I'd be like the big-name free-agent signing."
Pausing for effect, Hangartner added: "That's fine. I can see why we've gotten overshadowed. He obviously earned the right to be the lead dog."
Owens' absence was not a big concern for Bills strength and conditioning coach John Allaire.
Stressing that the program is voluntary, Allaire said he was already impressed with the shape Owens was in when the two met shortly before the player signed with the Bills on March 7.
"He's a physical specimen," Allaire said. "He has a very good history of being in shape, ready to go. We're not anticipating anything different this year."
Having reviewed Owens' workout program, Allaire said the two are "on the same page" and there isn't much he needs to address.
Allaire would only say, "we'll see," when asked whether he expects Owens to take part in the 12-week conditioning program.
It's also not clear whether Owens will attend the team's voluntary minicamps set to start in May.
Two weeks ago, coach Dick Jauron noted the 35-year-old Owens' previous history of not taking part in voluntary sessions with his past teams, but hoped the Bills would be an exception.
"My hope is that he's here," Jauron said. "He knows how important it is for us, particularly in his first year with us."
Under NFL rules governing offseason workouts, players are required to attend teams' mandatory minicamps, which the Bills have scheduled for June.
Owens was unavailable for comment. His publicist, Keith Estabrook, said he was not aware of Owens schedule regarding the Bills and referred questions to the team.
One thing certain was how eager Owens' teammates were to see what impact he'll make to a sputtering offense that's ranked among the league's worst over the past six seasons; and whether he can change the fortunes of a team that's missed the playoffs for nine straight years.
"I don't know about anybody else's feelings, I know about mine: I'm pretty excited," guard Langston Walker said. "We've all seen him make some amazing plays and catches over the last few years ... He's definitely something that defenses are going to have to account for."
Second-year receiver James Hardy looked forward to start working with Owens, even though the two play the same position.
"I welcome him with open arms," Hardy said. "I'm going to try to soak up as much information as I possibly can and try to put it into my game. I know overall, at the end of the road, it's going to be a great experience for me."
Hardy has already benefited, saying he received an undisclosed amount of money for agreeing to give up his No. 81 jersey to Owens. Hardy will now wear 84.
"The number was never a big deal to me," Hardy said. "For the most part, everyone's excited because they feel he can help us on the offensive side."
The NFL's broadcasting partners have taken notice.
The league announced Monday that the Bills will be part of its Kickoff Weekend prime time schedule, opening their regular season with a Monday night game at AFC East rival New England on Sept. 14. The game will feature not only Tom Brady's expected return, but feature two of the league's premier receivers, Owens and New England's Randy Moss.

Britney Spears's Ex Ordered to Stay Away for Three Years

2009-03-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

Britney Spears and ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib won't be getting back together anytime soon. The paparazzo, 36, is forbidden from communicating with the singer, 27, or getting within 100 yards of her for the next three years, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aviva K. Bobb ruled Wednesday. The orders also prevent Ghalib from contacting Spears directly or indirectly through phone, mail or e-mail, as well as forbid him to claim that he represents her interests. Others protected by the order include Spears's parents, siblings and her children.The singer's father, Jamie Spears, who requested the order in January, has accused Ghalib and ex-manager Sam Lutfi of trying to disrupt his daughter's life. Before Jamie gained legal control over Britney, the pop star was hospitalized twice. Ghalib is also facing felony charges for allegedly trying to run over a process server.

Zvonareva beats Ivanovic, wind to take Indian Wells title

2009-03-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) -- Vera Zvonareva was the steadier player on a wind-swept afternoon at Indian Wells on Sunday, defeating defending champion Ana Ivanovic in the BNP Paribas title match.
With swirling gusts making the service toss difficult and even some routine shots extremely tricky, the 24-year-old Russian took a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over her Serbian opponent.
No. 6 Zvonareva added the crown to the doubles championship she won the previous day with teammate Victoria Azarenka, whom she had beaten in the singles semifinal.
Zvonareva joined Lindsay Davenport as the only women to win the singles and doubles title at Indian Wells in the same year. Davenport did it twice, in 1997 and 2000.
In the singles final this time, the wind swirled around the stadium in the 40-mph range, with both players often tossing the ball to serve only to have to catch it and try again. Serving on the first point of the tiebreaker, Ivanovic tossed the ball up, it went sailing some three feet behind her, bounced on the court and kept bouncing away, swept off the court by the wind.
Ivanovic finally served and won the point, but a string of errors cost her the rest of the tiebreaker and plagued her in the second set.
Zvonareva, who won her ninth career singles title and second of the year, handled the conditions better. She made 23 unforced errors, half of Ivanovic's total. Ivanovic also had five double faults, Zvonareva one.
Those mistakes negated Ivanovic's winners -- she hit 29 to Zvonareva's five.
The victory evened Zvonareva's record against Ivanovic to 4-4.
No. 7 Ivanovic, the defending French Open champion who had two stints at No. 1 last year, was trying to become only the second woman to repeat as Indian Wells champion. Martina Navratilova won the desert event in 1990-91.

Schilling announces retirement

2009-03-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

BOSTON (AP) -- Curt Schilling retired from baseball Monday, ending a career in which he won World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks and was one of the game's most dominant pitchers and grittiest competitors.
The 42-year-old right-hander said on his blog he's leaving after 23 years with "zero regrets." Schilling missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after signing a one-year, $8 million contract.
"The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime," he wrote.
Schilling had surgery last June and had said he might come back in the middle of this season though he was not under contract. He made no reference to his injury on his blog.
He was co-MVP of the 2001 World Series with Randy Johnson while in Arizona. Schillingalso won World Series titles with Boston in 2004 and 2007.
"Curt had a great career and made a profound impact on the Red Sox, helping to restore the Red Sox' status as a championship organization," general manager Theo Epstein said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "He was consistently dominant, and never more so than when it mattered most. Not only for what he did -- but for when and how he did it -- Curt deserves to be remembered with the all-time greats."
Schilling came to Boston for the 2004 season and helped the team win its first World Series in 86 years, pitching Game 2 of a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals after a surgical procedure to suture a loose tendon in his right ankle and with blood seeping through his sock. The sock is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round in 1986 but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles before playing for the big league club. He pitched for Baltimore, Houston, Philadelphia and Arizona before being wooed to the Red Sox by Epstein.
Schilling, one of the sport's hard throwers, finishes his career with 3,116 strikeouts, 14th most in baseball history, a 216-146 record and a 3.46 ERA.
He was even better in the postseason, with an 11-2 record, the best of any pitcher with at least 10 decisions, and 2.23 ERA in 19 career starts.
"The game always gave me far more than I ever gave it," Schilling wrote on his blog. "All of those things, every single one of those memories is enveloped with fan sights and sounds for me."
Schilling was 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA in 2007, when he spent seven weeks on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis.
In the final game of his career, he won Game 2 of Boston's 2007 World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies, 2-1. Schilling allowed one run on four hits in 5 1-3 innings and was relieved by Hideki Okajima after walking Todd Helton on a full count.
Schilling's shoulder injury came to light early the following February when he disclosed on his blog that he and the team disagreed about the best way to treat it. He preferred surgery while the team wanted him to rehabilitate it in hopes of having him pitch in 2008.
He eventually had surgery on June 23 to repair his right biceps tendon and labrum. Dr. Craig Morgan, the surgeon, said the operation kept Schilling on target to pitch by the middle of this season if he decided to return.
Schilling was known for his outspokenness.
In March 2005, he testified at a congressional hearing concerning steroids. In July 2007, he said on HBO's "Costas Now" that the refusals of Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire to address speculation about steroids use were tantamount to admissions.
Last September, he criticized former teammate Manny Ramirez during a radio appearance.
"He was very kind, and well-mannered, but there were spurts and times when you didn't know who he was," Schilling said. "You know, he was always kind and nice for the most part, but he'd show up the next day and say, 'I'm through with this team, I want out now."'
On Monday, Schilling announced he was out of baseball.
"The game was here long before I was, and will be here long after I am gone," he wrote. "The only thing I hope I did was never put in question my love for the game, or my passion to be counted on when it mattered most. I did everything I could to win every time I was handed the ball."

Girardi: A-Rod making progress in rehab program

2009-03-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is making progress in his rehab program after right hip surgery, but is unlikely to rejoin the team before New York breaks spring training camp on April 1.
"I'm not anticipating it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Monday. "It's only 10 days. His rehab is going well."
Rodriguez had surgery on March 9. He is rehabbing in Vail, Colo., and is expected to be out until May. He has been riding a stationary bike, working out in a pool and doing range of motion drills.
In other news, Girardi said if the regular season were under way that Xavier Nady would be the starting right fielder over Nick Swisher.
"Nady did a lot of good things last year, so obviously he had somewhat of the upper hand coming in," Girardi said. "Swish gives us a lot of flexibility."
Nady was acquired from Pittsburgh on July 26. He hit .268 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs in 59 games with the Yankees. Swisher, who plays first and all three outfield positions, was obtained in a November trade with the Chicago White Sox.
"I know Swisher is obviously going to be a big part of this team," Nady said. "We both plan on playing a lot."
Girardi also confirmed that Chien-Ming Wang is scheduled to start the first exhibition game at the new Yankee Stadium on April 3 against the Chicago Cubs. A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte will both pitch in a second exhibition game with Cubs one day later.
CC Sabathia is expected to start the regular-season opener.
"I do feel good about this team," Girardi said. "I like the depth of our rotation. I like the fact that we have kids pitching at Triple-A that have big league experience. I like the fact that you send a kid like Phil Hughes down who has a very good spring training and competed at a high level. I feel like we have a lot more depth in that area. That's an area we didn't have depth in last year."
Shortstop Derek Jeter is rejoining the Yankees from the World Baseball Classic and told Girardi that he wants to play in Tuesday night's game against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees captain went 1-for-5 in the United States' 9-4 loss to Japan in the WBC semifinals on Monday night.
"Are we surprised? No," Girardi said. "I'm going to put him in the lineup."
The Yankees also reassigned Kei Igawa to their minor league camp on Monday. The left-hander, who allowed one run over 15 1-3 innings, was in the mix for the long relief role.
Igawa will be a starter at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
"Right now that's what we envision him doing," Girardi said. "We told him, just continue to attack the zone. I think he did a really good job most of spring training. I thought this was probably his best spring training."

Madonna's Greatest Hits Album to Include New Songs

2009-03-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Calling all Madonna fans! The Queen of Pop is coming out with a long-awaited greatest hits collection this fall. 'We're hoping to have a greatest hits package come out in September," the singer's longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, tells PEOPLE. "We're all very excited about it." With so many hit songs to choose from over her long career, the singer's manager, Guy Oseary, asked fans on Twitter Tuesday which tunes they think should be included. "Working on Madonna's greatest hits album," he wrote. "Any tracks that you think MUST be on?" Still, the new album won't only feature songs her fans know and love. "Madonna does have plans to go into the studio to record a few new songs for this album," says Rosenberg.The greatest hits album will be Madonna's last with Warner Records, with whom she sold more than 200 million albums. In October 2007, she ended her 27-year relationship with the label when she signed a reported $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation.

Jonas Brothers Announce World Tour Dates

2009-03-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Nearly two weeks after the premiere of Disney's "Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert" film, the siblings have unveiled dates to their upcoming world tour. The 44-date North American leg begins June 20 at the Dallas Cowboys New Stadium in Texas and wraps Aug. 31 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.Prior to North American arena dates, the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009, produced by Live Nation and presented by Burger King, will play a handful of dates in South America in mid-May before heading to the United Kingdom and Europe in early June.The Jonas Brothers trek will feature support from former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks and rock act Honor Society.Tickets in North America go on sale to Jonas Brothers fan club members in select cities beginning March 16, while the general public on sales start March 20 through livenation.com.The Jonas Brothers World Tour supports the trio's most recent studio album, "A Little Bit Longer," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last August. The Hollywood Records set has sold 1.49 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Kings Of Leon, Jane's Addiction Among Lollapalooza Headliners

2009-03-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

Kings of Leon will be among the headliners of both this year's Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits festivals, Billboard sources have confirmed. Depeche Mode, the Beastie Boys, and Jane's Addiction are also playing Lollapalooza, which takes place in Chicago's Grant Park Aug 7-9, the Chicago Tribune reports and Billboard's sources confirm. Both events are produced by Austin, Texas-based C3 Productions.The full Lollapalooza lineup announcement is expected in April.Among the known top headliners for this year's Lollapalooza, Kings of Leon are the only band that wasn't around when the event debuted in 1991 as a traveling, multi-city festival. As previously reported, the band sold out New York's Madison Square Garden in January, and has a run of U.S. arena dates scheduled for April and May.Jane's Addiction, the classic alternative band fronted by Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell, has reunited with its original lineup and will play the event for the first time since its inception. As previously reported, the group is set to embark on a co-headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails, a band that also played on the first Lollapalooza tour and headlined the Chicago fest in 2008. (Nine Inch Nails is playing a separate solo Chicago show this year).The Beastie Boys, who were on the Lollapalooza tour in 1994, are preparing for the release of their follow-up to 2007's "The Mix Up" instrumental album. They are among the headliners of the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee in June.
As previously reported, Depeche Mode is prepping the April 21 release of "Sound of the Universe" and head out on a North American tour on July 24. The Lollapalooza show will be its only Midwest appearance.Kings of Leon and Jane's Addiction will meet earlier in the season when both bands headline the Sasquatch festival at the Gorge in Quincy, Wash on May 23-25.

U2 Unveils Stadium Dates

2009-03-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

U2 and Live Nation have confirmed the first round of stadium dates on the band's global "360°" tour.As first revealed on Billboard on Friday (March 6), the tour, produced by Live Nation Global Touring and sponsored by "smartphone" brand Blackberry, kicks off at Barcelona's Nou Camp soccer stadium on June 30. The first tickets to go on sale for the "in the round" shows will be for Milan and Gothenburg (March 13), followed by Amsterdam (March 14).In a statement issued today, the band's manager Paul McGuinness said: "U2 has always been at their best when surrounded by their audience, this staging takes a giant leap forward. With 85% of the tickets priced at less than €95 [$119.40], general admission floor tickets priced at €55 [$69.12] and at least 10,000 tickets at every venue priced at around €30 [37.70], we have worked very hard to ensure that U2 fans can purchase a great priced ticket with a guaranteed great view."Confirmed support acts on the tour will include Glasvegas, Elbow, Kaiser Chiefs, Snow Patrol and Black Eyed Peas. Further acts will be announced shortly.

Coachella Adds Bands, DJs After Winehouse Drops Out

2009-03-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Devendra Banhart, the Orb, Chemical Bros., Murder City Devils and Etienne de Crecy have been added to the lineup of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival after one of its marquee artists withdrew from the bill. As previously reported, troubled British singer Amy Winehouse pulled out of the festival after an assault charge in Britain made it unlikely she would get the necessary visa to perform.Flying Lotus, Public Enemy producers the Bomb Squad, Kode 9, and Daedulus are among the DJs who will perform in the Dome, Coachella founder and booker Paul Tollet announced yesterday (Mar. 9) in coachelladigital.com, a new webzine produced by the festival.The tenth annual Coachella festival is to be held April 17-19 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Paul McCartney, the Killers and the Cure lead the bill, while My Bloody Valentine, Morrissey, Leonard Cohen and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are among the more than 100 acts previously announced.

TICKETMASTER REACHES NATIONAL SETTLEMENT

2009-02-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

Ticketmaster will stop linking customers to subsidiaryby Peggy McGlone/The Star-LedgerMonday February 23, 2009, 1:11 PMTicket giant Ticketmaster has reached a national settlement with the New Jersey Attorney General in which it agrees to stop linking customers to TicketsNow, a subsidiary agency that sells tickets at scalper's prices.Attorney General Anne Milgram said Ticketmaster has agreed to run a lottery that will make 2,000 tickets available at face value to customers who complained about the way Ticketmaster handled the Feb. 2 sale of tickets to Bruce Springsteen's shows May 21 and 23 at the Izod Center at the Meadlowlands.More than 2,200 fans complained to the Attorney General that they were redirected from the Tickemaster website to TicketsNow even though tickets were still available at face value.Fans - more than 1,000 - who don't win a pair of tickets in the lottery will be given $100 gift certificates, Milgram said, and the ability to purchase tickets for an upcoming Springsteen concert in New Jersey.The settlement requires Ticketmaster to pay $350,000 to the state for costs associated with the investigation.It will also end a previous advertising arrangement in which customers Googling for Ticketmaster were automatically sent to the TicketsNow web site."This is a very significant agreement for consumers in New Jersey," said Milgram at a morning press conference at the Izod Center. "The settlement is national in scope and it changes fundamentally Ticketmaster's business practices."

Police: No charges against Phelps despite marijuana pipe photo

2009-02-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) -- Now that Michael Phelps won't face drug charges, he can try to distance himself from a photo that showed the Olympian smoking a marijuana pipe.
A South Carolina sheriff decided Monday after a highly publicized investigation that he simply didn't have enough physical evidence to charge the 14-time gold medalist.
"We had a photo and we had him saying he was sorry for his inappropriate behavior. That behavior could've been going to a party," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.
"He never said, 'I smoked marijuana.' He never confessed that," the sheriff said.
Phelps, who lost a major endorsement and faces a three-month competition suspension in the fallout from the photo, said he was ready to put the ordeal behind him.
"For me, it's all about recognizing that I used bad judgment and it's a mistake I won't make again," the swimmer said in a statement. "For young people especially -- be careful about the decisions you make. One bad decision can really hurt you and the people you care about. I really appreciate the support my family and fans have shown me."
The photo showed Phelps smoking from a marijuana pipe at a party in November when he visited the University of South Carolina.
Lott said authorities seized the marijuana water pipe, known as a bong, in the photo during the investigation but couldn't prove Phelps had smoked from it.
Holding a bong is not a crime, he said.
"They're sold in stores. We're kind of sending a double message," Lott said. "You can buy rolling papers at any convenience store in the world, but we're telling kids not to smoke dope."
Phelps didn't get through the scandal unscathed, though. USA Swimming suspended Phelps for three months in the wake of the photo, and Kellogg Co. said it would not renew its endorsement deal with him.
And while the swimmer won't face any charge, eight people were arrested during the investigation when a small amount of marijuana was found in raids on two homes. The bong was found in a car.
Seven people have been charged with simple possession of marijuana, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail or a $575 fine. Another person was arrested for driving under suspension.
The sheriff, known for his tough stance on drug crimes, said ignoring the photo would have sent a message of tolerance.
Phelps' "bad decision and the highly published photo placed me and the Richland County Sheriff's Department in a no-win situation. Ignore it and be criticized or address it and be criticized. I chose to do what was right," said Lott, a Democrat who was first elected in 1996.
Lott rose from patrol officer to captain of the narcotics division in the early 1990s. He was well-known in the county for wearing stylish suits like the drug agents on "Miami Vice" and driving a Porsche seized from a drug dealer.
The sheriff said the investigation involved two narcotics officers that logged 25 hours over about a week. He said the house where the November party took place and another suburban home near Columbia had previously been investigated for drugs.
His investigation was criticized in newspaper editorials, on talk shows and by defense attorneys who questioned whether the sheriff was being overzealous because of Phelps' celebrity status.
Even if the sheriff had the evidence needed, he acknowledged he could not force Phelps to return to South Carolina to face a misdemeanor possession charge.
One of the attorneys representing the three students arrested said the accused were all in their early 20s. Attorney Dick Harpootlian said the police kicked in the doors with guns drawn during the raids and found less than a cigarette's worth of marijuana in the house where the party was held. The other raid netted about four or five cigarettes worth, Harpootlian said.
The lawyer expects his clients to either have the charge dismissed or for them to get a conditional discharge, which allows an offender to avoid punishment as long as they comply with certain conditions for six months and stay out of trouble.
"We hope these kids are treated the same as any other kids," he said.
The photo surfaced in the British tabloid News of the World on Feb. 1. The swimmer, who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, never disputed its authenticity.
Lott said the person who took the photo sold it for $100,000. He would not identify the photographer or say how he knew the amount.
The party occurred nearly three months after the Olympics while Phelps was taking a break from training.
This isn't the first embarrassing episode for Phelps after an Olympic triumph. In 2004, a few months removed from winning six gold and two bronze medals in Athens, the swimmer was arrested on a drunken driving charge at age 19. He pleaded guilty and apologized for the mistake.

Ticketmaster, Live Nation join forces

2009-02-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Live Nation Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. announced plans to merge Tuesday, combining the nation's biggest concert promoter with the largest seller of tickets for live entertainment.
The new company, which will be called Live Nation Entertainment, will have a value of about $2.5 billion based on current prices and excluding net debt. The merger is expected to close in the second half of the year.
Under the all-stock deal, Ticketmaster (TKTM) shareholders will receive 1.384 shares of Live Nation (LYV) common stock for each share of Ticketmaster they own, subject to certain adjustments.
"Being able to put Live Nation and Ticketmaster into an equal partnership will allow the companies to get through this difficult period and be able to expand live entertainment options to audiences throughout the world," said Barry Diller, chairman of Ticketmaster Entertainment, in a statement.
Still, analysts say the new venture, which is subject to approval by the Department of Justice, raises antitrust concerns.
Live Nation, which recently launched its own ticketing operation, has gone from just promoting concerts to actually selling music in recent months. Artists such as Madonna and Jay-Z have both signed multimillion dollar contracts to give Live Nation the rights to their next few albums.
Ticketmaster, meanwhile, has recently come under fire from regulators for an episode involving TicketsNow, its ticket reseller business.
Last week, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, and Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., D-NJ, called for an investigation of how tickets were sold for a Bruce Springsteen show that went on sale on Feb. 2.
In a letter to the Department of Justice, Pascrell said tickets for the Springsteen show were briefly unavailable on Ticketmaster's website because of "technical difficulties." But after the show sold out, consumers were informed that they could buy tickets on TicketsNow for a much higher price.
"As the Springsteen bait-and-switch shows, even on its own, it is very hard to trust Ticketmaster," Schumer said in a statement Tuesday.
"This merger would give a giant, new entity unrivaled power over concertgoers and the prices they pay to see their favorite artists and bands. It must be viewed skeptically and scrutinized with a fine-toothed comb by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission," he added.
In response, Diller told analysts in a conference call that Schumer had made statements that were "factually untrue."
"Ticketmaster is not in the business of denying primary tickets to anyone in order to push them to the secondary market place," Diller said.
Diller said the confusion was due to a "technical glitch" related to a credit card company's inability to process data. "But the confusion was not out of Ticketmaster pushing people to our reseller site," he said.
Jerry Reisman, partner in the Garden City law firm of Reisman, Peirez, Reisman, said the government should scrutinize the deal because it would give the combined company unfettered access to the concert tour business, which is the most profitable area of the music industry these days.
"There's lots of money to be made, and LiveNation controls the touring business and now with the merger that control is complete," Reisman said.
Antitrust issues aside, Live Nation stands to benefit the most from the deal, according to Scott Devitt, an analyst who covers the company for Stifel Nicolaus & Co.
"Live Nation's ticketing platform is not working the way that they thought it would," Devitt said. "Live Nation needs Ticketmaster from a distribution standpoint."
Devitt would not comment on the legal aspects regarding the merger, but said it "gives the combined company significant control of the entire distribution process in the entertainment industry."
The new company is expected to generate approximately $40 million by combining ticketing, marketing data centers and other administrative functions.
The companies said the merger will help improve "access and transparency" by combining artist, promoter and ticketing under one banner. It will also enable more "innovative and dynamic" promotion arrangements, which will create more choice and "a more fan-friendly purchasing experience."
By joining forces, the companies said they will be able to develop new technologies that will benefit consumers.
The merger will also create opportunities to improve attendance at events, the companies said, which will be a boon for concert venues and support a healthier live entertainment industry.

Festivals Returning Despite Struggling Economy

2009-02-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

The international music festival market took a hit last week with the cancellation of the Langerado Music Festival in Miami and the Hydro Connect Festival in Scotland, but other large-scale fests are returning for a second year despite a struggling economy.U.S. festival producers Madison House Presents and AEG Live have just announced that the Rothbury Festival will return for its second year at Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Mich. The event will take place July 2-5, with artist and ticket information to be announced soon.Other AEG Live-promoted festivals returning for their second year include All Points West Music & Arts Festival across the Hudson River from Manhattan and Mile High Music Festival in Denver, AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips tells Billboard. The lineups for those festivals have not yet been announced.Last year's four-day Rothbury Festival featured sets from Phil Lesh, Snoop Dogg, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band and dozens more. The event ranked No. 8 on Billboard's 2008 top-grossing festivals tally, pulling in $7.4 million and drawing 120,820 music fans, according to Billboard Boxscore.The struggling economy has forced consumers to become more cautious about how they spend their entertainment dollars, but Phillips reports that ticket sales are strong for the annual Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, which are held at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif.

"They're selling well," he says, noting a similar trend for upcoming AEG Live-promoted tours for Britney Spears and Taylor Swift. "I'm nervous about shows we end up putting on sale in May and June, because eventually this unemployment has to bite us."Phillips believes that this year's three-day Coachella festival could sell more than 150,000 tickets, which would be on par with last year's event, according to Boxscore. He also has high hopes for the 2009 edition of country music festival Stagecoach, which debuted in 2007."The first two years we lost money, which we expected to," Phillips says of Stagecoach. "This year we think we're going to go way into profit. That's usually the rule of thumb: it takes about three years for a festival to either break even or make money."Others haven't been so lucky. Organizers of the Langerado Music Festival cited the recession's impact on ticket sales as a major factor of the event's cancellation. "The economy just really took us for a hit," Langerado co-promoter Ethan Schwartz tells Billboard. "The entertainment dollar is stretched thin for people right now."Meanwhile, Festival Network executive chairman Chris Shields says the company "is in belt-tightening mode -- streamlining operations to best prepare for the 2009 season." Festival Network produces worldwide jazz and folk-themed music events, including the Playboy Jazz Festival and the JVC Jazz Festivals in New York and Paris.Some are tackling the issue of the economy head on. Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., and Coachella are among the festivals offering layaway plans on tickets. Similarly, the United Kingdom's Glastonbury Festival, which has reported strong ticket sales, allowed festival-goers to reserve tickets by paying a deposit.

Buffett Taking Fans To 'Summerzcool'

2009-02-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Dates are beginning to trickle out for the 2009 edition of Jimmy Buffett's traditional summer tour schedule, which shows no signs of slowing.Buffett's "Summerzcool" tour is currently slated to kick off Feb. 24 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and Feb. 28 at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu. The tour will vsit the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte, N.C., on April 21, and the Time Warner Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, N.C., on April 23, a venue Buffett played for the first time in years in 2008.A date has also been penciled in at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Detroit on Aug. 13.Rumored tour dates online include two-night stands at Toyota Park in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, N.J., the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass., the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and New York's Madison Square Garden.Later this year, Buffett, who turned 62 on Christmas Day, will release a live acoustic CD comprised of songs he traditionally performs in the final encore of each show, either alone or with guitarist Mac McAnally. In addition, two Buffett songs -- re-recordings of "Margaritaville" and "Volcano" -- were recently made available for the "Rock Band 2" video game on the Wii.

Kelly Clarkson Breaks Record For Hot 100 Jump

2009-02-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

Kelly Clarkson makes history on this week's Billboard Hot 100 with the largest leap to No. 1 in the chart's 50-year history. Her new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," rockets 97-1 after selling 280,000 digital downloads in its first week of availability.The song is also faring well at radio, jumping 58-38 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and 27-18 on the Mainstream Top 40 list."My Life" introduces Clarkson's March 17 RCA album "All I Ever Wanted." This is the second time the artist has set the record for largest jump to No. 1. She took her "American Idol" victory song, "A Moment Like This," 52-1 on the chart dated October 5, 2002.That mark lasted nearly five years until Maroon 5 soared 64-1 with "Makes Me Wonder" in May 2007 and had been broken three more times since, most recently by Britney Spears' "Womanizer" (96-1). "My Life" is Clarkson's first No. 1 since her debut single, though she has placed six other songs in the top 10 during this time, including the No. 2-peaking "Since U Been Gone" in April 2005.Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis slips to No. 2 after three weeks on top. Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" slides 2-3, while Kanye West's "Heartless" is down 3-4 despite being the chart's greatest airplay gainer.

Taylor Swift's "Love Story" holds at No. 5, the All-American Rejects' "Gives You Hell" remains No. 6 and T.I.'s "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna drops 4-7. The Fray's "You Found Me" jumps 16-8 as the top digital gainer on the Hot 100, thanks to download sales of 145,000. Britney Spears' "Circus" inches up 10-9 and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" is down 7-10.The Hot 100's top debut comes from U2's "Get on Your Boots" at No. 37. The track sold 57,000 downloads and garnered enough airplay to debut at No. 8 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart and No. 29 on the Mainstream Rock tally.On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, "Single Ladies" is in an 11th week at No. 1. Ciara's "Never Ever" featuring Young Jeezy is the top debut at No. 70; it's the second single from her delayed new album "Fantasy Ride," following "Go Girl" featuring T-Pain, which peaked at No. 26 last October.Blake Shelton notches his fifth No. 1 on Hot Country Songs with "She Wouldn't Be Gone," which jumps 3-1. Rascal Flatts' "Here Comes Goodbye" is the top debut at No. 29, giving the group its second-highest bow. Its new album, "Unstoppable," is due April 7 from Lyric Street/Hollywood.Kings Of Leon's "Sex on Fire" begins an eighth week atop the Modern Rock chart, while Shinedown leads Mainstream Rock for a seventh with "Second Chance."

Blink 182 Announces Reunion At Grammys

2009-02-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

As expected, Blink 182 announced it is reuniting for a tour and new album during tonight's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The group has been on hiatus for more than four years."We used to play music together, and we decided we're going to play music together again," said drummer Travis Barker, still with his arm in a sling following his survival of a deadly plane crash last year.In a statement sent to the media, the band said, "To put it simply, We're back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy." Rumors are swirling that the band will open for Green Day this summer, but details have not been announced.Since Blink-182's split, Barker and Mark Hoppus formed +44, while Tom DeLonge fronted Angels & Airwaves. The band's last show was Dec. 16, 2004.Blink 182's four studio albums and one live set have sold a combined 12.8 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group posted 10 top 10 hits on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, including the No. 1s "All the Small Things" and "I Miss You."

Snoop Dogg Releasing New Album Through MTV

2009-02-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

Rapper/actor Snoop Dogg, who recently split with Interscope Records, has signed a multi-rights deal with MTV to distribute, market and promote his next album, "Malice in Wonderland," due later this year.An MTV spokesperson said details are forthcoming on how the entertainment giant plans to get "Malice in Wonderland" into retail stores. Financial terms were not disclosed."Malice In Wonderland" will feature tracks by Pharrell and famed composer Lalo Schifrin, as well as longtime collaborator Dr. Dre, among others. "We're in the process of trying to help him [Dr. Dre] with the 'Detox' record and working on mine at the same time," Snoop Dogg told Billboard on the Grammy red carpet Sunday.

Snoop's music will also be made available through the videogame "Rock Band" on a date to be announced, and, as previously reported, he will begin hosting a new variety show, "Dogg After Dark," Feb. 17 on MTV.The rapper's most recent studio album, 2008's "Ego Trippin," has sold 382,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The lead single from that project, "Sensual Seduction" (aka "Sexual Eruption") has sold 869,000 digital downloads.

Tennessee self-reports violations

2009-02-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee officials self-reported two secondary recruiting violations committed in January under coach Lane Kiffin and his staff in a letter to the NCAA and Southeastern Conference.
The Tennessee athletic department said one violation occurred when nine prospects on an official visit to the school participated in a mock press conference at Neyland Stadium's media center.
Another violation occurred when a fog machine was used as a recruit entered the field at Neyland Stadium during his official visit on Jan. 9.
Under NCAA recruiting rules, schools are prohibited from simulating a game experience for recruits during official visits.
Tennessee issued letters of admonishment to Kiffin and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron and provided the staff with a review of NCAA recruiting policies. Neither the NCAA nor the SEC has issued any punishment.
"They understand that they must ask questions of the compliance office about anything 'creative' regarding campus visits," the Jan. 26 letter said.
The violations were first reported Monday by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Tennessee's coaching staff believed the mock press conference was allowed because it was not done in public. They thought the use of the fog machine was allowed after seeing it used at other universities.
Kiffin, who was introduced as Tennessee's new coach on Dec. 1, was reprimanded by SEC commissioner Mike Slive on Thursday for falsely accusing Florida's Urban Meyer of a recruiting violation.
Kiffin said Meyer broke recruiting rules by phoning wide receiver prospect Nu'Keese Richardson as he was making his official visit to Tennessee. Doing so would not constitute a violation of either NCAA or SEC rules.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier questioned whether Kiffin broke rules by contacting a recruit before being cleared by the NCAA to do so. Kiffin assured fans that he had been notified by the NCAA that he was cleared before making his first phone call.
Kiffin joked later that he received a 39 out of 40 on his recruiting test required by the NCAA.

Tejada charged with lying to congress about steroids

2009-02-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (AP) -- All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada hs been charged with lying to Congress about steroids, with the baseball player scheduled to appear in court Wednesday where he is expected to plead guilty.
The charges against Tejada, who currently plays for the Houston Astros, were outlined in documents filed in Washington federal court on Tuesday.
The documents indicate that a plea agreement has been reached with Tejada, who won the 2002 American League Most Valuable Player award while playing for the Oakland Athletics and is a five-time All-Star.
Tejada faces as much as a year in jail if convicted on the misdemeanor charge of making misrepresentations to Congress. Under federal guidelines, he would probably receive a lighter sentence.
Messages left for his attorney, Mark Tuohey, were not immediately returned.
The documents were filed a day after superstar Alex Rodriguez admitted to past use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The FBI also is investigating whether Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young winner, lied to Congress last year when he denied using steroids or human growth hormone.
In the documents filed Tuesday, Tejada is charged with lying to investigators for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2005 when he denied knowledge of an ex-teammate's use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The teammate is not identified in court documents, but is referred to as having played with Tejada on the Athletics.
Tejada "unlawfully withheld pertinent information from the committee because defendant Tejada, before and during his interview with the committee staff, then and there well knew that player .1, one of his teammates on the Oakland Athletics, had used steroids and HGH," the papers state.
In fact, prosecutors charge that during spring training in 2003, Tejada had purchased a substance believed to be HGH from the player, giving him payments of $3,100 and $3,200.
In the Mitchell Report, which examined steroid use in baseball, Oakland outfielder Adam Piatt is cited saying he discussed steroid use with Tejada and having provided Tejada with testosterone and human growth hormone.
The Mitchell Report, issued in December 2007, also included copies of checks allegedly written by Tejada to Piatt in March 2003 for $3,100 and $3,200.
The criminal charge against Tejada is contained in a six-page information, a legal document used often when a defendant has struck a plea deal with prosecutors.
Tejada came under scrutiny after another ex-teammate, Baltimore Orioles' Rafael Palmeiro, testified before the House committee.
In January 2008, the House panel asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Tejada lied to committee investigators when he was interviewed in connection with the Palmeiro steroids case.
When that same House panel held a hearing in March 2005, Palmeiro jabbed a finger at lawmakers and declared: "I have never used steroids, period." Palmeiro was suspended by baseball later that year after testing positive for a steroid.
The committee looked into whether Palmeiro should face perjury charges but eventually dropped the matter.
Palmeiro said his positive test must have resulted from a B-12 vitamin injection given to him by Tejada.
That prompted Congress to talk to Tejada.

Tiger and Elin Woods welcome their second child, a son named Charlie

2009-02-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hello, world.
Tiger Woods's wife, Elin, gave birth on Sunday to a boy, Charlie Axel Woods. It is the second child for the couple; their daughter Sam was born in 2007.
The birth, first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, was confirmed on tigerwoods.com.
"Both Charlie and Elin are doing great and we want to thank everyone for their sincere best wishes and kind thoughts," Woods said in a statement on the site.
Woods has not released any photos of the baby yet, but said he and Elin "look forward to introducing Charlie to you at the appropriate time."
Woods, 33, has found himself in the role of stay-at-home dad since June 2008, when he underwent reconstructive knee surgery after his dramatic U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. He's said he enjoyed spending the extra time with his daughter and that his knee injury has been a "blessing" in many ways.
"While my injury has been disappointing and frustrating, it has allowed me to spend a lot of time watching Sam grow," Woods said on his Web site. "I can't begin to tell you how rewarding it is being a dad and spending time with her and Elin."
Last week Woods said in a newsletter that he was preparing for his return to the PGA Tour, but everything was on hold until the new baby arrived.
"As for my comeback to the PGA Tour, a lot depends on the baby, which is due pretty soon. That takes precedent over anything I do golf-wise," Woods said. "Elin, Sam and I are very excited for the new baby to arrive, although that's when the real lack of sleep begins."
However, the new baby shouldn't expect to see too much of his dad. Woods's recovery from surgery has gone according to schedule, and he said he expects to play in this year's Masters tournament in April, if not sooner. Any Tour players hoping that diaper duty will affect Woods's play should keep in mind that Sam was born the Monday after the U.S. Open at Oakmont; two months later Woods won the PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

McNamee says he had to tell truth about Clemens

2009-02-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- Brian McNamee says he couldn't risk lying to federal agents when they asked him about Roger Clemens and performance-enhancing drugs.
McNamee, the pitcher's former trainer, spoke on "The Howard Stern Show" on Monday as a federal grand jury in Washington looks into whether Clemens lied to Congress.
"You just think of circumstances," McNamee said. "It wasn't worth that risk of that being over my head for six years -- that's the term they have to investigate you and convene a grand jury."
McNamee declined comment after leaving Stern's studio. He has told federal agents, baseball investigator George Mitchell and a House of Representatives committee that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998-01.
McNamee said he doesn't believe he violated Clemens' loyalty by confessing to authorities. His business was doing well independent of his work with the pitcher, McNamee said, though he acknowledged his affiliation with Clemens helped his credibility.
"It wasn't a financial thing for me to work with Clemens," McNamee said.
"Were we friends?" McNamee added. "I think there was a little bit of an arm's distance we kept."
McNamee was promoting a Web site he is affiliated with, sportsimproper.com, and appeared on the radio show with the site's "spokesmodel," Mai Tran.
Stern conceded he didn't know much about the Clemens case. The approximately 45-minute interview was more classic Stern than ESPN, complete with innuendo-laced questions about McNamee injecting Clemens' wife with HGH.
Asked if Clemens would have been a Hall of Famer without performance-enhancing drugs, McNamee said, "He left Boston in '96; if he never played after '96, he was a Hall of Famer."
The latest star player to be linked to steroids is Alex Rodriguez, who reportedly tested positive in 2003.
"I would hope it's not true, just for the sake of the game," McNamee said. "But it's something he's going to have to seriously contemplate coming up with a decision of how to approach it if it is true."
As other players have shown, he said, honesty works best.
"I think the best course of action if it is true -- like Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte, they just went on with their business and made a lot of money," McNamee said.
Asked if his life was ruined, McNamee said, "No."
Is he broke? "I'm on the fence."
He said he had work opportunities but it's difficult to follow through because of all the publicity.
"You get caught up in a culture," he said. "I made a mistake. I wouldn't do it again. It was stupid. I never made money off it."
McNamee said he was trying to keep a low profile, though he conceded the Stern interview contradicted that. At dinner Sunday night, he wasn't pleased that three strangers came up to him asking about A-Rod.
"I'm a very private person," he said. "I never wanted the limelight. I was thrust into this."

Sources: Brown's alleged victim was girlfriend Rihanna

2009-02-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

The woman allegedly assaulted by singer Chris Brown in Hollywood early Sunday was his girlfriend, singer Rihanna, according to sources close to the couple.

While Los Angeles Police have a policy against identifying alleged domestic violence victims, two people who know both Brown and Rihanna confirmed she was the woman police said had "suffered visible injuries and identified Brown as her attacker."
Brown, 19, turned himself in to police Sunday night after police said they were looking for him. He was arrested on a felony charge, released on a $50,000 bond and given a March 5 court date.
"Detectives investigating the alleged domestic violence felony battery booked him for criminal threats," a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department said. "At the time the case is presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, additional charges may be filed."
Brown, nominated for two Grammy Awards, was scheduled to perform at the show.His girlfriend, singer Rihanna, abruptly canceled her planned Grammys performance, but neither her spokesman nor the show organizers gave a reason.
"Rihanna is well," her spokesman said in a written statement. "Thank you for concern and support."

Rodriguez admits to using steroids

2009-02-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (SI.com) -- Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-2003, ESPN is reporting.
Those were the first three seasons of Rodriguez's then-record 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez won his first AL MVP award in '03, his last year with the Rangers, before being traded to the Yankees prior to the start of the 2004 season.
On Saturday, Sports Illustrated broke the news that Rodriguez had tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003. When reached for comment at a Miami gym last Thursday, Rodriguez told an SI reporter "You'll have to talk to the union" and "I'm not saying anything."
During the interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons, Rodriguez said, "When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure, felt all the weight of the world on top of me to perform and perform at a high level every day. Back then, it was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naive and I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth, you know, being one of the greatest players of all time. And I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful. And although it was the culture back then in major league baseball overall ... it was very ... I just feel that ... I'm just sorry. I'm sorry for that time, I'm sorry to my fans, I'm sorry to my fans in Texas. It wasn't until then that I thought about substance of any kind, and since then I've proved to myself and to everyone that I don't need any of that."
When asked if his usage took place from 2001-2003, Rodriguez said, "That's pretty accurate."
Gammons then asked, "What kind of substances were you taking?"
Rodriguez responded, in part, "It was such a loosey-goosey era. I'm guilty for a lot of things, for being negligent, naïve, not asking the right questions. To be quite honest I don't know exactly what substance I was guilty of using."
Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan, an injected or orally administered drug. According to SI's report, Primobolan "is detectable for a shorter period of time than the steroid previously favored by players, Deca-Durabolin."
Steroids have been banned in baseball since 1991, but there was no testing for it until 2003, when survey testing was done to determine if the game needed to adopt a permanent testing policy. Rodriguez's name was on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. There were no penalties for players who tested positive and the names of those players were supposed to remain anonymous, but federal agents, using search warrants, seized those test results from one of the two labs MLB had used in connection with the '03 testing as part of the government's BALCO investigation.
According to the Mitchell Report, which investigated steroid use in Major League Baseball and was released in late 2007, Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players union, tipped off a player about an upcoming drug test that was supposed to be unannounced, violating an agreement with MLB. That player was not named in the report, but three major leaguers told SI that Rodriguez was also tipped by Orza in early September 2004 that he would be tested later that month. The MLBPA refused that claim on Saturday. When asked about it by an SI reporter last week, Orza said, "I'm not interested in discussing this information with you."
In a 2007 60 Minutes interview with Katie Couric, Rodriguez flatly denied ever taking steroids. "For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?" Couric asked.
"No," said Rodriguez. "I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no."
In 2000, his last year in Seattle, Rodriguez batted .316 with 41 home runs and 132 RBIs. In 2001, his first season in Texas, Rodriguez set a career high with 52 home runs while batting .318 with a .622 slugging percentage, the second-highest number of his career. The following season, he established a new career high with 57 home runs, adding 142 RBIs and a .623 slugging percentage. In 2003, he dropped to .298 with 47 home runs and 118 RBIs and a .600 slugging percentage. In 2004, when Rodriguez says he was not taking any performance-enhancing drugs, he hit .286 with 36 homers, 106 RBIs and a .512 slugging percentage and .375 on-base percentage. The latter two numbers were his lowest single-season marks since 1999.
Rodriguez has won three American League MVP awards, in 2003, 2005 and 2007. He is a two-time Gold Glover and a 12-time All-Star.
Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees in February 2004. After the 2007 season, he opted out of his contract before signing a new 10-year deal that, with incentives, could be worth over $300 million. Two sources familiar with the contract told SI that there is no language about steroids in the contract that would put Rodriguez at risk of losing money.

Bonds’ judge may exclude positive tests

2009-02-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—A federal judge overseeing Barry Bonds’ criminal case said her “preliminary thoughts” are to exclude from trial three positive drug tests, though she’s inclined to keep a recorded conversation between Bonds’ personal trainer and former personal assistant discussing steroid use.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said during an evidentiary hearing Thursday that she was leaning toward excluding the results seized by investigators during a BALCO raid unless there is direct testimony tying the urine samples to Bonds. She is not expected to issue her ruling Thursday.
Bonds is charged with lying to a December 2003 grand jury when he said he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. He pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier Thursday, then stayed for the hearing, sitting quietly at a table with six lawyers for about an hour.
According to court documents, Bonds tested positive on three separate occasions in 2000 and 2001 for the steroid methenelone in urine samples; he also tested positive two of those three times for the steroid nandrolone.
The test results were seized in a 2003 raid on the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the headquarters of a massive sports doping ring shut down by federal agents. Agents said they seized numerous results of blood and urine tests by Bonds, which prosecutors argue show the slugger was intimately involved with BALCO.
Those three positive tests were some of the strongest evidence the government had in its effort to prove Bonds knowingly took steroids.
Bonds’ lawyers argue there is no way to know the test results belong to Bonds because of shoddy collection, handling and processing of the urine samples. A similar chain-of-custody argument was used by O.J. Simpson to help win an acquittal in his murder trial.
Illston and the lawyers didn’t discuss a fourth positive test seized in 2004 from a lab used by Major League Baseball to test its players during anonymous survey testing in 2003.
The judge also said she was inclined to let the jury hear a recorded conversation between Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson, and former personal assistant Steve Hoskins.
Court documents released Wednesday revealed Hoskins, Bonds’ childhood friend, secretly tape-recorded a 2003 conversation with Anderson in the Giants’ clubhouse because Hoskins wanted to prove to Bonds’ father, Bobby Bonds, that his son was using steroids.
Anderson and Hoskins, who were near Bonds’ locker, were discussing steroid injections, and at one point, they lowered their voices to avoid being overheard as players, including Benito Santiago, and others walked by, according to the documents.
Anderson: “No, what happens is, they put too much in one area, and … actually ball up and puddle. And what happens is, it actually will eat away and make an indentation. And it’s a cyst. It makes a big (expletive) cyst. And you have to drain it. Oh yeah, it’s gnarly. … Hi Benito. … Oh it’s gnarly.”
Hoskins: “… Is that why Barry’s didn’t do it in one spot, and you didn’t just let him do it one time?”
Anderson: “Oh no. I never. I never just go there. I move it all over the place.”
Also during that conversation, Anderson told Hoskins that “everything that I’ve been doing at this point, it’s all undetectable,” according to the documents.
“See, the stuff that I have … we created it,” he was quoted as saying. “And you can’t, you can’t buy it anywhere. You can’t get it anywhere else.”
He added that he was unconcerned about Bonds testing positive because Marion Jones and other athletes using the same drugs had not been caught doping.
“So that’s why I know it works. So that’s why I’m not even trippin’. So that’s cool,” Anderson said, according to the transcript.
Anderson’s attorney Mark Geragos said his client will refuse to testify at trial, so the transcripts would be the prosecution’s chance to introduce his voice into their arguments.
But Bonds’ attorneys argue his right to confront witnesses would be violated if his attorneys can’t question Anderson about the recording. The trial is scheduled to begin March 2, and lawyers estimate it will last about a month.

Peyton Manning throws diabetes monitor in the pool

2009-02-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

And then, for extra laughs, Peyton drove around to various nursing homes in the Honolulu area, unplugging oxygen machines and slathering canes and walkers in Crisco.
I kid, I kid. Peyton doesn't have any hatred of the elderly or disease-ridden. As it turns out, he destroyed Jay Cutler's blood sugar monitor (Cutler's a type 1 diabetic) by mistake. As part of all the zany Pro Bowl hijinx, Peyton meant to throw Cutler's cell phone in the pool as a part of some Pro Bowl rookie initiation.
Here's how it went down, courtesy of the Denver Post:
The gang of Pro Bowl football players had been gathered around the tables, swapping stories, when suddenly the Broncos' quarterback had 300-pound Nick Mangold pushing from one side, 310-pound Kris Dielman holding the other and his cell phone swindled into the hands of a coy Peyton Manning.
Cutler's radar had gone up, but he never had a chance.
Splash!
"We gave him a Pro Bowl baptism," said Dielman, the star offensive guard of the rival San Diego Chargers.
Great fun. Big laughs. There was just one problem. Cutler is a Type 1 diabetic, and in his pocket was his blood-sugar monitor.
"That was a prank where I thought we were smart enough to get the cellphone out of his pocket," Dielman said. "But then, 'Oops.' "
Oops indeed. In their defense, though, some blood sugar monitors do look slightly cell-phone-esque.
Fortunately, Cutler took it all in stride and was able to make a few calls and get a new monitor quickly. If I was him, I would have started faking stomach cramps and pretending to lose my eyesight, while screaming that I could die without my monitor. But that's just me, and I like to teach people lessons that will stick for a lifetime.

Nelson's injury a blow to Magic

2009-02-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson could miss the rest of the season for the Orlando Magic because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
An MRI exam revealed the injury Tuesday, the team announced.
Nelson will decide over the next week whether he will have surgery or attempt rehabilitation. If surgery is the option, his season is likely over. If he passes on the surgery, he'll likely miss several weeks.
Nelson left the Magic's 105-95 loss to the Mavericks on Monday night in the third quarter after he was fouled by Dallas center Erick Dampier and hit the floor. Nelson came up bent over and clutching his right shoulder before heading to the locker room in pain.
The injury leaves the Southeast division-leading Magic (37-11) with a major hole.
Orlando does not have a third point guard behind backup Anthony Johnson. The Magic likely will have to sign another point guard, or convert shooting guards J.J. Reddick and Courtney Lee. Magic general manager Otis Smith scheduled a news conference for later Tuesday.
"It's a big blow for us," center Dwight Howard said after Monday night's loss. "I'm trying not to even think about it because he had been playing so well for us. It's a sad day for us all."
Nelson was having a career season, averaging 16.7 points and 5.4 assists per game. He was selected to his first All-Star Game and was to compete in the skills challenge Feb. 14 in Phoenix.
The Magic host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Nelson missed five games earlier this season with a right hip injury, and Orlando managed to go 4-1 behind Johnson.
A longer stretch against significantly better competition will provide a tougher test.
"We've done it before so we'll do whatever we have to do," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
If the Magic can take any comfort in the loss, it's that they have time to regroup before the playoffs.
Orlando has a stranglehold on the Southeast division, beginning Tuesday with a nine-game lead over Atlanta. The Magic were three games behind Boston for the NBA's best record.
Still, Orlando's hopes for locking up home-court advantage in the East took a major hit.
"We don't change expectations at all," Lee said. "We can't say that we're losing because Jameer is out. We all have to step it up so that there's no drop off."

Mediate withdraws from Buick Invitational

2009-02-03T11:54:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Already missing Tiger Woods as he recovers from knee surgery, Torrey Pines lost the other half of its U.S. Open memory when Rocco Mediate withdrew Monday from the Buick Invitational.
The Buick Invitational starts Thursday at Torrey Pines, the public course that staged a riveting U.S. Open last June when Woods birdied the final hole to force a playoff against Mediate, then rallied the next day to beat him in 19 holes.
Woods is the four-time defending champion at the Buick Invitational, but he is not expected to return to competition until the end of the month at the earliest. Mediate, whose appeal increased because of his everyman qualities, cited personal reasons for pulling out.
The Buick Invitational still features British Open and PGA champion Padraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson.

Springsteen, Phish, Beasties, NIN Set For Bonnaroo

2009-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish, the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Wilco, Al Green, Snoop Dogg and Elvis Costello lead the lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo festival, to be held June 11-14 in Manchester, Tenn.Bonnaroo will be Springsteen's only North American festival of the year, as well as the only festival on the reunited Phish's 2009 itinerary. According to Jonathan Mayers, president of festival co-producer Superfly, Phish will play two distinct shows on the Bonnaroo main stage on two separate nights: a two-set performance and an additional late-evening set."With Phish, it feels like we've come full circle," Mayers tells Billboard. "The Phish festivals and Phish as a band were key inspirations for what we do. We still work with the team that did a lot of their events."Costello is billed as playing solo, but may collaborate with artists like Allen Toussaint and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, with whom he's recorded in the past. Other acts confirmed for the festival include Erykah Badu, Paul Oakenfold, Ben Harper and his new band Relentless7, the Mars Volta, TV On The Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gov't Mule, Andrew Bird, Merle Haggard and MGMT.Tickets go on sale Saturday (Feb. 7) via Bonnaroo.com. This year, fans can utilize a payment plan with five $50 installments. Fuse will provide live TV coverage from the scene, while AT&T Music will once again offer live Webcasts.

"It seems more relevant than ever to offer it," Mayers says of the layaway ticket plan. "We want to make Bonnaroo as accessible as possible. We really believe in super-serving our audience. If you say, 'I want to do a music festival,' there's nothing really proprietary about that. The details are what make it interesting. These are like never-ending art projects for us."Having purchased the majority of the festival grounds about two-and-a-half-years ago, organizers are continuing to add permanent infrastructure to the site, including electricity. "All of this will help us contain our budget," Mayers says. "It will take us a while, but it will enable us to provide a better experience for not only Bonnaroo but also to do other events on the property. That's a key goal of ours."Mayers says he's particularly excited for bands such as Animal Collective, Bon Iver, TV On The Radio and Andrew Bird, as well as a crop of African artists including the legendary King Sunny Ade and Toumani Diabate, the latter of whom is performing with Bela Fleck."It's about going out there and checking out different things and hopefully discovering some new stuff," Mayers says of the Bonnaroo experience. "So much of it I'm very personally excited about. It feels like we keep evolving, and hopefully that brings more people into the Bonnaroo community."The Beastie Boys will be playing their only confirmed date of the year so far at Bonnaroo. "We are looking forward to bringing heat and fire inside of your festival grounds," the pioneering rap trio says in a statement released to Billboard. "We (the band known as Beastie Boys) are like a three-headed dragon with hot molten metal spewing forth from every head. Ready yourselves. Stand fast. Saturn's second moon is on the rise. We approach you now from the Northeast at the speed of lightning. There will be no respite from our wrath."Headlined by Pearl Jam, Metallica and Jack Johnson, the 2008 edition of Bonnaroo grossed about $17 million, according to Billboard Boxscore, and won its fourth Top Festival honor at last year's Billboard Touring Awards.

SC sheriff investigating Phelps' pot pipe photo

2009-02-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina authorities in the county where Michael Phelps was spotted smoking from a marijuana pipe say they are considering a criminal charge against the Olympic superstar.
Lt. Chris Cowan said Tuesday that Richland County sheriff's investigators are gathering more information about the photo, which showed the swimmer inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
Cowan did not specify what charge was being considered and declined to discuss details of the investigation.
The photograph was first shown in a British tabloid Sunday. News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina.
Phelps and his advisers did not dispute the photo's authenticity. He has issued a public apology.

Report: Clemens' DNA linked to blood in syringes

2009-02-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tests have linked Roger Clemens' DNA to blood in syringes that his former personal trainer says he used to inject the pitcher with performance-enhancing drugs, according to a report.
Citing two unidentified sources familiar with the investigation, The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the DNA results are preliminary and subject to verification tests. The newspaper said Clemens voluntarily gave a DNA sample to federal authorities, according to the sources, and it still remains to be determined whether the syringes ever contained steroids or human growth hormone.
The test results could prove important to the investigation into whether Clemens lied under oath to Congress last year when he denied using steroids or HGH.
Prosecutors have asked a federal grand jury in Washington to decide whether to indict the seven-time Cy Young Award winner. Brian McNamee has told federal agents, baseball investigator George Mitchell and a House of Representatives committee that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times with steroids and HGH from 1998-2001.
Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, told the Post that the DNA testing "won't matter at all."
"It will still be evidence fabricated by McNamee," Hardin was quoted as saying. "I would be dumbfounded if any responsible person ever found this to be reliable or credible evidence in any way."
The Associated Press reported last week that, according to a person close to the case, the world-renowned UCLA Olympic doping lab -- where the "clear" and the "cream" of BALCO infamy first were uncovered -- has in hand the physical evidence McNamee turned over to federal prosecutors in early 2008 that his side says will link Clemens to drug use.
For the items to play a role in the case -- to help settle the he-said, he-said between Clemens and McNamee -- investigators must know what, exactly, they contain.
McNamee's lawyers said last year the material included vials of testosterone and unused needles Clemens gave to McNamee. They also said they turned over needles used to inject Clemens -- needles that were contained in a beer can McNamee says was removed from the trash at the pitcher's New York apartment in 2001 -- and gauze used to wipe blood off Clemens after a shot.
At the time, Clemens' camp called it "manufactured" evidence, while the trainer's side said the items were thrown in a box by McNamee and kept for years in case he needed to "protect himself" somewhere down the line.
"The defendants will undoubtedly claim it was tampered with. But the jury will decide whether that's true or not," one of McNamee's lawyers, Richard Emery, said in a telephone interview Friday. "I don't think there's any doubt that it'll be admitted in the case, assuming that it reveals that Clemens' DNA is mixed with steroids or HGH."
Asked last week to comment on the UCLA lab's role, Hardin said through a spokesman: "We're happy that they're using such great resources, but it doesn't matter. Because at the end of the day, this is just a bunch of junk that was put together in a dark, dusty basement years ago by McNamee."

Ratings for Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl second best ever

2009-02-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Arizona-Pittsburgh matchup wasn't considered an ideal one for television, but its finish riveted an estimated audience of 95.4 million people, second only to last year's game as the most-watched Super Bowl ever.
Viewership peaked in the fourth quarter, when Arizona took the lead on Larry Fitzgerald's 64-yard catch and sprint to the end zone only to have it snatched back when Santonio Holmes' end zone leap gave Pittsburgh the 27-23 win. More than 100 million Americans were watching between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The game was the third most-watched program in American television history, after the 106 million people who watched the "M-A-S-H" series finale in 1983 and the 97.4 million who watched the N.Y. Giants end the New England Patriots' bid for an undefeated season in the 2008 Super Bowl.
"The Super Bowl, once again, proved its ability to capture America," said Dick Ebersol, NBC Universal Sports chairman.
The NFL's championship is traditionally television's biggest event of the year. Yet between 1998 and 2004, none of the games reached the 90 million mark in viewers. Each game for the past four years topped 90 million.
Arizona's first-ever visit to the Super Bowl hadn't drawn much buzz outside of the Southwest. But Pittsburgh, perhaps because of its four Super Bowl wins in six years in the 1970s, has more of a national constituency than the city's size would suggest. Both of its last two Super Bowl trips topped the 90 million mark, with the Steelers' 1996 loss to Dallas the most popular Super Bowl until it was beaten last year.
The Super Bowl, long derided as a game that rarely lives up to its hype, now has two classics in two years.
One measure of how gripping the game was: for the first time in the seven years TiVo Inc. has been measuring, more people watched the game during the second half than watched the commercials. The ads are usually watched more because of people playing them back on digital video recorders, said Todd Juenger, general manager of TiVo's research department.
One of the biggest gambles to pay off was by Go Daddy Group Inc., the Internet domain registrar. It bought time for its "enhancement" ad with Danica Patrick during the last few minutes of the game, risking the loss of millions of people who would drift away from the Super Bowl if the outcome was decided.
Instead, fans stayed glued to their sets and the company's ad was the most-watched commercial in the Super Bowl, TiVo said.
Eight of the 10 most-watched ads came during the second half, Juenger said.
TiVo makes its rankings by combining the number of actual viewers and its records of people who rewind to watch a particular event. If the commercial is rewound three times, that counts as four views.
The first-half Doritos ad with a well-pitched snowglobe was the commercial viewers most often stopped and rewound to give another look. Last year's E-Trade Financial Corp. ad with the talking baby was the most-watched ad but revisiting the strategy didn't seem to work: the company's ad ranked No. 37 of 143 that were measured.
The game didn't offer much help to NBC's one-hour special edition of "The Office," which aired following the trophy presentation. It had 22 million viewers -- compared to the 29 million who watched "House" after last year's Super Bowl -- but was still NBC entertainment's most-watched show since a May 2004 edition of "ER."

Marijuana photo might have Phelps in hot water with sponsors

2009-02-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Michael Phelps is unbeatable in the water. It's on dry land where he runs into trouble.
Phelps has embarrassed himself again after a triumphant Olympics, this time getting his picture snapped as he inhaled from a marijuana pipe. The photo wound up in a British tabloid Sunday, forcing Phelps to publicly apologize and his handlers to deal with sponsors who are surely none too pleased about the swimmer's choices away from the pool.
"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. "I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."
It all sounded so familiar, with good reason. After the 2004 Athens Games, an underage Phelps was arrested for drunken driving, pleaded guilty and apologized to his fans, saying he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
This was different, to be sure, but it could have the same damaging impact on Phelps' image and reputation, which were riding high after he won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games.
"Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people," the U.S. Olympic Committee said in a statement. "In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities."
News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. During that trip, he attended one of the school's football games and received a big ovation when introduced to the crowd.
While the newspaper did not specifically allege that Phelps was smoking pot, it did say the water pipe is generally used for that purpose and anonymously quoted a partygoer who said the Olympic champion was "out of control from the moment he got there." Phelps and his advisers did not dispute the authenticity of the picture.
The party occurred nearly three months after the Olympics while Phelps was taking a long break from training, and his actions should have no impact on the eight golds he won at Beijing. He has never tested positive for banned substances, and this case doesn't fall under any doping rules.
Phelps' main sanctions most likely will be financial -- perhaps doled out by embarrassed sponsors who could reconsider their dealings with a swimmer who hopes to earn $100 million in endorsements.
Phelps was in Tampa, Fla., during Super Bowl week to make promotional appearances on behalf of a sponsor. But he left the city before Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, abandoning his original plan to be at Raymond James Stadium.
USA Swimming said its Olympic champions are "looked up to by people of all ages, especially young athletes who have their own aspirations and dreams."
"That said," the governing body added in a statement, "we realize that none among us is perfect. We hope that Michael can learn from this incident and move forward in a positive way."
Phelps was part of a group of elite athletes who agreed to take part in a pilot testing program designed to increase the accuracy of doping tests. His spot in the program could be at risk, said Travis Tygart, head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
"For one of the Olympics' biggest heroes it's disappointing, and we'll evaluate whether he remains in that program," Tygart said. "But some good education comes from this because he's going to suffer some penalties."
Marijuana is viewed differently from performance-enhancing drugs, according to David Howman, executive director of the World Anti-Doping Agency. An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods.
"We don't have any jurisdiction," Howman said. "It's not banned out of competition. It's only if you test positive in competition."
Phelps returned to the pool a couple of weeks ago to begin preparations for this summer's world championships in Rome. He plans to take part in his first post-Olympics meet in early March, a Grand Prix event in Austin, Texas.
His longtime coach, Bob Bowman, did not respond to phone and e-mail messages. Instead, he issued a terse statement through Phelps' agent.
"He regrets his behavior, and I'm sure he'll learn from this experience," the coach said. "I'm glad to have him back in training."
In his book "No Limits: The Will to Succeed," Phelps recounted the embarrassment of his DUI arrest in 2004, a couple of months after winning six gold and two bronze medals in Athens. His mother, Debbie Phelps, cried when she heard the news.
"That hurt worse, maybe, than anything," Phelps wrote. "I had never seen my mother that upset."
Olympic teammate Dara Torres said Phelps has become such a prominent figure that everything he does is news.
However, she said: "This in no way, shape or form diminishes anything he's done."
"It's sort of a double-edged sword," Torres told the AP on Sunday. "When you're recognizable, you're looked up to as a role model. He is recognizable and everything you do gets looked at and picked apart. I guess that's the price of winning 14 Olympic (gold) medals."
Jason Lezak, whose remarkable anchor leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay helped Phelps stay on course to break Spitz's record, said he was "saddened" to hear of the report.
"While I don't condone his conduct, I am a teammate and fan," Lezak said in a text message to the AP. "Unlike many fair-weather people, I am sticking by him. If my wife and I can help him in any way, we will. I believe he will grow from this and be a better person, role model and teammate."
During the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati was stripped of his gold medal in the giant slalom after testing positive for marijuana. The victory was reinstated because the sport's governing body did not have a rule banning the substance.
Later that year, Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. drew a three-month suspension after testing positive for pot.
"It's one of those substances that every year there's debate over it," said Howman, the WADA official.

Rafael Nadal beats Fernando Verdasco in epic five-set semi-final

2009-01-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

RAFAEL Nadal last night ensured a superstar showdown against Roger Federer for this year's Australian Open after defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 in the longest match ever played at Melbourne Park.
Both players slumped to the ground, one in elation and the other in despair when Verdasco's brave bid ended with a double fault after five hours and 14 minutes.
"Right now I feel very happy more than tired," Nadal said.
"It was amazing for me. It was one of my best matches in my career.
"Fernando is playing unbelievable. His serve was amazing. It is his best tournament of his career but today, he deserved this win too, so I want to congratulate him too."
So now to Federer. While the decorated pair have shared centre court on the final Sunday of the past three Wimbledon and French Open championships, their first meeting in Melbourne tomorrow night will be a history making occasion.
Federer, who was denied by Nadal in both Paris and London last year, will join Pete Sampras as the joint-holder of the record of Grand Slam titles with 14 if successful in claiming his fourth Australian championship.
A victory by Nadal would see him become the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open.
While Federer has enjoyed an extra night's rest and played at the rarest of levels in his two most recent wins over Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Roddick, he will be mindful of Nadal's penchant for denying him on the most important of occasions.
Bar for the 22-year-old, it is almost certain Federer would already have reeled in Sampras. More importantly, without Nadal as a rival, Federer could have two Grand Slam's to his name, with his losses in the 2007 and 2008 French Open finals ruining otherwise perfect years.
Regardless, this is the final all in Australia have waited for.
"In my opinion he is the best in history, to be like Pete Sampras, so it is an important match for him, but it is important for me to," Nadal said.
"I am going to play one of the best matches of my career."
But the dream meeting did not come without serious scares for both champions.
Federer's came against Tomas Berdych in the fourth round when he was forced to overcome a two-set deficit.
The test of Nadal's credentials came last night and it was as difficult as they come. Entering the semi-final, Nadal had lost just one set to his older countryman in seven outings.
Their most recent encounter at Grand Slam level was an embarrassment for the 25-year-old Spaniard, with Nadal allowing him just three games in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. Yet this year's version of Verdasco resembles that player only in name and appearance.
Long nights on the nightclub floors have been replaced by torturous sprints up Magic Mountain in Las Vegas, the strip that honed Andre Agassi's legs of steel.
A concentration span that lasted only as long as the next pretty girl to wander by is now fixed firmly on success at the highest level and Verdasco, the hero of Spain's Davis Cup triumph last night, came closer than many thought possible before last night's clash.
In an enthralling match, it was Verdasco that stole to an early lead through an aggressive gam-plan that garnered the first set.
A night earlier Andy Roddick had played a fine match against Federer, but critics complained he did not take the risks needed to give himself a chance.
That can not be applied to Verdasco, who thumped 93 winners against his freakish rival yet still lost.
"That is too many," Nadal said.
While both served incredibly well in the first set - they averaged above 70 per cent of first deliveries - Verdasco was more willing to take risks from the baseline.
He may have made 20 unforced errors for the set to Nadal's five, but more than compensated in thumping 25 winners to his rival's eight. It was a clear sign he was taking it up to the world's top-ranked player.
The second set proved just as tight, with Verdasco holding his nerve and serve in seeing off several break point opportunities until the final game of the set.
After conceding a 40-15 lead with two uncharacteristically lazy shots, Verdasco watched in dismay as Nadal curled a forehand winner whilst well out of court to bring up set point.
An overhit forehand in the next exchange saw the ledger squared.
The mental toughness on serve continued to evade Verdasco early in the third, with the world No. 15 faltering twice.
Normally, this would be enough for Nadal to bolt away with the match, but Verdasco refused to concede to push the set to a tiebreaker.
Here, though, Nadal proved superior, watching as his older opponent made several mistakes from the ground to throw away the decider.
The fourth set was a classic, neither player ceding an inch. While Verdasco was forced to call for the trainer twice early in the set as his legs fatigued, he continued to push himself from one side to the other against a baseliner as formidible as any in the history of tennis.
Where Verdasco's effort in the third-set tiebreaker was errant, the fourth was spectacular as the Spaniard reeled off six successive points at a standard he could never have dreamed of before closing it out 7-1 with another huge serve as the match passed four hours and twenty minutes.
No quarter was given in the final set with the players stretching each other short and long, side to side, until Verdasco's serve stalled at 5-4.
After slumping to 0-40, he saved two match points with huge serves and blistering volleys, only to throw it away with a double-fault.

Kelly Clarkson Breaks Britney Spears's Record

2009-01-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

Life certainly doesn't suck for Kelly Clarkson. Her new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," will break records on Thursday when it makes the largest leap to No. 1 in the Billboard chart's 50-year history. The song moves to No. 1 from No. 97 on the Hot 100 chart after selling 280,000 digital downloads in its first week out, according to Billboard.com.Clarkson, 26, has set the record once before: Her 2002 single "A Moment Like This" – the American Idol Season 1 victory track – jumped from No. 52 to No. 1 in a single week. Since then, the largest-leap record has been broken five times, most recently by Britney Spears's "Womanizer," which jumped from No. 96 to No. 1 last year. Fans got a sneak peek at Clarkson's new video during last night's Idol episode. It can be viewed in full at att.net. The song is off Clarkson's album All I Ever Wanted, due in stores March 17.

Lawyer: Vick could go to halfway house 'any day'

2009-01-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

NEWPORT NEWS, Virignia (AP) -- A lawyer for Michael Vick told a federal bankruptcy judge on Friday that the imprisoned NFL star could be transferred to a halfway house in Virginia any day.
Judge Frank Santoro, presiding over Vick's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, asked about the transfer during a hearing at which he also approved procedures to sell some of the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback's property.
But the U.S. Bureau of Prisons has not given Vick's attorneys a specific date for the move, which attorney Paul Campsen said could occur with only "a day or so" notice.
Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at a federal penitentiary for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy. He is scheduled for release on July 20 but could serve the last few months of his term at a halfway house in Newport News, his hometown.
"We believe he is ultimately going to be reinstated by the NFL," said another Vick bankruptcy attorney, Michael Blumenthal.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not said whether he will lift Vick's suspension after his release. Vick once was the league's highest-paid player before his indictment and guilty plea left both his finances and his reputation in tatters. He filed for bankruptcy protection in July, claiming assets of $16 million and liabilities of $20.4 million.
Papers filed in his bankruptcy case show exceptionally poor management of Vick's fortune, including lavish and often unexplained spending and an array of questionable investments. The case has been complicated by poor record keeping and Vick's sketchy knowledge of where his money was going.
Santoro said Vick's finances could be "charitably described as in freefall" when he filed his bankruptcy petition.
The judge said he found no fault with Vick's lawyers' efforts to sort out a complex mess but still found the financial disclosure statement difficult to comprehend. He gave the lawyers until Feb. 11 to draft a simplified version, including a chart to help creditors understand how Vick's assets will be handled, and set another hearing for Feb. 27.
Santoro approved the hiring of brokers to sell five boats and four cars owned by Vick.
The judge also approved Vick's plan to sell his suburban Atlanta home at auction. Blumenthal said the eight-bedroom home in a gated lake community has been shown to about 30 potential buyers, and a deal to sell the home for $3.15 million fell through at the last minute.
Now the plan is to start the bidding at $3.2 million. No date has been set for the auction.

Madonna Resuming Sticky & Sweet Tour This Summer

2009-01-30T17:59:00.000-08:00

Madonna will crank up her Sticky & Sweet tour again this summer with about 25 more shows in the U.K. and Europe, which will add to the total of what's already the top-grossing tour ever by a female or solo artist.The final leg of the tour will start in London at the O2 Arena on July 4. Madonna will also play the Manchester (U.K.) Evening News Arena, with the rest of the dates on the tour being stadiums in European markets she has either never played or hasn't played in several years, according to tour producer Arthur Fogel, chairman of global music for Live Nation.Adding another leg to a tour is a highly unusual move for Madonna. "It absolutely has not happened in the four tours I've been involved with," Fogel tells Billboard.com. "There has been talk [of extending] during each one, but it has never come to be. But with this one, she loves the show, she's had a great time and she's excited about playing new markets."Fogel says the demand is clearly present in these fresh Madonna markets; London is the only repeat market from the 2008 leg. "It's amazing when you look at the number of markets that she's never played, including this last run in 2008," he says. "We went to quite a few markets she has never played or hasn't been to in 15-plus years. This [extension] is really a continuation of that in the sense of playing new and different markets."Madonna has enjoyed remarkable box office growth over her past four tours, raking in $75 million in 2001, $125 million in 2004, $194 million in 2006 and $280 million last year, according to Billboard Boxscore. All of these tours were produced by Fogel and his team, and all included roughly the same number of dates (55-60 shows). Attendance has also remained steady, and ticket prices were the same on the past two tours, Fogel says.

U2, Kid Rock, Plant/Krauss Added To Grammys

2009-01-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

U2, Kid Rock, Rihanna and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have joined the performance lineup for the 51st Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 8 at Los Angeles' Staples Center and broadcast live on CBS.They join previously announced performers Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Paul McCartney (with Dave Grohl on drums), Katy Perry, Radiohead, T.I. and Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, and Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West.The first batch of award presenters include Jack Black, Duffy, Josh Groban and Charlie Haden, along with actors Simon Baker, Samuel L. Jackson and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Taylor Swift Plots First Headlining Tour

2009-01-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

As expected, Taylor Swift will embark on her first headlining tour this spring, beginning April 23 in Evansville, Ind. The 52-city trek will feature "multiple costume changes" and a stage with a "fairy-tale castle," according to Swift's publicist.Swift is touring in support of her sophomore album, "Fearless," which is so far the top seller of 2009 with 287,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It has spent eight straight weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, and since its release last November, it has shifted 2.4 million.Before the tour, Swift will play three one-offs, including a March 20 show before 71,00 fans at Houston's Livestock Show and Rodeo. Kellie Pickler and new act Gloriana will open all dates. For the full tour itinerary, visit TaylorSwift.com.After the North American run, the plan is for Swift to play fall dates in the United Kingdom, and somewhere along the way Japan will be part of the picture."It will be super thrilling for her fans in the States to see photos of her in front of Buckingham Palace, downtown Tokyo and then the next time she's in Cedar Rapids [Iowa] she'll be that much a bigger star, but still Taylor -- approachable," Scott Borchetta, the president of

McCartney, Killers, Cure Anchor Coachella Lineup

2009-01-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

Paul McCartney, the Killers and the Cure lead the bill for the tenth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, to be held April 17-19 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Also confirmed are My Bloody Valentine, Amy Winehouse, Morrissey, Leonard Cohen and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.McCartney will be making his maiden American festival appearance at the event. "I have heard that Coachella is one of the greatest festivals in the world," he said in a statement. "I'm really excited to get out there and rock!"Coachella has been after My Bloody Valentine for years, and nearly had the band booked for its 2008 festival. But frontman Kevin Shields ultimately decided the freshly reunited MBV would not have been ready to perform by last year's show date and instead waited until the fall before playing North American shows.As for Winehouse, this will be her first major American appearance since performing at the 2008 Grammy Awards. The U.K. artist's 2007 Coachella set came at a time when she was breaking through in the States with her single "Rehab" and album "Back to Black," but in the past 18 months she's been beset with drug problems and erratic behavior.Meanwhile, Cohen's Coachella appearance will be part of his first North American tour in 15 years, which begins Feb. 19 in New York.
Other highlights of the festival lineup include Fleet Foxes, Conor Oberst, the Black Keys, the Hold Steady, Superchunk, Dr. Dog, TV On The Radio, Okkervil River and Band Of Horses from the world of indie rock; and MSTRKRFT, Girl Talk, Thievery Corporation, the Crystal Method, Throbbing Gristle, Groove Armada and Roni Size from the dance and electronic community.The Drive-By Truckers will perform their own set on April 18 as well as back soul legend Booker T & the MGs, while rock veterans such as X, Paul Weller, Henry Rollins and Bob Mould add a dose of experience to the lineup.Among the buzz bands and notable newcomers playing this year are White Lies, who currently have the No. 1 album in the United Kingdom, N.A.S.A., the Airborne Toxic Event, Cage the Elephant, Gang Gang Dance, Hercules and Love Affair, Vivian Girls, Lykke Li, Late Of The Pier, the Knux and the Gaslight Anthem.Coachella tickets go on sale this morning via Ticketmaster. For the first time, festival promoter Goldenvoice is offering a layaway plan for three-day passes, which is available only online and through Feb. 28. Here is the lineup for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival: FRIDAY APRIL 17: Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, The Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, The Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, The Presets, The Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, The Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, The Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, The Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights. SATURDAY, APRIL 18: The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT's, Amanda Palmer, The Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.SUNDAY, APRIL 19: The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, Fucked Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K'naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, The Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.

Ivanovic falls at Aussie Open

2009-01-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Ana Ivanovic's hopes of a return trip to the Australian Open final fell apart in a barrage of mistakes Friday as Russia's Alisa Kleybanova ousted the 2008 runner-up with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory in the third round.
With the 19-year-old Kleybanova constantly aggressive, fifth-ranked Ivanovic lost her serve nine times and finished with 50 unforced errors to just 23 winners.
When it was over, Kleybanova dropped to the ground on both knees, pumped her fists she walked off court, throwing a towel to someone in the crowd.
The Serb's loss came on a day that the late match between second-ranked Roger Federer and former No. 1 Marat Safin -- which the Swiss star won in three sets -- was supposed to produce the biggest news.
Instead, ethnic violence erupted between nationalist fans after Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the defending men's champion, beat Bosnian-born American Amer Delic.
One of several thrown chairs hit a woman and left her briefly unconscious. Insults and water bottles filled the air. Arrests were made, with dozens of people ejected from Melbourne Park.
This was what organizers had feared when they announced before the tournament that they were instituting a no-tolerance policy for disruptions.
They wanted the focus to remain on tennis -- such as Kleybanova's upset victory, Andy Roddick's 22 aces while winning in straight sets or top-ranked Jelena Jankovic and No. 3 Dinara Safina advancing.
Instead of talking about how defending champion Djokovic reached the third round with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory packed with drama and good sportsmanship, the 21-year-old Serb and Delic were mostly quizzed about the chaotic scene that followed -- when their supporters clashed outside near a big-screen TV showing the match.
Police said about 30 Bosnian and Serbian youths were ejected from Melbourne Park. Two men were charged with riotous behavior and a third was fined on the spot. The woman who was knocked out was not seriously injured.
"There's absolutely no place for that here. This is a tennis match," said Delic, who attended the University of Illinois and lives in Jacksonville, Florida. "As I'm sure you all saw at the end, Novak and I are friends. We're both competitors. In the end it was a fair match, and there was no reason for such things."
Before finally asking reporters to change the subject, Djokovic lamented that players can't control their fans. Delic had earlier used his Web site to ask his backers, who were boisterous to the point of disruption in the qualifier's first two matches, to tone it down.
And that wasn't even all of the day's drama -- a man was arrested after dancing across a court, naked from the waist down, as Serena and Venus Williams won a second-round doubles match.
In a rematch of the 2005 men's semifinal, won by Safin en route to the championship, was dominated by Federer, who again looked sharp in his pursuit of a 14th Grand Slam title that would tie Pete Sampras' record, winning 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5).
Federer never faced a breakpoint, and the mercurial Safin's growing frustration nearly boiled over when he was called for a foot-fault on his second serve. That gave him a double-fault and Federer a 4-1 lead in the third-set tiebreaker. Safin rallied to lead 5-4 before Federer ran off the last three points, the last on a backhand winner down the line.
"He gave me quite a few free points in the first two sets, but after that he got tougher," Federer said. "I'm pretty lucky I got through in three."
Safin has said he is unlikely to continue playing after this year. Federer clearly would miss him.
"I always like to play Marat," Federer said. "We go back, we like playing each other. It doesn't matter who wins."
After dropping the first set, the 21-year-old Ivanovic lost her first two service games in the second, falling behind 0-3. She rallied to force a tiebreaker, where both women were pumping their fists after every point they won. Ivanovic did a three-punch combination after whacking an overhead winner on set point.
The jubilation was short-lived: Ivanovic found herself again down 0-3 in the deciding set and never caught up. Serving at 2-5, she fell behind 0-40. She saved one match point with a high, lunging volley winner before Kleybanova hit a forehand crosscourt that went untouched to end the match in 2 hours and 43 minutes.
Kleybanova, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year in her third Grand Slam, dropped to her knees in relief and disbelief.
Unlike their fans, there was no animosity on court between Djokovic and Delic.
"Of course, I have a big respect for Amer," Djokovic said, to loud cheers from the crowd. "He absolutely deserves your applause and even more. He has one of the biggest serves on tour. It was very difficult for me to read."
Djokovic next plays the winner of a late match between American Mardy Fish and 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.
Roddick had a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Fabrice Santoro and next plays No. 21 Tommy Robredo of Spain, who beat Taiwanese player Yen-hsun Lu.
"It was one of the most exciting matches of my life," Kleybanova said. "I will never forget this night."
No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who won a warmup tournament in New Zealand, extended his winning streak to seven matches. No. 19 Marin Cilic of Croatia ousted No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain.
On the women's side, Olympic silver medalist Safina beat No. 25 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Fellow Russians Vera Zvonareva, seeded seventh, and No. 10 Nadia Petrova also advanced to the fourth round.
Unseeded Jelena Dokic, a former Wimbledon semifinalist making her first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam after a three-year absence to deal with personal problems, knocked off a seeded player for the second straight round, rallying from a set down to beat No. 11 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

Milan coach wants Beckham to stay

2009-01-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

MILAN, Italy (AP) -- AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti hopes David Beckham can stay at the Serie A club beyond his short-term contract, which expires in March.
The England midfielder scored his first goal for AC Milan on Sunday in the team's 4-1 victory over Bologna.
"In football anything's possible," Ancelotti said Monday, speaking on a radio show. "Beckham knows what our wish is. We all hope that he can stay with us."
Ancelotti, however, stressed that the choice rests with Beckham and that Milan would exert no pressure.
Beckham, who is on a three-month loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, is due to return to Major League Soccer on March 9.
"Once Beckham goes back to America on March 9, we'd certainly be saddened," Ancelotti said. But "there will be no kind of pressure from the club. The choice is only and exclusively his."
Beckham has started all three of Milan's matches since he arrived, and Ancelotti gave him credit for jelling with the team. He credited Beckham's "desire to play again in an important league, his intelligence and seriousness."
Beckham said after the game Sunday that he is having a "great time" in Milan.
Speaking about his future, he said: "We'll have to see."
AC Milan is third in the Serie A, behind Inter Milan and Juventus.

No Doubt Drafts Paramore For Summer Tour

2009-01-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

No Doubt has enlisted Paramore as the opening act on its first tour in five years, which will begin in May. The Sounds, Janelle Monae and Bedouin Soundclash will rotate as the third band on the bill.Dates have yet to be announced for the Live Nation-promoted tour, which will play outdoor amphitheatres and arenas in North America. The only confirmed show so far is May 3 at New Jersey's Bamboozle Festival."The whole reason for going on this tour was to have fun, try on all our favorite songs again and to get inspired to make new music," No Doubt's Gwen Stefani says. "It feels good to be all together again."In the midst of tour prep, No Doubt has been working on and off on a new studio album, a release date for which has not been announced.Paramore will be making a final push behind its breakthrough 2007 Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic album, "Riot!," which has sold 1.13 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Katy Perry Ready For First Headlining Tour

2009-01-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

With digital sales still robust for her two breakthrough singles, Katy Perry will launch her first headlining tour Jan. 23 at the Showbox in Seattle.She'll make a brief detour to perform Feb. 8 at the Grammy Awards as part of the My Grammy Moment promotion, where a fan will get to perform alongside her during the telecast.The tour will hit theaters with 1,000- to 2,000-seat capacities; there will also be an 11-date European run, including several U.K. performances, and stops in Japan."Our philosophy has always been to sell places out," says Creative Artists Agency's Mitch Rose, who worked Perry's tour. "We set the ticket price at $18-$20 for most markets, because we wanted to ensure a sellout. We could have charged more and we know we're leaving money on the table, but making sure the rooms were packed was our first priority."But just because the rooms are small doesn't mean Perry will keep her show simple. "I have the guy who creates stages for Madonna working on this tour," she tells Billboard. "I'm indulging my obsession with fruit and cats and designing all different outfits."
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This quirkiness is leading her to other opportunities. Perry says she'd like to develop a clothing line at some point, but she's in no hurry. "It would take two years to do it right," she says. "I don't want to do something rushed and sloppy. I look at something like Gwen Stefani's line, L.A.M.B., and that took forever to do."Stefani is a role model of Perry's, not just for her sense of style but her long career. Perry believes interacting with her fans is key; she's constantly blogging and responding to MySpace messages, as well as putting in time after every show to chat and sign autographs."All the big pop girls come across as being so scared and so distant," Perry says. "I understand diva-ness, but I cultivate an image as the pop star next door. You need to have some mystery and some privacy, and there are parts of me that I hold back. But at the same time, I love meeting people and e-mailing with them and blogging about funny things."

Giants WR Biddle shot in hand, leg

2009-01-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) -- New York Giants receiver Taye Biddle is recovering from gunshot wounds to his hand and leg after being shot while visiting family in his hometown.
Decatur police said in a statement Thursday that Biddle was shot outside a residence and was treated and released from a hospital. Police said there was no evidence Biddle caused or provoked the shooting.
"He had surgery on his hand today," Biddle's friend, Bruce Jones, told The Decatur Daily Thursday. "He told me his leg is OK, and he ought to be fine."
The 25-year-old Biddle grew up in Decatur and played college football at the University of Mississippi.
Police have not made any arrests in the case.
Biddle was promoted from the Giants' practice squad after receiver Plaxico Burress was suspended for a game in September.

Source: Orioles RF Markakis agrees to $66M, six-year deal

2009-01-19T17:11:00.000-08:00

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Right fielder Nick Markakis and the Baltimore Orioles reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a $66 million, six-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The contract is pending a physical, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been signed.
The deal, the second-richest in team history, covers three years Markakis would have been eligible for arbitration and the first three after he would have been eligible for free agency. The agreement was first reported by The Sun.
Markakis hit a career-high .306 with 20 homers and 87 RBIs for the Orioles last season, his third in the majors. He played in 157 games, drew 99 walks and led all AL outfielders with 17 assists.
The only higher deal for the Orioles was the $72 million, six-year contract shortstop Miguel Tejada signed before the 2003 season.
Markakis was selected by Baltimore with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft. The 25-year-old has a .299 career batting average and has not played in fewer than 17 games in any of his three big league seasons.
His best season was in 2007, when he batted .300 with 23 homers and 112 RBIs in 161 games.
Markakis gives the Orioles a combination of speed, power and defense. Besides possessing a strong arm and impressive first-to-third speed, he stole 10 bases and had a .491 slugging percentage.
On August 22, 2006, Markakis hit three homers in a game -- the 18th Orioles to accomplish the feat and the first since 1999.
In other news Monday, the Orioles obtained minor league pitcher David Pauley from the Boston Red Sox for right-hander Randor Bierd.
The 25-year-old Pauley went 14-4 with a 3.55 ERA in 25 starts with Triple-A Pawtucket in 2008 and is 56-52 with a 3.92 ERA in 177 minor league games over eight seasons. He went 0-1 with an 11.68 ERA in six games with the Red Sox last season.
Bierd was 0-2 in 29 games with Baltimore in 2008.

Jets agree to terms with Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan

2009-01-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Jets are confident Rex Ryan was worth the wait.
The Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator was hired Monday as New York's coach, three weeks after the Jets fired Eric Mangini following a late-season collapse.
"We got the right man for the job," owner Woody Johnson said in a statement.
It became apparent the 46-year-old Ryan was at the top of the Jets' list of candidates when several other teams filled their coaching vacancies and New York's remained open. The Jets needed Baltimore's season to end -- which happened Sunday with a 23-14 loss at Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game -- before offering him the job.
Ryan, the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, will be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, N.J.
"It's been a dream of mine to become a head coach in the NFL," Ryan said in a statement. "Coming here to the New York Jets, where my father once coached and was part of the Super Bowl III staff, is fantastic. I look around at the facilities and the people they have in place and see a first-class organization. I'm just proud to be part of it."
The Jets announced the hiring, but released no other details. The contract is for four years, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity earlier Monday because the deal had not yet been announced.
The deal was finalized Monday afternoon after Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum flew down to Baltimore in the morning to iron out the details, Jets spokesman Bruce Speight said.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Rex has the expertise and instincts to build on the foundation that we have in place and take this franchise to the ranks of the NFL's elite," Johnson said.
Ryan takes over a team that started 8-3, but missed the playoffs with quarterback Brett Favre after losing four of its last five games.
"I'm very much looking forward to meeting Coach Ryan," wide receiver Chansi Stuckey said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "His reputation precedes him by the success that Baltimore has had, and I'm very excited to get started."
The Ravens' defensive coordinator the last four seasons is the twin brother of Cleveland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. His Baltimore defense helped the Ravens to the AFC championship game and has been ranked in the top six in total yardage allowed the last four seasons under Ryan, including second overall this season while leading the NFL with 34 takeaways.
"I think it's a gain for them and a loss for us, but it's well-deserved," Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. "It was a long time coming."
This will be the first head coaching job for Ryan, who is said to be well liked among his players because of his straightforward, no-nonsense style.
Scott said Ryan makes a good coach because of "his ability to come down to the level of his players and become one of them."
Ryan also interviewed for the St. Louis Rams job that went to Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
The Jets interviewed at least five other candidates, including offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan, Arizona assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm, Indianapolis defensive coordinator Ron Meeks and fired Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski.
Whether Ryan will have Favre on his roster this season is unclear. The 39-year-old quarterback recently said he would take several weeks before deciding whether to return.
Nicknamed "The Mad Scientist" for his aggressive and unpredictable game plans, Ryan prefers to run a 3-4 defensive scheme, which the Jets already have in place. New York spent big money last offseason acquiring players that excel in the 3-4, including nose tackle Kris Jenkins and linebacker Calvin Pace.
Ryan inherits a defense that had an impressive start with 29 sacks in its first eight games but just 12 in the last half of the season. The secondary also might need a makeover, ranking 29th overall against the pass despite Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis and playmaking safety Kerry Rhodes.
Ryan, who was with the Ravens for 10 seasons, was fired when the entire staff was let go after the 2007 season. Ryan interviewed for the job that went to John Harbaugh, who rehired Ryan.

Kelly Osbourne Arrested for Assault

2009-01-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

Kelly Osbourne has been arrested for allegedly slapping a journalist in a London nightclub last summer. The 24-year-old daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne was released on bail as inquiries continue. She is scheduled to return to see authorities in March. The allegations stem from a claim that Osbourne hit gossip columnist Zoe Griffin after Griffin wrote an article mocking Osbourne's model boyfriend Luke Worrall. In a piece last August in the U.K. newspaper The Mirror, Griffin wrote that she was approached in Punk nightclub by Osbourne, who took issue with a story Griffin had written saying Worrall had to ask how an earthquake was caused. Griffin quoted her saying, "I have an issue with you. My boyfriend knows what an earthquake is and everyone has been laughing at him and he's upset." As the conversation drew to a close, Griffin wrote, "That's when I felt a hard slap to my right cheekbone." As is customary, Scotland Yard would not name any of the alleged protagonists. But a statement read by a spokeswoman said, "I can confirm that a 24-year-old woman attended a central London police station by appointment at 3pm on January 2." "She was arrested for common assault relating to an alleged incident in Soho in the early hours of 29th August 2008," the statement continues. "She was bailed to attend a central London police station on a date in March." A rep for Osbourne had no comment.

McGahee released from hospital

2009-01-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- Willis McGahee joined his teammates Monday at Baltimore's training complex after doctors told him he would make a full recovery from a fierce helmet-to-helmet hit in the AFC championship game that had him carted off the field.
"I'm all right. Everything is OK," the running back told reporters as the Ravens cleared out their lockers. "The MRI and the CAT scan checked out good. I was scared, but I didn't know how serious it was. It was pretty intense."
The play occurred in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 23-14 victory. McGahee had just caught a pass and taken two steps before being met by safety Ryan Clark, who drove his helmet into McGahee's facemask. McGahee's head snapped back, and he lost the ball as he dropped to the ground.
"I didn't even see him coming," McGahee said.
Clark also collapsed, though it was immediately apparent that his injury wasn't serious. Players from both teams gathered around McGahee, who lay motionless before being taken away.
"I blacked out. I woke up when they were taking my facemask off," McGahee said. "I opened my eyes and I was talking. The next thing I knew I woke up in some room and they were taking me to the ambulance."
McGahee said he has a concussion and his neck is extremely sore. But he said he would be ready to go next season.
He hadn't watched the replay of the hit by late Monday afternoon, but his memory of the aftermath was vivid.
"I felt like I was OK when I was on the ground, regained consciousness and starting moving," he said. "But then they told me not to move, so I started to get a little worried. After we got inside they took X-rays and told me everything was OK."
As a precaution, McGahee was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital for a CAT scan and MRI, then held overnight for observation. He was released early Monday morning and dropped by his home in Baltimore before attending a team meeting.
Starting at tailback in place of the banged-up Le'Ron McClain, McGahee ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
"I just wanted to make a difference in the football game. This was my first AFC championship game," he said.

Mavs' owner Cuban fined by NBA

2009-01-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mark Cuban is in trouble with the NBA again.
The league fined the Dallas Mavericks owner $25,000 Friday for "improper interactions with Denver Nuggets players" at halftime and his conduct immediately following the Mavericks' 99-97 loss on Tuesday.
The penalty was the 14th the league has announced against Cuban, who has been penalized about $1.5 million over the years and suspended from three games.
Cuban went onto the court at halftime to complain to J.R. Smith about an elbow he saw the Nuggets player throw at the Mavs' Antoine Wright. Denver coach George Karl criticized Cuban following the game, then again the next day at practice, for coming onto the court and yelling at one of his players.
The league informed teams before the 2006-07 season that club personnel other than coaches was prevented from going into huddles or the floor -- a ruling Cuban felt was aimed at him.
There was no action against Smith.
Cuban was then angered at the end after a disputed foul called on Jason Terry led to the go-ahead free throws by Chauncey Billups with 2.2 seconds left. The Mavericks felt that Billups created the contact.
A frequent critic of the officiating, Cuban was fined twice during the 2006 playoffs, including after Game 5 of the NBA finals, for his conduct.

Chargers bracing fans for no LT?

2009-01-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The San Diego Chargers appear to be bracing their fans for the possibility that LaDainian Tomlinson's brilliant eight-year run with the team could be over.
According to the team's Web site, club president Dean Spanos called the star running back Thursday to discuss reports that the Chargers might part with Tomlinson, who has been slowed by injuries the last two postseasons and will count $8.8 million against the salary cap next year.TROTTER: LT: Trading me would be 'ridiculous'
"We talked about the situation and I just tried to explain everything that must be considered," Spanos said in a story detailing the offseason decisions the team must make. "I told him we haven't even started our discussions and won't for a while, so don't jump to any conclusions. And I told him I would call him personally to make sure he's aware of everything that's going on."
Tomlinson, the NFL MVP in 2006, missed the Chargers' playoff loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday with a groin injury. That, coupled with the lowest rushing total of his career, has led to speculation that the team might try to trade or even release L.T.
Tomlinson, who turns 30 in June, is under contract through 2011. Slowed by toe and groin injuries, Tomlinson gained a career-low 1,110 yards in 2008. Two seasons earlier, he set NFL records with 31 touchdowns -- including 28 rushing -- and 186 points.
The team declined to make Spanos available for further comment. Tomlinson didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
Six years ago, the Chargers were criticized for the way they got rid of star linebacker Junior Seau. Feeling Seau's play was in decline, the Chargers told him he was free to pursue a trade.
During a farewell news conference at the restaurant he owns, Seau said he had lobbied the team to release him so he could seek a free-agent deal. Describing himself as fired, unemployed and humbled, the 12-time Pro Bowler Seau was then traded to the Miami Dolphins.
In another unpopular move, the Chargers cut hard-hitting safety Rodney Harrison after the 2002 season because he'd been slowed by an ankle injury. The Patriots signed Harrison as a free agent and he ended up winning two Super Bowls with them.
Tomlinson hurt his groin in the regular-season finale against Denver on Dec. 28. He started the wild-card playoff game against Indianapolis but came out after scoring a touchdown early in the second quarter. The Chargers went on to beat the Colts 23-17 in overtime, carried by Darren Sproles' 328 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner.
Tomlinson didn't suit up against Pittsburgh, which beat the Chargers 35-24. The Steelers held Sproles, who'll become an unrestricted free agent, to 15 yards on 11 carries.
After the Broncos game, the Chargers announced that Tomlinson had a strained groin. Reports surfaced the day of the playoff game against the Colts that Tomlinson had a detached tendon that connects one of his groin muscles to his pubic bone.
Four days later, Tomlinson -- long the franchise's most brutally honest employee -- confirmed that he had a detached tendon and practically scoffed at the team's public diagnosis.
"If it was a strain I'd be able to play with it, trust me," Tomlinson said. "A lot of guys have strains."
General manager A.J. Smith was livid that the severity of Tomlinson's injury was revealed and called out the player's camp.
A year ago, Tomlinson missed most of the AFC championship game at New England with a sprained ligament in his left knee. He stood glumly on the sidelines huddled in a parka, wearing his helmet with a tinted visor. Some people criticized Tomlinson's toughness, but the Chargers themselves had provided an overly optimistic update on his injury, announcing in the press box early in the second quarter that Tomlinson had a "sore knee" and that he "can return."
Perhaps wanting to keep up some gamesmanship, the Chargers never updated that report even though Tomlinson and coach Norv Turner later said they knew by early in the second quarter that the running back wouldn't return.
"It's obvious that I couldn't play," Tomlinson said afterward. "If I could have played, I would have been in there."
Tomlinson's agent, Tom Condon, has declined comment.
Condon clients have been at odds with Smith in the past, notably Marty Schottenheimer, Donnie Edwards and Eli Manning.
Schottenheimer was fired as San Diego's coach in February 2007 because of what Spanos called a "dysfunctional situation" with Smith. Edwards, who led the Chargers in tackles for five straight seasons, fell into disfavor with Smith, apparently for asking one time too many for a contract extension, and was allowed to leave as an unrestricted free agent following the 2006 season.
Three days before the 2004 draft, Smith revealed that Archie Manning, through Condon, didn't want his son, Eli, to be taken by the Chargers with the No. 1 pick overall.
Smith picked Manning anyway, then dealt him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers and a haul of picks that he used to select kicker Nate Kaeding in that draft and star outside linebacker Shawne Merriman in the first round of the 2005 draft.
Eli Manning was MVP of the Giants' Super Bowl upset of New England last year.
After the 2005 season, Smith chose to keep Rivers over Drew Brees, another Condon client.

Bucs fire coach Gruden, GM Allen

2009-01-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen on Friday after the team collapsed following a 9-3 start and failed to make the playoffs.
Gruden, who helped lead the Buccaneers to a victory over the Oakland Raiders in the 2003 Super Bowl, was Tampa Bay's coach for seven years. Allen was general manager for the last five seasons.
"We will be forever grateful to Jon for bringing us the Super Bowl title, and we thank Bruce for his contributions to our franchise," Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement. "However after careful consideration, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our organization moving forward."
The Buccaneers were tied for first place in the NFC South heading into December, but finished with losses to Carolina and Atlanta on the road and San Diego and Oakland at home, where they had been 6-0. One more win would have landed a NFC wild-card berth.
The 9-7 record this season left Tampa out of the playoffs for the fourth time in six years.

Hill, Hudson To Sing At Super Bowl XLIII

2009-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

The voices of Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson will ring out loud and clear at Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla. Hill will sing "America the Beautiful" as part of the pre-game festivities, while Hudson will perform the National Anthem.Hill, who sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta, joins a select group of Vicki Carr, Ray Charles and Alicia Keys as the only artists to perform "America the Beautiful" at the big game.As previously announced, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will headline the Super Bowl halftime show.

Depeche Mode Unveils New 'Sounds'

2009-01-16T16:10:00.000-08:00

Personally and professionally, synth-pop survivors Depeche Mode are on sturdier footing than ever as they near their 30th anniversary, as well as the April 21 release of their new album, "Sounds of the Universe.""Sometimes you have to pinch yourself, because we've had our rough moments in the past," keyboardist Andy Fletcher tells Billboard. "It's nice to be at this stage of our careers and be making good records and getting along well.""Universe" is led by the three-minute, hard-edged single "Wrong," which Fletcher calls an antidote to "bubble-gum pop" inappropriate "for where we are in society at this moment."Frontman David Gahan spells primary songwriter Martin Gore on tracks like "Hole to Feed," based on a Bo Diddley beat, while Gore takes the mic on the ballad "Jezebel." Other songs include the midtempo stomper "Peace" and the rhythm-driven "Fragile Tension.""We think this album has got quality. And we recorded a lot of extra tracks which will be on a deluxe version," Fletcher says of the follow-up to 2005's "Playing the Angel," the band's first album since extending its longterm deal with EMI to include North America.
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Depeche Mode begins an international stadium tour May 10 in Tel Aviv; North American dates are taking shape for August and September."In some ways, what's bizarre is that we're actually playing to more people now than even at the height of our chart success with 'Violator,'" Fletcher says. "I think it's down to different generations listening to Depeche Mode. We've been going for nearly 30 years, and it has just grown and grown and grown."

U2 Reveals New Album Track List

2009-01-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

January 16, 2009 12:01 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
U2 has unveiled the track list for its new album, "No Line on the Horizon," due March 3 from Interscope. The 11-song set is led by the single "Get on Your Boots," which premieres Monday (Jan. 19) on Dublin's 2FM. It will be released digitally Feb. 15 and physically the following day.The new album blends such classic U2 rockers as "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" and "Get on Your Boots" with more experimental fare like the seven-minute "Moment of Surrender" and "Fez -- Being Born." The former is an electro-leaning track with an Eastern-inspired scale in the chorus, making it one of the weirder U2 tracks in decades.Sources say U2 recorded enough material with producers Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite for an entire separate album, but it is unknown if any of it will see the light of day.As previously reported, "No Line on the Horizon" will be available in five different incarnations. Japanese artist/photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto shot the album cover, viewable by clicking here.U2 is expected to tour this summer, its first outing since signing a multi-rights deal with Live Nation last March. The group will perform "Get on Your Boots" Feb. 18 at the BRIT Awards ceremony in London.

Sports leagues walk fine line when associated with gambling

2008-12-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

VANCOUVER -- Taking bets on sporting events must surely be one of the world's oldest professions.
There had to be bookies in ancient Greece who laid odds on the results of chariot races. Maybe they even sold daily form charts with past performances.
So it's a natural progression for modern-day sports teams to enter into marketing and sponsorship arrangements with gambling companies. Both businesses appeal to a similar audience.
But leagues walk a razor-thin line between maintaining a symbiotic business relationship with gambling interests and upholding the integrity of their games. Public relations horror stories ensue when league players or officials get caught up in gambling scandals.
Just think of the fallout after it was revealed disgraced superstar Pete Rose bet on baseball games when he managed the Cincinnati Reds in 1987 or when former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced this year to 15 months in prison for betting on basketball games.
The NHL reinstated former Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet earlier this year after he dealt with charges related to his involvement in a New Jersey-based gambling ring. None of the charges involved betting on hockey.
"You can't have any perception among fans that anything about your game can be subject to any outside influence," NHL spokesperson John Dellapina said in an interview. "That's why the basic ban on betting on hockey exists for anybody involved with the league."
While NHL players can't bet on hockey, referees and linesmen can't even go to a casino or racetrack or poker hall or Jai-Alai facility. The game officials' collective bargaining agreement with the league forbids them from associating with gamblers or other "notorious undesirable characters."
The NBA won't let its referees visit casinos during the season, but will permit it in the off-season if the officials notify the league in advance. The CFL allows its game officials to go to casinos, but reminds them they carry higher expectations, based on the nature of their business and the integrity of the game.
But with all those anti-gambling rules in place, NHL teams can still make business deals with casinos and provincial and state lottery corporations.
The Vancouver Canucks recently signed a multi-year partnership with Great Canadian Casinos that includes changing the name of the GM Place club section to "The River Rock Club" -- a reference to Great Canadian's flagship Richmond, B.C., casino.
A news release said the "official casino of the Vancouver Canucks and General Motors Place" will host two VIP road trips and VIP hosting nights as part of their promotions this season.
Great Canadian vice-president Howard Blank said the casino operator has business relationships with the CFL's B.C. Lions and its Hastings Racecourse property has a marketing relationship with the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants. The company's Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam, B.C., features a Lions Den bar dedicated to the football club.
"The teams obviously look for integrity issues and want to make sure we don't try to market to minors," he said. "But we see ourselves as having the exact same demographic -- adult entertainment."

JOE 'NOT CONFIDENT' OVER OWEN

2008-12-12T09:41:00.001-08:00

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear has admitted he is not confident about persuading Michael Owen to sign a new contract.
The 61-year-old will sit down with his captain and a series of other soon-to-be out-of-contract players on Tuesday to put offers to them, but he is well aware that the England international will have options.
Kinnear said: "I'm not confident, to be honest. I'm going to sit down with Michael on Tuesday.
"I'm pretty confident about everybody else, but Michael is a different kettle of fish.
"He is looking at his options, I assume, but I won't go into those details until Tuesday."

Chris Brown Pairs With Rihanna, McGraw

2008-12-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Still riding high on the success of his 2007 sophomore Jive set "Exclusive," which has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Chris Brown is wrapping up a banner 2008.Not only did he snare two more Grammy Award nominations -- best pop collaboration (with Jordin Sparks on "No Air") and best male R&B vocal ("Take You Down") -- he emerges as Billboard's top pop artist of the year (click here for Billboard's Year in Music special section).Brown says he's content to let the album "die down," although a new single, "Superhuman" featuring Keri Hilson, was recently released. "Then I'm going to go away for a little while so people won't get tired of me," he says with a laugh. "After that I'll come back and give them some bangers."In the meantime, Brown is plenty busy with other projects, including new music with girlfriend Rihanna. "I actually have a couple of songs written already that would be dope collaborations between me and her," he says. "And I'm writing for her new album now."Among other outside writing projects, Brown says he "did a couple of songs for the Jonas Brothers, but I don't know if they took any of them. And I did a couple of songs with the Backstreet Boys and the Pussycat Dolls. I've also been writing songs for several new girl groups who are coming out."

But his most surprising collaboration is with Tim McGraw, on a song called "Human" which has yet to be released. "It's incredible, he says. "I wanted to do something more along the country line. That's a bigger and different audience for me. I also did a song with the Japanese group called the Teriyaki Boys out of Pharrell's camp."Next year will see the release of Brown's first artist on his CBE label through Interscope, 13-year-old Scooter Smiff. Brown appears on Smiff's first single, "Head of My Class." "I will also have another label through Jive that's still in the works," he says. "Urban acts are the hardest to pick because of the competition level that's out there right now. You don't want to choose a novelty artist who's only going to give you one record."

Exclusive: Eminem Talks New Album, Book

2008-12-12T09:34:00.001-08:00

Eminem has revealed details of his long-awaited new album, "Relapse," in an exclusive interview with Billboard, conducted via email. The set is due next spring from Shady/Interscope.Eminem is working on "Relapse" with longtime collaborator Dr. Dre, who put his own album, "Detox," on the backburner to help bring the project to completion."Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man," Eminem says. "Just him banging away on tracks and me getting that little spark that makes me write to it. I don't have chemistry like that with anyone else as far as producers go -- not even close. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on Relapse.' We are up to our old mischievous ways ... let's just leave it at that."A handful of songs intended for "Relapse" have leaked online, most recently "Crack a Bottle," leaving Eminem "really heated. It wasn't close to finished, and it even has me doing guide vocals for Dre as a suggestion of how he could lay his verses down. It's like someone catches you peeping in your window before you got the Spider Man costume all zipped up! Nobody is supposed to see that. We are gonna finish it up though and get it out there how it's supposed to be."Eminem also responded to producer Swizz Beats' recent comment that he'd submitted a track for the project described as a sequel to the hit single "Stan," telling Billboard, "I haven't worked with Swizz on this album.

"There isn't a 'Stan 2,' and there won't be," he says. "Stan drove his car off a bridge and I'm not writing a song as Stan's ghost. That would just be really corny."While working on "Relapse," Eminem was also writing his autobiography, "The Way I Am," with Sacha Jenkins. The book has received favorable reviews and has spent time in the top 20 of the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list."For me, writing an album is an entirely different process from making this book," he says. "The album requires a certain focus of mine that I can't really explain -- let's just say it's all I can really do while I'm doing it. With the book, the process was much more spread out, like, 'Let's get you together with Sacha for a few hours next week. Let's go thru these photos and artwork, etc.' The book was a lot more of a focus here-and-there thing as opposed to music, which totally consumes me every second." Eminem goes into great detail in "The Way I Am" about how much he was impacted by the 2006 shooting death of fellow Detroit rapper Proof, who was one of his best friends."Opening the book with Proof's chapter was real important for me," Eminem says. "Everything from my past moving into my future is marked by his passing. It's sort of like life when Proof was with us, and life after -- a real dividing factor. He means more to me than a book chapter could describe, but I'm glad I was able to put him first, like he did for me so many times." As for Shady Records' 2009 roster, Eminem says 50 Cent's delayed "Before I Self Destruct" will be out in February. "He's still working on it and getting back together with me and Dre next week to finish up," he says. "I have a couple of tracks on there with him. It's sick."Afterward, Ca$his will release the follow-up to his 2007 "County Hound EP." Says Eminem, "People are going to be surprised what he is capable of. I produced a bunch of records on there as well."

Exclusive: Eminem Talks New Album, Book

2008-12-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

Winslow wants to be back with Browns

2008-12-11T13:10:00.001-08:00

BEREA, Ohio (AP)—Despite a disappointing season and an ugly dispute with Cleveland’s front office, Kellen Winslow wants to stay with the Browns.
Winslow will miss Monday night’s game in Philadelphia with a badly sprained left ankle, and the oft-injured tight end isn’t sure if he’ll return to the field for Cleveland’s last two games. Earlier this season, he was briefly suspended by the Browns for making disparaging remarks about the organization following his hospitalization with a staph infection.
“I love being a Cleveland Brown,” he said Wednesday. “The guys here, we don’t know who’s going to be here next year. You just have to focus on this year. That’s all you can do. … I do want to be back here. I love being here. I love playing here. The fans have stuck by me.”
Winslow said he has a “very good relationship” with Browns owner Randy Lerner, who will wait until after the season before deciding on the fates of coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage.
Winslow missed two games with the staph infection and has just 43 catches after making 82 as a Pro Bowl selection last season.
“It’s been a tough year all along through the stuff that’s happened to me, it just hasn’t gone my way,” Winslow said. “I’m going to continue to fight and try to be a consistent player.”

Daly snatches camera, smashes it into a tree

2008-12-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

SYDNEY, Australia (AP)—John Daly smashed a spectator’s camera into a tree while shooting a 6-over 78 in the first round of the Australian Open on Thursday, making it likely he will miss the cut for the third consecutive week Down Under.
After pushing his tee shot wide on the ninth hole—his last—Daly walked into a clump of trees, where spectator Brad Clegg tried to take a picture at close range.
Daly snatched the camera and smashed it against the nearest tree, telling the man, “You want it back, I’ll buy you a new one.”
He later released a statement via tournament organizers saying Clegg got too close.
“I was looking to take a drop and a camera was 6 inches away from my face. If I was 10 under, I would have felt the same,” Daly said in the brief statement. “My eyes are still burning from the flash of the camera.
“I feel it was very rude to put a camera that close to somebody’s face in any situation. The guy that had the camera had already taken a dozen shots at close range.”
Without saying another word, Daly took his penalty drop, finished the hole with a bogey and stormed off the course immediately after signing his card.
Asked if he would seek compensation, Clegg told the Australian Associated Press: “I don’t think I’ll be chasing him for the money. He’s a big bloke!”
Daly, who missed the cut at the Australian Masters and the PGA in the last two weeks and is being paid an appearance fee for his three-tournament trip to Australia, had three double bogeys, three bogeys and four birdies.
Clegg said he didn’t think he provoked Daly by going so close.
“I was bold, but I wasn’t unreasonable,” Clegg said.
Terms and conditions for tickets at the Australian Open prohibit the use of cameras on the course for spectators.
Tournament director Trevor Herden told reporters the episode was “an unfortunate incident,” but Daly would not face sanctions and confirmed the 42-year-old American would tee off in the second round on Friday.
PGA of Australasia commissioner Ben Sellenger said the tour has the power to impose a fine or other sanctions, but this will remain confidential.
“We’re reviewing the incident to see if any action is appropriate,” Sellenger said.
Herden said he spoke to Clegg and the spectator realized he should not have been using the camera without proper accreditation. Organizers offered Clegg tickets for the weekend, but he declined.
Daly is sensitive about cameras on the course, having required surgery earlier this year to fix a torn muscle in his stomach that he said he injured at the Honda Classic in 2007 when he tried to stop his swing after hearing the click of a fan’s camera.
Daly is making his first visit to Australia since 2002, when he left in controversial circumstances.
After taking a triple-bogey 7 on his last hole at the Australian PGA at Coolum that year, Daly threw his putter and ball into a greenside pond and later failed to sign for a 78 on his scorecard, disqualifying himself from a tournament.
Daly was later fined $5,600 by the Australasian PGA Tour and was ordered to write a letter of apology to a tour official he verbally abused, and to Craig Parry and his other playing partner, Greg Norman.
Daly is trying to finish a difficult year on a positive note.
He spent a night in jail on Oct. 27 after being found “extremely intoxicated and uncooperative,” police said, outside a Hooters restaurant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Daly hasn’t had a PGA Tour card since 2006, when his two-year exemption expired from his last victory at the Buick Invitational in 2004. He made only five cuts in 17 starts on the PGA Tour this year and earned $56,000.
His only bright spot in the past month was a final-round 62 at the Hong Kong Open en route to a 17th-place tie.

Lindsay Davenport returns with Aussie Open entry

2008-12-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

SYDNEY, Australia (AP)—Three-time Grand Slam-winner Lindsay Davenport has signaled a return to the WTA Tour by entering the Australian Open.
Davenport, 32, who won the 2000 Australian Open, has not played a tournament since the U.S. Open in August, fueling speculation she was planning to retire.
“We are really excited that she has entered,” tournament director Craig Tiley said Thursday. “She is a world class player and a great ambassador for our sport.”
As well as her Australian Open singles title, Davenport won Wimbledon in 1999 and the U.S. Open in 1998. She took part in this year’s Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova in the second round.
Davenport took a break from the WTA Tour for part of the 2006 and 2007 seasons before giving birth to a son, Jagger, in June 2007.
Entries for next year’s Open have closed and the top 100 men and women are all on the list for the main draws.

Nash upset as Suns trade Bell, Diaw for Richardson

2008-12-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

PHOENIX (AP)—Raja Bell and Boris Diaw have left Phoenix, and Steve Nash says their departure leaves him “emotionally drained.”
The Suns pulled off an unexpected five-player trade Wednesday that sent Diaw and Bell to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for high-scoring guard Jason Richardson.
The trading of Bell especially bothered Nash.
“All I can say is that he’s my best buddy and my best friend,” Nash said after the short-handed Suns lost to the Lakers. “The guys loved him, and Boris, too. It’s hard you know. I have a hard time committing to this as a business. I take this personally.”
Nash already was having a tough time dealing with the changes brought on by the departure of coach Mike D’Antoni and the arrival of Terry Porter and his more deliberate style of play.
“I take my career home with me and I care about my teammates,” Nash said. “When you lose two of your best friends on the team, it’s hard. We’re not only recreating chemistry, we’re changing our style. But we’ve got lots of time to build.”
Nash, a two-time league MVP in D’Antoni’s system, said it’s back to work, though, in this extreme team makeover.
“We’ve got two good players in return,” Nash said, “so we’ll try to build with what we have and try to see how good we can get.”
Rookie point guard Sean Singletary also went to Charlotte, while the Suns got small forward Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft pick.
The dynamic Richardson was the center of the deal, though.
“We felt like we needed to shake things up a little bit,” Suns general manager Steve Kerr said. “We wanted to add a great scorer in the backcourt to give us better balance to take some of the pressure off of Steve.”
The 6-foot-6 Richardson is a two-time NBA slam dunk champion and an accomplished 3-point shooter who is averaging 18.7 points this season and 18.8 for his pro career.
“I think it was an opportunity for us to get better,” Porter said, “a guy who can get 20 points a night, adds athleticism for us.”
Charlotte coach Larry Brown said the Suns “just added an unbelievable piece.”
Bell, a first-team all-defensive selection in 2006-07 and second team last season, had made it clear he was not happy with the Suns’ switch from D’Antoni’s high-flying style to Porter’s more deliberate approach. Bell is averaging 9.4 points this season.
The versatile Diaw had seen his playing time dwindle behind Amare Stoudemire. The Suns still liked the Frenchman’s skills but not his salary. He is getting $9 million this season and has three more years on his contract.
“I think it’s going to be a little bit of a shock to those guys when you start a season and you have a legitimate chance to win a championship and all of a sudden go with a team that’s trying to go and find an identity and get better,” Charlotte coach Larry Brown said.
Dudley, a 6-foot-7 second-year pro, started seven games for Charlotte this season.
The 32-year-old Bell came to the Suns as a free agent in 2005 and thrived under D’Antoni’s up-tempo system, gaining notoriety when he was suspended for a 2006 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers after throwing Kobe Bryant to the floor.
But Bell didn’t like the coaching change or the new system. Nash was a tough sell, too, and his adjustment has been made more difficult, the Suns believe, by the lack of a major scoring threat at the other backcourt position.
“Raja was a great teammate,” Stoudemire said. “Whenever there are changes, you’ve got to accept that. We’re going to build this chemistry again and get it rolling. I don’t think it will take too long.”
The deal marks a continuation of Kerr’s change in Phoenix’s makeup. The big move came in a trade that brought Shaquille O’Neal from Miami late last season.
Trading Richardson is the first major move for the Bobcats since Larry Brown took over as coach—and comes less than two years after managing partner Michael Jordan acquired Richardson in a draft-night deal with Golden State.
“I’ve watched Jason for a long time,” said Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins, who also was with Richardson in Golden State. “Just watching him grow, he grew from where he started to where he is today with his ability to score the basketball.”
Diaw will help Charlotte with Brown’s biggest complaint, a thin frontcourt. Diaw could start right away in place of struggling power forward Sean May.
“We needed to become bigger,” Higgins said.
Bell provides Charlotte with another wing player, while Singletary could serve as the No. 3 point guard behind Raymond Felton and rookie D.J. Augustin. Brown has requested another consistent point guard.
But Richardson’s offense will be missed from a team that entered Wednesday last in the league in scoring.
“You have opportunities now for other guys to develop,” Higgins said. “Some guys are going to have different opportunities. We’ll figure it out as we go on.”
AP Sports Writers John Nadel in Los Angeles; Mike Cranston in Charlotte, N.C.; and Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

Pearl Jam Raids Vaults For 'Ten' Reissue

2008-12-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

Pearl Jam has unearthed a host of unreleased tracks and special surprises from its vaults for a deluxe reissue of its fabled 1991 debut album, "Ten." Four different editions will be available March 24 from Epic; pre-orders begin today (Dec. 10) at PearlJam.com.Each version includes a digitally remastered version of the original album as well as a completely new remix of the set by longtime producer Brendan O'Brien, who did not work on "Ten" but produced Pearl Jam's subsequent four albums. Bassist Jeff Ament and designer Andy Fischer teamed to revamp the artwork.The O'Brien disc also includes six previously unreleased songs from the era: early versions of "Breath" and "State of Love and Trust," "Brother" (with vocals, not the instrumental version from the 2003 rarities collection "Lost Dogs"), "Just a Girl," "Evil Little Goat" and "2,000 Mile Blues," a Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired jam with improvised vocals from frontman Eddie Vedder.Band members have been asking O'Brien to take a crack at a complete remix for years, and he gave the idea a trial run when he remixed the "Ten" tracks "Once," "Black" and "Alive" for Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album "Rearviewmirror.""The original 'Ten' sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that," says O'Brien of the album, which has sold 9.58 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and vaulted Pearl Jam to global superstardom. The Recording Industry Association of America has certified it for U.S. shipments of 12 million copies. "After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original -- giving a fresh take on it, a more direct sound."

The "Legacy" edition of "Ten" adds a DVD of Pearl Jam's previously unreleased 1992 performance on "MTV Unplugged," including a never-aired version of "Oceans." The audio has been remixed in 5.1 surround sound. Fans can also opt for a double-vinyl version featuring the original "Ten" on one LP and O'Brien's remix on the other.But the package sure to send hardcore fans into a tizzy is the "Super Deluxe Edition," which features two CDs, a DVD and four vinyl records. It is housed in a linen-covered, slip-cased clamshell box with a replica of an item second to none in Pearl Jam lore.In 1990, when bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard and Mike McCready were getting the nascent Pearl Jam going in Seattle, they recorded three instrumentals to send to the then-unknown Eddie Vedder, who'd been recommended by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons.Vedder, then living in San Diego, overdubbed vocals onto the tape, in the process creating the songs "Alive," "Once" and "Footsteps" (he was invited to join the band within weeks). Poor quality bootlegs of the demo, dubbed "Momma-Son," have circulated for years, but the "Super Deluxe Edition" will include a crystal-clear dub of the tape on a replica cassette.In addition, fans will receive Pearl Jam's previously unreleased Sept. 20, 1992, concert at Seattle's Magnuson Park (dubbed Drop in the Park) on two vinyl LPs and a replica of Vedder's composition notebook packed with notes, photos and memorabilia from the "Ten" era. This version will sell for $140.The "Ten" reissue is the first piece of a two-year campaign culminating with the band's 20th anniversary in 2011. Additional details have yet to be announced.Meanwhile, Pearl Jam is recording its ninth studio album (its first with O'Brien producing since 1998's "Yield"), which is expected for release next year.

Beyonce Announces European Tour Plans

2008-12-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

Beyonce will begin a month-long European tour April 26 in Zagreb, in support of her just-released third solo album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce." The overseas leg wraps May 31 in Belfast.Designer/director Thierry Mugler will serve as the creative advisor and costume designer on the "I AM..." tour, which will hit North America in the summer.Having already debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" has spawned No. 1 hits in Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Korea, Brazil and Denmark.Here are Beyonce's European tour dates: April 26: Zagreb (Arena)April 28: Vienna (Stadthalle)April 29: Budapest (Arena)April 30: Prague (O2)May 2: Rotterdam, Holland (Ahoy)May 5: Paris (Bercy)May 6: Strasbourg, France (Zenith)May 7: Antwerp (Sportpalais)May 8: Berlin (O2)May 10: Herning, Denmark (MCH Arena)May 11: Gothenburg, Sweden (Scandinavium)May 13: Stockholm (Globen)May 15: Cologne, Germany (Arena)May 16: Zurich (Hallenstadion)May 18: Lisbon (Atlantico)May 19: Madrid (Palacio Desportes)May 20: Barcelona (Palau St. Jordi)May 23: Birmingham, England (NIA)May 25: London (02)May 27: Manchester, England (MEN)May 29: Dublin (02)May 31: Belfast (Odyssey Arena)

Britney Debuts Big, But T.I. Tops Hot 100

2008-12-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

T.I.'s "Live Your Life" flips 2-1 with Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" on the Billboard Hot 100 to score its sixth non-consecutive week at the top. Meanwhile, Britney Spears scores her first top 10 debut as "Circus" starts at No. 3.The song, which she performed live on ABC's "Good Morning America" the day her No. 1 album of the same name hit retail, also opens at No. 1 on Hot Digital Songs with 212,000 downloads. With her former No. 1 single "Womanizer" at No. 10 on the Hot 100, Spears places two tracks simultaneously in that chart's top 10 for the first time in her career.On the Hot 100, Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis rises 5-4, trading places with T.I.'s "Whatever You Like." Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" slides 3-6, as Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" inches up 8-7.Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" jumps 13-8 thanks to a 14% digital uptick to 98,000 copies. Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" slides 7-9 to round out the top 10. Akon's "Beautiful" featuring Colby O'Donis and Kardinal Offishall debuts at No. 19 with digital sales of 92,000.On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, "Single Ladies" remains No. 1 for a fourth week. Jay-Z's "Brooklyn Go Hard" featuring Santogold is the top debut at No. 62. The song is included on Bad Boy's "Notorious" soundtrack.
Montgomery Gentry zooms 3-1 on Hot Country Songs with "Roll With Me," its fifth chart-topper there. Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," with contemporary vocal overdubs from Martina McBride, is the top debut at No. 43.Kings Of Leon scores its first No. 1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart with "Sex on Fire," which unseats the Offspring's "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" after an 11-week reign. There's a new leader on Mainstream Rock as well, as Apocalyptica "I Don't Care" featuring Adam Gontier jumps 2-1 to dethrone AC/DC's "Rock'n'Roll Train" after three weeks.

Keyshia Cole: Screen Siren

2008-12-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Keyshia Cole knows what she wants -- and what the dynamic diva wants right now is a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with nothing on it but mayo and mustard. But the waitstaff at the restaurant adjacent to the Affinia Dumont Hotel in Manhattan can't quite seem to get that right. The sandwich first comes out with lettuce and tomatoes. But Cole is allergic to tomatoes -- "My face gets puffy," she says -- so she sends it back. No one can argue that Cole isn't forthright about what she wants -- and, beyond the sandwich, she's hungry for success. On Dec. 16 Imani/Geffen/Interscope will release her third album, "A Different Me," which will drop in the wake of the 360 deal Cole signed with Interscope that includes a movie based on her life.But right now, Cole needs to eat. Several minutes later, the sandwich comes back piled with bean sprouts and dripping with seeds -- remnants of the tomatoes that were removed from its earlier incarnation. Back again.The third time the sandwich comes out, Cole repeats her order, emphasizing she would like regular mustard. Instead, the waitress returns with a small paper cup filled with spicy mustard.Cole sends her assistant across the street to buy a small bottle of French's yellow mustard. "Dijon mustard is New York-style," she says. "It's the one thing I hate when I come out here."

Cole's single-minded scrappiness has served her well -- she used it to hammer out a music career forged on the gritty streets of Oakland, Calif., and in three years, her street-honed soul has sparked two consecutive platinum albums, eight top 10 singles on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (including three No. 1s) and a top-rated reality show on BET.All these professional achievements belie the pain-filled personal saga that first introduced Cole to the spotlight. Many of the singer/songwriter's biggest hits -- "I Should Have Cheated," "Love," "Let It Go," "I Remember" and "Heaven Sent" -- are songs that simultaneously evoke vulnerability and a fierce, don't-mess-with-me confidence. "When I met her, she had a real street attitude," says manager Manny Halley. "She didn't sugarcoat; she didn't hide anything. When I heard her sing, I could hear the pain and tear in her voice."After her first two wrenching albums, 2005's "The Way It Is" and 2007's "Just Like You," Cole's forthcoming "A Different Me" finds the singer/songwriter having more fun. "The first two albums were more . . . painful," she says. "It's a different me this time: a young woman who's still growing and finding myself, exploring life through different routes musically and in other areas. I wrote more about other people's situations than my own. I'm moving forward.""A Different Me" features Cole collaborating with a combination of marquee names and newcomers, including Polow Da Don, the Runners, Neffu, Kwame, Orthodox & Ransom and the Trackmasters. On her previous albums, Cole worked with such songwriter/producers as Greg Curtis, Missy Elliott, Scott Storch, Bryan-Michael Cox, Rodney Jerkins and Sean Garrett."When I hear something, I hear it -- it doesn't take me three, four, five times to hear a song and say, 'OK, let's write,' " Cole says about her songwriting process. "If I don't write to it right off the bat, it's not working."She's reflective and coy on the melodic lead single "Playa Cardz Right" featuring a posthumous Tupac Shakur; the track originally appeared on his 2006 album "Pac's Life," but dressed up with a new verse and arrangement by Cole and producers Fair, Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias.A girl-talk intro colorfully sets up Cole's duet with real-life friend Monica on "Trust," while Polow Da Don taps into Cole's upbeat side on the pulsating "Make Me Over." Cole further hones her ballad skills on the track "You Complete Me" and flashes a sultry side on a cover of R. Kelly's 1992 No. 1 R&B hit, "Honey Love."While Cole's rise may seem fast to the public, the 27-year-old singer first began dabbling in music when she was 12, recording with MC Hammer and being mentored by Shakur. Born to a drug-addicted mother and adopted by a family friend when she was 2, Cole is the younger sister of Oakland-based rapper Nutt-So."Other people recognized my talent before I did," Cole says. "There were times when Hammer, Pac or other people from around my way would say, 'That little girl can sing. Sing something.' And I'd say, 'You got $5?' "Cole says the idea of seriously pursuing a music career didn't kick in until Shakur died -- "he saw it in me," she says. That sorrow -- and heartbreak brought on by a cheating boyfriend -- pushed Cole to Los Angeles and a renewed focus on her career.That hard work eventually led to an audition for her A&R rep Ron Fair, who signed her initially to a contract with A&M/Interscope in 2004. As Cole recalls, "That was the easiest part: Ron saying I was signed after hearing one verse of 'Love' and the chorus." In between finishing "Me," Cole reteamed with director Benny Boom to shoot the video for "Playa Cardz Right"; performed at the music industry's annual City of Hope benefit Oct. 15 in Los Angeles, singing Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky"; flew to Atlanta a couple of days later to serve as an award presenter at BET's Hip-Hop Awards; and squeezed in three parties between L.A. and Atlanta during that period to celebrate her 27th birthday.She and Halley also found time to negotiate a 360 deal with Interscope. One of the offshoots of the new deal is a movie the trio is developing based on Cole's life. Halley, Cole's team hired a screenwriter to go on the road with her next year and begin developing the script.Sitting in the restaurant, Cole is the epitome of style with her black Chanel ankle boots and wavy, short-cropped 'do. Peeking out from under the sleeves and above the collar are various tattoos, including one on her neck with the words "Have Faith" emblazoned just below a red heart -- evidence of the scrappy young girl who's starting to live her dream."I haven't reached my goal yet," says Cole, who says that down the road she wants to live in a log cabin and own horses, operate a veterinary hospital and pet store -- "I'm a dog person," she adds -- plus a coffee shop on the side. "I want that real bad. I can just see the couches and the fireplace going."But to get there," she continues, "I have to first accomplish my musical goals. To quote Tupac, 'I got my money right, I got my mind right, and now I want war.' "

Ticket resale

2008-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Ticket resale is the act of reselling tickets for admission to events. Tickets are bought from licensed sellers and are then sold for a price determined by the individual or company in possession of the tickets. Tickets sold through secondary sources may be sold for less or more than their face value depending on demand, which itself tends to vary as the event date approaches. When the supply of tickets for a given event available through authorized ticket sellers is depleted, the event is considered "sold out", generally increasing the market value for any tickets on offer through secondary sellers.
Ticket resale is a form of arbitrage that arises when the amount demanded at the sale price exceeds the amount supplied (that is, when event organizers charge less than the equilibrium prices for the tickets).
In British English, one who resells tickets is often called a tout, and in American English, Canadian English, and Australian English, such a person is often called a scalper, and the practice is called scalping. However, these are colloquial terms used to refer to individuals selling tickets on the street or other nearby public places outside a venue or event. Established companies in the business of reselling tickets refer to themselves as ticket brokers. Registered businesses reselling tickets to popular events are bound by laws, such as local and state laws in the United States, and must operate within those laws to maintain their status as a legitimate business. Like the scalpers of old, however, there are no restrictions on how much ticket prices can be marked up.

Labels Look To Bundle Artists On iPhone Game

2008-12-03T23:55:00.001-08:00

EMI Music is the first major label to line up multiple artists for the popular game Tap Tap on the iPhone. It's a move likely to be followed by the other three majors. On Thursday, EMI Music announced a new version of the series of music rhythm games called Tap Tap Dance.The game uses dance music from five EMI artists -- Moby, the Chemical Brothers, Digitalism, Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx -- as well as independent artists Justice, Junkie XL, Soul Magic Orchestra and Morgan Page.In addition, EMI will distribute an as-yet-untitled digital soundtrack to the game, with both its artists as well as the independent acts on it.Developed by Palo Alto, Calif-based company Tapulous, there are several Tap Tap applications, which focus on the music of a single artist such as Katy Perry or Nine Inch Nails. One is comprised of six Christmas songs performed by Weezer, and will also be released on Thursday.Despite the involvement of EMI Music, the company says it wants the majority of the promotion of the game to come from the artists involved. "Artists will promote on their Web sites and reach out to fans," EMI Music executive VP of global brand partnership, licensing and synchronization says. "We're talking to them about ways of letting their fan base know through existing social networks."Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem says that he is talking to the remaining majors and expects to have another application with multiple artists on it in the Apple store early next year. "We are close to having a formula that the artists, labels, publishers, and Apple are all happy with," he says.

Labels Look To Bundle Artists On iPhone Game

2008-12-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

Lil Wayne, Coldplay Lead Grammy Nominee Field

2008-12-03T23:52:00.000-08:00

Already on track to have the best-selling album of 2008, rapper Lil Wayne leads the nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards with eight, including album of the year and best rap album for "Tha Carter III," best rap song for "Lollipop" and best rap/sung collaboration for "Got Money" featuring T-Pain.Other leading artists are Coldplay, who earned seven nominations, and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kane West, who each scored six.In album of the year, the nominees were: Coldplay for "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends," Lil Wayne for "Tha Carter III," Ne-Yo for "Year of the Gentlemen," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for "Raising Sand" and Radiohead for "In Rainbows."For record of the year, the nominees were: Adele for "Chasing Pavements," Coldplay for "Viva La Vida," Leona Lewis for "Bleeding Love," M.I.A. for "Paper Planes" and Plant & Krauss for "Please Read the Letter."Song of the year nominees include: "American Boy," by songwriters William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray and Kanye West; "Chasing Pavements" by songwriters Adele Adkins and Eg White; "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz; "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles; and "Viva La Vida" by songwriters Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin.

Two of West's nominations came for his production on "Tha Carter III" and "American Boy." He is also up against himself in the best rap performance by a duo or group category, for "Swagga Like Us" with Jay-Z & T.I. and featuring Lil Wayne and "Put On" with Young Jeezy. Jay-Z also faces off against himself in that category, with "Swagga" going up against his collaboration with Wayne on "Mr. Carter."In the best new artist category, Adele, Duffy, the Jonas Brothers, Lady Antebellum and Jazmine Sullivan received nominations. In the best pop collaboration category with vocals, the nominees were: Alicia Keys and John Mayer for "Lessons Learned," Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland for "4 Minutes," Plant and Krauss for "Rich Woman," Rihanna and Maroon 5 for "If I Never See Your Face Again" and Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown for "No Air."Brooks & Dunn's "God Must Be Busy," Lady Antebellum's "Love Don't Live Here," Rascal Flatts' "Everyday," the SteelDrivers' "Blue Side of the Mountain" and Sugarland's "Stay" are up for best country performance by a duo or group with vocals.Danger Mouse, Nigel Godrich, Johnny Karkazis, Rick Rubin, and will.i.am are nominated for producer of the year, non-classical.For the first time this year, the Recording Academy unveiled nominations in the top categories via a primetime concert special on CBS. Co-hosted by Taylor Swift and LL Cool J from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, it featured performances by Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Mayer and B.B. King and the Foo Fighters, all singing their favorite songs that have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.Proceeds will benefit the Grammy Museum, which opens Dec. 6 at the L.A. Live complex in downtown Los Angeles.Grammy ballots will be mailed Dec. 17; they are due back on Jan. 14, 2009. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 8, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and again broadcast on CBS.

Six Tips to Buying a Ticket from a Scalper

2008-11-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'd like to preface this article by saying that I'm not a fan of scalpers, although I've used them on a handful of occasions (less than 10, more than five).This article came to me because a buddy of mine is going to the 'Bama- LSU game in Baton Rouge without a ticket to see her buddies and party for the game. I told her to keep $100 with her just in case the ticket comes up. Remember Cajuns, you can use $100 for something other than drive-through daiquiris—I'm serious!Anyway, so here's VFA's quick guide to getting hold of a ticket somewhere other than the ticket office... (For a mere $200 more, we can give you a seat in the nosebleeds!)
1) Avoid the guy with the tickets in his hand
On your way to a game/tailgate/car park/on the highway, you'll probably hear people yelling "need tickets." He's not asking for one—he wants to sell them. More often than not, the tickets you buy are copies of an original ticket—which means that as soon as you get into the stadium, you're screwed. I've heard the story a number of times. It's not fun.
If this happens, you can always do what a guy I know did at Penn State when he was given fake tickets. He found the guy and got his money back. It doesn't usually happen though. What are you going to do, ask for a receipt?
2) Don't avoid going into people's tailgates. Remember—they can't stop you! If you're in need of a ticket, then going to people's tailgates is a good place to start. Generally in the case of tailgates and tailgate parties, there's always someone who couldn't make it/was working/getting married/visiting their in-laws/needed to fulfill their marital duties.
As I've experienced, those are the sort of people that will give you the ticket for face value—and may even give you a drink while you're at it. Unless you bring four beers with you and offer them to the guy who gives you the tickets...
3) Know the teams Sounds stupid, but there are a lot of college football tourists who have no idea how a team's performing when they show up...or the standard of the opposition. They are the type of people that say paying $200 for Penn State vs. Temple was a good idea. I've seen it happen.
If the home team is sliding—like Tennessee—loads of tickets will be on sale for virtually nothing. It's the credit crunch, but it's actually good for the likes of us...the fans.
4) Know what you are prepared to pay It's like Vegas. Bring along $100 (or however much are prepared to spend) on the tickets and say that you'll spend no more—and stick to it. Even after 14 tequilas at 12 pm. Generally you'll get one for the price.
5) Get something if you don't get the ticket A friend of mine in 2005 was looking for PSU vs. Ohio State tickets and couldn't find one. He knew he would, so he went around people's tailgates with this line: "Have you got a ticket?" The answer was no. "Beer to ease the pain?" The answer was yes. By 8 pm that night he had one ticket and very blurred vision.
6) Remember to walk about with a finger in your hand Remember, you're looking for a ticket, not saying that your team's No. 1. A slightly begging look with it works too. Be prepared to walk around the stadium. A lot. You'll get to know the "B" entrance intimately. Can I recommend avoiding the Cotton Bowl for this? The fairground entrances aren't that big!

New "resale" ticket plan shameful

2008-11-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

The NHL and Ticketmaster sent out an e-mail release Friday, announcing a new agreement under which fans can buy and sell previously purchased NHL game tickets through three websites - NHL.com, Ticketmaster.com, and TicketsNow.com.
The release took great pains to link the new resale concept to such events as the upcoming Red Wings-Blackhawks Winter Classic and the Stanley Cup Finals.
I asked a Ticketmaster spokesman if tickets could be sold above face value. The answer: The tickets can be sold for any amount the buyer and seller agree on.
Great. The NHL not only is endorsing scalping for its marquee events, it's facilitating it. Oh, and at least coming off as if it is bragging about it, too.
Granted, "resale" isn't a new concept.
Of late, teams themselves have gotten into facilitating the process with such programs as the Avalanche Prime Seat Club TicketExchange, which is membership-based. It can be credibly argued that those programs take the storefront scalpers — oops, I mean "ticket brokers" — out of the loop, and they indeed serve constructive purposes. It beats what happens for the hottest music acts or shows, when shills are paid to stand in line or otherwise obtain tickets — which immediately are marked up by the brokers. (Of course, within 14 minutes of this story posting, I will hear from a broker who says he performs such a wonderful service, he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize more than did Al Gore and Martti Ahtisaari.)
The theory for the teams getting involved in such programs is that it's a win-win proposition, especially in markets where tickets aren't otherwise available. Season-ticket holders can unload tickets for games they won't attend — to fans who want them. I'm fine with that, whether it's at the team site or such enterprises as StubHub, even if there are "service" fees tacked on.
But the league's involvement with this new, more widespread enterprise is shameful. The wording of the announcement seemed to be blatant braggadocio that the league had found a way to not only encourage scalping — which we all know goes on — but be part of it! This isn't about a season-ticket holder recouping the cost of two tickets for the Florida Panthers' visit in November. Or passing along two great seats for the Boston Bruins' appearance to some fan who says chowdah for the soup with clams in it.
This is a blatant invitation to scalp tickets to the league's high-profile events. The NHL should be embarrassed to be associated with it — much less thump its chest about it.

High-Tech Ticket Scalping

2008-11-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

Just clicking the wrong button can cost you hundreds of dollars for those "Phantom of the Opera" tickets at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. And one of the worst things is you can spend far less for much better seats if you buy from the center's site at www.tbpac.org.
The beloved musical is running in Tampa through Nov. 22. But along with the mask and the chandelier come high-tech ticket scalpers who exploit fans' passions for this and other shows, concerts and sports events into an expected $25 billion annually in scalped tickets by 2010, published sources show.
I'm sure these guys would prefer to be called "secondary ticketing companies," but let's call them what they are: scalpers. Just because they use computer programs instead of hiring line-standing surrogates and sell online instead of on street corners doesn't make them any less blight on the live entertainment industry.
While ticket scalping - the process of selling event tickets for multiples of the ticket's face value - is not new, the outrage over excesses during the Hannah Montana concert, last year's World Series' tickets and others may finally change things.
For example, Hannah Montana tickets that retailed for $26 were offered and sold for $254, $1,000 and much more. You can still buy "Phantom" tickets from the arts center in the orchestra for a maximum of $91 with fees. If you go to any of the online scalping sites - and I refuse to give them any publicity by naming them - you'll pay $336 and $386 for equivalent tickets. Why?
The scalpers claim they are providing a customer service, security and "price transparency," whatever that is. Even in the bad old days, it used to be that scalpers thrived in a naturally occurring marketplace in which consumer demand sometimes exceeded supply.
Now, through computer programs, high-tech attacks on venues' ticketing systems and other nefarious means, faceless scalpers try to artificially create a demand and then fill it with high-priced tickets that you can buy only from them.
During the Hannah Montana tour debacle, Missouri's attorney general called it "a blatant rip-off of consumers who attempt to purchase tickets in good faith through the proper means and are met with nothing but frustration."
Scalpers are even taking advantage of the inauguration.
The Washington Times reports that ticket brokers are selling tickets online to the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural parade, which are free and open to the public.
"People are too dumb to know that they're paying money for something they could get for free," Shawn Collins, a 35-year-old middle man from Summit, N.J., told the newspaper.
Several states have filed suit against scalping companies. And several states, including Missouri and Florida, are reconsidering ticketing laws.
In Florida a few years ago, a perfectly satisfactory anti-scalping law dating to 1945 - one that prevented the offer or the sale of an event ticket for more than $1 over the face value - was swept away by high-paid lobbyists and arguments of "a free marketplace."
Let's be clear. There's nothing free about scalping. Every ticket I've ever seen on a scalpers' site is more - sometimes outrageously, unconscionably more - than the venue price.
Venues such as the performing arts center want to provide the best seats at the best prices, even to the point of subsidizing some shows to reduce prices.
Here at the arts center, we do not knowingly sell to scalpers. Our policies include ticket maximums and the right to refund money and void tickets of those who violate those maximums.
And, as a publicly funded arts center, we have even more reason to try to stop anyone who makes it more expensive to attend events. We are a community resource, committed to growing future audiences for the arts.
Here's the reality: When you buy from a scalper, you will always pay more than if you buy from the source. That's how they make their money.
In our business, the relationship with customers is one of the most important goals.
But when you buy from a scalper, there is no relationship with the buyer. We cannot provide any customer service, including notices of time changes, cancellations and traffic advisories.
We can't replace your lost tickets. We can't compensate you for counterfeit or duplicate tickets.
It's heartbreaking to hear from patrons who have paid three or four times the face value for tickets, even when we have regularly priced, better seats available.
Here's what one anguished arts center patron wrote us:
"... Something has to be done about the resale policies. Normal people cannot afford to attend family events anymore.
"You should be concerned. My children will not get to see the Rockettes legend and eventually your status will fall and sales will fall and the cultural world will suffer and lose the impact on the new generation. ..."
We are concerned. We have contacted our legislators and urge you to do the same. In the meantime, do not buy from scalpers.
For the best seats at the best prices, buy directly from the venue.
Otherwise, you'll just get scalped.

Craigslist scalper scams Madonna fans

2008-11-19T13:27:00.000-08:00

Frank Luba, The ProvincePublished: Wednesday, November 05, 2008
A Port Coquitlam woman who paid a scalper $500 for a pair of tickets to last week's sold-out Madonna concert and got ripped off wants to warn other ticket-buyers.
Iris Piatka bought the tickets after she went with the seller to Ticketmaster to verify they were legitimate.
"I thought I had done my due diligence by going to Ticketmaster," Piatka, 44, said yesterday.
View Larger Image
Iris Piatka of Port Coquitlam says she's not sure who she can trust any more after she had tickets verified by Ticketmaster before she bought them.
Les Bazso, The Province
Piatka suspects that after she bought the tickets, the scalper must have called Ticketmaster and had them cancelled because, when she showed up on Thursday, she was told they were void.
The man that Piatka bought the tickets from, who gave his name as Kurt Holton, looks like he ran the scam more than once because on Monday an online group announced it is pursuing criminal and civil legal action against him.
There are 16 people in that group, which complained to Port Moody police.
There is only one K. Holton listed on Canada 411 but that Comox number isn't for Kurt. The woman who answered said she has been receiving calls from ripped-off concert-goers.
An individual named Kurt Holton went through a divorce in 1993 and has been in small claims court in Vancouver, Richmond, North Vancouver and Surrey between 1991 and 2003.
"I don't want to go around in life being paranoid and worried that someone's out to get me," said Piatka. "It almost feels now you have to be paranoid toward people, and think, 'OK, what do they really want?' I don't want to live my life like that.
"I was very upset when I found out. I felt like a complete fool."
Piatka had tried earlier to buy tickets through Ticketmaster but the B.C. Place concert sold out before she could get any as a birthday surprise for a friend.
She found plenty of tickets on the free Internet classified advertising site Craigslist in June and arranged to buy two from Holton.
She said another couple in line with her on Thursday were similarly scammed.
Piatka ended up shelling out another $225 for two "nose-bleed" tickets without much of a view of the Material Girl.
"I'm sure hundreds of people were ripped off on Thursday," said Piatka. "People are just too embarrassed to talk about it."
She wants to know how many other tickets were similarly void.
Ticketmaster spokesman Albert Lopez was surprised by the scam in which the ticket checks out as genuine, but is in fact void.
"This is the first time hearing of this," he said.
Lopez advised ticket buyers to go to Ticketmaster's own resale site, TicketsNow, or other legitimate ticket brokers, but not unauthorized sources.
"It's a classic example that the fans should beware and purchase through legitimate sources," he said.
Lopez would not do the research he said would be necessary to find out if other tickets were cancelled in the same scam that snared Piatka.
"Whoever perpetrated this needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," he said.