New York Crowd Cheers in 2010 Amid High Security

NEW YORK News: A huge crowd crammed under tight security into New York’s Times Square to witness the traditional midnight drop of the New Year crystal ball and the first seconds of 2010.

Revelers, watched by a worldwide live TV audience, shrugged off snow and rain to attend the massive annual gathering in the heart of Manhattan.

The descent of the multi-colored Waterford crystal ball marked the final moments of 2009 in a more-than-century-old tradition before a ton of confetti showered on the cheering crowd.

Partygoers on the square exchanged kisses, whooped and swayed to the rhythm of feel-good patriotic and classic songs as fireworks from Central Park lit up the Manhattan skyline.

For the security services, however, this was no time to relax.

New York is on a heightened state of alert following the Christmas Day alleged attempt by a Nigerian man to detonate explosives on a Northwest Airlines plane flying to Detroit.

Thousands of police officers were deployed in and around Times Square, backed by undercover officers, surveillance cameras, rooftop snipers, and devices able to detect radiation or biological agents.

Partygoers crowding into Times Square were not allowed to carry backpacks or alcohol and were banned from reentering the zone once they left.

Jitters increased Wednesday when police sent bomb disposal experts to check a van parked for two days in Times Square. The van was declared all clear shortly after, but not before police had evacuated the area, including the Nasdaq stock market building.

City police commissioner Ray Kelly told CBS television Thursday that the failure to detect the van earlier was “a concern.” But Kelly insisted that Times Square was “the safest area” in the city.

“There will be a big uniformed presence and lots of unseen officers in plain clothes, radiation sensors,” police spokesman Paul Browne said on Fox television. It’s “probably the most protected real estate in the city, or even the country, for that matter.”

New York State Governor David Paterson and Governor Jon Corzine of neighboring New Jersey announced their respective police agencies would step up cooperation.

“While there have been no known threats in the region, both governors agreed that extra security measures should be taken as a precaution,” they said in a statement Thursday.

The ball, which slides down a pole for 60 seconds and stops at exactly midnight, is a favorite New York tradition and is watched live on television by viewers all around the world.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will be sworn in for a third term on Friday after a narrow reelection victory in November, pressed the button that sets the ball in motion.

This year the arrangement of crystals featured a ribbon pattern in a Celtic-style knot illustrating the theme chosen by organizers: “Let there be courage.”

Elsewhere in the city, the opulent Tavern on the Green in Central Park staged its last dinner before bankruptcy, while at Madison Square Garden, pop star Mariah Carey sang the new decade in.

The good news for security is that 2009 is on course to see New York’s lowest murder rate since data was collected with 461 homicides, compared to a high of 2,245 in 1990.

Bruni First Lady of France to Act for Woody Allen

PARIS, News Update: France’s first lady, singing ex-supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has agreed to star in US auteur Woody Allen’s next movie, she told a television interviewer.
“He suggested I appear in his next film. I don’t know what the role would be, but I said yes,” the 41-year-old Italian-born singer-songwriter told the main evening entertainment show on the Canal+ network.

“I go into everything blindly, or I’d never do anything at all,” she added, apparently referring to her showbiz career rather than to her sudden marriage last year to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“I’m not an actress at all. Perhaps I’ll be completely hopeless but I can’t miss an opportunity like this one. When I’m a grandmother I’d like to be able to say I made a film with Woody Allen,” she gushed.

“Woody Allen kindly asked me not to do a film with anyone else before him. If anything concrete ever comes of it, it’ll be a great experience for me.”

New York filmmaker Allen visited the French first couple in June this year during a trip to Paris to promote his last movie “Whatever Works”.

Asked whom he would like to cast in his next film, he said: “Without question, Carla Bruni! I’m sure she would be wonderful. She has charisma, and she performs, so she’s not a stranger to an audience.”

Kate Mara See Through

Kate Mara See Through, latest news about, Kate Mara is set to debut next to Justin Timberlake in the upcoming movie The Open Road. We’re sure it’s gonna be somewhere between awesome and we don’t give a fuck. Kate is the daughter of the New York Giants VP of Player Evaluation, Chris Mara and granddaughter of the renowned the Hall of Fame Giants owner.

But Kate Mara is blowing up right now cause people want to see her hot scenes where she’s shooting people in a bra and/or her shirt is just barely see through. Also, she’s fine like a sweet girl next door.

Ufc 106 Results

Ufc 106 Results: latest news about, The Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin main event just ended and we have the complete UFC 106 results ready to go.

Everyone saw the controversial decision in the first Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin fight and the judges’ decision in the second is equally head-scratching according to these UFC 106 results.  Forrest Griffin took the decision 30-27, 29-28, and 28-29 although most thought he lost the first two rounds before coming back and dominating in the 3rd when Tito looked gassed.

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson swung hard against Josh “Kos” Koscheck but the knockout artist could not overcome Koscheck’s wrestling (and eye pokes) as “Rumble” was choked out in the 2nd via rear naked choke.  The UFC 106 results show both fighters connected with hard punches but Johnson could never stop the 2nd round takedown attempts.

Other UFC 106 results show that it did not take Antonio Rogerio Nogueira “Minotauro” Nogueira very long at all to dispatch top light heavyweight title contender Luis “Banha” Cane and the brother of the former interim heavyweight champion knocked out Cane in the 1st round.

Amir Sadollah battered Phil “The New York Bad Ass” for 3 rounds and easily won the decision.  These UFC 106 results were not unexpected after Sadollah used a steady stream of kicks and defense to tire out the hard-hitting Baroni.

The last UFC 106 results of the main card had Paulo Thiago getting a well deserved decision victory against UFC-newcomer Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann.  Thiago knocked down Volkmann a few times but “Christmas” never quit and had a decent chance to tap Paulo with a choke before the Brazilian pulled out to seal the victory.

The Spike TV UFC 106 results had Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove choking out wrestler Jake Rosholt by triangle in the 1st round and Ben “Killa B” Saunders giving the first career knockout to Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis following some killer Saunders’ knees.
Source: theonlinewire.com

Ash Opts Out of the Film with Abhi

MUMBAI: Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production Crooked is set to go on the floors from January 14 next year. However, the Abhishek Bachchan starrer has no lead actress as Aishwarya, who was supposed to do the film, opted out citing date problems.

Her dates for Crooked were colliding with Vipul Shah’s Action Replay. Since Action Replay is inching towards completion, Aishwarya had to give it priority, leaving her with no choice but to opt out of Crooked, directed by Abhinay Deo. It is a thriller which will be shot at different foreign locales.

Meanwhile, Farhan’s other production directed by Zoya Akhtar featuring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan and Abhay Deol is also stuck as it has no lead actress. The film’s shooting starts from April 5 in Spain. Ritesh says, “We are now looking for a completely new face in Crooked, which actually requires three new girls. We also need a fresh face either from London or New York for Hrithik in Zoya’s film.”

Farhan says, “Hrithik has been a true friend. I start directing Don 3 from September 2010, so Zoya’s film had to be completed before that. Hrithik adjusted his dates accordingly.”

Elizabeth Lambert Hair-Pulling Woman Footballer

NEW YORK: More about Elizabeth Lambert Hair-pulling woman footballer, Once the darlings of American sport for their global success, women’s football players are now internet video hits thanks to a hair-pulling harridan and a set of US teen girls gone wild.

Highlights making the rounds on US television and with on-line video viewers now feature University of New Mexico defender Elizabeth Lambert pulling down an opponent by her ponytail and a late-game brawl between high school girls.

Lambert was handed an indefinite suspension for her actions on Thursday in a 1-0 Mountain West Conference playoff semi-final loss to Brigham Young University, which including hitting, kicking and punching rivals.

Lambert apologized for her actions, still under review by conference officials for possible further action, but the video of her punch-and-pull performance has proven popular viewing.

In the wake of the incident came a Sunday brawl in Rhode Island involving a fight between Woonsocket and Tolman girls football teams.

Woonsocket led 5-0 in the final seconds when two players ran into each other, touching off a fight between players who punched and pulled hair and inspired post-game fights in the stands.

Only a decade ago, the host US national team defeated China in the Women’s World Cup final. A second US women’s pro league, Women’s Professional Soccer, debuted this year with top talent from around the world.

Oil in the Asian Market After Passing the $ 80 Mark

SINGAPORE : Oil prices cooled in Asian trade on Thursday after breaching 80 dollars, spurred mainly by a decline in US energy stocks, analysts said.

New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for December delivery, fell 21 cents to 79.37 dollars a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for January delivery was off six cents at 79.41 dollars a barrel.

The New York contract hit 80.33 dollars Wednesday as data from the Department of Energy (DoE), released on the same day, showed US crude reserves fell 900,000 barrels in the week ending November 13.

The decline was more than the 600,000 barrels anticipated by the market.

US gasoline or petrol inventories tumbled 1.7 million barrels, confounding expectations for a small gain.

The DoE added that stockpiles of distillates, which include diesel and heating fuel, fell 300,000 barrels. Analysts had pencilled in a bigger drop of 500,000 barrels.

“The latest report included some mildly bullish points for oil markets,” analysts from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia said in a report.

However they cautioned that “the big picture remains one of still subdued US oil demand.”

Analysts in the US have said the drop in inventory levels was exacerbated by Hurricane Ida, which weakened to a tropical storm earlier this month but led to the closure of some petroleum installations in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US is the world’s biggest energy user and is seen as key to lifting oil demand, which has been hit by the global economic slump.

Johnny Depp Wins his 2nd Sexiest Man Alive Title

NEW YORK: Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year’s “Sexiest Man Alive” is once again Johnny Depp.

Depp nudged aside Jackman to get the coveted endorsement from People magazine Wednesday. It’s the 46-year-old actor’s second time as “Sexiest Man Alive.” He also won in 2003.

Kate Coyne, senior editor at People, said on CBS’ “Early Show” that Depp has achieved an almost “iconic status in terms of sexiness.”

Says Coyne: “Johnny Depp was someone who was sexy 10 years ago. He’ll be sexy 10 years from now. He’s someone who appeals to multiple generations of women.”

Depp joins other double winners Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Richard Gere.

Matt Bomer, who stars in USA’s “White Collar,” was named “Sexiest Rising Star.”

Fidel Castro Dead

Fidel Castro Dead: On July 27, 2006, Fidel Castro nearly died during emergency intestinal surgery to stem internal bleeding caused by chronic diverticulitis. Since then, Cuba-watchers and obituary writers have been on high alert awaiting his demise.
Fidel Castro DeadYet, more than three years later, Castro soldiers on, approaching his mortal end with the same zeal he lavished on his life. The 83-year-old appears to have adjusted to his medically mandated retirement, enduring various surgeries and their attendant complications. A state-of-the art convalescent suite has been installed in his principal residence, Punto Cero, where he is surrounded by family and Cuba’s finest doctors. On his good days, he entertains well-wishers — among them, Harry Belafonte and Oliver Stone. And he continues to intervene in the thorny politics of Cuba.

In 2007, while still hospitalised, Castro began a transition from being Cuba’s commander in chief to its pundit in chief, penning columns he calls ‘Reflections’ in the state-run newspaper, Granma. Late last year, he offered some personal introspection. “I have had the rare privilege of observing events for a very long time,” he wrote. He then acknowledged the gravity of his illness. “I do not expect I shall enjoy such a privilege four years from now — when President [Barack] Obama’s first term has concluded.”

But until Castro is in the grave, we will be hearing from him. While his brother Raul and the Cuban army are running the day-to-day affairs of the country, Castro retains and exercises veto power. And Cubans continue to feel the strongman’s sting.

In March, more than a dozen of the most senior members of the Cuban regime were purged from the government. While Raul Castro had initiated the internal coup, Fidel was quick to weigh in and assail its casualties, all former members of his inner circle. The men had succumbed to “the honey of power,” he wrote in his column.

Castro’s reluctant leave-taking — with its periodic near-finales — fits into a long tradition of Hispanic caudillos or dictators. Consider, for example, the life — and death — of Francisco Franco, Spain’s dictator of almost 40 years. Both Castro’s father and Franco hailed from the rugged northern countryside of Spain, a region renowned for its fierce and stubborn citizenry. And notwithstanding divergent political ideologies — Franco was a zealous anti-communist — the two men had a good deal in common. Both were willing to forge unpalatable and unpopular alliances with totalitarian states to shore up their power — Franco with Nazi Germany and Castro with the Soviet Union.

And Franco’s shrouded last days neatly foreshadowed Castro’s. Franco became grievously ill in 1974 and was forced to turn over his rule — “temporarily,” he insisted — to Prince Juan Carlos. Castro also initially ceded control to his brother only “temporarily”. Like Castro, Franco had an unexpected recovery, although his lasted only a year before he died at 82.

Although it is generally believed that Franco died days earlier, his death was announced on November 20, 1975, the same day on which Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of Franco’s fascist Falange party, died 40 years earlier.

Some people assert doctors kept Franco alive under orders from the dictator that he would live until the ordained date.

Castro’s untidy leaving has kept the news media in an indefinite state of high alert, as they formulate and reformulate coverage and obituaries. The veteran Spanish Civil War reporter Martha Gellhorn found herself in a similar pickle three decades ago. In 1975, she accepted an assignment from New York magazine to write about post-Franco Spain. “This thrills me, the sort of journalism I love,” she wrote her son. “I am waiting for the old swine to die; but obviously he is being kept breathing [no more] while the right tightens its hold on the country.”

When I asked Castro in a 1994 interview when he would retire, he snapped: “My vocation is the revolution. I am a revolutionary, and revolutionaries do not retire.”

Bardach is the author of Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana, and Washington and serves on the Brookings Institution’s Cuba Study Project. Thanks to gulfnews.com

Star Jewelry Line Snakes on Pitt and Jolie

LOS ANGELES : Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are trying their hand at something new to dazzle their fans — designing a jewelry collection.

The “Protector” collection, designed for luxury British jeweler Asprey, is a range of gold jewelry and silver accessories that features snakes, considered a symbol of protection and admired by Jolie.

Jolie, listed as Hollywood’s top-earning actress by Forbes earlier this year, was first given a snake ring during her first pregnancy with daughter Shiloh, who was born in 2006. The couple now have six children.

All net proceeds from the jewelry will be donated to the charity Education Partnership for Children of Conflict (EPCC), which Jolie co-founded in 2006 to raise money for educating child victims of war, conflict and natural disasters.

Prices start at $525 for a silver spoon with a snaked-shaped handle. The line also including pendants, bracelets, rings and an egg cup.

Asprey officials told Reuters Television that it took more than a year for the duo to design the limited-edition collection, which goes on sale this week at Asprey stores in London, New York, Beverly Hills, Tokyo and Dubai.

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