Top News-456

Monday 2 May 2011

Osama Bin Laden Died

Americans celebrated early Monday in a show of patriotism against the man who committed his life to attacking U.S. citizens, while those directly affected by Osama bin Laden's terrorist plots quietly reflected on the closure finally gained from his death.
In front of the White House, chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" filled the night air, and the quickly growing group spontaneously broke into an off-key rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
"I was in D.C. during 9/11. It's hard to believe, 10 years later, it's over," said Mason Wright, 33, who recalled his days as a student at American University, watching on TV as a second plane hit the World Trade Center in 2001.
"It's terrible to sit here and celebrate someone's death, but to the thousands of lives that were lost -- it's finally come to an end," he added.
Alan Comar, 29, clutched his girlfriend as he watched hundreds clad in red, white and blue gather in front of the White House.
"There's very few of those got-to-be-there moments," said the Washington resident, who worked as a contractor in Afghanistan. "This is one of them."
Dustin Swensson, who recently served in Iraq, echoed those comments, calling the news "historic."
"It's what the world needed," he said as he celebrated outside the White House gates. "(I'll) always remember where I was when the towers went down and I'm always going to remember where I am now."
The mood was much more somber at the Pentagon memorial a few miles away, where 184 people died when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed there on September 11, 2001.
"Everyone was at the White House celebrating and hardly anyone was at the memorial," said Jessica McFarland of Arlington, Virginia. "I felt like this site put things in perspective. The people who died should never be forgotten."
In New York, a cheering crowd gathered at ground zero -- the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. Strains of "God Bless America" could be heard intermittently trickling through the crowd.
One former New York firefighter -- forced to retire due to lung ailments suffered as a result of the dust from ground zero -- said he was there to let the 343 firefighters who died in the attacks know "they didn't die in vain."
"It's a war that I feel we just won," he said. "I'm down here to let them know that justice has been served."
Bob Gibson, a retired New York police officer, said the news of bin Laden's death gave him a sense of "closure."
"I never thought this night would come that we would capture or kill bin Laden," he said. "And thank the Lord he has been eliminated."
Private moments of reflection were happening, too, as loved ones of those killed in the September 11 attacks quietly marked bin Laden's death.
Patricia Sliwak-Grinberg said she started to cry when President Barack Obama began to describe the September 11 attacks as he delivered news of bin Laden's death. Her brother, Robert Sliwak, was a Cantor-Fitzgerald employee who died in the World Trade Center.
"I guess I'm happy," she said. "You want to be happy, but it's such a sad reason to be happy. ... You think of all those families and all those people who were sucked into this, when one person could be doing so much evil."
She likened the feeling to "what people feel like when someone has been killed and they finally capture or kill the person who did it."
"It's so odd because everyone puts you in this whole collective group, but you're still just one person who lost a brother," she said.
Carie Lemack, whose mother, Judy, was killed on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, expressed "relief."
In an e-mail to CNN, she said: "Cannot express how this feels to my family, but relief is one word. We hope we can now focus on all that that madman took, namely nearly 3,000 + innocent victims, and not on him."
Jim Riches, who lost his firefighter son Jimmy when the World Trade Center's north tower collapsed, said he was gratified when he learned of bin Laden's death.
"(My) son still isn't coming home," he told CNN. "(There's) no closure, but at last, at least some justice for the murder of 3,000 Americans, finally."
Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93, which crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 9/11, said that while the news could not "ease our pain, or bring back our loved ones, it does bring a measure of comfort that the mastermind of the September 11th tragedy and the face of global terror can no longer spread his evil."
Kevin Pillow, 29, was at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, California, listening to Rascal Flatts play when the news broke. One of the band members mentioned the report about four songs into their set, he said.
"The scene was truly electric," Pillow said. "You could feel the buzz of the moment. Hearing the people erupt when he said it was a life moment."
At the Mets-Phillies baseball game in Philadelphia, people in the stands began chanting, "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" as news of bin Laden's death spread through the crowd.
Elsewhere, spontaneous celebrations broke out on college campuses across the country.
Students set off fireworks outside a Vanderbilt fraternity house in Nashville, 22-year-old Chris McDonald told CNN's iReport.
"As college students, we were young at the time of the September 11 attacks," he said. "In many cases, (that) was the first moment we ever felt our country's strength and power challenged, so we have grown up with this constantly in our minds."
He described Monday's atmosphere on campus as "pure elation."
At Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Colleen Russo, 21, said she took a break from studying for finals to join fellow classmates packed into the residential quad, singing "Party in the USA" and "God Bless America."
"It was crazy, everyone was so unified and so excited," she told CNN's iReport.

CNN iReporter Chris Lemke, a media studies student at Penn State, also said he chose to forgo studying to participate in the jubilation.
People began to gather on the University Park, Pennsylvania, campus around 11 p.m. Sunday as word spread among late-night studiers by cell phone, he said. Crowds listened to Obama's address from a TV blasting out an apartment window and celebrated for hours afterward.
The moment had a particular resonance for 20-year-old student Kara Bergman, whose birthday is September 11. On the day of the terror attacks nearly 10 years ago, teachers at her school in Vienna, Virginia, told students there would be no recess, and they couldn't watch TV.
"Today, I remember the faces of those students, but right now I see the faces of my fellow classmates, who are putting their lives aside to surpass the vulnerability they felt on September 11, 2001, celebrating and working towards change," she told CNN's iReport.
Steve Rossero, a sophomore at Penn State, said he felt a surge of pride and patriotism as he looked over his balcony and saw masses of students chanting and screaming following Obama's speech.
"Just being American tonight, it's a great feeling."

Saturday 30 April 2011

Speedway

The driver known as "Magnum" has some new ammunition this weekend.
Michael Bennett of Stafford will be coming to the 40th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, presented by Car Quest, with two cars — his familiar No. 64 Late Model and a No. 18 SK Modified he’ll be driving for the first time.
Even though his inventory has expanded, however, his focus has not — Bennett will be concentrating on winning his first Late Model championship.
"I think it’s time," said Bennett, who was one of more than 50 drivers who was at Stafford Motor Speedway Friday to take advantage of the final practice session before this weekend’s Sizzler.
"Driving the SK is going to be fun and I hope to learn a lot. But ultimately, the Late Model is our main focus."
Bennett’s opportunity to drive an SK came about in an unusual fashion. Wendell KilCollins and Randy Palko were going to work on Lou Matteson’s SK this season, but he decided to sell his team.
Palco and KilCollins still wanted to be involved, so they borrowed a chassis and engine from Tim Rowe — the car that Woody Pitkat drove at Stafford for the past several seasons. It’s a car Rowe decided not to race this year.
Bennett was recruited as the driver and will race four times — this weekend’s Sizzler, the two SK extra-distance races and the Fall Final.
"It’s totally different from the Late Model," Bennett said. "I just want to qualify for this weekend’s SK race, keep the car in one piece and keep going forward. I’m not expecting anything like a Top 5. But a Top 10 would be like a victory for me."
He’s only moonlighting with the SK, however. The Late Model remains his full-time ride.
"We’re struggling a bit right now with the tires," Bennett said. "But I always seemed to be better during a race than I am in practice."
This season Bennett hopes that trend continues in two divisions.

On his own
Sean Foster of Ellington feared that he would be spending the 2011 race season as a spectator.
Instead, he has a new title — car owner.
Foster was back driving an SK Modified during Friday’s practice session, but with a big difference. He not only is on the team, he co-owns it, along with his father, Scott Foster Sr.
"We decided to do our own thing this year," Foster said.
The last time Foster owned his own car, he was busy winning a Limited Late model championship. Then he moved up to the SK Modifieds, where he drove for car owner Glen Johnson of Tolland for the past two years.
"Glen decided to take some time off," Foster said. "So I asked my dad if he wanted to own a car with me. At first, I didn’t think he was going to go for it."
Foster, however, already had an SK motor, which mans going the SK route the easiest option, even though it also was the most expensive.
""Once my dad so go ahead, I started to go on-line trying to find a car," Foster said.
He found one in Long Island, N.Y., and then finalized the deal two months ago.
"When we got the car, it was pretty ugly," Foster said. "But we went through it and fixed it up. It looks a lot better now."
But will it travel as fast as it looks? Foster has been known for his aggressive style — will that philosophy change now that he’s a car owner?
"I depends on how the car is going to turn," said Foster, who has Steve McCarthy, one of Stafford’s most successful chassis men, working on the car. "With Steve involved, there’s a good chance it’s going to turn very well."
Things have already turned in Foster’s direction — instead of being without a ride, he and his dad are the ride.

Tutorial payback
When Todd Owen of Somers started his racing career back in 1994 at Riverside Park Speedway, he had a lot of help getting the wheels in motion.
"I couldn’t have done it without the help of my dad and a lot of other people," Owen said.
So when a teenager he knew was looking to launch a career at Stafford Speedway, Owen decided it was an opportunity for him to help someone the way he was helped more than 15 years ago.
The teen, Cody Gneiting, a junior at Somers High, will be making his SK Light debut today at the Spring Sizzler.
Gneiting, 16, has plenty of experience in the quarter-midgets and in the Allison-Legacy series, but now he’s making a huge jump to the half-mile layout at Stafford.
"A lot of people were making promises to him and not delivering," Owen said. "So we decided to do something."
Gneiting is now part of the race team that includes SK Brad Heitala, Chris Matthews and Owen. His car is a former SK Light car that Matthews drove to an SK title in 2006.
Owen, however, is providing Gneiting with a lot more than just a ride — he’s getting hands-on experience in all facets of the sport.
"If he just wants to be a driver, he’s on the wrong team," Owen said. "He also had to do a lot of work on the car."
Owen and Gneiting got the car ready in just six weeks and now he’s ready to go.
Owen’s top piece of advice was simple.
"Just stay out of trouble and get as much seat time as you can," Owen said.

If that advice sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same advice Owen received more than 15 years ago.

Sizzler schedule
This morning the Whelen Modified Tour cars will join the weekly divisions in the Stafford paddock for Day 1 of Sizzler action.
Qualifying will be held for the Tour cars at 1:30 p.m., followed by qualifying heats in all of Stafford’s five weekly divisions. Then features will be held for the SK Lights, Limited Late Models and DARE Stocks.
Sunday’s action begins at 11 a.m. with the Bells and Hoses pit party. Then the SK Modified and Late Model features will take place, followed by the 200-lap Spring Sizzler.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Cornerback Cortez Allen of The Citadel was selected in the fourth round of the National Football League draft on Saturday by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Allen, who played in the East-West Shrine All-Star game on January 22, was taken with the 129th selection in the fourth round. He is six-foot-one and weighs in at 197 pounds. In 11 games playing for the Bulldogs last fall, Allen made 22 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, he intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown, and he also broke up five passes and defended seven.
Allen was a pre-season All Southern Conference pick. He was second on the team with 57 stops (including 36 solo tackles) his junior year. Allen, who concluded his collegiate career with 120 total tackles, 20 pass deflections and two fumble recoveries, is also the first SoCon player taken in the NFL draft. Cornerback Buster Skine of Chattanooga is the second player chosen. He was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round with the 137th pick.
The Tar Heels have six players selected in the draft, so far. Defensive end Robert Quinn was taken by the St. Louis Rams in the first round with the 14th choice. Outside linebacker Bruce Carter goes to Dallas in the second round with the 40th pick; defensive tackle Marvin Austin of the Tar Heels goest to the New York Giants in the second round with the 52nd choice; wide receiver Greg Little was taken by Cleveland in the second round with the 59th pick; strong safety Da'Norris Searcy goest to Buffalo in the fourth round with the 100th pick; and running back Johnny White is taken by Buffalo with the 133rd selection in the fifth round.
Linebacker Nate Irving of North Carolina State goes to Denver with the 67th choice in the third round.
Appalachian State has three possible draft candidates in linebacker D.J. Smith, offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore and defensive back Mark LeGree.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins traded up in the sixth round and selected Charles Clay, a tight end and H-back from Tulsa. Miami traded with Green Bay, and teams swapped sixth- and seventh-round picks. The Dolphins, who selected Clay with the 174th overall selection, have two draft picks remaining, both in the second round.

The Dolphins also selected Abilene Christian speedster Edmond Gates with the 111th overall pick in the fourth round.

The Miami Dolphins traded up in the sixth round and selected Charles Clay, a tight end and H-back from Tulsa. Miami secured the pick, the 174th overall in the sixth round, through a trade with Green Bay.

The Dolphins gave Green Bay the 179th and 218th overall picks and received in return the 174th and 231st picks. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Clay was a versatile offensive weapon for Tulsa, where he was a four-year starter and a team captain during his senior season.

"I provide mismatches amongst the defense and I'm not limited to doing one thing," Clay said.

He ran for 226 yards on 34 carries during his senior season, and caught 43 passes for 526 yards.

His most productive season as a pass-catcher came in 2007 when he was a freshman. He finished that season with 69 receptions for 1,024 yards. Overall, he finished his collegiate career with 189 receptions for 2,544 yards and 28 touchdowns.

The Dolphins were seeking help at tight end and Clay could help to fill that void.

Hoping to add speed to their offense, Miami picked Gates, a receiver who ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 4.37 seconds.

As impressive as the time might sound, Gates wasn't impressed. He said on Saturday that was the slowest 40-yard dash time he'd ever run. The fastest? A 4.21, he said.

"But that was on a track surface," Gates said. "That kind of helps you."

Gates played just one year of high school football and walked on the team at Abilene Christian, a Division II school in Abilene, Texas. He earned small-school All-American honors after he caught 66 passes for 1,182 yards and 13 touchdowns during his senior season in 2010.

Gates said he would like to return kicks – both punts and kickoffs – in the NFL.

Denver Broncos

Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow said he believes the John Elway regime is as committed to him as was former coach Josh McDaniels, who was fired last season before Tebow made the first of his three rookie starts for Denver.
"I believe in them, and they believe in me," Tebow told ESPN Saturday.
Tebow returned to Denver from Florida over the weekend and plans to spend the majority of the remaining offseason working out with teammates including receivers Brandon Lloydand JJabar Gaffney during the lockout.
Elway described himself as being Tebow's "biggest fan" because if he justifies the first-round draft pick McDaniels spent on him, the Broncos can more quickly recover from a disastrous 4-12 season.
Tebow led the Broncos with six rushing touchdowns last season, and Elway describes the young quarterback's mobility and intangible qualities as unique.
Those comments and Elway revealing his plans to be directly involved with Tebow and Denver's other quarterbacks were encouraging, Tebow said.
"To have John Elway say positive things about you is just amazing," Tebow said. "He's played the game at the highest level possible, and I'm excited because he's going to be a great asset for me."
Elway has told Tebow directly that for the Broncos to become Super Bowl champions as they were when Elway retired that the quarterback will have to perfect his throwing motion, improve his accuracy and prove he can win from the pocket. Elway is confident Tebow can reach that point but can't predict when the transformation will occur.
Tebow has emphasized exactly what Elway is advising during his offseason workouts.
"Any quarterback at this level has to be able to do that," Tebow said. "That's nothing new to me. It's what I'm working to do so I can compete and we can win."
Elway said Tebow will compete with veteransKyle Orton and Brady Quinn for the starting job. Tebow's potential was the reason the Broncos used the No. 2 overall draft pick and their other premium draft choices on rebuilding the NFL's worst defense rather than taking a young quarterback.

"I think where we are as an organization, we are going with Tim," Elway said.
Tebow also disagrees that the lockout could destroy his chances of winning the starting job because the Broncos might prefer Orton's experience if training camps and preseason games are lost to the labor issue.
"Other guys might be taking it easy," he said. "So this might be an opportunity for me to outwork people."

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers kick off the final day of the NFL Draft with a pair of fourth round picks.
The Packers traded their first 4th rounder (129th overall) and a 7th rounder (204th overall) to the Denver Broncos for a 5th rounder (141st overall) and 6th rounder (186 overall).
With their compensatory selection (131st overall), the Packers picked New Mexico State cornerback Davon House.
The 6'0", 182 pound House was a 1st team All-WAC selection. Tallied 68 tackles, 13 PBU's and three interceptions as a junior.
Battled through injuries in less productive senior season.
Started several games as a freshman and contributed all four years for the Aggies.

Ran a blazing 4.35 40-yard dash at recent pro day...Has solid ball skills and the speed to stay with any receiver...Competitive player who wants to cover the best player always...A willing and capable tackler...Excels in man coverage situations.
Breaks down well in space...Works hard and is well muscled...Did not always play against elite competition in college...Needs to prove capable of playing zone coverage in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys

With the 143rd overall pick, the Dallas Cowboys selected Buffalo cornerback Josh Thomas in the fifth round of the draft. Smith is a very talented player with the potential to develop into a solid starter in the NFL. It took the Cowboys long enough, but they finally added help along the defensive unit. Here is what NFL.com has to say about Thomas:

Thomas has the upside to potentially turn into a starting corner with some improved awareness and overall refinement to his game. At this stage, has the size, coverage skills, and hands to provide quality depth as a backup. Can hold up in man, will press effectively and has the athleticism to stick with and trail receivers. Zone coverage instincts are still developing, but can locate his man and make open field tackles in the flats. Hands are good and can extend away from his body for an interception. Has the right mentality against the run, just needs some more consistency. Thomas is a Day 3 prospect.
With Terrence Newman, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick on the roster, Thomas won’t be forced onto the field too early. If he is developed correctly, the Cowboys got themselves excellent value in the mid-rounds.

Bengals

Finished answering questions in front of all the television cameras, quarterback Andy Dalton stole a private moment with new Bengals teammate Dontay Moch.
Dalton reached into the pocket of his black pants, pulled out his cell phone and handed it to the Nevada linebacker, asking him to snap a photo. Then, Dalton smiled and held up his new tiger-striped jersey, the one with No. 14 across the back.
Some number!
No Bengals quarterback has worn No. 14 since Ken Anderson, who led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl in the 1981 season. The only other player to get it since then was receiver Maurice Purify, who played five games in the 2009 season. Otherwise, the number has been revered and reserved in Cincinnati.
From the start, Dalton carries a lot on weight his back.
The Bengals chose Dalton in the second round on Friday, and brought him to town a day later to make the rounds and get acquainted with the staff. He also got to do the ceremonial posing for photos with his new jersey. His old number from Texas Christian has new meaning in Cincinnati.
"Kenny Anderson—I don't know a lot about him, but I know he played here for a long time and was very successful," Dalton said. "So it's great to get No. 14. My best friend's wife's dad went to high school with Kenny Anderson and they were friends."
Now, they have a numerical link.
Anderson was a third-round pick from Augustana in 1971, when he played behind Virgil
Carter. He took over the next season and led the franchise to some of its finest moments, back in the days when they won regularly with founder Paul Brown running the show.Dalton's situation is totally different.
He and receiver A.J. Green are the focal points of Cincinnati's replacement draft—choosing players who are expected to take over for moving-on stars. Green, the fourth overall pick, is expected to take over for Chad Ochocinco. Dalton will get a chance to move into Carson Palmer's spot—the franchise quarterback has thrown in the towel on a team with only two winning records in the last 20 years.
Will the Bengals satisfy Palmer's trade request? Will he retire if he's not dealt? Can they reach some compromise, perhaps Palmer staying for a season while Dalton learns the offense? Will the lockout prevent Dalton from learning the offense and playing as a rookie?
Uncertainty abounds.
"Everybody knows about the current situation with Carson Palmer," Dalton said. "As far as I know, it's open (competition). We're trying to figure out who will be the guy, and I'm looking forward to it."
After getting a few photos on his cell phone—he also had Moch take one of him and fiancee Jordan Jones—he walked through the locker room, moving briskly pass Palmer's locker at the far end of the football-shaped room, which still houses his gear.
What next?

Dalton has to try to get in touch with teammates he doesn't know but will soon try to lead. He got a text message from Green after he was picked and a congratulatory phone call from second-year receiver Jordan Shipley. Most of his new teammates on offense spent last week in California working out with quarterback Jordan Palmer, whose status also is unclear now.
The NFL's reinstated lockout means Dalton won't be able to spend time with coaches learning the offense, hurting his chances to start as a rookie. Any workouts with teammates will come at his initiative away from Paul Brown Stadium.
"I'd have to figure out what's going on and where guys are and what they're doing," Dalton said. "But that's definitely an option.
"I'm just ready to get in and get to work. The whole lockout situation—I don't know what's going to happen."
The Bengals spent three of their first four picks on offense, taking guard Clint Boling from Georgia in the fourth round.

Prom

Friday Night Lights’ Aimee Teegarden easily holds up this engaging teen romance centering on those frantic weeks leading up to … Senior Prom!
Leading lady Teegarden is an experienced actress for her age, as is most of the lead cast – Thomas McDonell, DeVaughn Nixon, Yin Chang, Danielle Campbell, Jared Kusnitz, etc. -- all seasoned young actors brought on board to give this sweet trifle body and edge.
And they’re all great looking – check out McDonell, a cross between Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp, who incidentally is playing Depp’s younger self Young Barnabas Collins in the vampire outing Dark Shadows. There’s not an average looker or poor performance in the bunch.
The kids are preparing for prom in their own interesting and unique ways – some ask their dates out early, some are scared to, others decide they’ve lost out before they start; some are eternal optimists who just know they’ll be there with someone special when the Prom King and Queen are named. And it’ll be them, for sure.
The buzz phrase is “it doesn’t matter who you’ve been for four years… were all the same at Prom” is slightly frightening but intended to be welcoming and inclusive.
Teegarden’s Nova is in charge of Prom night, ironically called Starry Night. It’s up to her to decorate the gym, arrange the King and Queen competition, delegate helpers and get it done. They begin well, but one by one she’s abandoned by her deputized friends and takes the load on herself.
And the boy she likes hasn’t asked her to be his date yet. It’s hard to believe a character as beautiful, smart and nice as Nova is would be pining for a prom date.
Enter the school bad boy (McDonell) on a motorcycle, with plenty of ‘tude, good looks and a dark wardrobe worthy of any Twi-hard. He’s the quintessential outsider from the wrong side of the tracks whose surliness masks a sensitive heart.
Christine Elise of Beverly Hills 90201 (the original!) makes a rare appearance as his single mother. He upsets the apple cart at school and is sentenced to help Nova – miss prissy – with the prom decorations or fail class.
The riskiest and most interesting character is Tyler (Nixon) whose considerable charm and good natured attitude masks low down behaviour and misogynistic views towards women. He’s juggling girls, he inadvertently burns down the prom prop house and all Nova’s decorations, and keeps it secret, and carries on regardless.
He’s the Teflon Don and the life of the party; he throws one that is impossibly groovy and a fine frame for his Romeo act.

The film’s no intellectual or cinematic exercise, but its easy going and likeable, good clean fun for Prom-goers and heavy on the eye candy. And it’s interesting that each character has a defined and separate experience from the others.
The problems the kids face are diverse and realistic, the kids of problems kids of this age face, and we find ourselves caring. There’s nothing cloyingly sweet about it, either. A lot happens to likeable kids – nothing wrong with that.
Visit the movie database for more information.
Written by Katie Wech
Directed by Joe Nussbaum
Opens April 29
Runtime:
MPAA:Rated PG for mild language and a brief fight
Country: US
Language: English

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings continue making solid picks in the 2011 NFL Draft, as they've grabbed Arkansas offensive lineman DeMarcus Love with one of their four sixth-round selections.

Love, a big guy at 6'4.5" and 315 pounds, has lined up at both tackle positions for the Razorbacks, as well as at guard. He was an All-Conference performer in the Southeastern Conference in 2010, and helped clear the way for the Ryan Mallett-led Arkansas offense that took them to the Sugar Bowl this past season.
Love projects as a guard at the National Football League level, and could have a shot at contributing right away, as incumbent Anthony Herrera had a rough 2010 season before tearing his ACL towards the end of the season. He will likely have to compete with 2009 sixth-round selection Chris DeGeare, but Love's versatility might be a benefit to him in any sort of competition for roster space.
The Vikings have three more sixth round picks as well, so we will have more on them as those picks come in.

Angus T Jones

Due to the drama surrounding Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men has been on hiatus since January 2011, but that doesn’t mean that the cast of the hit CBS sitcom has been sitting on their hands waiting for work. Angus T Jones, 17, who plays Jake on Men, recently appeared at the Creative Coalition gala in Washington, D.C. appearing like he has lost some weight

surprise to us as Jones certainly has the money to do what ever he’d like to do: the 17-year-old makes an astounding quarter of a million dollars per episode. Jones was even paid a few months ago to not even work due to Sheen being fired from the comedy and production on the series being halted.
Jones has been on Men since its inception back in 2003 since he was about 9-years-old and has grown into nearly an adult since then. The fate of the series is still unknown and, if it does return, will begin filming this summer in time for a premiere later this fall. Since Sheen has been fired from the show, there have been conflicting rumors that Sheen will be returning to the series as well as other sources noting that Warner Brothers is scouting for Sheen’s replacement.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears achieved their goal of bringing in a developmental quarterback by selecting Idaho's Nathan Enderle in the fifth round (No. 160 overall) on the draft's third day.
"We worked with the coaches on this, we worked him out personally, and feel good about the selection," Bears director of player personnel Tim Ruskell said. "He's a big guy. He's got a very strong arm. He's a very intelligent man and intelligent quarterback. I saw him two years when I was in Seattle and saw him play against Jake [Locker] in Washington and he really went toe to toe with him."
In 37 starts, Enderle -- 6-foot-4, 234-pounds -- threw for 8,181 yards, 62 touchdowns and 53 interceptions. He impressed Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz during a private workout on the Idaho campus, a workout that ultimately convinced the Bears to burn a draft choice on a quarterback despite other potential needs on the roster.
"It was awesome when [Martz] came out there and you can tell he has so much football knowledge," Enderle said. "He started to tweak with my drop and a few things I was doing physically just while he was out there. He's a really good coach and somebody I'd like to work with.
"I knew it was a possibility [to be drafted by Bears]. I came into it with an open mind not really knowing where I would fall and where I would go to, but I knew they were a possibility and that he liked me when they came out and saw me. So I'm excited about that."
Enderle, a former college teammate of Bears' fullback Eddie Williams, is expected to enter training camp as the club's No. 3 quarterback behind Jay Cutler and Caleb Hanie.

"I am comfortable [with Hanie as the No. 2] and obviously the coaches are, so I think that's probably how they go into it," Ruskell said.
This marks the second consecutive year the Bears have drafted a quarterback in the late rounds. Bears general manager Jerry Angelo took Dan LeFevour in the sixth-round in 2010, but cut the quarterback following training camp with the intention of signing LeFevour to the practice squad. The Cincinnati Bengals, however, scooped LeFevour off waivers and added him to their 53-man active roster.

Oakland Raiders

Denarius Moore, welcome to the Oakland Raiders. Well, it's official—the Oakland Raiders are now in medal contention for the 4x100 at the London Olympic Games. Denarius Moore, a WR out of Tennessee, ran a 4.37 at his Pro Day. He has decent size at 6' and 194 pounds. He obviously has big play potential, but inconsistent hands.
He has solid ball skills and good timing, and should be a vertical threat from day one. He is raw, and in need of some good coaching. His route repertoire is limited. He may actually be the best value pick the Raiders have made. Some projected his potential will slide him into the third-round. And that is the only way to really justify this pick. The last thing the Raiders need is another WR that is a limited route runner with inconsistent hands. We are definitely in the place in the draft where you take the best player available—no questions asked. If this guy develops it will be a genius pick. If he doesn't it is just another typical and wasted Al Davis speed pick.
I butchered our new Raider's name on the poll and I can't edit the poll. It is Denarius Moore and not Thomas.

Possesses good size for the wide receiver position and displays an impressive initial burst off the line. Reaches top-end speed quickly and has the body control, shiftiness and power to cleanly slip the bump of opposing corners either off the line or down the field and get into his route. Accelerates well for himself when asked to separate down the field as well as once he gains a step and has the ability to track the football vertically. Possesses good straight-line speed for his size and is tough to keep pace with down the field. Exhibits good hand/eye coordination and strong hands when asked to locate and go up and make a play. Consistently is able to come down with the catch while showing the type of strength to hold onto the ball through the play.

Is still developing as a route runner. Is a bit tight in the hips, has a tendency to start to drift into his routes prematurely and isn't real sharp in and out of his breaks. Will begin to advertise his routes early and isn't much more than a vertical route runner at this stage. However, he will work as a blocker on the outside, can run a bit after the catch and grades out well enough to warrant a draft pick and roster spot.

Impression: A vertical route runner who has ability to accelerate away from defenders once he slips press and makes plays down the field. Still needs to add some polish to his game, but he has enough athleticism to work his way onto an NFL roster and fight for playing time as a sub-package/vertical threat down the line.
Injuries are not too much of a red flag for Moore. He got off to a slow start in 2009 due to a foot problem, but he remained mostly healthy for the remainder of his career. Moore does not have great size at 6'0'' and a generous 194 pounds, so he is going to have to develop more explosiveness off the ball since he will never get too physical with opposing cornerbacks. All things considered, look for Moore to go off the board during the third or fourth round of the upcoming draft.

Seattle Seahawks

After a largely successful 2010 NFL Draft, the first for new Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks second campaign has the team adding more beef to the squad.
With the 25th pick in the 1st Round, the Hawks took Alabama offensive lineman James Carpenter, who some scouts say can start "immediately" at right tackle. Zennie62.com resident NFL draft expert Dr. Bill Chackhes says "He can play any position on the right side, tackle or guard, but has never played to his left. Seattle may want to convert him to left tackle, which may take time."
After Carpenter, the Seattle Seahawks added Wisconsin Guard John Moffitt, who will compete for a starting job at either right or left tackle. Both Moffitt and Carpenter are well over 300 pounds, and represent Coach Carroll's objective of improving the Seahawks's already punishing ground game.

In rounds Four and Five, the Hawks added a linebacker in Mississippi St.'s K.J. Wrights, and then the first skill position player, Georgia Wide Receiver Kris Durham. Defensive Backs Richard Sherman from Stanford and Mark Legree from Appalachian St. and the effective Nevade Wide Receiver Niles Paul round out the Seahawks's picks in Round Five.
On Paul, Dr. Chachkes' friend Russ Landy of GM Junior, a scouting service (who's behind us on the NFL Draft Floor) says "Paul has good potential, but struggles to run routes, and is not a flexible as he could be.
No Quarterback?
Many Seattle Seahawks fans were looking for Coach Carroll to pick a quarterback to start their 2011 NFL Draft efforts. But the message sent appears to be that the organization likes it's current group of signal callers, even as veteran Matt Hasselbeck will not be returning to the team for the 2011 Season.

May Day

At a railway crossing leading into Bardhaman town, a small truck is standing for almost ten minutes, waiting for the Rajdhani Express to pass. Standing at the back is a group of restless men, looking at the delay in their journey as a stalling tactic by none other than Union railway minister Mamata B
anerjee. During the last assembly elections in West Bengal in 2006, they were the confident footsoldiers of a political force that has been ruling the state for the last 34 years. Today, they seem nervous, irritable and in denial. They are the cadre workers of the CPI(M) from the ‘red bastion’ of Bengal’s Bardhaman district.
“Thunder doesn’t mean rain,” says one of the men when I ask whether ‘paribartan’ (change) in the form of Trinamool Congress rule is coming after the election results are announced on May 13. They are on the way to a rally in Bardhaman town of one of the party’s bigwigs, Gautam Deb, the state housing minister.
“Shatrughan Sinha is also here in Bardhaman,” says another passenger, who is immediately corrected by his comrade, “No, no. It’s Hema Malini of the BJP.” I am told later that Malini had cancelled her meeting in Bardhaman. Which is just as well considering the sample of CPI(M) cadres I just met seemed to be distracted by the BJP MP’s presence in what is really an epic battle between the Left Front and the Trinamool Congress.
The breach in Bardhaman, more than anywhere else in Bengal, tells the story of how weak ‘The Party’ is today. In the 2006 assembly elections, the CPI(M) retained both the Bardhaman North and Bardhaman South constituencies, the latter won by state industry minister and the man ‘credited’ with the government’s disastrously executed industrialisation policy — Nirupam Sen. The last time there was a non-CPI(M) legislator in either of these two constituencies was in 1972, five years before the Left Front came to power in Kolkata for the first time. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the party may have retained all three seats, but by 2010, the municipal elections saw the Trinamool enter for the first time. “Municipal elections and assembly elections are very different things,” a party worker tells me at the party headquarters.
Even the new Shahidullah Bijoy Bhavan in downtown Bardhaman on Parcus Road, looks like a gleaming Egyptian monument that has been deserted. Two black stray dogs lie on the shiny black steps, more in repose than on guard. Inside, a handful of officials are there. CPI(M) district secretary of Bardhaman, Amal Haldar, I’m told, is away in Durgapur for a meeting and I’m sent off to the other party office in the very underwhelming Mubarak Building near the main market on BC Road. There, in the early afternoon, one man is taking a nap who, on being woken up, tells me that no one’s here to speak now.
Some 100 km away in Kolkata, in chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee’s Jadavpur constituency (that falls in South 24 Parganas district), the local CPI(M) dadas were uncharacteristically passive outside the polling booths on election day. One of them sitting outside a poll booth aggressively produces his voter ID card and tells me, “Why don’t you write down my details? Coming from the media you should be writing all this down. I’m a voter.” A friend sidles up from the other end and defuses the situation saying that he too is a voter but has ‘party contacts’. The swagger of the CPI(M) cadres have been transformed into nervous aggression.
And it is this ‘nervousness’ that is reportedly bothering the CPI(M) leadership in the party headquarters on Alimuddin Street. There is an unspoken acceptance of the ‘outcome’ on May 13. Some leaders are pitching the possible defeat as an opportunity to firm up the “CPI(M)’s identity” that may have become diluted over time. Being in opposition is no longer a theory, but a palpable praxis.
But what happens to the superstructure of the party’s cadres, the enviable network that has made West Bengal’s public life synonymous with ‘The Party’? Leaders are apparently already making efforts to see to it that cadres don’t jump ship, cut themselves off the CPI(M) mothership, or worse, turn into a terror mob flailing about the countryside. The euphemism being used is that they need to be ‘protected’.
For the CPI(M), the departure of Muslims, adivasis and large swathes of the peasantry marks a huge seepage of support. Some point to a single mistake made by the Left Front government for this mess: flush with the victory of the 2006 assembly polls, the Buddhadev Bhattacharjee government did not send its leaders to the panchayats to explain, discuss, share opinions of its industrialisation policy. It took the poll mandate as an automatic signal of approval.

As Manik Hazra, a 71-year-old resident of forever-CPI(M)-voting Gramdihi village in Bardhaman says before he votes on May 3: “It’s their arrogance.” If that’s an opinion coming from the CPI(M)’s old bastion, where the Left Front’s entry into power through Operation Barga’s land distribution programme gave genuine economic power to lakhs in agriculture-rich Bardhaman 34 years ago, it would seem clear that Bengal as a whole will be teaching the CPI(M) and its allies a lesson whatever the outcome of the results may be on May 13.
Far from those cadre workers on the back of the truck in Bardhaman, in the CPI(M)’s headquarters on Alimuddin Street in Kolkata, a young party worker sitting in the office is wearing a rather tight T-shirt depicting the over-familiar stencil drawing of Che Guevara. But it’s the tagline on the shirt that catches my attention: ‘Death is a frequent accident in the life of a revolutionary.’ Now to pass on that message to the disaffected cadres strewn all across 2011 Bengal.

Power Rangers Samurai

Power Rangers Samurai is the English adaptation of 侍戦隊シンケンジャ (Samurai Sentai Shinkenger). It is the 19th season of Power Rangers overall. The premise for this series is the same as most other Power Rangers Series; five teenage friends have been given special devices and powers that make them a group of Power Rangers to fight evil monsters. But before the review, a forward is in order here.
Power Rangers was created by Haim Saban and began airing in 1993 with Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, an English adaptation of 恐竜戦隊ジュウレンジャー (Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger). It has since become the most watched children’s program in America. In 2001, Power Rangers was acquired by Disney, an action that many adult fans of Power Rangers disapprove of. Then in 2010, Power Rangers was reacquired by Saban and is now making Power Rangers Samurai.
Now on to Power Rangers Samurai. The story is that centuries ago, a race of monsters known as Nighloks invaded the human world and brought civilization to it’s knees. But a group of brave warriors defeated them with special power symbols passed down through generations. The Nighloks were defeated and sealed away into the netherworld, never to disturb humanity again. But in modern day, the Nighloks have escaped the netherworld and plan to use human tears to overflow the San Zu river, allowing them to enter the human world and take it over. But a new generation of heroes stand in their way: the Samurai Power Rangers.
The main characters are the Samurai ranger team. Red Ranger Jayden, team leader, Blue Ranger Kevin, the serious samurai, Pink Ranger Mia, the big sister, Green Ranger Mike, the creative rebel, and Yellow Ranger Emily, the youngest and most innocent of the rangers.
Alongside other main characters besides the rangers is the ranger’s sensei, Mentor Ji, and the comedy relief duo, Bulk and Spike (Bulk is from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, with Paul Schrier reprising his role, and Spike is Skull’s Son, Bulk’s best friend).
The villains of the series are the Nighloks, a species of monsters who live in the netherworld on the San Zu river. Their leader is Master Xandred, with his followers Dayu and Octoroo. Every episode usually features a new Nighlok who tries to help flood the San Zu river and the rangers halve to stop him.
The main thing that I like about Power Rangers Samurai, as with every other Power Rangers series that has existed, is that it is a children’s cartoon, but it is shot in live action as opposed to drawn. The Rangers have superpowers and they battle hideous Nighloks, but almost everything is shot in live action. The only exceptions to this rule are the rangers’ Zords, their mechanical animals that form into the Megazord, a giant robot they use to battle giant-sized Nighloks.
Another thing I love about Power Rangers is the ranger’s costumes, they are very stylish and colorful. Alongside the bright red, blue, green and so fourth for primary colors, the Samurai Ranger’s costumes substitute white with black as a secondary color. I was often bothered by the white-sticking-out-in-your-face type of costumes such as in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy. I really like the use of black as opposed to white. It gives the ranger’s costumes a new style and makes them look cooler.
One thing that many fans will like is that Power Rangers: Samurai is that it is good at reflecting off of Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, and many fans who have watched Shinkenger will be pleased to now that Saban didn’t do many major changes to the characters and story. Samurai is also good for people who have grown up with Power Rangers. Such as the main theme being a remix of the original Mighty Morphin’ theme, as well as the return of Bulk as said above.
Despite all the good things that Power Rangers: Samurai has to offer, there are a few things that bother me in it. One thing is the ranger’s wisecracks during battle can be a little annoying (as well as make no sense sometimes). Also, whenever there is a blast of something or when a Nighlok is defeated, it almost always ends up in an explosion, it doesn’t bother me that much, but I just think it’s a little weird.

Overall, I really love Power Rangers: Samurai. It has a lot of action and fighting, It is shot in live action (but it is no longer as much of a trademark as it used to be), the rangers and Nighlok look cool, and it gives a fresh breath on the Power Rangers series.
Pros:

Action-packed
Cool costumes
Live action
Nostalgia much

Cons:

A bit too kiddy

If you are still interested in Power Rangers I definitely recommend Power Rangers: Samurai. It is good to see something new in Power Rangers that wasn’t present before. Also, if you’re the kind of fan who loves merchandise, then there is good news for you. Saban has many forms of merchandise planned for Power Rangers: Samurai, including apps, video games, social media devices, and even a feature film, making Samurai the first series to have a feature film since Power Rangers: Turbo.
Power Rangers: Samurai airs every Saturday at 12/11c on Nickelodeon.
Go go Power Rangers, indeed.

Beatification Of John Paul II

They pray to him for healing, name their children and their schools after him, chant his words for inspiration in their neediest moments.
Six years after his death, Pope John Paul II remains the face of the Catholic Church for many of the world’s estimated 1 .1 billion Catholics. His continued hold on their imaginations will be evident Sunday as hundreds of thousands gather in Rome and millions more in front of televisions to watch the beatification of their hero.
The beatification ceremony — a Mass and day-long prayers beside John Paul’s coffin — is the next-to-last step before being designated a saint, a process that typically takes centuries.
The speed at which John Paul is being elevated is not without critics. On Saturday, victims of clergy sex abuse leafleted outside churches in 62 cities to protest the beatification and to urge Catholics to turn abusers in to the police.
Debate has only begun among historians and church scholars about John Paul’s legacy as a pope, whether he was too lenient on sexually abusive priests and too harsh on dissenters.
But to ordinary Catholics, it was his personal qualities that made him a spiritual superstar. People describe their lives being changed by his holiness, charisma, and a soul that allowed him to forgive his would-be assassin, confront communism and persevere through Parkinson’s disease.
“I don’t know how to explain him, the way he shows love. Something in his eyes goes inside you. I don’t know how to explain it,” Fatima Aybar, 46, a Bethesda home health aide, said as she pressed her palms to her heart.
It was John Paul to whom Aybar appealed to heal her from the lupus that was ravaging her body. And she believes he did. She wept, shuddered and giggled as she recounted the tingle and the warmth that raced through her body after a series of desperate prayers to John Paul — knowing she was healed.
“I kneeled and said, ‘John Paul, thank you, thank you!’ ” said Aybar, who was later declared lupus-free. She has submitted her medical records to the church in the hopes that she could be the second miracle needed to make him a saint.
Some experts think John Paul is being whisked through the saint-making process for one simple reason: his epic popularity.
Pope for more than a quarter-century, the Polish actor, skier and poet was one of the most important religious leaders of the past century. He expanded relations with Jews and Muslims, fought for democracy and globe-trotted hundreds of thousands of miles to put a handsome, vigorous face on a papacy that had largely been cloistered in Italy.

For many, John Paul remains the personification of a church now led by a decidedly less charismatic figure as it wrestles with everything from sex abuse to secularism.
Average Catholics don’t care “how he responded to the ordination of women or this or that about sex abuse,” said R. Scott Appleby, a historian of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. “Their needs are more basic. People want someone who renews their hope and connects that to their faith in God. And on that level, he succeeded spectacularly. If you lose your big home-run hitter, you want to keep his presence alive, vital and immediate in whatever ways possible.”

Rosie Huntington Whiteley

We have already seen the first two, now we are being treated to the third with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The Trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon certainly has more action in it than the first two, and it looks as though mankind could be coming to an end. You will all know by now that this British actress has replaced Megan Fox, but how does she compare?

The start of the trailer was much like the first, and we assumed that we had been cheated. However, it does not take long for things to start getting juicy. As always it looks hopeless for Shia LaBeouf’s character and the rest of mankind, but we know that the Autobots are there to help us.
However, in one part of the trailer it looks as though they will be sitting out of the fight, which will surprise some fans. We have to wonder just how long they will be able to sit it out and help us once again?
Do you think that Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a good replacement for Megan Fox?

Friday 29 April 2011

Camilla Parker Bowles

Picking out the perfect outfit for a royal wedding is the ultimate fashion challenge, but The Duchess Cornwall,Camilla Parker Bowles had a fail-safe strategy: go with what you know.

Camilla, stepmom to Prince William (now the Duke of Cambridge), wore a silk dress and coat by Anna Valentine Friday morning -- the same designer she chose for her own wedding to Prince Charles in 2005.

"The biggest fashion upset was Camilla Parker-Bowles looking fabulous!" Entertainment Tonight fashion expertSteven Cojocaru tells Us Weekly of her champagne silk dress and hand-embroidered blue coat. "She was spot on in terms of looking perfectly day formal. She looked snazzy and dressed-up and dare I say glamorous."
Camilla accessorized with neutral Jimmy Choos and a topper by Philip Treacy, who also created stunning fascinators for Princess Beatrice and Eugenie in addition to several other wedding guests.

Commemorate Will & Kate’s big day with our Us Collectors Edition: Royal Wedding with all the photos, anecdotes and details of the wedding. Available for pre-order now and on sale May 6.

Dallas Cowboys

After a disappointing 6-10 season it was obvious that the Dallas Cowboys had more than a few holes to fill on their roster. Early mock drafts all but guaranteed that the Cowboys would pick Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara. As the draft approached, Wisconsin DE J.J. Watt became the trendy pick for the Cowboys. In the weeks leading up to the draft, USC’s OT Tyron Smith was almost the unanimous choice for the Cowboys in numerous mock drafts.
When the Cowboys were on the clock with the 9^th pick, all three players were still available. At that moment you would think that Jerry Jones, the coaches and the scouts would have been thrilled with their options (which also surprisingly included Auburn DE Nick Fairley). With Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert still on the board, it seemed that the Cowboys were in a position of power to trade down and still get a player that they coveted, or to pick any of the aforementioned players.
With holes on the defensive line, the secondary and the offensive line, the Cowboys really couldn’t go wrong picking any of these players.
So how did they blow a golden opportunity? By pulling out a last-minute victory in the meaningless final regular-season game against the Philadelphia Eagles!
Some may argue that the season-ending victory against the Eagles was a positive, but in retrospect it turns out that it may have been their biggest disappointment of the year.
While the victory gave the Cowboys a winning record for the second half of the season, any momentum that it could have possibly created is now gone. Even if the Cowboys had lost that game, Jason Garrett was still going to be the head coach, and he was still going to put together the same staff.
The meaningless victory over the Eagles dropped the Cowboys down from the 6^th pick to the 9^th pick in the draft. Three spots may not seem like a big deal, and most years it probably isn’t. However, this year is not like most years.
The Atlanta Falcons lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game after finishing the season with a 13-3 record, but they are not one player away from taking the next step towards NFC dominance. The Packers dominated the Falcons that day because Aaron Rodgers picked apart their defense, not because they didn’t have enough firepower to score points.
And yet, in what can only be described as a “Herschel Walker moment,” the Falcons inexplicably packaged their 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th round picks this year with their 1^st and 4^th round picks next year to move up in the draft to select Alabama WR Julio Jones.
Their trading partner? The Cleveland Browns, who happened to be picking 6^thin the draft. If the Cowboys had just managed to lose one more game, Trader Jerry could have been the one fleecing the Falcons instead of Mike Holmgren.
Some will question Jones’ ability to draft, and say that he was better off picking in the 9^thposition and securing a “blue-chip” player. But that is nonsense!
Is Tyron Smith a “blue-chip” OT? Only time will tell the answer to that question.

The better question to consider is…would you rather have Tyron Smith or Anthony Costanzo, an additional 2^nd and 4^th round pick in this draft and an additional 1^st and 4^th round pick in next year’s draft?
Even Jones’ biggest detractors cannot argue that the Cowboys are better off ending last season on a winning note. That meaningless victory may very well be the difference between building a team to compete for a number of years, and slowly replacing the broken parts of the Cowboys’ roster.
Unless Tyron Smith is the next Anthony Munoz and Anthony Costanzo is the next Tony Mandarich, the Cowboys will someday look back on the 2011 draft and wonder what might have been.

NASA TV

Today’s space shuttle launch of STS-134, scheduled to be the final launch of space shuttle Endeavour at 3:47 p.m. ET was put on hold and scrubbed for today. NASA cited issues with the shuttle’s APU heaters as the reason for the cancellation of today’s launch.
Coverage of the launch, and now the postponment, can be followed in real time on NASA TV, or on the internet via NASA TV on the NASA.gov web site.
Endeavour was to begin its final journey into space today from the Kennedy Space Center just a little before 4PM local time today. Just before noon time at KSC NASA officials announced that the launch would have to be scrubbed for today.

The shuttle has internal auxiliary power units (APU) which provide back-up internal power to the shuttle and the heaters which are a critical part of the proper operation of the APU were reportedly having technical issues.
During its 2 week mission the Endeavour is scheduled to visit the International Space Station delivering an EXPRESS Logistics Carrier-3 and an Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, as well as some supplies.
The date for the next launch attempt, of what will be the second to the last shuttle mission for NASA, has not yet been announced.

Today Show

Meredith Vieira will exit NBC's Today show in June, nearly three months before the end of her contract, according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
Today newsreader Ann Curry will be promoted to co-host, and correspondent Natalie Morales will take Curry's place as newsreader.
An official announcement could come as early as next week.

Vieira took the seat next to co-host Matt Lauer in 2006, replacing Katie Couric. Since then, Today has extended its run as the top-rated morning news program to more than 800 weeks. The show is critically important to NBC News' bottom line, pulling in half a billion dollars in ad revenue last year for the weekday morning hours alone.

By elevating Curry and Morales, Today executives have the benefit of personalities who are familiar to viewers at a time of pronounced tumult in television news in general. Earlier this week, Couric announced that she will step down as anchor of CBS Evening News. And while she will mount a daytime program with former NBC News executive Jeff Zucker, Couric also is looking for a part-time perch at a news division, with ABC News among her suitors. ABC News president Ben Sherwood has already hired several new faces: The Insider'sLara Spencer and ESPN's Josh Elliott will join Good Morning America.

CBS News executives are expected to announce next week that 60 Minutescorrespondent Scott Pelley will replace Couric at the Evening News anchor desk. It will mark the second anchor change this year for CBS News; in January, The Early Show got an entirely new morning team led by Chris Wragge and Erica Hill.
Vieira has been mulling an exit from Today for some time but came to a decision this week, according to sources. As recently as two weeks ago,Todayexecutive producer Jim Bell toldThe Hollywood Reporter that he was hopeful she would stay. The Today team is in London to cover the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Vieira still hosts the syndicated game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and recently produced her first movie — Return, about a female soldier's return from war — via her eponymous production shingle. But her motivations for exiting are said to be largely personal; she is preparing her youngest daughter Lily for college in the fall, and her husband Richard Cohen continues to struggle with multiple sclerosis.

New England Patriots

The 2011 NFL schedule has come out for the New England Patriots, and it's time to take a look at the best and worst games of the year. As a lifelong Pats fan, I can proudly say that this year's prospects at another Super Bowl run look better than ever. Let's take a look at the three best and worse games of the season.
This is a rematch of last year's playoff game in which the Jets defeated the Patriots 28-21. This game could not come soon enough. Every Patriots fan will want Tom Brady(notes) and company to blow the Jets out. A victory by the Patriots will rid fans everywhere the pain that the Jets caused them after last year's playoff lost.
October 30 at Pittsburgh
Fans everywhere love to give their reasons why Tom Brady is a better quarterback than Ben Roethlisberger(notes), so this game will only go to prove that point further. A game that will probably be close through three quarters, before Tom and the gang will prove once more why they are still the team to beat in the AFC.
December 4 vs Indianapolis
In a game that will have plenty of Game of the Year hype, this one should be a great one. Brady vs Manning - this one will have all of America watching. This game has always been one of the greatest games of the year and will showcase one of the best rivalries in the NFL today.
The Three Worst Games
September 25 at Buffalo
The games against Buffalo haven't been interesting since Jim Kelly was the quarterback for the Bills, so this year is no different. The Pats will come into Buffalo and by the end of the first quarter the game will be over. As a football fan this one will be a joy to watch.
October 2 at Oakland

While Oakland will be an improved team, they will be no match for the Patriots. This game will be another blowout for the Patriots and should be over by the third quarter. With all the sun that's in Oakland, Tom Brady and company should be able to get a good tan in while the second stringers finish out the game.
December 11 at Washington
If all goes right for the Patriots, Mr. Brady goes to Washington will be a great ending to the 2011 NFL season. The game against the Redskins is just a minor stop on the campaign to the Super Bowl. Greatness at the quarterback position hasn't come to Washington for a long time, so everyone who is at the game will marvel at the skill of Tom Brady marching his team to victory in blowout fashion.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The 2011 NFL Draft wasn't what anyone expected. The draft was mixed up from the beginning when the Falcons mortgaged their future on Julio Jones and traded five picks to theCleveland Browns. After that, no pick seemed to match what was expected. Many players dropped significantly and some players found themselves with teams they never expected.
The Steelers lucked out by all of this confusion. Sitting at the 31st overall selection the Steelers certainly entertained offers to move back in the 2011 NFL Draft as well as moving up to draft their guy. Instead the Steelers stuck to their guns and waited out the draft.
That patience seems to have payed dividends for the Steelers, as they found Ohio St. stand out Cameron Heyward fall in to their laps. The Steelers will have to keep that patience as Heyward has some quality football players ahead of him on the roster.
Heyward is ecstatic to be a Pittsburgh Steelers. A life long fan of the Back and Gold, Heyward himself was born in Pittsburgh and his mother has always called Pittsburgh home. His father, best known as "Iron Head" Heyward played his college football at the University of Pittsburgh as well.
The Steelers seemed to have found a great addition to a stellar defensive line. The future security of the defensive line was in question, as only one player on the unit is under 30-years-old. The Steelers now have their line's future wrapped up in Cameron Heyward and Ziggy Hood taking each end on the line.
Did the Steelers hurt their chances of returning to the Super Bowl this season, however? No one could argue that the position most in need of an immediate contributor is the cornerback position. The Steelers could have gone and taken "their guy" with Aaron Williams from Texas, but some feel that drafting Williams at 31st would have been a reach.
The Steelers should be able to find a solid cornerback in the second round, but will they have to trade up to do so?
Grading out Heyward is much easier than prediciting the Steelers future, however. So we will start with that.
Heyward was incredibly productive at Ohio St., Heyward could have gone and played at Georgia or Pitt as well but my have benefited greatly from the coaching staff at Ohio St. Heyward is very big for his position, which is a neccesity as a 3-4 defensive end. His speed isn't going to blow anyone out of the water, but his motor will make him look much faster than his 40 time says. Heyward is a Steeler type guy. He is incredibly humble, and family oriented with Pittsburgh roots.
Heyward won't be asked to drop back in coverage, which is very good for him as he can look lost when not in the trenches. Heyward is strong against the run, staying low and using his size. Heyward will continue to get knocked because of his speed, but the Steelers love his motor. He will get after the quarterback using sheer strength to move the offensive line back. Heyward will need to improve on shedding blocks at the NFL level in order if he wants his skill to be on display all three downs.
I give Heyward an A-. He certainly was worth greater value than being the 31st overall, and the Steelers lucked out by getting him. Why does Heyward get the minus attached to his grade? He will take some time to develop for the Steelers system. Improving his pass rushing ability will be what separates him from being a decent defensive end in Pittsburgh, to being held in the same regard as Aaron Smith.

The Steelers' decision to go with the best player available isn't going to impress anyone. Instead of drafting for their most imminent need, the Steelers played it safe. It is hard to argue with the Steelers' draft plans. They have recently sat at the end of the draft and taken the best player available, and had success. Rashard Mendenhall and Ziggy Hood both come to mind. Both players took a year before their skills were seen at the next level, but both have worked out very well.
In each situation, fans would have told you there were more pressing needs. Likely in both years you could argue that offensive line was the position of the greatest need. Instead the Steelers ignored those needs and pulled the trigger. The Steelers' second and third round picks will determine whether the Heyward selection was the smart move or not, until then it is hard to argue with the Steelers draft plans.
The Steelers also get an A- here, although it may be too soon to judge their selections in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Chicago Bears

A miscommunication on a potential first-round trade between the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravensforced the Ravens to miss their pick and left the team's front office seething and seeking the Bears' fourth-round draft pick anyway. It all worked out in the end though.
Peter King explains:
Chicago, picking 29th, and Baltimore, at 26, finalized a trade that would have had them switch slots, with the Ravens getting the Bears' fourth-round pick in return. Chicago would take Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi, and the Ravens, if Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith was still on the board, would take Smith at 29. With two minutes left in the Ravens' period, the deal was done. Under NFL rules, each team has to report the trade to NFL draft headquarters at Radio City Music Hall. The Ravens called it in. They assumed Chicago called it in, but due to a miscommunication in the Bears draft room, no one from Chicago ever called the league.
Due to the confusion, time ran out on the Ravens pick and the Kansas City Chiefsjumped into make their pick to select Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin. The Ravens, now at No. 27 instead of where they started (No. 26) or where they wanted to be (No. 29), then picked Smith, their intended target. Two picks later, the Bears got Carimi. Each of the franchises involved got the player they wanted, just not in the order it expected to get them or, in the case of the Ravens, with the additional fourth-round pick that would supposed to accompany it.
The team asked the NFL to award the pick despite the lack of official trade. The request was denied.

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo took the blame for the mistake. ""It was our fault," he told reporters. "They did everything according to the rules."
His Ravens counterpart, Ozzie Newsome, was pleased he still got Smith. ""There was a potential for us to lose it, yes," he told reporters. "But we got the player, and we're just happy to have him."
When does a trade become official? Is it when the verbal handshake is made over the phone or when both teams call it in to the league office? After the events of Thursday night, it's clear that the answer is the former, thus making the Bears inaction unfortunate (and perhaps ethically dubious), not illegal.