Kim Kardashian guest stars on "CSI:

Kim Kardashian guest stars alongside Vanessa Manillo in an upcoming episode of "CSI:NY." She plays a character named Debbie Fallon.

Kim Kardashian admitted to E! News that she does want to continue acting and that she feels acting is the "next step" for her.

Kim Kardashian is already busy with a successful career as a model, entrepreneur, designer, and star of "Keeping up with the Kardashians." She is also in a renewed relationship with long-term boyfriend Reggie Bush.

Kim's older sister Kourtney recently gave birth to a son with boyfriend Scott Disick whom they have named Mason Dash Disick. Kim's younger sister Khloe is a newlywed, having recently married Lamar Odom.

For more information about the Kardashians:

Kourtney's Maxim photos

Kim Kardashian's relationships

Khoe and Lamar

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Russell Ferguson Wins ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Season 6

Russell Ferguson Wins ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Season 6. All the dancers from this season came back to kick the show off with a special performance to a song called, “Scared of Me” choreographed by Kelly Abby.

Then, they showed a brief recap of last night’s performances to lead into the first break. After the first break, The judges picked their favorite dance routines that they wanted to see again,and the dancers performed them to leadinto the 2nd break.

After the 2nd break, the judges picked more of their favorite routines they wanted to see again. Then Leona Lewis sung a song called “I See You” from James Cameron’s “Avatar” movie to leadinto the 3rd break.

After the 3rd break, The Groovaloo dancers did a special performance. Then the judges picked more favorite performance from this season. Afterwards, Russell hurt his leg during a routine. He was crying,but they had to quickly reveal that Ryan got 6th place to leadinto the 4th break.

After the 4th break, Adam Lambert performed his song, “What Do You Want From Me.” Then, they took a special look back at the entire season. Next, Cat revealed that Ashleigh got 5th place to leadinto the 5th break. After the 5th break, the judges picked more favorite dance routine to see again. Then, Cat revealed that Ellenore got 4th place to leadinto the 6th break.

After the 6th break, they watched more past routines to lead into the 7th break. After the 7th break, Mary J. Blige performed her new single “I Am.” After that,they watched another past performance from this season. Then Cat revealed Kathryn came in 3rd place to lead into the 8th break.

After the 8th break, Jennifer Lopez did a special performance. Then, Cat revealed that Russell won the show,and Jakob came in 2nd place. Russell gave a very passionate acceptance speech. He was extremely happy and excited to win the show.

So, with that being said , Russell Ferguson is your winner for season 6 of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

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Film friends reunited: James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver on ‘Aliens,’ and ‘Avatar,’

Cameron and Weaver on ‘Aliens,’ and ‘Avatar’

LONDON — What first signaled to a young, eager-to-please James Cameron he’d make movie history with Sigourney Weaver? Her heels.

More than two decades ago, the director was waiting to meet her in a Santa Barbara hotel to pitch his ideas for the film “Aliens” — the sequel to “Alien.”

“I knew she was a tall girl,” Cameron said. “I was thinking about her shoes. If she’s wearing tall heels she’s going to be this domineering personality and I’m going to be in for a rough ride. And if she’s wearing flats, she’s self-conscious about her height.”

“She was actually wearing like a middle heel and I thought, ‘OK this is going to work fine. She’s going to be strong, she’s going to be bold, but she’s not going to be completely out of control,’” he said.

In 1985, Weaver signed the deal that made her the first million-dollar actress and the movie was released the following year.

Her second space mission as Ellen Ripley — an astronaut who confronts her fears by taking on the hostile aliens she’d encountered in the earlier film, “Alien” — earned her an Academy Award nomination.

Cameron went on to have more success with his “Terminator” sequel and won 11 Oscars for doomed love story “Titanic.”

Earlier this month, Cameron and Weaver were discussing their relationship in London, after reuniting for another sci-fi adventure, “Avatar.” The 60-year-old actress plays scientist Grace Augustine, who takes on a 10 foot (three meter) alien form in order to explore the planet Pandora.

The Associated Press: Before Sigourney gets here, what do you think about the work you achieved together in “Aliens” with the strong female action character?

Cameron: It redefined strength. It wasn’t just about physically kicking butt, it was about having the emotional strength. It’s not about being strong and being fearless, it’s what you do in the face of fear. And that’s what that movie was all about.

(Weaver arrives)

AP: We were talking just before you came in about when you first met. He was telling me the story about wondering what shoes you were going to wear and how he was judging you.

Weaver: (Laughs) I had forgotten about that.

Cameron: I knew you were 6-foot-8 or whatever.

Weaver: Almost avatar size.

Cameron: Exactly and so it was with some trepidation that I was meeting you because I wanted the meeting to go well. I really wanted to make the movie, I thought we could do something pretty amazing together. I didn’t know if it would be a combative relationship or one where you felt proprietary control of the character. I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised at how much fun you thought the script was going to be.

Weaver: What astonished me just reading it, before I’d even met you, was that you knew more about Ripley than I did. And I don’t know how you were able to channel all that and come up with this amazing scenario of this woman, moved to another time, so isolated and no one would believe her and no one would give her a break and it was such a fantastic beginning to a story about a character.

Cameron: It’s interesting both Grace and Ripley are characters that are not believed by the male power structure. And I think that women feel that they’re not listened to, that their outlook on a situation or their analysis of a situation is not as credible as a male perspective, whether it’s in business or whether it’s in a relationship.

AP: Why do you think you’re able to understand women and female characters like that?

Cameron: My mother is a good role model, she raised five kids old school. She indulged in and supported my artistic endeavors so that may be part of it. Maybe it’s because I was a nerdy kid and wasn’t the captain of the football team and if I wanted to have a date … I’d better start figuring out how women thought. I wasn’t going to get by on my looks. And then as a filmmaker, I just naturally went toward the thing that people weren’t doing because that was a way to be fresh and different. And I was inspired by your character in “Alien” and other good female characters of which there weren’t that many.

Weaver: What I think is so wonderful about the way you write women is that action movies get a bad rap. Action is about character and it’s so exciting to see people who don’t fall apart under pressure. And you see someone being victimized and you just see them hold it together and come back and because women have this history where we’re perhaps more victimized and have a harder time being powerful.

Cameron: It’s like a chemistry experiment, I’m going to put some of this in, put some of that in, see if it blows up.

Weaver: Oh goody, it did.

“Avatar” opens in the U.S. on Dec. 18.

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Reports Claim Bengals Chris Henry Dead Following Accident

Unconfirmed reports online are suggesting that Bengals receiver Chris Henry is dead following a car crash earlier today.

The car crash is confirmed, with Henry said to have fallen out of the back of a pick up truck following a domestic dispute. Local reports suggest that his injuries are life threatening and that he is in a coma, although we don’t have more recent news confirmed by the hospital.

Henry has been involved in a string of troubles during his professional career, including arrests for driving under the influence, marijuana possession, assault, and criminal damaging, although this would be the first time he’s fallen out of a pick up truck.

To complete matters further, local police have told the media that they have officers stationed near Henry in hospital; even he’s been up to no good, or he needs protecting.

Well update the post if we hear anything more on the Chris Henry dead reports.

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4th UPDATE: National Australia Bank Tops AMP Bid For AXA APH

MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--National Australia Bank Ltd. (NAB), the country's third-largest by market capitalization, Thursday unveiled a surprise US$11.9 billion (A$13.3 billion) bid for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd. (AXA.AU), upstaging a rival offer from Australia's second-largest funds manager, AMP Ltd. (AMP.AU).

After securing the support of AXA APH's independent directors, NAB must now convince AXA SA (AXA), which owns 53.9% of AXA Asia Pacific, to switch its support from AMP's proposal.

The acquisition of AXA APH would propel either AMP or NAB into clear market leading positions in the Australasian life insurance and wealth management sectors, and give them the largest network of financial advisers in Australia.

If NAB's offer is successful, the deal could encourage further consolidation in the industry with AMP likely to become a target along with other asset managers such as Challenger Financial Services Group Ltd. (CGF.AU) and IOOF Holdings Ltd. (IFL.AU), analysts say.

AXA APH Chairman Rick Allert said at a media briefing that other undisclosed parties had also expressed interest in the business since AMP's first proposal nearly six weeks ago, indicating that the battle for AXA APH may not be over.

"I'm not going to enter into discussions about how many, but I am saying there were others," said Allert.

Under both proposals, AXA SA would acquire the Asian operations of AXA APH for A$9.13 billion, helping it build its operations in the region, but only under the NAB proposal would all minority shareholders have the chance to take a full cash payment in return for their shares.

NAB's deal also values AXA APH's Australian and New Zealand wealth management businesses at A$4.61 billion, against the A$4.41 billion AMP is willing to pay under Monday's sweetened bid.

Allert said he is confident the greater value and certainty afforded under NAB's proposal would see it supported by at least the 75% of minority shareholders needed to approve the scheme.

"I've been in touch with...most of our major shareholders this week and that gives me confidence that this will go through," said Allert.

NAB is offering A$6.43 cash or a combination of 0.1745 NAB shares and A$1.59 cash for each share in AXA APH not owned by the French parent.

AMP and AXA SA Monday increased their rejected November offer for AXA APH to A$12.85 billion, offering 0.6896 AMP shares for each AXA APH share alongside an increased A$1.92 per share in cash. Based on Wednesday's closing AMP price, this offer valued AXA Asia Pacific shares at around A$6.13 each.

"The independent board committee has unanimously concluded that the NAB proposal is in the best interests of AXA APH minority shareholders and superior to the rejected AMP, AXA SA revised proposal, in both its value and terms," Allert said in a statement.

NAB Chief Executive Cameron Clyne said the acquisition of AXA APH is in line with the group's strategy of boosting exposure to the Australia and New Zealand wealth management sectors. In September, NAB completed its purchase of Aviva PLC's Australian wealth management operations and it also recently bought Goldman Sachs JBWere's private wealth business.

AXA SA has agreed to work exclusively with AMP on the AXA APH deal until Feb. 6. Only if AMP walks away from the deal would AXA be able to start working with NAB on a separate proposal before then. NAB is yet to hold any talks with AXA SA, Clyne said.

AMP, which said Monday its revised proposal was its "best and final", appears unlikely to easily roll over. In a statement, AMP said its exclusivity agreement with AXA SA gives it "time to carefully consider its position".

NAB says its offer stands until Feb. 16 or six weeks after any decision by AMP to end the exclusivity period.

"We need to carefully consider the announcement and will discuss it with AMP before we make any public statement," said a spokesman for AXA SA.

AXA APH is the only Australian financial-services firm with the majority of its business in Asia and has exposure to eight regional markets, which account for two-thirds of its earnings.

Prior to NAB making public its proposal, a number of investors in AXA APH had said they wanted AXA APH to accept AMP's bid and so are likely to back NAB's bid.

"With a full price on offer and Board support secured, NAB has done its homework and this proposal is highly likely to succeed," said the Royal Bank of Scotland's Sydney-based credit strategist, John Manning.

AMP's disciplined approach to acquisitions in recent years meant it was unlikely to try and raise its bid, he said.

"I would be surprised if AMP were to engage in a bidding war with NAB, whose pockets are exponentially deeper, particularly as NAB appears determined on this one," said Manning.

NAB said it would raise around A$1.5 billion through a rights issue to help fund the deal, once it completes formal due diligence on AXA APH and has the backing of AXA SA.

Daiwa Securities analyst Johan Vanderlugt said the deal makes long-term strategic sense to NAB but falls short in terms of shareholder value creation and synergy benefits.

"The deal would only be earnings per share accretive in year three and bring in full synergies of A$260 million by year five," he said. "Moreover, we see substantial integration risks and revenue attrition."

The pre-tax cost savings forecast by NAB compare with AMP's estimate of annual savings of A$120 million after tax under its proposal.

At 0445 GMT, AXA APH shares were up 13% at A$6.35 while AMP shares rallied 4.6% to A$6.37 amid some speculation it could become a target.

NAB said it doesn't expect the AXA APH deal would worry competition regulators but said the bank would discuss the proposal with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and with the government.

The competition watchdog said in a statement posted on its website Thursday that it is "monitoring" NAB's proposed acquisition of AXA APH. The proposal has not yet progressed to the ACCC's review stage.

A spokesman for Treasurer Wayne Swan wouldn't comment on the deal.

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Joe Lieberman 'out of tune' with Connecticut, but few complain

Sen. Joe Lieberman is refusing to vote for a healthcare public option – even though the Connecticut Legislature passed comprehensive healthcare reform this year. But poll data suggest the Nutmeg State won't abandon Lieberman.

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) walks through the US Capitol subway after meetings about the health care reform bill that is currently being debated in the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday.

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Let the Golden Globes (and etc.) bad-mouthing begin!

I love awards season because my e-mail box gets jammed with negative campaigning about all the Academy Awards hopefuls. Such holiday cheer is out here! Over the years, I’ve reported on the studio bad-mouthing of heavyweight Saving Private Ryan to better the Oscar chances of lightweight Shakespeare in Love. And the planting of “He’s an anti-Semite” allegations against the schizo Princeton professor who was the subject of biopic A Beautiful Mind. And more recently, the efforts to scuttle Blood Diamond and Slumdog Millionaire’s chances because of unfounded charges that filmmakers had exploited locals.

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that this race is already turning nasty, nasty, nasty ...

First, I keep hearing from studio execs what little money The Hurt Locker has made, and how that should prevent it from winning Best Picture. This falls under the bad-mouthing category known as “Oscar voters don’t want to look out of touch with moviegoers” — especially when it involves a small runner looking more and more like this season’s front-runner.

Size does matter when it comes to box office, but that’s something Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences members ignore with ridiculous regularity. Sometimes it seems they purposely vote for the little-known pics just to fuck with Hollywood’s head. For the record, Summit Entertainment’s drama hasn’t made much money since its release June 26: domestic $12,671,105 as of mid-December, foreign $3,436,487, worldwide $16,107,592. But if you’ve seen it, you know it’s very much an Oscar-worthy film.

Meanwhile, there’s some truth and some not in the Hollywood buzz that was e-mailed to me within minutes of the December 15 Golden Globe nominations by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). “Leo threw his good pal Tobey a party last week to which 40 HFPA went. They, among others, received some sort of fab parting gift, like a Blu-ray player. Thus the Tobey nom for a movie otherwise ignored,” the message read.

Yes, it’s true that Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have known each other since they were just 10. Yes, they’re good pals. So Leo came back into town last week and told the Brothers filmmakers he was blown away by Maguire’s performance and wanted to throw an awards party for him.

Yes, HFPA members were invited (but 15, not 40) along with a slew of Academy members, like Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, Gary Ross, Paul Rudd, Jon Favreau and Shirley MacLaine. Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh, who financed the film, underwrote the evening as well as paid for gift bags, which contained a Sony Blu-ray player.

Hollywood knows well that HFPA has a long tradition of voting for whoever gives them the best swag. But that supposedly ended after the uproar caused when Sharon Stone gifted the HFPA with expensive Coach watches before she picked up a nomination for the little-seen The Muse.

Fast-forward to now. I’m told that, the morning after Leo’s party for Tobey, the HFPA phoned Kavanaugh and said the Blu-ray gift-bag goodie violated the group’s rules. So all 15 HFPA members had to return the DVD player. Yes, it’s true that Tobey did indeed receive a nomination afterward. But that was probably more because his acting was on point and because his publicist, Kelly Bush, lobbied relentlessly and would have gifted her kidneys to the HFPA to get it for him.

Which brings me to Harvey Weinstein. In the good old days when he ran Miramax and ruled at Oscar time, he was perhaps the best Academy Awards bad-mouther around. But now that his financially embattled indieprod the Weinstein Company has taken home the most Golden Globe nominations, the worm has turned.

Now Hollywood has started negative campaigning about him. Because there are a lot of pissed-off co-producers who didn’t see their names mentioned among the official HFPA list of nominees for Weinstein Company films. Omitted were Universal for Inglourious Basterds, and Relativity Media, Marc Platt Productions and Lucamar Productions for Nine. Some say this was an oversight. Others say it’s Harvey’s fault because he wanted to hog all the credit for himself.

Here I am, talking about the 2010 Golden Globe nominations held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with the awards to be broadcast live on NBC on January 17. Even though, as I’ve said before and I’ll say again, it’s a completely meaningless show put on by a scandal-riddled organization on a network desperate for any kind of ratings.

Why? Because the Golden Globes have zero integrity. Studios and networks that lavishly lobby the HFPA almost always score nominations. Stars win in direct correlation to their glamour quotient. Everything about the awards is geared toward driving the media’s interest and the telecast’s ratings.

And the small, motley group of freelancers who make up the membership of the HFPA won’t grant membership to real foreign journalists who work at prestige newspapers across the world.

NBC and Dick Clark Productions could clean up the Globes but choose not to. Instead, the entire entertainment industry props up this pathetic show because it’s seen as a nightlong marketing tool. Therefore, it’s ridiculous for anyone to consider the movie categories as a window on the Oscar front-runners. So I refuse to treat these nominations with any seriousness. And if you don’t want that, then for crissakes, stop reading me ...

Clint Eastwood and his films are as much a staple during awards season as hard-to-score DVD screeners, expensive coffee-table books based on the movie contenders, and fancy hors d’oeuvres. This time around, Hollywood didn’t expect his latest, Invictus, to do more than $10M to $15M at the box office from 2,125 plays because its marketing had all the lure of a history lesson.

“I don’t feel any real heat on it, like other Clint Eastwood films,” one rival studio exec tells me. Flat tracking for the Nelson Mandela–inspired story showed zero interest from young females, and moderate interest from older females but at least decent interest and choice with males who generally flock to Eastwood efforts.

Though the story is inspirational — “audiences leave surprised and inspired,” one WB exec gushes — the studio knew that ideological perceptions might deter filmgoers even though Clint’s direction and Morgan Freeman’s/Matt Damon’s acting are, as usual, superb. Nor was selling it as a feel-good sports story an option, at least in the U.S. because it’s about rugby and the 1995 World Cup Championship. But that may help the pic overseas.

All in all, the December 12 soft $9M weekend opening was on the low end of what was expected. (Clint’s Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby both did $10M openings, and each went on to earn around $100M, respectively.)

Hey, no one is saying the movie’s not good. It’s just, how many times can you see Morgan Freeman play God? CinemaScore was an A-, with 47 percent of the audience older than 50 rating the film an A. “I’m not in a panic at all. I wish it were a little stronger out of the gate,” one WB exec tells me. “But it’ll be a slow burn. It’ll have great word of mouth and long legs through the holidays.”

Now it’s my turn to do some bad-mouthing. Why in the world has ex–Los Angeles Times errand boy Leo Wolinsky been named editor of Daily Variety (both the L.A. and N.Y. editions)? It’s bewildering. The guy knows nothing about the entertainment biz.

He was infamous for secretly helping to lure billionaire potential local buyers like Eli Broad, Ron Burkle, Richard Riordan and David Geffen into buying the paper when then-bigwig editors were fighting with Tribune Co. (I wrote several award-winning columns about this for L.A. Weekly.)

Wolinsky briefly was a seat-filler atop the L.A. Times’ entertainment and feature sections until he was let go. Nevertheless, he’ll be responsible for all Variety editorial content for the print edition. MaybeVariety needs a top editor who likes to suck up to the rich and powerful now that Peter Bart has been put out to pasture.

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NFL: Cincinnati Bengals' Chris Henry serious injured

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry suffered serious injuries after falling out of the back of a pickup truck in Charlotte, N.C., during a domestic dispute with his fiancee, police said Wednesday.

Henry was found in the road in south Charlotte "apparently suffering life-threatening injuries," according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Henry was transported to Carolinas Medical Center, but spokesman Scott White said he was not listed in hospital records and had no other information.

Police spokesman Robert Fey said officers were stationed near Henry's hospital room. He had no information Henry's condition but said he was alive.

Police said a dispute began at a home just before noon, and Henry, 26, jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his unidentified fiancee was driving away from the residence. "The domestic situation continued between the operator and Mr. Henry," the police said in a statement. "At some point while she was driving, Mr. Henry came out of the back of the vehicle."

Henry was found on a residential street about a half mile away from the home.

Browns-Holmgren: Mike Holmgren left Cleveland after an extended stay without accepting a job to become boss of the Browns.

His aura lingered.

The ex-Seattle and Green Bay coach's flirtation with the team dragged on Wednesday with little word from either side. Holmgren spent two days talking with the Browns about assuming control of their football operations, but hasn't decided if Cleveland will be his next NFL stop.

It appears Holmgren is weighing his options, which could include several other teams in the days and weeks ahead. He wants to talk to the Seahawks about coming back after general manager Tim Ruskell's recent resignation.

Cowboys: Linebacker DeMarcus Ware has made substantial progress and could play Saturday night in New Orleans, less than a week after a scary hit that left him sprawled on the field with a strained neck. Ware didn't practice Wednesday but attended meetings, went through a walk-through session and even worked out.

Coach Wade Phillips said everything looked good for Ware on the X-rays and other exams the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker went through to see if the swelling had gone down, and to make sure there were no lingering problems.

Las Vegas ads: The NFL will allow advertising for Las Vegas on game telecasts this postseason, including the Super Bowl.

Under the modified policy, tourist destinations that allow gambling, such ar Las Vegas, Reno or Lake Tahoe in Nevada, will be permitted to advertise during NFL games from Jan. 4, 2010, to Feb. 28, 2010. After that, the league will determine whether to extend the new rules into next season.

Titans: Vince Young wants to play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Whether the quarterback's right hamstring, in last weekend's 47-7 win over St. Louis, is healthy enough to let him remains to be seen. Young didn't practice Wednesday, instead watching.

Patriots: Tom Brady sat out practice with a number of nagging injuries, but says his biggest challenge is getting enough sleep. Brady and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, are now in their second week with his still-unnamed baby boy.

Jets: Quarterback Mark Sanchez was back on the field taking snaps, ready to reclaim his starting job. Sanchez practiced for the first time since spraining the posterior cruciate ligament in the knee against Buffalo on Dec. 3.

Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald went through a limited practice and expressed confidence he will play Sunday at Detroit. Fitzgerald bruised a bone and sprained his right knee when San Francisco's Dashon Goldson landed on his leg in the third quarter of the Cardinals' 23-9 loss Monday night. ... Kicker Neil Rackers aggravated a nagging groin injury Monday, leading Arizona to sign Mike Nugent. Safety Matt Ware was placed on injured reserve with right knee injury.

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Tiger Woods voted AP's top athlete of the decade

As sports go, it wasn't close: Tiger Woods was famous for his golf long before he became infamous for his personal life.

For 10 incomparable years, no one ruled a sport like Woods. He won 64 tournaments, including 12 major championships. He hoisted a trophy on every continent where golf is played. And those 56 titles in one decade on the PGA Tour? Consider that only four of golf's greatest players won more in their entire careers.

Even as a shocking sex scandal changed the way people look at Woods, the records he set could not be ignored.

Woods was selected Wednesday as the Athlete of the Decade by members of The Associated Press in a vote that was more about his performance on the course than the self-described transgressions as a person.

"The only reason I wouldn't vote for Tiger Woods is because of the events of the last three weeks," said Mike Strain, sports editor of the Tulsa (Okla.) World. "And I didn't think that was enough to change my vote. I thought he was a transcendent sports figure."

He received 56 of the 142 votes cast since last month by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP. More than half the ballots were returned after the Nov. 27 car accident outside his Florida home that set off sensational tales of infidelity.

Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor who won the Tour de France six times this decade, finished second with 33 votes. He was followed by Roger Federer, who has won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other man, with 25 votes.

Record-setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps came in fourth with 13 votes, followed by New England quarterback Tom Brady (6) and world-record sprinter Usain Bolt (4). Five other athletes received one vote apiece.

Woods, who has not been seen since the accident and has issued only statements on his Web site, was not made available to comment about the award.

Seattle Times sports editor Don Shelton discussed the vote with his staff, which he said was torn among Woods, Armstrong and Federer. He voted for Woods in the early stages of the scandal.

"I'm not sure I would change my vote," Shelton said. "I looked at him as an athlete, I really did. I separated him a little bit. If this had happened three years ago and his performance had dropped off, that's a different factor."

Allegations of rampant affairs starting come out just 10 days after Woods won the Australian Masters before record crowds for the 82nd worldwide victory of his career. He received a $3 million appearance fee in Australia, and the government estimated a return of $20 million from the number of fans Woods attracted.

Few other athletes changed their sport, from TV ratings to galleries to prize money.

A new image emerged quickly in the days following his middle-of-the-night accident, when he ran his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree. He became the butt of late-night TV jokes, eventually confessed to infidelity and lost a major sponsorship from Accenture.

"Seems an unlikely time to vote for him, but he had more influence and impact on the complete decade, 2000 to 2009, than any of the other athletes," said Paul Vigna, sports editor of The (Harrisburg, Pa.) Patriot-News.

AP members found Woods' work on the golf course over the last 10 years without much of a blemish. He took an early lead in the balloting, and continued to receive roughly the same percentage of votes throughout the process.

"Despite the tsunami of negative publicity that will likely tarnish his image, there's no denying that Woods' on-the-course accomplishments set a new standard of dominance within his sport while making golf more accessible to the masses," wrote Stu Whitney, sports editor of the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader. "The only proof needed are the television ratings when Tiger plays in a golf tournament, compared to those events when others have to carry the load."

The fall was as spectacular as his rise.

Woods won the career Grand Slam three times over in the decade, the last of his 12 majors at the 2008 U.S. Open despite playing on a mangled left leg. He twice won the British Open at St. Andrews, the home of golf, by a combined 13 shots.

"It seems like everybody has jumped on the 'slay Tiger' bandwagon," said Dan Lebowitz, executive director at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University. "I understand the dynamics around that. But I'd also like people to recognize how great he operated under a microscope for a long period of time."

Woods won more than one-third of all the tournaments he played this decade, an unprecedented rate in golf. Nine of his victories were by at least eight shots. He was No. 1 in the world ranking for all but 32 weeks in the decade.

He did his best work in the biggest events. Along with his 12 majors this decade — he has 14 overall, four short of the record held by Jack Nicklaus — Woods was runner-up in six other majors. He won 14 times out of 27 appearances in the World Golf Championships.

Woods finished the decade with $81,547,410 in earnings from his PGA Tour events, an average of $482,529 per tournament.

"No athlete dominated a particular sport the way Tiger Woods did this decade," said Phil Kaplan, deputy sports editor at the Knoxille (Tenn.) News-Sentinel.

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'Iron Man 2' Trailer: Shot-By-Shot Analysis

FROM MTV.COM: Iron Man is back in action — and this time, he brought some new friends.

The first trailer for director Jon Favreau's highly anticipated "Iron Man 2" premiered online Wednesday night, the result of a short-lived (but nonetheless mysterious) viral marketing campaign. While fans have already caught glimpses of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his heavily armed sidekick War Machine (Don Cheadle) thanks to the film's previously released poster, the new trailer easily provides the best sense of what moviegoers can expect when "Iron Man 2" hits theaters next year.

We've used our very own Stark Industries technology — by which we mean our low-grade laptops — to sort through the "Iron Man 2" trailer for a shot-by-shot breakdown. Strap on your armor and set repulsor rays to stun as we analyze the amazing footage from the comic book adaptation's first trailer.

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Kobe's jumper at OT buzzer lifts Lakers over Bucks

MILWAUKEE — Kobe Bryant hit a 15-footer as time expired and scored the game's final seven points over the last 1:18 of overtime to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Bryant, who had 27 of his 39 points in the second half and overtime, missed a shot from nearly the same spot from the left elbow that would've won it at the buzzer to end regulation.

Given a second chance, he backed down Charlie Bell again and drained the jumper to start the celebration.

Pau Gasol had 26 points and a career-high 22 rebounds for the Lakers (20-4), who tied Boston for the best record in the NBA with their 13th win in the last 14 games.

Bryant, who scored 42 points in a win over Chicago on Tuesday night, was again sharp when it counted despite a broken right index finger that's been hampering his ball handling and follow through. He went 13 of 28 from the field and hit all 12 of his free-throw attempts.

Reserve Michael Redd had 25 points and Ersan Ilyasova added a career-high 24, but the Bucks lost their fourth straight in the series with the Lakers and are 3-14 in the last 17 meetings.

This one was painful.

Milwaukee took a 106-100 lead in overtime after Redd hit a 3 and Luke Ridnour added a 15-footer.

Bryant hit a jumper and after Ilyasova missed two free throws, the Lakers star added a three-point play by plowing into Andrew Bogut, who had 16 points and 12 rebounds, to make it 106-105 with 48 seconds left.

Both Ridnour and Redd missed shots for the Bucks, and Ron Artest grabbed a rebound with 5.4 seconds left. After a timeout, Lamar Odom inbounded the ball to Bryant, who hit the game-winner.

Gasol has 78 rebounds in his last four games, including three 20-rebound performances. His 78 boards is the NBA's best mark in a four-game span since Marcus Camby had 79 during a stretch that ended in January last season, according to STATS, LLC.

Milwaukee trailed 74-71 heading into the fourth, but took an 85-80 lead midway through the quarter. The Lakers failed to tie it until Gasol's three-point play and Bryant's turnaround fallaway evened it at 93 with 2:11 left.

The game tightened considerably from there, with both teams missing chances to take the lead until Derek Fisher hit a 17-footer.

Bogut then drew a foul on Gasol and made the basket with 21 seconds left, but missed a free throw that would've given Milwaukee a lead. Bryant was isolated on Bell, but missed a contested 16-footer to send the game into overtime.

NOTES: Artest and Odom got technical fouls in the game, both for arguing calls. ... The Lakers didn't spend much time in Milwaukee. They took a bus to the Bradley Center after spending Tuesday night in Chicago and flew out after the game to New York. Los Angeles plays the Nets on Saturday. ... Artest said after shootaround that Tiger Woods "still is" a role model for him and his children. Artest wrote a post on his blog that was an open letter to the superstar golfer to encourage him.

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Rockets win as McGrady makes season debut

HOUSTON - Tracy McGrady seemed to be the last one to know he would make his season debut against Detroit on Tuesday night.

The seven-time All-Star sank a 3-pointer in his first game since Feb. 9, Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks scored 23 points apiece and the Houston Rockets snapped the Pistons’ five-game winning streak with a 107-96 win.

McGrady wasn’t expecting to play when he arrived at the arena. He walked into the locker room about 90 minutes before the game and his teammates said that Coach Rick Adelman had something to tell him. “It surprised me,” he said. “I went in there and talked to him, he said he was going to play me about seven minutes and just try to work our way through this. Tonight was that night.”

Trevor Ariza’s one-game NBA suspension for throwing a forearm at Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan Sunday gave Adelman a chance to start rookie Chase Budinger and bring McGrady off the bench for his first action in 10 months.

Budinger had 16 points and 12 rebounds in his first career start and reserve Carl Landry added 19 points for the Rockets, who shot a season-high 54.7 percent (41 of 75) from the field.

McGrady entered at the 7:44 mark of the first quarter to a standing ovation. He missed his first shot, a 20-footer from the wing, then swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key for his only basket. He sat out the last three quarters.

“It’s been so long since I’ve played, it was just a great feeling to be back on the court,” McGrady said. “Just to get up and down the court with these guys and to be back out there competing is what I missed. To have that back, finally, and feel good and have fun doing it, there’s nothing better.”

McGrady was in and out of the lineup all of last season and played in only 35 games. He averaged 15.6 points, his lowest total in a decade and admitted that he was playing in constant pain.

He declared himself done for the season just before last year’s All-Star break, then opted for the risky, season-ending microfracture surgery. Doctors estimated he would need six to 12 months to recover, and McGrady spent the summer in Chicago working with Tim Grover, who trained Michael Jordan.

He’s been saying since training camp that he was “ahead of schedule” and he returned to practice on Nov. 23. He said the knee was no concern on Tuesday and he wasn’t fatigued after his limited appearance.

“My practices have been harder than what that was out there,” McGrady said. “That’s what made it a lot easier, just being able to go hard in practice, playing some of these guys after practice 1-on-1, doing some of the things I wasn’t capable of doing last season. It’s all just coming back naturally to me.”

The Rockets play in Denver on Wednesday and Adelman said he’ll play McGrady about the same amount of time.

“He knows how to play the game, it’s the little things, like when he took it to the basket and got fouled,” Adelman said. “Those are the types of things we are looking for and his continued effort on the defensive end. With that injury, the lateral quickness and the comfort level is not there and he’s got to push himself to get to that point.”

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Drop the World LYRICS Lil Wayne feat Eminem

Here’s the lyrics of Lil Wayne’s Drop the World feat. Eminem:

(Lil Wayne) I got ice in my veins, blood in my eyes
Hate in my heart, love in my mind
I seen nights full of pain, days of the same
You keep the sunshine, save me the rain
I search but never find, hurt but never cry
I work and forever try, but I’m cursed, so never mind
And it’s worse, but better times seem further and beyond
The top gets higher the more that I climb
The spot gets smaller, and I get bigger
Tryna get into where I fit in, no room for a n*gga
But soon for a n*gga it be on, mu’f*cka
‘Cause all the bullshit, it made me strong, mu’f*cka

So I pick the world up and I’ma drop it on your f*ckin’ head
Bitch, I’ma pick the world up and I’ma drop it on your f*ckin’ head
And I could die now, Rebirth motherf*cker
Hop up in my spaceship and leave Earth, motherf*cker
I’m gone
Motherf*cker, I’m gone

I know what they don’t wanna tell you
Just hope you’re heaven-sent, and you’re hell-proof
I-I walk up in the world and cut the lights off
And confidence is the stain they can’t wipe off
Huh, my word is my pride
But wisdom is bleak, and that’s a word from the wise
Served to survive, murdered and bribed
And when it got too heavy I put my burdens aside

So I could pick the world up and I’ma drop it on your f*ckin’ head
Bitch, I’ma pick the world up and I’ma drop it on your f*ckin’ head
And I could die now, Rebirth motherf*cker
Hop up in my spaceship and leave Earth, motherf*cker
I’m gone
Motherf*cker, I’m gone (I’m gone)

(Eminem) It hurts, but I never show this pain you’ll never know
If only you could see just how lonely and how cold
And frostbit I’ve become, my back’s against the wall
When push come to shove, I just stand up and scream “F*ck ‘em all”

Man, it feels like these walls are closing in
This roof is caving in, up its time to razor-thin
Your days are numbered like pagers and
My book of rhymes, got ‘em cookin’, boy
This crooked mind of mine got ‘em all
Shook and scared to look in my eyes
I stole that f*ckin’ clock
I took the time and I
Came up from behind
And pretty much snuck up
And butt-f*cked this game up
Better be careful when you bring my name up
F*ck this fame, that ain’t what
I came to claim but the game
Ain’t gonna be the same on the day that I leave it
But I swear one way or another I’ma make these f*ckin’ haters believe that
I swear to God, won’t spare the rod
I’m a man of my word, so your f*ckin’ heads better nod
Or I’ma f*ck around in this bitch and roast everybody
Sleep on me, that pillow is where your head’ll lie
Permanently, bitch, it’s beddy-bye
This world is my Easter egg, yeah, prepare to die
My head is swole, my confidence is up
This stage is my pedestal
I’m unstoppable, incredible
Hope you’re trapped in my medicine ball
I could run circles around you so fast your f*ckin’ head’ll spin, dog
I split your cabbage and your lettuce and olives
I’ll f*ckin’

Pick the world up and I’ma drop it on your f*ckin’ head
Bitch, I’ma pick the world up and I’ma drop it on your f*ckin’ head
And I could die now, Rebirth motherf*cker
Hop up in my spaceship and leave Earth, motherf*cker
I’m gone
Motherf*cker, I’m gone (I’m gone)

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Central Michigan's Butch Jones expected to take job at Cincinnati

Three years ago, Butch Jones replaced Brian Kelly at Central Michigan. Jones appears ready to follow in Kelly's footsteps again by becoming the next coach at Cincinnati after Kelly left for Notre Dame.

According to ESPN, Jones will be the next Bearcats coach after leading the Chippewas to 26 wins in his tenure at Central Michigan.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday that Jones and East Carolina coach Skip Holtz interviewed for the job with Jones emerging as the front-runner.

Cincinnati will be led by interim coach Jeff Quinn when it faces Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Quinn, who has been an assistant with Kelly for 22 years, was hopeful of getting the head coach gig with the Bearcats.

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Funniest Commercials 2009,Funniest Commercials Of The Year 2009

Funniest Commercials 2009,Funniest Commercials Of The Year 2009:Funniest Commercials 2009 video is here!

This is very funny! I really enjoyed watching it. Watch it now, but before that read an article first from msnbc.msn.com:

Have you been following the treachery on “Survivor Samoa”? This season has been fairly juicy, with a real villain in Russell, a surfeit of immunity idols, and the reality hit’s usual share of backstabbing and plotting. The season comes to a three-hour end (one hour is the reunion show) beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 20. (”Survivor Samoa” finale, 8 p.m., CBS) Some commercials make you roll your eyes, others make you change the channel, and a very few actually make you laugh. If you appreciate the best ads out there, tune in to “Funniest Commercials of the Year 2009,” hosted by Kevin Nealon. (Airs 10 p.m. Dec. 15, TBS.)

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Inglourious Basterds' tops Globes surprises

NEW YORK — The Golden Globes nominations didn't include any fall-out-of-your-seat shockers, but they did — as always — feature some surprises and the inevitable snubs.

Though the Globes bestowed six nominations on one of the awards season favorite's, Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air," they also spread the love around — especially to a few favorite stars.

_ GLORIOUS "INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS": Quentin Tarantino's re-imagined WWII revenge tale won an unexpected four nominations: best film (drama), best supporting actor for the roundly acclaimed Christophe Waltz and best director and best screenplay for Tarantino. "Basterds" isn't expected to roll to as many Oscar nominations, but it was particularly suited to the Globes. It premiered at Cannes and takes place in Europe, making it more appealing to the Hollywood Foreign Press (which last year bestowed several awards on "In Bruges," another grisly, darkly comic film set in Europe). Though Tarantino has only won one Globe (for directing "Pulp Fiction"), his films have been well-received by the Globes. "Kill Bill Vol. 1," "Kill Bill Vol. 2" and "Jackie Brown" all earned acting nominations.

_ JULIA ROBERTS' STAR WATTAGE: From out of left field was the Globes best actress (comedy or musical) nomination of Roberts for her performance in the corporate spy thriller "Duplicity." The Globes have long been known for cowing to A-listers to lure them to their televised award show, and Roberts' win (deserved or not) seems a prime example of that. She's now been nominated seven times, with three wins.

_ THE ROAD ENDS HERE? The awards prospects for both "The Road" and "The Lovely Bones" took substantial hits Tuesday. Neither has received great reviews, but Viggo Mortensen ("The Road") was a strong possibility for best actor. "The Lovely Bones," which is planning a wider release for January, at least earned a nomination for Stanley Tucci's supporting performance.

_ NO REST FOR THE HANGOVER: The runaway hit of the summer, "The Hangover," earned a best picture (comedy or musical) nomination. It's perhaps less surprising considering how popular the movie was. The Globes, apparently warming to broad male comedies, last year gave nominations to "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder," too.

_ OH, BROTHER: Tobey Maguire's performance as a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in "Brothers" has earned some good reviews, but neither the performance nor the film has had much traction. A cynical awards-watcher might say Maguire was a beneficiary of some glad-handing with the Hollywood Foreign Press. It's the first nomination for Maguire.

_ THE HURT LOCK: Jeremy Renner wasn't quite a lock for a best actor (drama) nomination, but his absence was unexpected. "The Hurt Locker," in which Renner plays a bomb technician in Iraq, is widely considered an Oscar favorite and has recently been picking up awards from critics groups. His spot in the category, though, likely went to Maguire.

_ TWO FOR BULLOCK: It's one of the best stories of the year: Nobody in Hollywood is hotter than Sandra Bullock. Though middle-aged women (Bullock is 45) have long had a tough road in the movies, Bullock is not only ruling the box office, she's garnering adoration from critics. She was nominated for best actress in both drama ("The Blind Side") and comedy or musical ("The Proposal").

_ IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE: Clint Eastwood's "Invictus" and the British coming-of-age drama "An Education" are both forecast by insiders to reap Oscar nominations for best picture (which is now a field of 10 nominees). Neither, though, won a best picture (drama) nom from the Globes despite success in other categories: Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon for "Invictus," and Carey Mulligan for "An Education."

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Boeing 787: First flight lifts off today

After two and a half years of delays, aerospace giant Boeing will finally push its Dreamliner out of the nest and see if it can fly. The Boeing 787's first flight today marks a long anticipated turning point for the company, as it tiptoes closer to cashing in on the next-gen plane that airlines have hungered for.

The aircraft will lift off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., at 1 p.m. Eastern time. It'll then touch down in Boeing Field in Seattle, about 30 miles south.

Boeing announced the 787 Dreamliner in 2004 as the first major plane to take full advantage of lightweight, composite materials. Fuel efficient and capable of carrying 250 passengers over great distances or up to 330 people for shorter flights, the 787 could shave off millions of dollars spent on fuel and upkeep. Airlines loved the idea and ordered 840 Dreamliners, worth about $140 billion.

But several delays gunked up production, including design flaws, a two-month strike, and supply shortages. Today, Boeing has a chance to prove that the wait was worth it.

This first flight "will provide a badly needed perception that the program is on some kind of schedule again," Richard Aboulafia, aerospace analyst at research firm Teal Group, told Reuters. "But it's still a long way from the ultimate result."

This very public shot at redemption will be broadcast over the Internet. You can tune in at Boeing's website, starting at 12:40 p.m. Eastern time.

––

Share your thoughts on the Dreamliner in the comments, or keep up with other sci-tech news on our Twitter feed.

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Fake Steve Declares ‘Operation Chokehold’ on AT&T

AT&T’s comments that it was considering incentives to keep heavy data users from crowding others out have sparked an online backlash led by Daniel Lyons.

The carrier said last week that 3% of its smart-phone customers (many of them iPhone users) consumed about 40% of the traffic, and that incentives could encourage them to reduce or modify their usage.

Mr. Lyons took to his blog, Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, a spoof of the Apple CEO, to complain about the remarks and AT&T’s service. On Monday, he took it a step further, suggesting an act of disobedience he called “Operation Chokehold.”

Fake Steve published a fictitious memo asking iPhone users to turn on data-intensive apps at noon Friday in an attempt to overwhelm AT&T’s network. “The idea is we’ll create a digital flash mob,” he wrote.

AT&T condemned the post. “We understand that fakesteve.net is primarily a satirical forum, but there is nothing amusing about advocating that customers attempt to deliberately degrade service on a network that provides critical communications services for more than 80 million customers,” a spokesman said in a statement. “We know that the vast majority of customers will see this action for what it is: an irresponsible and pointless scheme to draw attention to a blog.”

Operation Chokehold has gotten some traction, however, as blogs and tweets have spread the word.

Mr. Lyons told Cult of Mac that he got the idea from a reader who suggested a one-day AT&T boycott. “I liked the sentiment but who’s going to stop using their iPhone?” he said. “And for a whole day? I figured no one would go for it. But a one-hour flash mob of overuse? Now that i could see people doing.”

While disgruntled consumers signaled their support, several tech bloggers were more ambivalent. “We should not forget that bringing down a network the size of AT&T could have disastrous implications,” Mashable said. “I’m all for a bit of fun, obviously, but isn’t it ironic that this is what passes for political action these days? Our forefathers went to union meetings, we use Pandora all day,” Crunchgear added.

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Allen's 3-pointer helps Celtics extend winning streak to 11

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (NBA.com exclusive) -- Boston forward Paul Pierce joked afterward that it went just as Celtics coach Doc Rivers drew it up:

Pierce passes ball to Kevin Garnett out of pick-and-roll.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay tips ball.

Celtics guard Ray Allen catches deflection and fires from 3-point range.

"I mean, hey, textbook basketball. I don't know what more you can say," said Pierce, whose Celtics held on Monday for a 110-105 road victory over the upstart Grizzlies thanks to Allen's game-saving 3-pointer with 17.5 seconds left.

"I said before that's the way we drew it up. We come off the pick and roll with Kevin and coach said, 'When you look back, expect Rudy Gay to tip the ball up. Ray, you run around, grab it, come off another Kevin screen and knock down the 3.' "

By design or not, Allen's late-game heroics propelled Boston to its 11th straight victory overall and its sixth straight against the Grizzlies, who entered Monday's game having won four of their last five games and nine of 13.

"We've been together. That's our advantage," Rivers said. "It's been the same starting five for the last three years. We have veterans coming off the bench. We've played a lot of games together. There's a great confidence that if the game is close, we can win the game."

In a contest that featured 15 ties and 18 lead changes, Pierce's 19 points led five Boston starters in double figures. Allen, who connected on five of the Celtics' 10 3-pointers, and point guard Rajon Rondo added 18 apiece for a Boston squad that shot 50 percent from beyond the arc (10-of-20) and 52.5 percent overall (42-of-80).

Rasheed Wallace scored 15 off the bench and Garnett and center Kendrick Perkins had 13 apiece.

The Celtics (20-4) built their biggest lead of the game late in the fourth quarter, when Rondo's layup gave Boston a 103-95 advantage with 2:49 left to play

But Memphis (10-14), led Monday by Gay's 23 points, responded with a 6-0 run to pull back within two (103-101) with 1:29 to play. A minute later, after Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo's 20-footer cut Boston's lead to 107-105, Allen grabbed the Gay deflection, dribbled around a Garnett screen and knocked down the dagger.

"The Ray shot was just Ray. You know, luck," Rivers said. "That's a good shot for him once he got it, but we'll take it. We'll take the win."

Allen's 3-pointer spoiled a solid offensive effort from the Grizzlies, who, despite shooting 48.4 percent, remained winless in the second game of back-to-backs this season (0-6). Memphis was coming off an impressive 118-90 road victory at Miami on Sunday.

"There is no lesson to be learned," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "You have to win. You have to make plays. You have to get stops. I thought that we played outstanding basketball. They just beat us. Sometimes that happens. When you play well, you can live with getting beat."

Both teams came out of the gate red hot from the field, connecting on nine of their first 13 shot attempts.

Memphis led by as many as five points (33-28) in the first half, and point guard Mike Conley's 16-foot leaner with two-tenths of a second left in the second quarter gave the Grizzlies a 55-54 advantage going into halftime.

"I think we could have won that game," Gay said. "That just goes to show how close we are. I think it starts to hurt more as you get better as a team."

Mayo finished with 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting for Memphis. Forward Zach Randolph had 20 points and center Marc Gasol tacked on 15.

The win was the Celtics' eighth road victory during their current 11-game winning streak.

Memphis hasn't beaten the Celtics at home since winning a 93-76 decision on March 14, 2006.

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Click here to find out more! The Circuit: Awards and Festivals News

"Inglourious Basterds" and "Nine" received the most nominations Monday morning for the Broadcast Film Critics Assn.’s 15th annual Critics Choice Movie Awards, receiving a record 10 nominations each.

Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic received nominations for best picture, best supporting actor for Christoph Waltz, best ensemble, best director for Tarantino, best original screenplay, best cinematography, best art direction, best editing, best costume design and best action movie.

The musical "Nine" received nominations for best picture, best supporting actress, best ensemble, best cinematography, best art direction, best editing, best costume design, best makeup, best sound and best song.

Joining "Basterds" and "Nine" in the best picture category are "Avatar," "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Invictus," "Precious," "A Serious Man," "Up" and "Up in the Air."

The 15th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards will be held Jan. 15 at the Hollywood Palladium. VH1 will broadcast the event live (tape delayed for the West Coast.)

-- Susan King

Photo: Brad Pitt in "Inglourious Basterds." Francois Duhamel / Weinstein Co.

Complete list of nominees after the jump:

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Kabul

Kabul (Pashto/Persian: کابل Kābul; IPA: [kɑːˈbol]^[2]; archaic Caubul), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of over 2.5 million, and is located in the province of Greater Kabul. The exact number cannot be determined but the total provincial population of Kabul is anywhere between 3.5 to almost 5 million people.^[1][3]

It is an economic and cultural centre, situated 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. The city is linked with Ghazni, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e Sharif via a circular highway that stretches across the country. It is also the start of the main road to Jalalabad and, further on, Peshawar, Pakistan.

Kabul's main products include munitions, cloth, furniture and beet sugar, but, since 1978, a state of nearly continuous war has limited the economic productivity of the city. Economic productivity has improved since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 2001.^[4]

Kabul is over 3,000 years old, many empires have long fought over the city for its strategic location along the trade routes of Southern and Central Asia. In 1504, Babur captured Kabul and used it as his headquarters until 1526, before his conquest of India. In 1776, Timur Shah Durrani made it the capital of modern Afghanistan.^[5] Since the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s until very recent, the city has been constantly a target of destruction by rebels or militants. It is also in its early phases of reconstruction.^[6] New construction projects are being implemented as attempts at modernizing the city

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Massive protest held at Copenhagen climate conference

COPENHAGEN — Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Copenhagen on Saturday to demand a strong global-climate pact, even as world leaders reiterated that the coming week’s talks will not lead to a binding legal agreement.

Among the balloons and climate-themed sails waved during the massive demonstration flew the flags of left-of-centre European political parties, as well as signs reading "there is no planet B."

While most of the march was peaceful, riot police detained between 600 and 800 people around the Danish capital after some black-clad demonstrators threw bottles and smashed windows.

"And the number is growing," police spokesman Flemming Steen Munch said.

The marchers spread out across six kilometres as they walked toward Copenhagen’s Bella Centre, the high-security site of the international talks.

Estimates ranged from 30,000 upwards to 100,000 protesters, all of whom flocked to the Danish capital from across Europe and the world.

"They marched in Berlin, and the wall fell. They marched in Cape Town, and the wall fell," South African cleric and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu told a candlelit vigil of protesters. "They marched in Copenhagen — and we are going to get a real deal."

Supermodel Helena Christensen gave a speech in which she described a trip to her mother’s home country of Peru. There, she said farmers, alpaca herdsmen and their families are already suffering the effects of climate change. Melting glaciers are threatening their water supplies and ability to grow food.

"Whether you are a skeptic or an activist on this front, I believe there’s one underlying truth that we need to acknowledge: we must collectively take more responsibility for the well-being of our planet, and of each other," said Christensen, who is half-Danish.

At the tail end of the procession, police separated several hundred protesters from the main group and carried out a number of arrests.

"The police had just come in and sliced off a section of the march," said Australian activist Nicola Bullard, 51.

"Anybody could have been there."

TV images showed the handcuffed protesters sitting on the ground, ordered in long lines along Amagerbrogade, one of the city’s major shopping streets.

The Copenhagen march was the centrepiece to demonstrations that took place around the world.

Australia, the developed world’s worst per-capita polluter, saw as many as 50,000 people taking to the streets nationwide, according to organizers.

In Indonesia, the third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States, activists rallied outside the U.S. embassy in Jakarta to urge the country to support developing nations in reducing emissions.

In the Philippines, hundreds of protesters wearing red shirts banged on drums and sang songs outside Manila’s City Hall demanding global action on climate change.

Although the protesters were marching for quick action to prevent what they say will be catastrophic climate change, the United Nations talks are still stuck on a number of major issues.

They include the type of legal framework for the agreement, the toughness of targets for developed countries, adaptation funding for poorer countries, and whether or not there should be hard caps on emissions on developing countries such as China.

After meeting with protesters, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer said countries are likely to come out of Copenhagen with a set of decisions that launch immediate action on adaptation, preserving forests, industrialized emission targets and financial support for developing countries. For that, they should be proud, he said.

“Given the state of play, and given the amount of remaining time, we cannot cast that all in a legal binding agreement here in Copenhagen," de Boer said.

"We do need to do that within the next six or 12 months in 2010 to really capitalize on what comes out of Copenhagen and turn it into strong legal text."

A draft of an agreement released Friday said developed nations should cut their emissions on average by at least 25 to 40 per cent, ranging up to about 45 per cent by 2020, also from 1990 levels. That is significantly tougher than Canada’s current proposal of cutting emissions from 2006 levels by 20 per cent over the next decade.

Both Canadian chief negotiator Michael Martin and federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice have said they can work from the text, but have serious concerns. Martin has said for the agreement to be fair, major but developing countries — such as China or India — need to have legally binding commitments open to scrutiny just as developed nations do.

"Clearly the text requires some work, but we continue to be optimistic," Prentice said during a brief news conference Saturday evening. Prentice will spend the entire weekend meeting with his global counterparts.

For delegates at the conference, there is hope that the arrival of environment ministers and heads of state this weekend and early next week will bring about a successful conclusion.

"Never have you had this civil society pressure. Never have you had world leaders coming in for a decision-making meeting like this," said Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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YouTube-Backed Music Video Site Vevo Goes Live

YouTube-backed video site Vevo is now live after a star-studded launch event in New York City.

Celebrities like Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, Bono, Pete Wentz, and Mariah Carey joined Google CEO Eric Schmidt in Manhattan to launch the new music video Web site.

Vevo.com currently has 14,675 videos from 5,191 artists in more than 20 categories: alternative, blues, children's music, Christian and gospel, classical, comedy/humor, country, easy listening, electronic/dance, holiday, jazz, Latino, pop, R&B/soul, rap/hip-hop, reggae, rock, soundtrack, spoken word, world, and other.

Users have the option to create playlists with up to 75 videos. Almost 800 playlists have already been created.

Plans for Vevo were first announced in April with YouTube and Universal Music Group as the founding partners. YouTube described Vevo as a "premium online music video hub" that will be powered by YouTube's video technology. Users can access the content via Vevo.com or through a new Vevo YouTube channel, which will include a Vevo-branded embedded player.

Sony Music Entertainment joined the venture in June, and AT&T signed on in October. Abu Dhabi Media Company also joined as a founding shareholder that same month, contributing a reported $300 million.

Earlier this month, Vevo announced a content deal with CBS Interactive Music Group, which will provide users with access to CBS properties like Last.fm and more than 90 CBS Radio music stations beginning next year.

On Monday, EMI Music said it would share content from its labels like Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol and Virgin, as well as the independent artists and labels represented by EMI Label Services and EMI's Caroline Distribution unit.

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Phillippe Aumont and Tyson Gillies...to the Phillies

Talk about a day of twists and turns, which still isn't quite done yet. But this piece by ESPN columnist Jayson Stark (a longtime Philadelphia beat writer) does a good job of explaining what's been going on.

As suspected, this deal was still in the fluid stages all afternoon, with the Blue Jays wanting outfielder Domonic Brown from the Phillies, but being told they could only have Michael Taylor. Prior to that development, Stark writes, the idea was to send Mariners pitching prospect Phillippe Aumont back to his homeland to play for Toronto.

But now, with Brown off the table, the deal has been reworked and catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud is going to the Jays along with Taylor and one of two pitching prospects -- J.A. Happ or Kyle Drabek.

On the M's side, he reports that M's Class A outfield prospect Tyson Gillies (photo above, light blue shirt) will be joining Aumont in Philly. Gillies is also a Canadian and would make sense for Toronto, but he's one heckuva ballplayer and will draw attention on either side of the border. Looks like he's staying south.

If this is it from a Mariners perspective, that's one great deal pulled off by GM Jack Zduriencik. Yes, Aumont is a No. 1 pick and Gillies has upside and was named to the Futures Game this past summer.

But folks, both were blocked in Seattle's system.

Aumont had several closer-type candidates either right with him or ahead of him, including David Aardsma, Mark Lowe, Shawn Kelley and Josh Fields.

In the outfield, the M's have Ichiro, Franklin Gutierrez, Michael Saunders and whoever else they bring in this winter. Let's not forget down in the minors, where Greg Halman is in Class AA. So, good as Gillies is, he'd face a tough time cracking the lineup even in a couple of years.

Like I said, if this is it, the M's just managed a serious upgrade for 2010 while keeping several top prospects in-hand to possibly do another deal with. And if Lee leaves after 2010, you collect two Type A compensation picks for him (provided he has a good year). Or, you trade him next July.

But let's see if this is all that was given up.

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Phillies set to add Roy Halladay

The Phillies have a tentative agreement to acquire star pitcher Roy Halladay in a trade with the Blue Jays, and the former Cy Young Award winner was in Philadelphia for a physical required to finalize the deal.

Philadelphia also is discussing a trade that would send Cliff Lee, another former Cy Young winner, to the Seattle Mariners.

The commissioner’s office granted a 72-hour window Sunday for Toronto and Philadelphia to complete their trade, a baseball official familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press yesterday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Major League Baseball didn’t make any announcement.

Philadelphia could give up pitchers J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and outfielder Dominic Brown as part of a deal, the person said. Those three players also took physicals.

Halladay is the most prized pitcher on the trade market. A six-time All-Star and the 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner, the right-hander was 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA for the Blue Jays last season.

The 32-year-old Halladay can become a free agent after the 2010 season, so Philadelphia likely wants a long-term contract extension as part of a trade.

ESPN reported that Halladay was in line to receive a three-year extension worth about $60 million, with vesting options that could lengthen the deal.

Matsui to Halos

Designated hitter/outfielder Hideki Matsui and the Los Angeles Angels reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract worth about $6.5 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told the AP.

Matsui’s agent, Arn Tellem, confirmed “serious negotiations” but declined further comment.

Matsui hit .274 with 28 homers and 90 RBI last season, then was selected World Series MVP despite starting only three of the six games against Philadelphia.

Slowed by surgically repaired knees, the 35-year-old Matsui would replace free agent Vladimir Guerrero as Los Angeles’ primary designated hitter. Guerrero, also hobbled by injuries, will turn 35 in February.

Brewers spend

Left-hander Randy Wolf finalized his three-year, $29.75 million contract with Milwaukee, which also re-signed Craig Counsell to a $2.1 million deal. The Brewers also have a preliminary one-year agreement with reliever Claudio Vargas, pending a physical. . . .

The Washington Nationals and Scott Olsen agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract, which includes performance bonuses that allow the left-hander to earn a total of $3,825,000 if he makes 33 starts next year. . . .

Houston agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract to keep outfielder Jason Michaels

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese was arrested during the weekend on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the fourth time in less than three years that a member of the team has faced drunken-driving allegations.

Looking at replay

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig plans to establish a study group that will examine on-field issues that could include replay, umpires and pace of game. Selig scheduled a telephone news conference for today for an announcement involving on-field matters.

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Dubai is given $10bn bailout by Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI cheered markets yesterday by extending a $10 billion bailout to Dubai, enabling its fellow emirate to avoid an embarrassing slide into default by troubled state-owned property developer Nakheel.

And in Europe, Greek prime minister George Papandreou last night pledged “radical” action to tackle the country’s budget deficit a week after ratings agency Fitch withdrew its A rating from the country sovereign debt.

News of the Dubai bailout sent international stock markets higher yesterday, led by banks. However, there was little reaction on the Dublin market.

The move by the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates ended three weeks of market turmoil following Dubai’s request to freeze payments on $26 billion in debt held by state-owned conglomerate Dubai World, Nakheel’s parent.

The Dubai government said it would use the funds to settle a $4.1 billion Nakheel sukuk – Islamic bond – due yesterday and for interest payments and working capital while Dubai World negotiated a debt restructuring.

However, analysts warned that concerns remained about the conglomerate’s restructuring and other parts of the emirate’s commercial empire.

In Greece, as officials struggle to convince investors they can get to grips with public finances, Mr Papandreou said in a speech in Athens: “In the next three months we will take those decisions which weren’t taken for decades.”

The prime minister, who came to power in October, said many choices would be “painful”, although he pledged to protect poorer and middle-income Greeks.

Greece urgently needs to restore its international credibility following a downgrade last week by Fitch to BBB plus, and a warning by Standard Poor’s of a possible downgrade.

Moody’s will visit Athens this week, raising fears that Greece will suffer another downgrade as it gears up to borrow another €50 billion on top of a record €60 billion this year.

The public debt is set to rise next year from 113 per cent to 124 per cent of GDP, the highest in the euro zone.

Europe’s economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia yesterday warned Greece not to rely on the euro zone to come to its rescue.

“It does not appear that he has provided much insight into how he will reduce Greece’s heavy debt burden,” Brown Brothers analysts led by New York-based Marc Chandler wrote in a research note. “The most important take-away point is that key decisions will be made over the next three months and the pain will be distributed.”

Mr Papandreou, who said he would forge a “new national” agreement, yesterday pledged to cut the deficit, currently 12.7 per cent, below the EU’s 3 per cent limit by 2013. “Today our biggest deficit is that of credibility,” he said. “In the last years Greece lost all traces of credibility, which is why international institutions, partners want to see actions.”

In Dubai, analysts said Dubai’s reputation as a business haven also remained in question and the emirate still faced a tough task to reschedule the remaining $22 billion of Dubai World’s debts.

“Markets hate uncertainty, but they loathe unpredictability. In terms of rebuilding reputations, this process is far from over,” said Philipp Lotter of Moody’s.

Abu Dhabi’s move appeared to restore what had been perceived as an implicit state guarantee of Dubai World’s debts. Its intervention came after the Dubai debt crisis caused its own borrowing costs to rise alongside those of other Gulf states. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009)

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