Lady Gaga has become famous for her garish outfits, and outlandish behavior. The pop sensation leaves many people wondering, what was she like before the fame? You’d be pretty surprised, but Lady Gaga was pretty vanilla at one point. Now two photos from her high school yearbook have appeared. One is a teen aged Gaga, who then was still going by Stefani Germanotta (watch a video of her before the glitz and the glam here), the other photo is Germanotta as a child before a piano. Both photos come from the 2004 Convent of the Sacred Heart School yearbook.

Personally, I think Germanotta looked much better before all the gimmicks. I’m probably one of the few people who dislikes Lady Gaga, but I’d be more impressed if she had a little less style and a little more substance. I know that will probably piss a few people off, but I just feel she is a very clever product of marketing. Kudos for her for figuring out a gimmick that works. Only time will tell if it will last over time.

Lady Gaga has become famous for her garish outfits, and outlandish behavior. The pop sensation leaves many people wondering, what was she like before the fame? You’d be pretty surprised, but Lady Gaga was pretty vanilla at one point. Now two photos from her high school yearbook have appeared. One is a teen aged Gaga, who then was still going by Stefani Germanotta (watch a video of her before the glitz and the glam here), the other photo is Germanotta as a child before a piano. Both photos come from the 2004 Convent of the Sacred Heart School yearbook.

Personally, I think Germanotta looked much better before all the gimmicks. I’m probably one of the few people who dislikes Lady Gaga, but I’d be more impressed if she had a little less style and a little more substance. I know that will probably piss a few people off, but I just feel she is a very clever product of marketing. Kudos for her for figuring out a gimmick that works. Only time will tell if it will last over time.

Old school yearbook pictures: most of us hate them enough in themselves. Now throw in the thought of your old yearbook photo being posted online for all the world to see, and then spreading like wildfire to boot.

Well, that's exactly what happened to actress Megan Fox.

Once a photo of Fox hit the Web, not only did fans from all over the world flock to see it, but then they started spreading it around as they went. The result: the high school memory that is one of the hottest things going on the Web, today at least.

Fox, 23, started acting in 2001, but never gained any major attention until the advent of Transformers, released in 2007.

Since then, Fox has become one of the most popular actresses in the world. And for celebrities, publicity is publicity and, if anything, this photo will only help serve the purpose of introducing more people to Megan Fox and her films.

Old school yearbook pictures: most of us hate them enough in themselves. Now throw in the thought of your old yearbook photo being posted online for all the world to see, and then spreading like wildfire to boot.

Well, that's exactly what happened to actress Megan Fox.

Once a photo of Fox hit the Web, not only did fans from all over the world flock to see it, but then they started spreading it around as they went. The result: the high school memory that is one of the hottest things going on the Web, today at least.

Fox, 23, started acting in 2001, but never gained any major attention until the advent of Transformers, released in 2007.

Since then, Fox has become one of the most popular actresses in the world. And for celebrities, publicity is publicity and, if anything, this photo will only help serve the purpose of introducing more people to Megan Fox and her films.

Elliott Yamin was in Chile, participating in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country early Saturday morning.

Elliott is in Viña del Mar, about 90 miles away from the quake's epicenter. He was not injured in the quake, and he was at his computer on the sixth floor of his hotel when it struck around 3:30 a.m. local time.

"Huge earthquake just now in Chile!!....I swear I thought this was the end of my life!!!!!" he tweeted immediately after the quake hit. Later, he posted, "So...1 min, I'm trashin this competition on twitter, the next,I'm runnin 4 my life 2 safety!...what a contrast!...I hope & pray yall are ok!"

"The building was swaying back and forth, as was my room," Elliott later told CNN. "Things were starting to fall off the wall. The lights were flickering on and off. Then that swaying, very abruptly turned into just a very violent shake."

Other tweets from Elliott:

• "Complete and utter choas on the streets...no power...my heart is beatin outta my chest!....tsunami warnin...I am only a mile inland!"

• "Whoa!!...my bro just informed me that cnn is relayin my tweets!!...please knw that we r safe, and there is currently no threat of a tsunami"

• "Just got word that the airport in Santiago is closed...the tarmac has been reduced 2 rubble...my blood sugar is really hi"

• "Imma Type 1 diabetic, and was sppsd 2 leave sunday.I only packed enuf insulin pump supplies 2 last til then....airports r closed!"

• "The next closest airport 2 where we r in vina del mar is 6 hrs away!!...we've felt about 30 aftershox already!!!"

You can follow Elliott's Twitter feed here: @ElliottYamin.

Elliott also talked to NBC's Today Saturday morning.
According to the Associated Press, at least 78 people are dead after the quake, which struck 200 miles southwest of Santiago and set off a tsunami that has resulted in warnings across the Pacific.

Elliott Yamin was in Chile, participating in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country early Saturday morning.

Elliott is in Viña del Mar, about 90 miles away from the quake's epicenter. He was not injured in the quake, and he was at his computer on the sixth floor of his hotel when it struck around 3:30 a.m. local time.

"Huge earthquake just now in Chile!!....I swear I thought this was the end of my life!!!!!" he tweeted immediately after the quake hit. Later, he posted, "So...1 min, I'm trashin this competition on twitter, the next,I'm runnin 4 my life 2 safety!...what a contrast!...I hope & pray yall are ok!"

"The building was swaying back and forth, as was my room," Elliott later told CNN. "Things were starting to fall off the wall. The lights were flickering on and off. Then that swaying, very abruptly turned into just a very violent shake."

Other tweets from Elliott:

• "Complete and utter choas on the streets...no power...my heart is beatin outta my chest!....tsunami warnin...I am only a mile inland!"

• "Whoa!!...my bro just informed me that cnn is relayin my tweets!!...please knw that we r safe, and there is currently no threat of a tsunami"

• "Just got word that the airport in Santiago is closed...the tarmac has been reduced 2 rubble...my blood sugar is really hi"

• "Imma Type 1 diabetic, and was sppsd 2 leave sunday.I only packed enuf insulin pump supplies 2 last til then....airports r closed!"

• "The next closest airport 2 where we r in vina del mar is 6 hrs away!!...we've felt about 30 aftershox already!!!"

You can follow Elliott's Twitter feed here: @ElliottYamin.

Elliott also talked to NBC's Today Saturday morning.
According to the Associated Press, at least 78 people are dead after the quake, which struck 200 miles southwest of Santiago and set off a tsunami that has resulted in warnings across the Pacific.

Boston, MA - The New England Patriots bolstered the receiving corp yesterday with the signing of wide receiver David Patten.

David Patten signed with his former team after 5 seasons with other teams including the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. David Patten did not play in the NFL in 2009. David Patten comes back to the Patriots after playing for the Patriots in 2001-2004 while winning three Superbowls.

David Patten's career stats for the Patriots include 54 regular-season games, starting 44, 165 pass receptions for 2,513 yards and 16 touchdowns. He played in six playoff games, catching 15 passes, with two touchdowns.

Separately Vince Wilfork was given the franchise tag by the New England Patriots earlier in the week but Rober Kraft has expressed optimism that a deal can be done. At the NFL Scouting Combine he stated that a long term deal for Wilfork is a top priority for the Patriots.

Boston, MA - The New England Patriots bolstered the receiving corp yesterday with the signing of wide receiver David Patten.

David Patten signed with his former team after 5 seasons with other teams including the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. David Patten did not play in the NFL in 2009. David Patten comes back to the Patriots after playing for the Patriots in 2001-2004 while winning three Superbowls.

David Patten's career stats for the Patriots include 54 regular-season games, starting 44, 165 pass receptions for 2,513 yards and 16 touchdowns. He played in six playoff games, catching 15 passes, with two touchdowns.

Separately Vince Wilfork was given the franchise tag by the New England Patriots earlier in the week but Rober Kraft has expressed optimism that a deal can be done. At the NFL Scouting Combine he stated that a long term deal for Wilfork is a top priority for the Patriots.

Jim Halpert as Captain America? It could happen—and soon.

John Krasinski is among the handful of actors who have been handpicked by Marvel to screen-test for the superhero, franchise-ready and potentially career-boosting role.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Office drone is one of seven hopeful thesps the studio has sitting on the proverbial casting couch, all of whom will be testing for the role within the next two weeks at their Manhattan Beach HQ.

So who else could be suiting up to save the world?

In addition to Krasinski, who is the most high-profile actor confirmed for the testing phase, Smallville star Michael Cassidy, Brothers actor Patrick Flueger, Friday Night Lights' Scott Porter and Cloverfield's Mike Vogel are all up for the part.

The appropriately wholesome-looking Chace Crawford is also reportedly in talks to take part in the screen test but has yet to commit. Ditto with forthcoming Tron star Garrett Hedlund, whose reps have been unable, according to the Reporter, to lock down a deal for the final-stage audition.

Still, while the group's members are now the obvious frontrunners for the film, which follows a World War II-era soldier who transforms from being infirm to being, well, Captain America, it's still possible the studio may opt to go another way after running through them.

So good luck, everyone. It's some hard competition. And yeah, that's what she said.

Jim Halpert as Captain America? It could happen—and soon.

John Krasinski is among the handful of actors who have been handpicked by Marvel to screen-test for the superhero, franchise-ready and potentially career-boosting role.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Office drone is one of seven hopeful thesps the studio has sitting on the proverbial casting couch, all of whom will be testing for the role within the next two weeks at their Manhattan Beach HQ.

So who else could be suiting up to save the world?

In addition to Krasinski, who is the most high-profile actor confirmed for the testing phase, Smallville star Michael Cassidy, Brothers actor Patrick Flueger, Friday Night Lights' Scott Porter and Cloverfield's Mike Vogel are all up for the part.

The appropriately wholesome-looking Chace Crawford is also reportedly in talks to take part in the screen test but has yet to commit. Ditto with forthcoming Tron star Garrett Hedlund, whose reps have been unable, according to the Reporter, to lock down a deal for the final-stage audition.

Still, while the group's members are now the obvious frontrunners for the film, which follows a World War II-era soldier who transforms from being infirm to being, well, Captain America, it's still possible the studio may opt to go another way after running through them.

So good luck, everyone. It's some hard competition. And yeah, that's what she said.

A Hawaiian newspaper is reporting today that former Patriots [team stats] fullback and hard-nosed special teams star Mosi Tatupu has died.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports Tatupu, considered one of the greatest athletes in the history of Hawaii, was 54 when he died Tuesday.

Tatupu suffered from high-blood pressure, the paper reports. A friend told the Star-Bulletin last night that Tatupu “had some health issues.” That friend, the paper adds, was told of Tatupu’s death from the former Pro Bowler’s ex-wife.
Mosi Tatupu was a fan favorite with the Patriots playing for New England from 1978 to 1990. He was named to the Patriots 50th anniversary team this past fall as a special-team stalwart.

He was best known for his Herculean playing style and had his own cheering section in Foxboro called “Mosi’s Mooses.”

He was also the first American Samoan to play in a Pro Bowl (1986).

The University of Southern California graduate was drafted in the eighth round by the Patriots in 1978. He played a total of 14 years in the NFL – also playing for the L.A. Rams at the end of his career – and was on the Patriots 1986 Super Bowl XX squad.

He was also the head coach at King Philip High in Wrentham when his son was in high school. He also coached at Curry College in Milton, assisting with the running backs.

According to NFL statistics, he had 612 carries and 2,415 yards in his 14-year career.

Tatupu is also survived by his son, Lofa, a star linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks.

A Hawaiian newspaper is reporting today that former Patriots [team stats] fullback and hard-nosed special teams star Mosi Tatupu has died.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports Tatupu, considered one of the greatest athletes in the history of Hawaii, was 54 when he died Tuesday.

Tatupu suffered from high-blood pressure, the paper reports. A friend told the Star-Bulletin last night that Tatupu “had some health issues.” That friend, the paper adds, was told of Tatupu’s death from the former Pro Bowler’s ex-wife.
Mosi Tatupu was a fan favorite with the Patriots playing for New England from 1978 to 1990. He was named to the Patriots 50th anniversary team this past fall as a special-team stalwart.

He was best known for his Herculean playing style and had his own cheering section in Foxboro called “Mosi’s Mooses.”

He was also the first American Samoan to play in a Pro Bowl (1986).

The University of Southern California graduate was drafted in the eighth round by the Patriots in 1978. He played a total of 14 years in the NFL – also playing for the L.A. Rams at the end of his career – and was on the Patriots 1986 Super Bowl XX squad.

He was also the head coach at King Philip High in Wrentham when his son was in high school. He also coached at Curry College in Milton, assisting with the running backs.

According to NFL statistics, he had 612 carries and 2,415 yards in his 14-year career.

Tatupu is also survived by his son, Lofa, a star linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks.

The ladies figure skating short program tonight was probably the best event in the Olympics. The final two flights were full of talent, and grace. But for the top six, they pretty much will hold onto their positions providing they stay on their feet.

In a field where most us of thought placements would be mere tenths of a point, in fact turned into full-point separations among the top three.

There were some surprises, and some not so big surprises. And the night belonged to Joannie Rochette (photo).

Lets talk about the American girls, Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu. They are sitting in fifth and sixth respectively, which is about as good as could be expected. While Flatt has not yet reached the artistic talents of this field, Nagasu has not reach her technical position. Flatt looked like she skated the best short program she had all year with a cleanly landed triple flip/triple toe combination; she had an uncharacteristic shaky landing on her triple lutz, which left her with a deduction on her GOE of 1.0.

Nagasu under-rotated her triple lutz and received a deduction of 1.20 on GOE. The Americans should be proud; many said they would be not be in the coveted final warm-up group. But getting onto that podim will most likely not happen. Both should look to be front-runners in 2014.

Miki Ando of Japan must be kicking herself. She had a choice to make — to either skate completely clean, or take a risk that has not worked out for her once this year. Tonight, her scheduled combination was a triple lutz/double loop, but she tried to put a triple loop on the end. She under-rotated the jump, and had a bad landing. Now she’s sitting out of third place by more then 5 points. She’ll have to have the performance of life Thursday night to medal. It’s too bad that after such a strong Grande Prix season, she literally gave up any chance of becoming Olympic champion.

Mao Asada of Japan learned a valuable lesson — one jump, regardless of how impressive it is to land, will not put you in first place, nor will it win you Olympic gold. Asada thought this whole year that if she landed a triple axel combination in her short program, she would reign supreme. But she forgot about the other stuff, like artistry and grace. This time, she took no deductions in the short, and yet came in second.

Kim Yuna of South Korea skated after Asada. Skating to a cute little “Bond Girl” number, Kim vaulted into a triple lutz/triple toe combination that put the men to shame. She covered so much ice, with so much speed, she commanded the audience and the judges, long enough for them to watch her do an equally impressive triple flip. There was not one arm movement that didn’t belong; every step was so refined, and her spins were faster then they have been in the past. Tonight she broke her own world record in the short program, and leads the field by more than points. The gold is hers to lose.

I’m saving the best for last. Mao landed a triple axel and Yuna posted a new world record. But the night belonged to Canadian Joannie Rochette. Skating for the first time without her mother in the stands, who she lost just three days ago, she had the best short program she had all year, and for that she’s in third.

Rochette was expected to contend for a medal in these games, but many wondered whether she would even skate after the loss of her mom. Finishing her program with a beautiful combination spin, she ended the program in tears, and rightfully so. She has just defined was an athlete is, and what the Olympics are about. She won for herself tonight, and that’s what really matters.

The ladies figure skating short program tonight was probably the best event in the Olympics. The final two flights were full of talent, and grace. But for the top six, they pretty much will hold onto their positions providing they stay on their feet.

In a field where most us of thought placements would be mere tenths of a point, in fact turned into full-point separations among the top three.

There were some surprises, and some not so big surprises. And the night belonged to Joannie Rochette (photo).

Lets talk about the American girls, Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu. They are sitting in fifth and sixth respectively, which is about as good as could be expected. While Flatt has not yet reached the artistic talents of this field, Nagasu has not reach her technical position. Flatt looked like she skated the best short program she had all year with a cleanly landed triple flip/triple toe combination; she had an uncharacteristic shaky landing on her triple lutz, which left her with a deduction on her GOE of 1.0.

Nagasu under-rotated her triple lutz and received a deduction of 1.20 on GOE. The Americans should be proud; many said they would be not be in the coveted final warm-up group. But getting onto that podim will most likely not happen. Both should look to be front-runners in 2014.

Miki Ando of Japan must be kicking herself. She had a choice to make — to either skate completely clean, or take a risk that has not worked out for her once this year. Tonight, her scheduled combination was a triple lutz/double loop, but she tried to put a triple loop on the end. She under-rotated the jump, and had a bad landing. Now she’s sitting out of third place by more then 5 points. She’ll have to have the performance of life Thursday night to medal. It’s too bad that after such a strong Grande Prix season, she literally gave up any chance of becoming Olympic champion.

Mao Asada of Japan learned a valuable lesson — one jump, regardless of how impressive it is to land, will not put you in first place, nor will it win you Olympic gold. Asada thought this whole year that if she landed a triple axel combination in her short program, she would reign supreme. But she forgot about the other stuff, like artistry and grace. This time, she took no deductions in the short, and yet came in second.

Kim Yuna of South Korea skated after Asada. Skating to a cute little “Bond Girl” number, Kim vaulted into a triple lutz/triple toe combination that put the men to shame. She covered so much ice, with so much speed, she commanded the audience and the judges, long enough for them to watch her do an equally impressive triple flip. There was not one arm movement that didn’t belong; every step was so refined, and her spins were faster then they have been in the past. Tonight she broke her own world record in the short program, and leads the field by more than points. The gold is hers to lose.

I’m saving the best for last. Mao landed a triple axel and Yuna posted a new world record. But the night belonged to Canadian Joannie Rochette. Skating for the first time without her mother in the stands, who she lost just three days ago, she had the best short program she had all year, and for that she’s in third.

Rochette was expected to contend for a medal in these games, but many wondered whether she would even skate after the loss of her mom. Finishing her program with a beautiful combination spin, she ended the program in tears, and rightfully so. She has just defined was an athlete is, and what the Olympics are about. She won for herself tonight, and that’s what really matters.

The wake for the 21-year-old, arising star in the R & B world, was held at the Pitts Funeral Home at 20th and Capitol Wednesday. Click on the link under related content to see clips from LaLa Brown’s wake. Brown was from Milwaukee’s north side, and was found dead inside her recording studio on 55th and Lisbon Friday. Her producer and boyfriend, 22-year-old JeTannue Clayborn was also killed.
Brown and Clayborn were murdered in their Milwaukee home which doubled as a recording studio. Police have considered robbery as a possible motive for the murders since their studio had been burglarized a week before and police thought burglars might have come back for accessories they left behind on their first heist.

The wake for the 21-year-old, arising star in the R & B world, was held at the Pitts Funeral Home at 20th and Capitol Wednesday. Click on the link under related content to see clips from LaLa Brown’s wake. Brown was from Milwaukee’s north side, and was found dead inside her recording studio on 55th and Lisbon Friday. Her producer and boyfriend, 22-year-old JeTannue Clayborn was also killed.
Brown and Clayborn were murdered in their Milwaukee home which doubled as a recording studio. Police have considered robbery as a possible motive for the murders since their studio had been burglarized a week before and police thought burglars might have come back for accessories they left behind on their first heist.

Lent, a time when many of us give up and sacrifice many things that we enjoy. So why haven't we seen any celebrities give up their bad habits during lent? The stars sure do have a lot of annoying and bad habits. Maybe Lady Ga Ga could give up those insane outfits for a week. Or maybe Jersey Shore could ease up on the "fist pumping" for a few days? Hey, maybe Tiger Woods could give up women for a week?

What do you think celebrities should give up for lent?

Lent, a time when many of us give up and sacrifice many things that we enjoy. So why haven't we seen any celebrities give up their bad habits during lent? The stars sure do have a lot of annoying and bad habits. Maybe Lady Ga Ga could give up those insane outfits for a week. Or maybe Jersey Shore could ease up on the "fist pumping" for a few days? Hey, maybe Tiger Woods could give up women for a week?

What do you think celebrities should give up for lent?

There had been a shooting death. It involved a high school football player, I was told. A “big-time player,” one that had been recruited and signed a college scholarship. At that point we had no IDs.

A little while later I was informed this player went to McEachern High School and had signed a scholarship to Vanderbilt. I knew immediately it was Rajaan Bennett.

In that instant it was like somebody just punched me in the gut and all the air left my body.

My first thought was, “Rajaan Bennett? Really? How could that be? Such a good kid. Who’d shoot him?”

Then details slowly began to pour in. A domestic dispute. A murder-suicide. The mother’s ex-boyfriend. Bennett, 18, had been “the man of the house.”

I don’t want to mischaracterize. I was not close to Bennett personally. My relationship with him was professional, as one voice on the phone to another. I called him throughout the recruiting process to find out what was going on. But you really feel like you get to know someone when you talk to them regularly over several months.

There toward the end it could have been Louisville or Kentucky or Vanderbilt for Bennett. Not surprisingly he went with the best education.

The breaking news desk needed my help because I know the coaches and have all the numbers. They wanted me to call McEachern coach Kyle Hockman.

Talk about assignments you dread.

For six months last year I worked as a reporter on the AJC’s breaking news team. During that time I covered the triple murder and suicide of Professor George Zinkhan, a little boy’s shooting death by his grandfather in Commerce, the parking deck collapse downtown and countless fires and fatalities.

So you’d think I’d be used to such things. Truth is, you never are.

Coach Hockman answered his cell knowing what I needed. We both struggled through the conversation.

“I don’t know the timing of it,” Hockman told me, his voice deep and heavy with grief. “I just don’t know a lot more information.”

When did you find out, I asked?

“About 5 this morning.”

I started to ask another question and Hockman cut me off.

“The school is going to release a statement later this morning,” Hockman said. “I don’t want to talk further right now. Maybe later I can talk to you personally. I’m sorry.”

“He was a good kid wasn’t he, Coach?” I said.

“Just one of the best ever.”

Choking back emotion, Hockman hung up.

I’ll give you all the football data. Bennett was team captain. He was 5-foot-11, 210-pounds, all muscle. He carried the ball 236 times for 1,857 yards and scored 29 touchdowns to lead McEachern to an undefeated regular season. He was the Class AAAAA offensive player of the year, first-team Class AAAAA All-State and No. 25 on the AJC’s Fab 50.

But that’s not what the folks in Powder Springs are going to remember. I hearken back to Coach Hockman’s words on the occasion of Bennett signing with Vanderbilt University.

“I’m sure you want to talk about Rajaan on the football field, but I promise he’s a better person than he is player,” Hockman said. “He has a great head on his shoulders, a guy that has been the man in his household for quite a while, yet still worked to maintain a solid GPA in class and become such a great player. Rajaan is both humble and hard working. He’s a guy that is very respected by his teammates and the McEachern community. I think the world of this young man.”

So did a lot of people.

There had been a shooting death. It involved a high school football player, I was told. A “big-time player,” one that had been recruited and signed a college scholarship. At that point we had no IDs.

A little while later I was informed this player went to McEachern High School and had signed a scholarship to Vanderbilt. I knew immediately it was Rajaan Bennett.

In that instant it was like somebody just punched me in the gut and all the air left my body.

My first thought was, “Rajaan Bennett? Really? How could that be? Such a good kid. Who’d shoot him?”

Then details slowly began to pour in. A domestic dispute. A murder-suicide. The mother’s ex-boyfriend. Bennett, 18, had been “the man of the house.”

I don’t want to mischaracterize. I was not close to Bennett personally. My relationship with him was professional, as one voice on the phone to another. I called him throughout the recruiting process to find out what was going on. But you really feel like you get to know someone when you talk to them regularly over several months.

There toward the end it could have been Louisville or Kentucky or Vanderbilt for Bennett. Not surprisingly he went with the best education.

The breaking news desk needed my help because I know the coaches and have all the numbers. They wanted me to call McEachern coach Kyle Hockman.

Talk about assignments you dread.

For six months last year I worked as a reporter on the AJC’s breaking news team. During that time I covered the triple murder and suicide of Professor George Zinkhan, a little boy’s shooting death by his grandfather in Commerce, the parking deck collapse downtown and countless fires and fatalities.

So you’d think I’d be used to such things. Truth is, you never are.

Coach Hockman answered his cell knowing what I needed. We both struggled through the conversation.

“I don’t know the timing of it,” Hockman told me, his voice deep and heavy with grief. “I just don’t know a lot more information.”

When did you find out, I asked?

“About 5 this morning.”

I started to ask another question and Hockman cut me off.

“The school is going to release a statement later this morning,” Hockman said. “I don’t want to talk further right now. Maybe later I can talk to you personally. I’m sorry.”

“He was a good kid wasn’t he, Coach?” I said.

“Just one of the best ever.”

Choking back emotion, Hockman hung up.

I’ll give you all the football data. Bennett was team captain. He was 5-foot-11, 210-pounds, all muscle. He carried the ball 236 times for 1,857 yards and scored 29 touchdowns to lead McEachern to an undefeated regular season. He was the Class AAAAA offensive player of the year, first-team Class AAAAA All-State and No. 25 on the AJC’s Fab 50.

But that’s not what the folks in Powder Springs are going to remember. I hearken back to Coach Hockman’s words on the occasion of Bennett signing with Vanderbilt University.

“I’m sure you want to talk about Rajaan on the football field, but I promise he’s a better person than he is player,” Hockman said. “He has a great head on his shoulders, a guy that has been the man in his household for quite a while, yet still worked to maintain a solid GPA in class and become such a great player. Rajaan is both humble and hard working. He’s a guy that is very respected by his teammates and the McEachern community. I think the world of this young man.”

So did a lot of people.

Some say the USA is a contender for the men's hockey gold in Vancouver this Winter Games. American forward Bobby Ryan is one of them. Today, the Anaheim Duck score the first goal in the tournament for the Americans en route to a 3-1 victory over what looked like a strong Swiss team early on.
The goal was a bitter-sweet moment for the New Jersey native. In this game, Swiss goalie, Jonas Hiller was foe, rather than a fellow Duck. Ryan's commanding goal with 61 seconds left in the first period, broke a silence, perhaps an awkward one, between the two NHL teammates.
After Ryan out-muscled Thierry Paterlini, a loose puck drizzled to the high slot where Ryan snapped it home before Hiller could regroup from the action in front of the net. The feat became the shot heard throughout Vancouver and can legitimately be logged as monumental. Hiller boasted a .919 NHL save percentage coming into the Olympic tournament.
Chants of U.S.A.! U.S.A.! tore through Swiss crowd efforts to fire-up their sqaud, which also rosters three other players with NHL experience. Mark Streit of the New York Islanders, Yannick Weber, who's skated with Montreal and Luca Sbisa, who started the season in Anaheim, represent Switzerland.
Most Swiss players play in domestic pro leagues or in Europe. Americans know how such a match-up feels. Even those not alive when Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig, a couple of college kids, took on a NHL-caliber Soviet team know how the tourney unfolded in 1980.
There isn't an amateur on the 2010 American roster, just as 30 years ago, there were no pros among Herb Brooks' rag-tag bunch of scrappers.
Ryan, like several others on hand, was unsure how the Canadian fans would react. Some figured the Americans would get booed out of the building. While the U.S. isn't a folk hero, it is not the proverbial bad guy--yet. Ryan said an eventual match-up with Canada could change all that.
"I thought for sure we were getting booed today,'' Ryan said. "I came out expecting that. But I think the fans were just excited to get things under way. When we play Canada I'm sure it will be a different story.''
Some fans were cheering for American Ryan Kesler, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks.
The U.S. plays Norway Thursday, Feb. 18., which some predict to be a warm-up game for an anticipated match-up with Canada.

Some say the USA is a contender for the men's hockey gold in Vancouver this Winter Games. American forward Bobby Ryan is one of them. Today, the Anaheim Duck score the first goal in the tournament for the Americans en route to a 3-1 victory over what looked like a strong Swiss team early on.
The goal was a bitter-sweet moment for the New Jersey native. In this game, Swiss goalie, Jonas Hiller was foe, rather than a fellow Duck. Ryan's commanding goal with 61 seconds left in the first period, broke a silence, perhaps an awkward one, between the two NHL teammates.
After Ryan out-muscled Thierry Paterlini, a loose puck drizzled to the high slot where Ryan snapped it home before Hiller could regroup from the action in front of the net. The feat became the shot heard throughout Vancouver and can legitimately be logged as monumental. Hiller boasted a .919 NHL save percentage coming into the Olympic tournament.
Chants of U.S.A.! U.S.A.! tore through Swiss crowd efforts to fire-up their sqaud, which also rosters three other players with NHL experience. Mark Streit of the New York Islanders, Yannick Weber, who's skated with Montreal and Luca Sbisa, who started the season in Anaheim, represent Switzerland.
Most Swiss players play in domestic pro leagues or in Europe. Americans know how such a match-up feels. Even those not alive when Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig, a couple of college kids, took on a NHL-caliber Soviet team know how the tourney unfolded in 1980.
There isn't an amateur on the 2010 American roster, just as 30 years ago, there were no pros among Herb Brooks' rag-tag bunch of scrappers.
Ryan, like several others on hand, was unsure how the Canadian fans would react. Some figured the Americans would get booed out of the building. While the U.S. isn't a folk hero, it is not the proverbial bad guy--yet. Ryan said an eventual match-up with Canada could change all that.
"I thought for sure we were getting booed today,'' Ryan said. "I came out expecting that. But I think the fans were just excited to get things under way. When we play Canada I'm sure it will be a different story.''
Some fans were cheering for American Ryan Kesler, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks.
The U.S. plays Norway Thursday, Feb. 18., which some predict to be a warm-up game for an anticipated match-up with Canada.

Here is the natural order of things:

1. A female athlete poses for a sexed-up pictorial in a magazine

2. Said athlete gets criticized for the shoot

3. Athlete defends herself in the wake of the criticisms

Today's contestant in that game is U.S. snowboarder Hannah Teter, who talked with the press about her bikini-clad appearance in this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

"I was really amped up to do that because I don't believe in the criminalization of bodies and women having to be ashamed of their bodies," Teter told Reuters. "That's just so wrong."

Teter, who won a gold medal at the 2006 Games, has also made news recently for selling underwear to support Doctors Without Borders.

She'll also find time to do some actual competing while defending her gold.
Tags: Hannah Teter swimsuit photos, hannah teter, hannah teter and lindsey vonn, hannah teter sports illustrated pics, hannah teter swimsuit pics, lindsey vonn swimsuit

Here is the natural order of things:

1. A female athlete poses for a sexed-up pictorial in a magazine

2. Said athlete gets criticized for the shoot

3. Athlete defends herself in the wake of the criticisms

Today's contestant in that game is U.S. snowboarder Hannah Teter, who talked with the press about her bikini-clad appearance in this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

"I was really amped up to do that because I don't believe in the criminalization of bodies and women having to be ashamed of their bodies," Teter told Reuters. "That's just so wrong."

Teter, who won a gold medal at the 2006 Games, has also made news recently for selling underwear to support Doctors Without Borders.

She'll also find time to do some actual competing while defending her gold.
Tags: Hannah Teter swimsuit photos, hannah teter, hannah teter and lindsey vonn, hannah teter sports illustrated pics, hannah teter swimsuit pics, lindsey vonn swimsuit

Danica Patrick Updates and Daytona 500 2010 Live Stream Online Updates. Are you looking for the coverage of Daytona 500 live stream online and looking to see Danica Patrick on her début? You can get information in many website and watch Daytona 500 Live Stream which is available vastly online!

Again as we said in order to watch Daytona 500 coverage online of course a PC and fast connection is required. You don't need to download some software in your computer like Sopcast and TVU.

Well Danica Patrick has took her part at Daytona and let's see what will be her future this year 2010.

Danica Patrick Updates and Daytona 500 2010 Live Stream Online Updates. Are you looking for the coverage of Daytona 500 live stream online and looking to see Danica Patrick on her début? You can get information in many website and watch Daytona 500 Live Stream which is available vastly online!

Again as we said in order to watch Daytona 500 coverage online of course a PC and fast connection is required. You don't need to download some software in your computer like Sopcast and TVU.

Well Danica Patrick has took her part at Daytona and let's see what will be her future this year 2010.

In making the raunchy sitcom Call Me Fitz, there was no humiliation Jason Priestley would not endure.

Playing a slimy used-car salesman, for three months he was slapped, kicked and called every filthy name in the book. To top it off, he spent the better part of his time during filming in Nova Scotia forced to prance about in tighty whities decorated with tractors and cars.

And he loved it. He revelled in the lewdness – downright relished playing a bad-boy loser with a potty mouth, a drinking problem and a dysfunctional family. In fact, the B.C. native describes Call Me Fitz one of the most entertaining and challenging acting experiences of his 20-year-plus career. “You know what they say, dying is easy … comedy’s hard,” says Priestley, who at 40 still has the boyish good looks that brought him fame in the early nineties as do-gooder Brandon Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210.

“The hardest thing for me was finding the right comedic moment, and holding onto it: playing it straight, keeping it real,” adds the actor, dressed in a brown sweater, jeans and construction boots, and sharing a table at a Toronto restaurant with Call Me Fitz writer/producer Sheri Elwood. “Getting kicked around and crashing cars was the easy part. Hell, I’ve been doing that since I was old enough to walk.”

It was Priestley, Elwood is quick to add, who came up with the idea of having the lay-about lead, Richard Fitzpatrick, strut about in nothing but his gitch – which were the brand Ginch Gonch, an underwear manufacturer in Montreal. “Ginch Gonch helps to symbolize the little boy that Fitz really is,” Priestley says. “They’re perfect for Fitz, a guy who is arrested as an adolescent, and has never really progressed past 15.

“Fitz always just does what he thinks is his next-best move, without ever thinking about the future consequences or ramifications. But he’s fun. And he’s doing the best he can, like all the rest of us who are just trying to muddle through.”

Shot in the Annapolis Valley village of New Minas, N.S., the 13-part Call Me Fitz – slated to air on The Movie Network and Movie Central this summer – begins after Fitz botches a test drive and puts his customer in a coma. He then encounters a new salesman on the lot, Larry (Ernie Grunwald), who serves as Fitz’s moral conscience. Carnage ensues.

“If you put The Hangover on the psychiatrist’s couch, that’s what this show is,” says Elwood, who also wrote and produced the CTV series Defying Gravity. “It’s a raunchy show that is really about eviscerating this man’s psyche. Larry forces him to take a look at what’s going on in his life, and Fitz doesn’t like what he sees.”

Elwood, who grew up on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, wrote Call Me Fitz several years ago as a comedy sample. Approached several times to turn the pilot script into a series, she balked until now because “all the pieces never quite fit.”

When TMN signed on, even finding the right Fitz was a dilemma – one Elwood didn’t resolve until she happened upon a YouTube interview of Priestley with CBC Radio’s Jian Ghomeshi. “I think you’d stumbled in from the night before, in an old T-shirt and a couple days’ worth of growth,” she ribs Priestley. “It was filmed with a hand-held camera and posted on the Internet. And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s my guy.’

“The writers and I tried our damnedest to embarrass Jason during the shoot, but nothing fazes him,” says Elwood of her star, who also plays in multiple sex scenes (including one where he is exuberantly spanked). “This is a true cable show in every sense of the word. And TMN gave us the artistic freedom to take it far as we thought it needed to go. So we [went] for it.”

Since 90210 went off the air, Priestley has worked consistently in Los Angeles – as an actor, director and producer – on shows such as My Name is Earl, Hollywood & Vines (Priestley is a real-life wine lover who has a stake in the Okanogan, B.C.’s Black Hills Winery) and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

He says he took the part of the bumbling Fitz because Elwood’s script was laugh-out-loud funny. “The show also has a lot of heart, a lot of pathos, so it was a pretty easy decision,” adds Priestley, who came up to Nova Scotia to start filming last October, accompanied by his wife, Naomi Lowde, and their two young kids.

“The locals loved us,” says Priestley, adding that 1,500 auditioned for various parts. “It was refreshing to come to a place where people were actually happy to see you. So often now, people see the trucks roll in and they say, ‘Crap, traffic’s going to be backed up.’ Here, they appreciated the business, and the work.”

Elwood says she brought her show home to the Maritimes for a simple reason: It “made the most financial sense.”

But there were other factors that made it appealing as well. “We found a wonderful location in a small, working-class town that fit perfectly for our ugly/beautiful aesthetic. Plus, my mom got to stop by with her homemade cookies, made with 17 pounds of butter, that the cast and crew devoured.

“All except you,” she adds, jerking her head at Priestley. “Because you had to be in your underwear all the time.”

Much as he loved those Ginch Gonches, Priestley says, he left his 20 pairs with wardrobe. It was a gesture not of generosity but of convenience, he explains: “I’m going to wear them when I go back for season two.”

In making the raunchy sitcom Call Me Fitz, there was no humiliation Jason Priestley would not endure.

Playing a slimy used-car salesman, for three months he was slapped, kicked and called every filthy name in the book. To top it off, he spent the better part of his time during filming in Nova Scotia forced to prance about in tighty whities decorated with tractors and cars.

And he loved it. He revelled in the lewdness – downright relished playing a bad-boy loser with a potty mouth, a drinking problem and a dysfunctional family. In fact, the B.C. native describes Call Me Fitz one of the most entertaining and challenging acting experiences of his 20-year-plus career. “You know what they say, dying is easy … comedy’s hard,” says Priestley, who at 40 still has the boyish good looks that brought him fame in the early nineties as do-gooder Brandon Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210.

“The hardest thing for me was finding the right comedic moment, and holding onto it: playing it straight, keeping it real,” adds the actor, dressed in a brown sweater, jeans and construction boots, and sharing a table at a Toronto restaurant with Call Me Fitz writer/producer Sheri Elwood. “Getting kicked around and crashing cars was the easy part. Hell, I’ve been doing that since I was old enough to walk.”

It was Priestley, Elwood is quick to add, who came up with the idea of having the lay-about lead, Richard Fitzpatrick, strut about in nothing but his gitch – which were the brand Ginch Gonch, an underwear manufacturer in Montreal. “Ginch Gonch helps to symbolize the little boy that Fitz really is,” Priestley says. “They’re perfect for Fitz, a guy who is arrested as an adolescent, and has never really progressed past 15.

“Fitz always just does what he thinks is his next-best move, without ever thinking about the future consequences or ramifications. But he’s fun. And he’s doing the best he can, like all the rest of us who are just trying to muddle through.”

Shot in the Annapolis Valley village of New Minas, N.S., the 13-part Call Me Fitz – slated to air on The Movie Network and Movie Central this summer – begins after Fitz botches a test drive and puts his customer in a coma. He then encounters a new salesman on the lot, Larry (Ernie Grunwald), who serves as Fitz’s moral conscience. Carnage ensues.

“If you put The Hangover on the psychiatrist’s couch, that’s what this show is,” says Elwood, who also wrote and produced the CTV series Defying Gravity. “It’s a raunchy show that is really about eviscerating this man’s psyche. Larry forces him to take a look at what’s going on in his life, and Fitz doesn’t like what he sees.”

Elwood, who grew up on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, wrote Call Me Fitz several years ago as a comedy sample. Approached several times to turn the pilot script into a series, she balked until now because “all the pieces never quite fit.”

When TMN signed on, even finding the right Fitz was a dilemma – one Elwood didn’t resolve until she happened upon a YouTube interview of Priestley with CBC Radio’s Jian Ghomeshi. “I think you’d stumbled in from the night before, in an old T-shirt and a couple days’ worth of growth,” she ribs Priestley. “It was filmed with a hand-held camera and posted on the Internet. And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s my guy.’

“The writers and I tried our damnedest to embarrass Jason during the shoot, but nothing fazes him,” says Elwood of her star, who also plays in multiple sex scenes (including one where he is exuberantly spanked). “This is a true cable show in every sense of the word. And TMN gave us the artistic freedom to take it far as we thought it needed to go. So we [went] for it.”

Since 90210 went off the air, Priestley has worked consistently in Los Angeles – as an actor, director and producer – on shows such as My Name is Earl, Hollywood & Vines (Priestley is a real-life wine lover who has a stake in the Okanogan, B.C.’s Black Hills Winery) and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

He says he took the part of the bumbling Fitz because Elwood’s script was laugh-out-loud funny. “The show also has a lot of heart, a lot of pathos, so it was a pretty easy decision,” adds Priestley, who came up to Nova Scotia to start filming last October, accompanied by his wife, Naomi Lowde, and their two young kids.

“The locals loved us,” says Priestley, adding that 1,500 auditioned for various parts. “It was refreshing to come to a place where people were actually happy to see you. So often now, people see the trucks roll in and they say, ‘Crap, traffic’s going to be backed up.’ Here, they appreciated the business, and the work.”

Elwood says she brought her show home to the Maritimes for a simple reason: It “made the most financial sense.”

But there were other factors that made it appealing as well. “We found a wonderful location in a small, working-class town that fit perfectly for our ugly/beautiful aesthetic. Plus, my mom got to stop by with her homemade cookies, made with 17 pounds of butter, that the cast and crew devoured.

“All except you,” she adds, jerking her head at Priestley. “Because you had to be in your underwear all the time.”

Much as he loved those Ginch Gonches, Priestley says, he left his 20 pairs with wardrobe. It was a gesture not of generosity but of convenience, he explains: “I’m going to wear them when I go back for season two.”

So, the John Mayer playboy interview has everyone abuzz like he personally came up and slapped your mom and then stole your dog and gave it an inappropriate massage. But I LIKED the interview. He was honest. He didn’t give scripted lines the way a lot of celebrities do – repeating and repeating the same unimaginative phrases to reporters for soundbyes that sound duller every time you hear them. Mayer opened up, which is what you are supposed to expect when you get a celebrity interview – in theory. And while he didn’t talk about things other than his music for a lot of his press so far for the new album, Battle Studies, that’s because those were supposed to be promoting his album! But with Playboy, the readers and context are different. So I totally understand why he opened up the way he did. And the guys who read that stuff are probably 100x’s dirtier (though not more creative) than John Mayer. So, a little perspective, PLEASE.
Perez Hilton says Mayer is homophobic? Then why’d he openly kiss a guy, and has never said anything about about gay people in general. The fact he dislikes Perez has everything to do with Hilton’s personality, not his gayness.
Much of what Mayer said reminded me of what is on an episode of How I Met Your Mother, about a girl who is white girl crazy.
The problem with the John Mayer playboy interview is this: most celebrities are never that honest to any media outlet. So while a lot of people have totally weird thoughts, such as ones that Mayer voiced, we don’t know about them because no one ever admits them. We only find out when the huge scandal breaks – like adultery, Tiger Woods, etc etc. Did Mayer do any of that? No. He made sarcastic jokes, he was honest about the nature of technology making us hard to please, he admits that he likes to masturbate – but he also said a lot of amazing stuff. The clips that no one else is posting. He talked about being an outcast, about his love of music that goes to a place you can’t fake. And he shares life stories that are genuinely funny. You’d like them if it was a fictional character, but because this is a real guy and you thought you had figured out how far he’d go – you’re mad because he’s gone farther.
Most people can’t take a joke, or read sarcasm or wit in text – which is why a lot of Mayer fans are upset because he’s put himself in a very vulnerable situation. But I think it’s clear who the idiots are here. If you want to cry about a remark that a musician makes in Playboy magazine, maybe you should stick to reading US Weekly.
John Mayer reminds me of Charlie Barlett or Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars) right here:
PLAYBOY: Were you one of those smart kids who hated school?
MAYER: I would act up and get sent to the dean’s office and talk to him as though I was an adult. “I’m not trying to upset anybody, sir. With all due respect to you and your staff, I’m just not supposed to be here. It’s quite difficult for me to sit in class, because I’m supposed to be a guitar player, sir.” I was very cocky. But from the outset, there was opposition. My parents were not the biggest fans, to put it diplomatically. I grew up saying, “You’ll see. I can’t explain it yet, but you’ll see.”
More excerpts I liked after the jump.
MAYER: Lately I’ve realized it’s okay to enjoy being a rock star. Like, it might actually be fun to wear sunglasses in the airport and sit in the first-class lounge as a fucking rock star who’s about to go on a world tour. I had related it to something so painful, so frustrating, so confusing, that it would give me a tension headache. Being a famous musician seemed to have brought misunderstanding and strife and a fist in the back of the head when I read something about myself. I wrote this line yesterday: “Someday soon these will just be things we used to do.” I’m sort of making a list of all the things I know I’m going to laugh at myself for taking so seriously.
PLAYBOY: Has Jen heard Battle Studies?
MAYER: Yes. I played it for her as the record was being made.
PLAYBOY: What did she say?
MAYER: Look, there’s a level of honesty in that record that probably made her uncomfortable, but I couldn’t let that change the way I wrote songs. There were moments when she said, “What’s that line?” Like, “That’s not about me, is it?” While I was going out with her she was on the cover of GQ wearing nothing but a tie. These are occupational hazards. When she heard Battle Studies she just wanted to be able to say “I want to know that you hold me correctly in your heart.”
PLAYBOY: What percentage of the album is about Aniston?
MAYER: I don’t want to say. I feel bad because people think “Heartbreak Warfare” is about her. I want to go on record saying it’s not. That woman would never use heartbreak warfare. That woman was the most communicative, sweetest, kindest person. When people hear the record, I hope the songs make them think about their lives, not my life. Like, when you listen to Coldplay, do you think about Gwyneth Paltrow? I don’t write songs in order to stick it to my exes. I don’t release underground dis tracks. [laughs]
PLAYBOY: You’ve rarely talked about Aniston. She has rarely talked about you.
MAYER: We just have a regard for each other’s feelings that is pretty intense. It’s been a deep relationship, and it’s no longer taking place at all. Have you ever loved somebody, loved her completely, but had to end the relationship for life reasons?
PLAYBOY: Did you send Aniston a copy of the CD after it was done?
MAYER: No.
PLAYBOY: Maybe she’ll download it from BitTorrent.
MAYER: If Jennifer Aniston knows how to use BitTorrent I’ll eat my fucking shoe.

So, the John Mayer playboy interview has everyone abuzz like he personally came up and slapped your mom and then stole your dog and gave it an inappropriate massage. But I LIKED the interview. He was honest. He didn’t give scripted lines the way a lot of celebrities do – repeating and repeating the same unimaginative phrases to reporters for soundbyes that sound duller every time you hear them. Mayer opened up, which is what you are supposed to expect when you get a celebrity interview – in theory. And while he didn’t talk about things other than his music for a lot of his press so far for the new album, Battle Studies, that’s because those were supposed to be promoting his album! But with Playboy, the readers and context are different. So I totally understand why he opened up the way he did. And the guys who read that stuff are probably 100x’s dirtier (though not more creative) than John Mayer. So, a little perspective, PLEASE.
Perez Hilton says Mayer is homophobic? Then why’d he openly kiss a guy, and has never said anything about about gay people in general. The fact he dislikes Perez has everything to do with Hilton’s personality, not his gayness.
Much of what Mayer said reminded me of what is on an episode of How I Met Your Mother, about a girl who is white girl crazy.
The problem with the John Mayer playboy interview is this: most celebrities are never that honest to any media outlet. So while a lot of people have totally weird thoughts, such as ones that Mayer voiced, we don’t know about them because no one ever admits them. We only find out when the huge scandal breaks – like adultery, Tiger Woods, etc etc. Did Mayer do any of that? No. He made sarcastic jokes, he was honest about the nature of technology making us hard to please, he admits that he likes to masturbate – but he also said a lot of amazing stuff. The clips that no one else is posting. He talked about being an outcast, about his love of music that goes to a place you can’t fake. And he shares life stories that are genuinely funny. You’d like them if it was a fictional character, but because this is a real guy and you thought you had figured out how far he’d go – you’re mad because he’s gone farther.
Most people can’t take a joke, or read sarcasm or wit in text – which is why a lot of Mayer fans are upset because he’s put himself in a very vulnerable situation. But I think it’s clear who the idiots are here. If you want to cry about a remark that a musician makes in Playboy magazine, maybe you should stick to reading US Weekly.
John Mayer reminds me of Charlie Barlett or Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars) right here:
PLAYBOY: Were you one of those smart kids who hated school?
MAYER: I would act up and get sent to the dean’s office and talk to him as though I was an adult. “I’m not trying to upset anybody, sir. With all due respect to you and your staff, I’m just not supposed to be here. It’s quite difficult for me to sit in class, because I’m supposed to be a guitar player, sir.” I was very cocky. But from the outset, there was opposition. My parents were not the biggest fans, to put it diplomatically. I grew up saying, “You’ll see. I can’t explain it yet, but you’ll see.”
More excerpts I liked after the jump.
MAYER: Lately I’ve realized it’s okay to enjoy being a rock star. Like, it might actually be fun to wear sunglasses in the airport and sit in the first-class lounge as a fucking rock star who’s about to go on a world tour. I had related it to something so painful, so frustrating, so confusing, that it would give me a tension headache. Being a famous musician seemed to have brought misunderstanding and strife and a fist in the back of the head when I read something about myself. I wrote this line yesterday: “Someday soon these will just be things we used to do.” I’m sort of making a list of all the things I know I’m going to laugh at myself for taking so seriously.
PLAYBOY: Has Jen heard Battle Studies?
MAYER: Yes. I played it for her as the record was being made.
PLAYBOY: What did she say?
MAYER: Look, there’s a level of honesty in that record that probably made her uncomfortable, but I couldn’t let that change the way I wrote songs. There were moments when she said, “What’s that line?” Like, “That’s not about me, is it?” While I was going out with her she was on the cover of GQ wearing nothing but a tie. These are occupational hazards. When she heard Battle Studies she just wanted to be able to say “I want to know that you hold me correctly in your heart.”
PLAYBOY: What percentage of the album is about Aniston?
MAYER: I don’t want to say. I feel bad because people think “Heartbreak Warfare” is about her. I want to go on record saying it’s not. That woman would never use heartbreak warfare. That woman was the most communicative, sweetest, kindest person. When people hear the record, I hope the songs make them think about their lives, not my life. Like, when you listen to Coldplay, do you think about Gwyneth Paltrow? I don’t write songs in order to stick it to my exes. I don’t release underground dis tracks. [laughs]
PLAYBOY: You’ve rarely talked about Aniston. She has rarely talked about you.
MAYER: We just have a regard for each other’s feelings that is pretty intense. It’s been a deep relationship, and it’s no longer taking place at all. Have you ever loved somebody, loved her completely, but had to end the relationship for life reasons?
PLAYBOY: Did you send Aniston a copy of the CD after it was done?
MAYER: No.
PLAYBOY: Maybe she’ll download it from BitTorrent.
MAYER: If Jennifer Aniston knows how to use BitTorrent I’ll eat my fucking shoe.

Capt. Phil Harris, one of the signature personalities that made the reality series "The Deadliest Catch" such a gigantic breakout hit for the Discovery Channel, died Tuesday (February 9) at the age of 53. Harris died of complications from a stroke he suffered on January 29.

"Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris," a statement from the channel said. "He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil's every move."

Harris was the captain of the Cornelia Marie, one of several crab-fishing boats upon which "The Dealiest Catch" was focused, and one of the few to be featured in every season of the show. Through five seasons, the show depicted the extreme conditions that fishermen face while hunting for crab off the coast of Alaska. Harris' gruff personality, no-nonsense work ethic and acerbic sense of humor made him a fan favorite on the program.

Jake and Josh Harris, the captain's two sons, also issued a statement regarding their father's passing. "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad — Capt. Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers."

The Discovery Channel will air the sixth season of "The Deadliest Catch" some time in 2010.

Capt. Phil Harris, one of the signature personalities that made the reality series "The Deadliest Catch" such a gigantic breakout hit for the Discovery Channel, died Tuesday (February 9) at the age of 53. Harris died of complications from a stroke he suffered on January 29.

"Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris," a statement from the channel said. "He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil's every move."

Harris was the captain of the Cornelia Marie, one of several crab-fishing boats upon which "The Dealiest Catch" was focused, and one of the few to be featured in every season of the show. Through five seasons, the show depicted the extreme conditions that fishermen face while hunting for crab off the coast of Alaska. Harris' gruff personality, no-nonsense work ethic and acerbic sense of humor made him a fan favorite on the program.

Jake and Josh Harris, the captain's two sons, also issued a statement regarding their father's passing. "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad — Capt. Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers."

The Discovery Channel will air the sixth season of "The Deadliest Catch" some time in 2010.

Well all you ladies out there have cause to celebrate today, Megan Fox is not perfect – she’s got ugly…THUMBS! Apparently it’s a condition called brachydactyly, which means a clubbed thumb. I have to admit, normally, I’m not the squeamish type, but that thing is pretty gnarly, kinda looks like E.T’s penis. Ok, don’t ask me how I know what E.T’s penis looks like, I just do alright, and I don’t wanna talk about it!
Doctors say that several factors can cause this condition including frostbite or a childhood injury, but personally I think it was from giving too many producers and directors hand jobs to get where she is today.

Well all you ladies out there have cause to celebrate today, Megan Fox is not perfect – she’s got ugly…THUMBS! Apparently it’s a condition called brachydactyly, which means a clubbed thumb. I have to admit, normally, I’m not the squeamish type, but that thing is pretty gnarly, kinda looks like E.T’s penis. Ok, don’t ask me how I know what E.T’s penis looks like, I just do alright, and I don’t wanna talk about it!
Doctors say that several factors can cause this condition including frostbite or a childhood injury, but personally I think it was from giving too many producers and directors hand jobs to get where she is today.

LONDON - Lady Gaga says she was saved from cocaine addiction by the spirit of her aunt who has a huge influence on her career.


The Paparazzi singer says she used to lock herself in her bedroom and snort “bags and bags” of cocaine for songwriting inspiration when she was starting out. But realised she was jeopardising her life and recalled unfinished job of her aunt Joanne who died at 19, reported femalefirst.co.uk.

Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, said: “I thought I was going to die. I wanted to be the artists I loved, like Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol… I thought the only way to do it was to live the lifestyle. My cocaine soundtrack was always The Cure. I would lock myself in my room and listen to ‘Never Enough’ on repeat while I did bags and bags of cocaine.”

“But then I realised my father’s sister Joanne, who died at 19, had instilled her spirit in me. She was a painter and a poet - and I had a spiritual vision I had to finish her business.”

LONDON - Lady Gaga says she was saved from cocaine addiction by the spirit of her aunt who has a huge influence on her career.


The Paparazzi singer says she used to lock herself in her bedroom and snort “bags and bags” of cocaine for songwriting inspiration when she was starting out. But realised she was jeopardising her life and recalled unfinished job of her aunt Joanne who died at 19, reported femalefirst.co.uk.

Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, said: “I thought I was going to die. I wanted to be the artists I loved, like Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol… I thought the only way to do it was to live the lifestyle. My cocaine soundtrack was always The Cure. I would lock myself in my room and listen to ‘Never Enough’ on repeat while I did bags and bags of cocaine.”

“But then I realised my father’s sister Joanne, who died at 19, had instilled her spirit in me. She was a painter and a poet - and I had a spiritual vision I had to finish her business.”

Washington
Until his public break with the Bush administration over the war in Iraq on Nov. 17, 2005, Rep. John Murtha (D) of Pennsylvania, who died Monday after surgery, was best known for the billions of dollars he secured for his district behind closed doors.
Abandoned by coal and steel factories, Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District owed its billions in defense contracts and infrastructure to the persistence and clout of its 19-term representative, who last month became the state's longest-serving House member of all time.

A protégé of legendary House Speaker Tip O’Neill and, more recently, a confidant of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative Murtha swayed the lion’s share of member projects in any budget year from a perch on top of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. Regardless of which party was in control of Congress, Murtha had a hand in overseeing the defense budget and distributing its member-projects, or earmarks. There’s even an area of the House floor dubbed “Murtha’s Corner,” for its traffic in earmarks.

His zeal in winning projects for his district brought him to the edge of scandal and frequent ethics investigations. Last month, he was cleared by the Office of Congressional Ethics of charges that he had accepted campaign contributions from PMA Group, a former top defense lobbying firm, in exchange for funding for earmarked projects.

Murtha brushed off the criticism, especially that from those who had never visited his district nor seen the economic devastation there.

“Jack Murtha was a man who thought representing his constituents was the most important thing in his public service,” said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center of Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. “He could care less what people said about pork barrel or earmarks or wasting. He felt that the primary goal of his service was to the 12th District and for that he had their undying affection.”

The first Vietnam combat veteran elected to Congress, Murtha was also focused on support of US military forces, especially in combat.

“Ever since I was a young boy, I had two goals in life – I wanted to be a colonel in the Marine Corps and a member of Congress,” he wrote in his 2006 memoir “From Vietnam to 9/11.”

A lifelong hawk and an early supporter of the war in Iraq, Murtha led Democrats in pushing for sufficient support for the troops, including adequately armored vehicles. His break with President Bush over the war in Iraq in late 2005 gave a significant boost to the antiwar movement both on and off Capitol Hill.

“Jack was a devoted husband, a loving father and a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years,” said President Obama in a statement honoring Murtha.

Washington
Until his public break with the Bush administration over the war in Iraq on Nov. 17, 2005, Rep. John Murtha (D) of Pennsylvania, who died Monday after surgery, was best known for the billions of dollars he secured for his district behind closed doors.
Abandoned by coal and steel factories, Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District owed its billions in defense contracts and infrastructure to the persistence and clout of its 19-term representative, who last month became the state's longest-serving House member of all time.

A protégé of legendary House Speaker Tip O’Neill and, more recently, a confidant of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative Murtha swayed the lion’s share of member projects in any budget year from a perch on top of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. Regardless of which party was in control of Congress, Murtha had a hand in overseeing the defense budget and distributing its member-projects, or earmarks. There’s even an area of the House floor dubbed “Murtha’s Corner,” for its traffic in earmarks.

His zeal in winning projects for his district brought him to the edge of scandal and frequent ethics investigations. Last month, he was cleared by the Office of Congressional Ethics of charges that he had accepted campaign contributions from PMA Group, a former top defense lobbying firm, in exchange for funding for earmarked projects.

Murtha brushed off the criticism, especially that from those who had never visited his district nor seen the economic devastation there.

“Jack Murtha was a man who thought representing his constituents was the most important thing in his public service,” said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center of Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. “He could care less what people said about pork barrel or earmarks or wasting. He felt that the primary goal of his service was to the 12th District and for that he had their undying affection.”

The first Vietnam combat veteran elected to Congress, Murtha was also focused on support of US military forces, especially in combat.

“Ever since I was a young boy, I had two goals in life – I wanted to be a colonel in the Marine Corps and a member of Congress,” he wrote in his 2006 memoir “From Vietnam to 9/11.”

A lifelong hawk and an early supporter of the war in Iraq, Murtha led Democrats in pushing for sufficient support for the troops, including adequately armored vehicles. His break with President Bush over the war in Iraq in late 2005 gave a significant boost to the antiwar movement both on and off Capitol Hill.

“Jack was a devoted husband, a loving father and a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years,” said President Obama in a statement honoring Murtha.

February 6 -- Ex-baseball analyst Steve Phillips, whom ESPN fired last year when his extramarital affair with a network product staffer went public, may be the source of all the “Tiger Woods in rehab in Mississippi” leaks.
Or, so surmises sportsBybrooks.
Radar’s source? “I knew it!” Brooks wrote Friday. “So Phillips was Radar’s source all along!”
Brooks may have been kidding. But review the “evidence.”
Phillips recently ended a 45-day rehab stay for sex addiction at Gentle Path clinic, according to his agent, Steve Lefkowitz, who told the New York Times about his client’s agenda.
That’s the same Hattiesburg clinic from which Woods allegedly recently split, according to scores of source-less rumors
Phillips will share his experiences (ugh!) and views on Woods’ infidelities (hmmm) on Monday’s “Today” show, Lefkowitz said.
The idea of Phillips as Tiger snitch is far less out there than most of the post-crash “news” about Woods.
Book deal? Phillips, no doubt, has his own agenda for the morning show that likely involves pleading his case in hopes of finding another sports commentary gig. But how likely is that, given the tawdry nature of sex with an employee?
More probable would be cozying up to scandal-sheet publishers for a quickie tell-all paperback.
Sex addiction is the new cool. Sure, sex addiction is all the rage. But, it’s hard to believe that “Today” would grant the disgraced former New York Mets general manager a soapbox without the quid pro quo of the latest dish on Tiger.
Phillips, by the way, will make his appearance while his wife undergoes therapy in Arizona, according to the Times. What a swell guy.

February 6 -- Ex-baseball analyst Steve Phillips, whom ESPN fired last year when his extramarital affair with a network product staffer went public, may be the source of all the “Tiger Woods in rehab in Mississippi” leaks.
Or, so surmises sportsBybrooks.
Radar’s source? “I knew it!” Brooks wrote Friday. “So Phillips was Radar’s source all along!”
Brooks may have been kidding. But review the “evidence.”
Phillips recently ended a 45-day rehab stay for sex addiction at Gentle Path clinic, according to his agent, Steve Lefkowitz, who told the New York Times about his client’s agenda.
That’s the same Hattiesburg clinic from which Woods allegedly recently split, according to scores of source-less rumors
Phillips will share his experiences (ugh!) and views on Woods’ infidelities (hmmm) on Monday’s “Today” show, Lefkowitz said.
The idea of Phillips as Tiger snitch is far less out there than most of the post-crash “news” about Woods.
Book deal? Phillips, no doubt, has his own agenda for the morning show that likely involves pleading his case in hopes of finding another sports commentary gig. But how likely is that, given the tawdry nature of sex with an employee?
More probable would be cozying up to scandal-sheet publishers for a quickie tell-all paperback.
Sex addiction is the new cool. Sure, sex addiction is all the rage. But, it’s hard to believe that “Today” would grant the disgraced former New York Mets general manager a soapbox without the quid pro quo of the latest dish on Tiger.
Phillips, by the way, will make his appearance while his wife undergoes therapy in Arizona, according to the Times. What a swell guy.

Well, here it is. Here she is.

After all the talk and the other Republicans pulling out, Alaska's very own ex-Gov. Sarah Palin showed up Saturday night at the national Tea Party convention in Nashville (with Piper).

And, by and large, she told the crowd in the darkened banquet room what it wanted to hear, judging by the frequent applause. Opening with a hearty and well-received: "Happy Birthday, Ronald Reagan!"

Two lines that stuck out in particular:

We need a commander-in-chief, not a professor of law standing at a lectern.

Gee, wonder if she had anyone in particular in mind.

In praise of the grassroots Tea Party activists, she said:

You don't need an office or a title to make a difference.

Gee, wonder if she had anyone specific in mind.
Sunday, Palin will pop up in Houston to campaign with and for incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, who's being challenged in the GOP primary by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina, a Tea Party activist and businesswoman. The Ticket reported on some new polling data in that race right here.

Well, here it is. Here she is.

After all the talk and the other Republicans pulling out, Alaska's very own ex-Gov. Sarah Palin showed up Saturday night at the national Tea Party convention in Nashville (with Piper).

And, by and large, she told the crowd in the darkened banquet room what it wanted to hear, judging by the frequent applause. Opening with a hearty and well-received: "Happy Birthday, Ronald Reagan!"

Two lines that stuck out in particular:

We need a commander-in-chief, not a professor of law standing at a lectern.

Gee, wonder if she had anyone in particular in mind.

In praise of the grassroots Tea Party activists, she said:

You don't need an office or a title to make a difference.

Gee, wonder if she had anyone specific in mind.
Sunday, Palin will pop up in Houston to campaign with and for incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, who's being challenged in the GOP primary by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina, a Tea Party activist and businesswoman. The Ticket reported on some new polling data in that race right here.

It’s impossible to know where to begin with this.
To say Brendan Burke was far, far too young at 21 when he died as the result of injuries he suffered in a car crash in Wayne County, Ind., on Friday?
That he had a passion for hockey he inherited from his father, Brian, the former general manager of the Ducks and current GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he made that passion his own as the student manager of the hockey team at Miami of Ohio?
That he had the manners and smarts to have made a heck of a hockey executive, which he had dreamed of becoming?
It’s impossible to sum up the life of this charming young man who inspired discussions about homosexuality in sports a few short months ago when he talked to ESPN’s John Buccigross about being a gay man in a macho sport.
People in hockey who know Brian Burke and knew Brendan had similar reactions to his death. Sick to my stomach. Just sick. Very upsetting. So sad.

Brian Burke is the general manager of the U.S. men’s hockey team for the Vancouver Olympics, and he had planned to march in the opening ceremony next Friday. It’s too early to think about whether Brendan’s death will impact Brian’s participation in the upcoming Games, but you have to think that because it’s hockey-related and so much of Brendan’s life revolved around the sport, Brendan would have wanted him to be there.
The Burke family—his father, mother, stepmother and five siblings—lost a son, a brother, a friend. The hockey world lost a shining spirit.

It’s impossible to know where to begin with this.
To say Brendan Burke was far, far too young at 21 when he died as the result of injuries he suffered in a car crash in Wayne County, Ind., on Friday?
That he had a passion for hockey he inherited from his father, Brian, the former general manager of the Ducks and current GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he made that passion his own as the student manager of the hockey team at Miami of Ohio?
That he had the manners and smarts to have made a heck of a hockey executive, which he had dreamed of becoming?
It’s impossible to sum up the life of this charming young man who inspired discussions about homosexuality in sports a few short months ago when he talked to ESPN’s John Buccigross about being a gay man in a macho sport.
People in hockey who know Brian Burke and knew Brendan had similar reactions to his death. Sick to my stomach. Just sick. Very upsetting. So sad.

Brian Burke is the general manager of the U.S. men’s hockey team for the Vancouver Olympics, and he had planned to march in the opening ceremony next Friday. It’s too early to think about whether Brendan’s death will impact Brian’s participation in the upcoming Games, but you have to think that because it’s hockey-related and so much of Brendan’s life revolved around the sport, Brendan would have wanted him to be there.
The Burke family—his father, mother, stepmother and five siblings—lost a son, a brother, a friend. The hockey world lost a shining spirit.