Iowa State stuns No. 5 Kansas, 72-64 (AP)

AMES, Iowa ? Royce White had 18 points and nine rebounds as Iowa State upset fifth-ranked Kansas 72-64 on Saturday, snapping the Jayhawks' winning streak at 10 games.

Melvin Ejim added 15 points for the Cyclones (15-6, 5-3 Big 12), who had lost 13 straight to Kansas since their last victory in 2005.

White, a 39 percent free thrower shooter in Big 12 games, hit a pair to put Iowa State up 64-59 with 1:47 left. Kansas threw the ball away and Chris Babb drained a 3 to give the Cyclones an eight-point lead with 55.6 seconds left.

Tyshawn Taylor led five players in double figures with 16 points for Kansas (17-4, 7-1), which hadn't lost since Dec. 19 against Davidson. Thomas Robinson had 13 points, but he committed five turnovers and the Jayhawks were outrebounded 36-23.

Iowa State students celebrated the biggest win of coach Fred Hoiberg's tenure by storming the floor.

This was Kansas' toughest true road test of the year so far ? and it ended with the Jayhawks' first true road loss of the season.

Kansas caught the Cyclones napping to start the second half and took its biggest lead to that point, 45-39, thanks to an 11-0 run. But big man Anthony Booker brought Iowa State back, sinking a rare 3-pointer to put the Cyclones ahead 50-49 with 12:13 left.

Neither team could get much going over the next 6 minutes, but Tyrus McGee's three-point play gave Iowa State a 56-53 lead with just over 6 minutes left. Robinson then blew an open dunk and White hit two layups ? one a reverse he spun off the glass ? to make it 60-55 Iowa State with 3:42 left.

White also had five assists, and Scott Christopherson finished with 14 points for the Cyclones.

Iowa State fed off the energy of its second sellout crowd of the year and jumped on the Jayhawks early.

Booker drilled a 3 and Babb followed with a steal and layup that put Iowa State ahead 19-11, prompting Kansas coach Bill Self to call timeout.

Kansas finally took a 31-29 lead on an impressive scoop through traffic from Taylor with 3:31 left before the break. Iowa State rallied to grab the halftime advantage, 37-33, despite committing 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

The Cyclones led in part because of their defense on Robinson. He was 1-of-6 shooting in the first half and traveled three times trying to free himself up for shots in the paint.

Kansas certainly knew what Iowa State was capable of after the Cyclones threw a scare into the Jayhawks in Lawrence two weeks ago.

Iowa State led at halftime back on Jan. 14 and pushed its lead to as many as 12 points before Kansas stormed back for an 82-73 win. The Cyclones might have been able to pull off that upset had they shot better than 2 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half.

Iowa State didn't let the opportunity pass by this time around ? and it now has a marquee win that will look great on its resume come March.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_kansas_iowa_st

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Tom Waits: Silent Night - Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis (Little green footballs)

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Top Moments: Catherine's CSI Goodbye and Rob Lowe???s Lifetime Movie (omg!)

Our top moments of the week:

11. It Takes Three to Tango Award: Kim Zolciak sets the scene for a romantic evening with her man, Kroy, on Real Housewives of Atlanta: candles, rose petals and a bathtub built for two. But is there room for one more? Because Kim's father suddenly barges in on the new parents' date night. He offers this sage advice. "I want you to be careful," he says. "If you can't be careful, be good. And if you can't be good, then just name it after me." Father knows best!

10. Best Kiss: It's been a rough road this season for Aria and Ezra on Pretty Little Liars. After they were forced to split up, Aria leaves Ezra a message, asking him to meet her under the clock tower to give their relationship just one last chance. He shows up, of course, but not until after it starts raining, all the better to seal this long-awaited reunion with a passionate (wet) kiss.

9. Best Game of Chicken: Top Chef ?judge Tom Colicchio takes Grayson to task for making a simple chicken salad sandwich for a competition challenge. Grayson, however, isn't afraid to challenge his characterization of her food not being exciting enough compared to the other dishes. "Like a meatball?" she asks sarcastically, a clear reference to Lindsay and Sarah's submitted dishes. Her chutzpah works: She makes the normally stone-faced Tom laugh out loud and she makes it to the next round. Who you callin' (boring) chicken?

8. Funniest Case of Mistaken Identity: After reluctantly ?agreeing to a more traditional (read: common) bachelorette party, Blair Waldorf's evening quickly goes up in smoke on Gossip Girl when she amiably (and very drunkenly) agrees to hold on to what she thinks is a stranger's cigarette (but what is actually a joint). When cops balk at her public toking, she mistakes the men in blue for strippers, reaching south of the holster to find out if they're really "New York's finest." That very un-ladylike gesture gets her very publicly arrested. Cue the paparazzi's flash bulbs.

7. Best (Non-Specific) Character Revival: This week's Justified features some cheeky guest casting when Carla Gugino shows up as the very specifically named Assistant Director Karen Goodall. It's a clear nod to the title character she played on ABC's beloved-but-quickly-canceled Karen Sisco, which, like Justified, was based on an Elmore Leonard character.? The chemistry between Karen and Raylan crackles and their partnership picks up right where it left off. Surely we're not the only ones who think she'd make a great permanent addition to the cast.

6. Free at Last Award: House's new year's resolution? To get his ankle monitor ? aka his "training wheels" ? off. But Foreman needs to sign off on the approval, so the mischievous doc decides to stroke his ego by letting him win arguments. When Foreman gets hip to his plan, House says that he moves better without the monitor and that if Foreman were as confident as his former boss, he wouldn't need to keep House shackled. Foreman ultimately realizes House is right and approves the removal. "Bikes go faster without training wheels," he says. And they also drive their cars into people's houses.

5. Most Moving Bad Day: Despite a passing report from her mandated therapist on Criminal Minds, Hotch knows Prentiss has not fully dealt with nearly being killed by Ian Doyle last year. "You're going to go weeks, months even, feeling fine. Then you're going to have a bad day," he tells her. "Just let me know when you do." Stuck in the "denial" stage, Prentiss doesn't move on until a victim in their case realizes that Prentiss had once been attacked as well and asks her about it. Fighting back tears, she finally admits to Hotch, "I'm having a bad day."

4. Most Delicious Coming Out: After trying to keep her many new bedpost notches hidden from her nosy neighbors on Desperate Housewives, Bree faces a sticky situation when she's confronted by one of her suitors and his very angry wife when she shows up drunk at the church bake sale after the reverend himself disinvited her. (Bree's delicious defense: "Every bake sale needs a tart.") Instead of fighting with the angry wife, Bree decides to own her new status as "town whore" and walks away with her head held high. Watch out, Bree, God is listening.

3. Most Contrived Reality: On Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Kim Kardashian decides to meet with psychic John Edward to communicate with her late father, who was O.J. Simpson's lawyer. "Do you have a father-in-law or an older male that would be like an uncle who passed from cancer?" Edward asks her and Kourtney. "Our dad passed from cancer," Kim answers. "Would your dad have a connection to a person who drowned?" he asks. "O.J. Simpson's daughter drowned," Kim says. Yeah, Edward's totally tapped in to... Wikipedia. Did we also mention that he and Kim have the same publicist?

2. Most Ridiculous Line: Lifetime's Drew Peterson: Untouchable is brimming with cheesy and outrageous dialogue characteristic of the network's usual offerings, but it's strange hearing it coming out of Rob Lowe's mouth. Case in point: When Drew's neighbor, Karen, suspects he is responsible for his fourth wife's disappearance, she tells him, "Going to prison is going to stop you." His response: "I'm untouchable, bitch." Who writes this stuff?

1. Saddest Goodbye: She may have taken a bullet during a blaze of gunfire last week, but Catherine's CSI farewell is anything but big, bold and bloody. No death, no cliff-hanger, no big twist ? just a new job and lots and lots of tears. "There comes a point in one's life in which one feels compelled to make a change," she tells the team. "I have been offered another job with the FBI. And I have decided to take it." And with that, Catherine Willows has left Las Vegas. Our one gripe: No William Petersen?

What were your top moments?

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Justice unit to probe mortgage-backed securities (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A new Justice Department fraud-fighting unit will bring together 55 prosecutors and federal and state investigators focusing on one of the contributing factors to the financial crisis ? the collapse of residential mortgage-backed securities.

Attorney General Eric Holder and other officials will unveil details about the new unit Friday. President Barack Obama disclosed the plan to create the unit in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, one of the co-chairs of the initiative, said it is an effort to pull together state and federal probes into the bubble of mortgage-backed securities that led to the market crash.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_justice_financial_probers

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Romney's forceful body language scores in debate

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney talk during a commercial break at the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla. Confident and forceful, Romney's debate performance scores points with body-language experts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney talk during a commercial break at the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla. Confident and forceful, Romney's debate performance scores points with body-language experts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, left, listens to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at a Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla. Mitt Romney talk during a commercial break at the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla. Confident and forceful, Romney's debate performance scores points with body-language experts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The hands came out of the pockets. The gaze was intense. Mitt Romney leaned confidently into the lectern.

Even with the sound turned off, Romney would have stolen Newt Gingrich's debate thunder with a surprisingly commanding and aggressive performance in the latest Florida faceoff, body language experts said Friday.

To some, in fact, it was as if the two Republican presidential candidates had swapped roles, with Gingrich, the aggressor (and ultimate victor) in South Carolina, suddenly seeming the uncomfortable, squirmy candidate in Florida.

It was a marked change for Romney, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an expert in political communication at the University of Pennsylvania. "All his nonverbal cues suggested directness," she said. "The halting delivery was gone. He didn't hesitate before responding. The indecisiveness disappeared."

The former Massachusetts governor also showed flashes of temperament, unafraid to display real anger at Gingrich's calling him, in an ad, an "anti-immigrant" candidate.

"Mr. Speaker, I'm not anti-immigrant!" he retorted. "The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. Don't use a term like that."

The anger came off as both real and controlled, said body language coach Patti Wood, which was important because it projected the sense that Romney wouldn't be carried away by his emotions as president.

"It was a controlled strength," said the Atlanta-based Wood, who coaches politicians and executives. "His shoulders were up, chest back. Very effective." And equally important, Wood said, is the way Romney ended the exchange ? with a slight, satisfied smile that stopped short of a smirk: "He could have ruined it at that moment with a smirk, which he's been known to do, but he didn't."

Where did the new Romney technique come from? Both Jamieson and Wood say it was clear the candidate had been well coached. Indeed, Romney has been working with a new coach ? Brett O'Donnell, formerly with Michele Bachmann's campaign.

"You don't make that kind of change without practice," says Jamieson.

Another expert, Lillian Glass, said it was more than just technique ? that perhaps Romney was getting a better sense of himself as a candidate.

"You can coach someone, but the body doesn't lie," said the Los Angeles-based Glass, who coaches both politicians and actors in body language. "What's going on psychologically shows. What I'm seeing is more conviction, that he seems more sure of what he is saying."

One thing was clear to Glass: "If you turned off the sound last night, that was your leader, just based on the physical alone."

Not that many viewers do turn the sound off, but nonverbal cues are more important than people may think, said Gerald Shuster, a professor of political communication at the University of Pittsburgh. "The nonverbal message often carries a lot more weight than the verbal," said Shuster, who also studies presidential rhetoric.

In earlier debates, Shuster said, Romney had seemed less engaged, with his hands often in his pockets, as if staying above the fray. He also appeared exasperated when attacked by Gingrich.

"The tilt of his head, the tone of his voice," Shuster said. "It was almost like a parent disciplining a child, as in, 'I can't believe you just said that!'"

With his fiery style, Gingrich, said Shuster, took advantage of Romney's role as perceived front-runner. "The challenger has it easier ? he forces the perceived favorite to go off his stride and go off message," he said. "Gingrich was very good at that. He forced Romney to stop talking about Obama and defend himself" ? especially on questions over his personal income taxes and his considerable wealth.

Romney did, though, take a page from Gingrich's playbook: More effective use of the debate audience.

"Last night Romney got at least as much audience support as Gingrich did," said Jamieson.

In general, Gingrich seemed more frustrated, said Glass, the body language expert in Los Angeles. "His voice would go up in pitch," she said. "It was a pinched voice, and pinched facial expressions. He pursed his lips, furrowed his brow, shifted around a lot."

As for the two other candidates, former Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas congressman Ron Paul each had their good moments, Glass said: Paul scored with his folksy humor (he even plugged his wife's cookbook) and Santorum "was very well-spoken, but lacked gravitas."

Of course, everyone has ups and downs, and things could change again. But, Jamieson said, Romney took a big step toward blunting Gingrich's contention that he'd be the more successful debater in the general election.

"If Republicans are looking for someone who can debate Barack Obama, the better debater on the stage last night was Mitt Romney," Jamieson said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-27-Debates-Body%20Language/id-3c1651f7ac9646a7bc857b9d98b6efb7

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Australian gov't, activists trade blame for clash (AP)

SYDNEY ? Authorities and indigenous-rights protesters blamed each other Friday for a heated clash in which bodyguards had to rush Prime Minister Julia Gillard out of an event marking the anniversary of British colonization.

Gillard stumbled in Thursday's fray and lost a shoe, which protesters scooped up after the rowdy demonstration in the capital Canberra. Aboriginal-rights supporters had surrounded a restaurant and banged on its windows while Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott were inside at an award ceremony to mark Australia Day.

Michael Outram, national manager of protection for the Australian Federal Police, said police may file charges against some of the protesters. Gillard said Friday that she was fine, but slammed the activists' actions.

"I've got no troubles at all with peaceful protests. ... What I utterly condemn is when protests turn violent the way we saw the violence yesterday, and particularly to disrupt an event which was to honor some extraordinary Australians," she said.

Protest leaders denied doing anything wrong, accused the police of manhandling protesters and said they planned to lodge a complaint against the officers involved.

"The Australian Federal Police came at us with force and we did not retaliate with force," protest spokeswoman Selina Daveys-Newry told reporters Friday. "We see straight through that little puppet play."

About 200 indigenous-rights supporters marched on the nation's Parliament House on Friday, burning an Australian flag in front of a wall of police and carrying signs with messages such as "All cops are bastards." No one was hurt and the protesters left minutes later.

The restaurant where Thursday's clash occurred is close to the so-called Aboriginal Tent Embassy, where the protesters had demonstrated peacefully earlier in the day. That long-standing, ramshackle collection of tents and temporary shelters is a center point of protests against Australia Day, which marks the arrival of the first fleet of British colonists in Sydney on Jan. 26, 1788. Many Aborigines call it Invasion Day because the land was settled without a treaty with traditional owners.

Outram defended the way Thursday's incident had been handled, saying police had no idea the protest ? which had been peaceful for much of the day ? would turn aggressive.

"We had no information or reason to suspect there was going to be any problem," Outram told reporters in Canberra.

Abbott was the focus of much of the protesters' rage. The Tent Embassy celebrated its 40th anniversary on Thursday, and Abbott had earlier angered activists by saying it was time the embassy "moved on." Abbott said Friday that his comment had been misinterpreted, and that he never meant to imply the embassy should be torn down.

Warren Mundine, a respected Aboriginal leader, denounced the actions of the protesters, saying they had overreacted.

"They are a fringe, radical group ? they're not the mainstream of indigenous Australians," Mundine said. "If you look at (Abbott's) words, they're pretty harmless and they don't even mention anything about moving the Tent Embassy."

Questions lingered, meanwhile, about the fate of Gillard's high-heeled blue suede shoe. There was talk about holding it for ransom or auctioning it off on eBay, but Tent Embassy founder Michael Anderson said at a press conference Friday that it would be returned to the prime minister.

Gillard didn't seem to care.

"It really doesn't worry me," she said with a grin. "I'm in a fortunate situation where I'm a woman with a few pairs of shoes."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_indigenous_protest

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Japanese Officials Peep Damaged Fukushima Reactor, Catch a Glimpse of Gamma Rays [Video]

TEPCO officials attempted to peer inside the damaged #2 Fukushima reactor this week but couldn't discern the level of destruction on account of all the Gamma radiation present. Good thing they didn't lower Bruce Banner in there. More »

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On the Evolution of Investing ? Matt Mullenweg

Essays

Today Y Combinator announced they are adding two new partners, Garry Tan and Aaron Iba. This announcement is unique because it does not list their academic credentials, their previous investments, the boards of companies or non-profits they have sat on, how many years of experience they have, or any of the usual badges of honor investors parade in their biographies and Crunchbase profiles.

Instead we get accolades of ?rare individuals who can both design and program? and ?best hackers among the YC alumni.? Take note of this moment.

I was part of a dinner conversation the other night that included institutional and angel investors, entrepreneurs, and someone who was part of the YC program. The group circled with alarming intent on grilling the YC entrepreneur: ?How much time did you actually get with PG?? ?It?s a cult of personality.? ?The average quality of the companies has really dropped as they?ve broadened.? ?I can?t wait for this bubble to pop.? I believe it was mostly in jest ? few topics were spared that night ? but there was some truth in the defensive undertone.

The hackers and engineers of Y Combinator are doing what hackers and engineers do to any industry, they?re efficiently and ruthlessly disrupting the traditional model of venture capital and are going to destroy far more more wealth for their contemporaries than they create for themselves, as broadband did to entertainment, Craigslist did to newspapers, and Amazon did to traditional retailers. This is what outsiders, by definition, do.

The dark humor in this is that the same people who delight and celebrate investing in disrupting other industries are blind or in denial about it happening to their own.

The question then becomes if you?re an investor with a traditional LP model (and expectations), or a more financial background than an operational one, or an operational background more in management than in design or coding, what should you do to stay relevant through this shift?

Source: http://ma.tt/2012/01/on-the-evolution-of-investing/

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Apple lawsuit is not targeting Galaxy Nexus unlock screen

The Korea Herald today is reporting that the unlocking mechanism on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is not the subject of a new legal complaint filed by Apple.

The Galaxy Nexus was first named as a target on Jan. 20 on Florian Mueller's FOSS Patents blog. But an unnamed Samsung official tells the Korea Herald that Google's first Android 4.0 device isn't on the list of supposedly infringing devices provided by Apple.

“We’re aware that there was a hearing involving Apple’s slide-to-unlock feature after our patent infringement case last Friday and a series of products in the Galaxy lineup were accused there, but what we’ve discovered is that the Galaxy Nexus wasn’t one of them,” the company official said.

The unlocking mechanism on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- what's in the unadultered Android 4.0 code, actually, and is not a feature specific to Samsung devices -- at the very least looks and feels different than the slide-to-unlock bar on iOS. In Ice Cream Sandwich, you have a ring that you pull to the left to launch the camera application, or right to unlock the phone. Apple's iOS has a button that you slide to unlock the device. (See our picture above if you've somehow never seen the iOS unlock screen before.)

Samsung has been the target of lawsuits from Apple for months now, with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 having been hit with a German injunction over its design (Samsung released a tweaked version recently to skirt the injunction) and is continuing to fight claims in the Netherlands. The process continues to slog on, and with Apple having just posted some ridiculous incredible earnings figures, we'd expect it to look to extend itself over any and all competition.

Source: Korea Herald; thanks, Chaz!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/0xCWcmb3cVk/story01.htm

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Go Running, Outrun the Cops, and Help a Frightened Ball [App Deals Of The Day]

We have a problem in this country. We don't work out enough. I'm not saying we have to become fitness freaks, but a few walks around the neighborhood could help reverse the obesity trend. For fun, check out a free app that'll let you make a game of your workouts. More »

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Video: Fed Survey: QE3 On The Way?

CNBC's Steve Liesman takes a look at the results from 75 market participants who were surveyed on whether QE3 is going to happen early this year.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

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Officials: US drone strike killed Somali insurgent

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? A U.S. drone strike killed a British al-Qaida official fighting alongside insurgents in Somalia, officials said.

Three missiles fired from an unmanned aerial vehicle hit Bilal al-Berjawi's car on the outskirts of Mogadishu, according to a statement from the insurgent al-Kataib media foundation late Saturday. Berjawi was a Lebanese and British citizen who grew up in West London and fought in Afghanistan before going to Somalia in 2006.

"The martyr received what he wished for and what he went out for, as we consider of him and Allah knows him best, when, in the afternoon today, brother Bilal al-Berjawi was exposed to bombing in an outskirt of Mogadishu from a drone that is believed to be American," the statement said. "He was martyred immediately."

The strike was confirmed by a U.S. official in Washington. The official asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

"Good riddance, and (I) hope al-Shabab leadership will come to their senses and cease the hostility in Somalia," said Omar Jamal, the first secretary in the Somali mission to the U.N., in an emailed statement.

Berjawi helped oversee recruitment, training and tactics for al-Shabab, who are fighting the weak U.N.-backed government. He was a close associate of late al-Qaida operative Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who directed the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Berjawi is at least the fourth senior al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab commander killed in as many years. Last year, a Somali soldier shot dead Mohammed at a checkpoint and in 2009, U.S. soldiers killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in a helicopter raid. In 2008, a U.S. airstrike killed reputed al-Qaida commander Aden Hashi Ayro and two dozen civilians.

Most observers say there are several hundred foreign fighters in Somalia, mainly clustered in training camps around the insurgents stronghold of Kismayo. Most of the foreigners are Africans from other nearby nations, but more than 40 Americans have also traveled to Somalia to join the insurgency, according to a report from the House Homeland Security Committee.

Many British citizens have also returned to Somalia and joined the fight on both sides. Berjawi was the second British citizen killed in Somalia in two days; on Friday an official al-Shabab Twitter feed displayed documents belonging to Said Abdi Jaras from London as proof that the Somali government official had been killed by al-Shabab in battle.

Somalia has not had a functioning government for 21 years. Currently the weak U.N.-backed government holds the capital with the support of 9,500 soldiers from Uganda, Djibouti, and Burundi. Other parts of the country not occupied by al-Shabab are held by friendly militias or Kenyan or Ethiopian troops. Both nations sent in troops amid concerns that Somalia's instability will leak over their borders.

___

Houreld reported from Nairobi, Kenya. Associated Press Writer Kim Dozier in Washington, D.C. also contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-22-AF-Somalia-Drone-Strike/id-85cbea481865404b9e2e8966bf927862

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Presidential contest shifts to Florida after Gingrich SC victory scrambles race (Star Tribune)

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James' passion, great range remembered (AP)

NEW YORK ? On her last album "The Dreamer," released just three months before her death, Etta James sings a mix of covers, from the R&B classic "Misty Blue" to the Ray Charles song "In the Evening." But perhaps the most curious tune included on the disc may be the Guns N' Roses staple "Welcome to the Jungle."

That a 73-year-old icon of R&B would tackle the frenetic rock song ? albeit in a pace more fitting her blues roots ? might seem odd. But the song may be the best representation of James as both a singer and a person ? rambunctious in spirit, with the ability to sing whatever was thrown at her, whether it was jazz, blues, pining R&B or a song from one of the rowdiest bands in rock.

"She was able to dig so deep in kind of such a raw and unguarded place when she sang, and that's the power of gospel and blues and rhythm and blues. She brought that to all those beautiful standards and rocks songs that she did. All the number of vast albums she recorded, she covered such a wide variety of material that brought such unique phrasing and emotional depth," said Bonnie Raitt, a close friend, in an interview on Friday afternoon after James' death.

"I think that's what appealed to people, aside from the fact that her personality on and off the stage was so huge and irrepressible. She was ribald and raunchy and dignified, classy and strong and vulnerable all at the same time, which is what us as women really relate to."

James, whose signature song was the sweeping, jazz-tinged torch song "At Last," died in Riverside, Calif., from complications of leukemia. Her death came after she struggled with dementia and other health problems, health issues that kept her from performing for the last two or so years of her life.

It was a life full of struggles. Her mother was immersed in a criminal life and left her to be raised by friends, she never knew her true father (though she believed it was billiards great Minnesota Fats), and she had her own troubles, which included a decades-long addiction to drugs, turbulent relationships, brushes with the law, and other tribulations.

One might think all of those problems would have weighted down James' spirit, and her voice, layering it with sadness, or despair. While she certainly could channel depression, anger, and sorrow in song, her voice was defined by its fiery passion: Far from beaten down, James embodied the fight of a woman who managed to claw her way back from the brink, again and again.

It's an attitude that influenced her look as well. Despite the conservative era, she dyed her hair platinum blonde, sending out the signal that she was far from demure, and owning a brassy, sassy attitude. She relished her role as saucy singer, a persona that she celebrated in her private life as well.

"In terms of 1950s rhythm and blues stars, she had kind of a gutsy attitude and she went out there and did what she did, and she was kind of bold ... and it had a huge influence," said David Ritz, the co-author of her autobiography "Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story." "I think her gutsiness and her lack of fear and just her courage (made her special). ... I believe that made her important and memorable."

Beyonce, who played James in the movie "Cadillac Records" about Chess Records, also spoke about her influence on other singers.

"I feel like Etta James, first of all, was the first black woman I saw with platinum, blonde hair. She wore her leopard and she wore her sexy silhouette and she didn't care. She was strong and confident and always Etta James," said Beyonce in a 2008 interview.

James could often be irascible. Ritz remembers when he was working with her on her autobiography, touring with her around the country, that one time he approached her with his tape recorder and she barked: "If see that tape recorder again I'm going to cram it up your (expletive)."

But at other times, she'd be effusive and warm and anxious to talk.

"Once she did talk, she was always candid and unguarded. She was a free spirit," Ritz said.

While Ritz put her in the category of other greats like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, she never enjoyed their mainstream success. Though "At Last" has become an enduring classic, there were times when James had to scrounge for work, and while she won Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she did not have the riches, the multitude of platinum records or the hits that some of her peers enjoyed.

"She at least enjoyed a great resurgence like John Lee Hooker did and B.B. King, (and) has had some great decades of appreciation from new generations around the world," said Raitt. "There's no one like her. No one will ever replace Etta."

And Ritz said the lack of commercial success does nothing to diminish her greatness, or her legacy.

"Marvin certain knew it and Ray knew it ... the people who know that she was in that category," he said. "Whatever the marketplace did or didn't do or whether her lack of career management didn't do, it has nothing to do with her talent."

And on Friday, the Queen of Soul was among those who paid tribute to James greatness, calling her "one of the great soul singers of our generation. An American original!

"I loved `Pushover,' `At Last' and almost any and everything she recorded! When Etta SUNG, you heard it!"

___

AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott and AP Writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report.

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_en_ce/us_etta_james_appreciation

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Who needs snow? LA crashes jump after rain

By Samantha Tata, NBCLosAngeles.com

Crashes on Southern California?s wet roads Saturday morning jumped nearly sixfold compared to the same time last weekend when the roads were dry.

The California Highway Patrol recorded 315 crashes on Southern California freeways between 12:01 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Saturday, compared with 55 crashes in the same period a week ago.

Read the original story at NBCLosAngeles.com

The bulk of the crashes - about 280 - occurred in the last four hours from dawn to 9 a.m., when the showers hit, the CHP said.

"There?s a misconception that the rain causes these crashes," said CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos. "It?s not the rain, it?s the way people are driving in the rain."

He blamed motorists driving too fast for the road conditions.

"You can?t drive the same speed as you can on a dry roadway, especially with the first rain of the season," Villalobos said.

Most of the crashes occurred on bends in freeway roads such as on-ramps, off-ramps and transitions, Villalobos said. Vehicles across Los Angeles County either spun out or hit guard rails on the bends, he said.

Several freeways were blocked by surface flooding, crashed cars and trucks, or combinations of problems.

The multilevel interchange of the 210, 134 and 710 freeways in Pasadena was snarled in several directions by flooding or wrecks.

Westbound 210 lanes were blocked for four hours by a big rig that jackknifed before dawn.

RELATED:?Weekend Rainstorm Hits SoCal

And the tunnel that brings the eastbound 210 through the interchange was expected to be closed until 1 p.m. by wreckage from a multicar pileup.

At least three separate crashes occurred over two hours at the 101-405 interchange in the San Fernando Valley. And the southbound 5 truck lanes in the Newhall Pass were closed all morning by a spilled truckload of oranges that had to be scooped up with heavy machinery.

Dozens of other ramps and transition roads, from Castaic to Santa Fe Springs, were blocked by wrecked cars and trucks, or fire trucks. The CHP reported 75 crashes by 5 a.m., up from the 30 wrecks in the same period last week, according to the CHP.

In Los Angeles, about 6,500 Department of Water and Power accounts were in the dark before dawn, the result of various storm-related mishaps. A crash at Nordhoff Street and Sepulveda Boulevard caused a transformer fire that blacked out much of the North Hills, said DWP spokeswoman MaryAnne Pierson.

About 741 properties were blacked out in Beverly Hills, 100 in downtown Santa Monica, and an unknown number in western Malibu, where wires were down near Zuma Beach, said Southern California Edison spokesman Scott Andresen.

Authorities advised motorists driving in the rain to leave extra space between their vehicles, to allow for more time to react to or avoid potential collisions.

Southern California has been parched all winter, receiving only an inch of rain in November and not a drop since mid-December, according to the National Weather Service. L.A. already received 10 inches of rain by that time last year.

Dec. 2011 was markedly drier in the Southland than the year before, receiving only 10 to 30 percent of its normal rainfall for the month; whereas Dec. 2010 saw three to six times as as much the normal precipitation.

Oil that has seeped into the roadways has yet to be washed away, making for more dangerous conditions, Villalobos said.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

?

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/21/10208518-who-needs-snow-la-crashes-jump-nearly-six-fold-after-rain

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AP: Pa. House leader working on run for US House (AP)

HARRISBURG, Pa. ? Pennsylvania's state House majority leader is telling top Republican Party officials that he plans to run for a U.S. House seat.

Two party activists said Friday that Mike Turzai is informing key people of his decision before he makes a public announcement.

The activists who spoke to The Associated Press did not want to be named talking about the subject before Turzai publicly announces his candidacy.

Asked about it by telephone Friday, Turzai said he was in a meeting and couldn't talk.

Turzai, of Allegheny County, would run for the 12th District seat whose suburban Pittsburgh boundaries were dramatically redrawn in December by Turzai and other top Republicans.

Its new boundaries combine portions of districts currently represented by two Democratic incumbents, Mark Critz and Jason Altmire.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_el_ho/us_turzai_congress

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APNewsBreak: Feds shut down file-sharing website (AP)

McLEAN, Va. ? Federal prosecutors in Virginia have shut down one of the world's largest file-sharing sites, Megaupload.com, and charged its founder and others with violating piracy laws.

The indictment accuses the company of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. The indictment was unsealed Thursday, one day after websites shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart the online piracy of copyrighted movies and TV programs.

Megaupload.com has claimed it is diligent in responding to complaints about pirated material.

The indictment says at one point, Megaupload was the 13th most popular website in the world.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_hi_te/us_internet_piracy_indictment

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US says Guatemalan lottery launders drug money (AP)

GUATEMALA CITY ? The U.S. Treasury Department says a popular private lottery in Guatemala is a front for laundering drug money.

The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control says it has designated Bingoton Millionario part of a drug-trafficking ring run by a 39-year-old woman.

It calls the woman, Marllory Dadiana Chacon Rossell, one of the most prolific traffickers in Central America. It says her organization moves tons of cocaine each month into Mexico and on to the United States.

The lottery's Facebook page says it sells tickets in thousands of stores across Guatemala and has awarded a total of $2 million to 595,000 winners over the last three years.

Guatemala's government says it will start an investigation based on Thursday's accusation by the U.S.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_guatemala

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The Engadget Show is live tomorrow with Red Cameras, MakerBot and the coolest gadgets of CES!

We're back from CES, and it's time to talk about, you guessed it, more CES! This month on the Engadget Show, we're going to get some close up, hands-on time with some of the coolest gadgets Las Vegas had to offer. We'll also be taking you behind the scenes of Engadget's CES operations, including a trailer tour and a quick jaunt around the show floor. We've also got a walk through of the latest camera from Red and we'll be getting up close and personal with the brand new MakerBot Replicator. Throw in a music guest and lots of surprises, and you've got yourself a pretty jam-packed show. Bookmark this spot, and we'll see you tomorrow at 6PM ET, sharp!

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The Engadget Show is live tomorrow with Red Cameras, MakerBot and the coolest gadgets of CES! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/1oyafeodddc/

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'American Idol': Where Are Katharine McPhee, Leah LaBelle Now?

We also check in with Justin Guarini, Ruben Studdard, Constantine Maroulis and more 'Idol' alumni before season 11 kicks off.
By Jim Cantiello

Katharine McPhee
Photo: Getty Images

"American Idol" kicks off its 11th season Wednesday night with its first of eight audition episodes. But before we're inundated with a new batch of contestants (many of whom we'll forget about by June), let's play catch-up with some noteworthy alums.

Sure, our Kellys and Carries have remained household names throughout the years, but others — like Katharine McPhee and Leah LaBelle — are poised to have their biggest post-"Idol" years yet.

Let's check in with standouts from seasons one through five:

Season One
The One You Know: Kelly Clarkson's fifth studio album, Stronger, is selling just fine, even if recent "Ron Paul sales bump" rumors were proven to be a bunch of hooey. The original Idol just kicked off her latest tour last week. On the radio, you'll hear "Mr. Know It All" approximately 17 times an hour, until it's replaced by new single "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)."

The Goofy One: Justin Guarini hasn't released a full-length album since 2005's Stranger Things Have Happened, but the inaugural runner-up kept busy in 2011 appearing in Broadway's "American Idiot" as well as touring companies of "Rent" and "Chicago." On a personal note, the crooner and his wife had a baby boy last April. And yes, since "Idol," he's chopped his signature "Felicity-meets-Sideshow Bob" locks.

Season Two
The One You Know: Clay Aiken can be seen in promos for the upcoming season of "Celebrity Apprentice," accusing a teammate of being patronizing — all in the name of charity. Although his last few albums haven't made a big dent in pop culture, Clay still remains the fourth-best-selling "Idol" contestant ever, right behind the holy trinity. (That's Underwood/Clarkson/Daughtry, obviously.)

The One You Shouldn't Count Out Just Yet: Most of America hasn't paid much attention to the Velvet Teddy Bear since "Sorry (2004)," and Ruben Studdard finally realized fans like him best when he sings about calendars. Studdard kicked off 2012 with a well-reviewed single called "June 28th (I'm Single)" about his recent divorce. The catchy throwback jam is currently climbing the urban charts, so don't be surprised if his upcoming album moves some serious units when it lands in March.

The One You Had No Idea Was On "Idol": Ashley Hartman had a six-episode stint on the first season of "The O.C." as Summer and Marissa's buddy Holly. Turns out Simon Cowell's "You should act, not sing" critique was correct!

Season Three
The One You Know: Seventh-placer Jennifer Hudson spent 2011 promoting her sophomore album, I Remember Me, but her turn as Weight Watchers' official spokesperson kept her skinny body in the spotlight and earned her a book deal. The Oscar winner's turn as Winnie Mandela has yet to be released in the U.S., but she'll appear as a nun in the Farrelly Brothers' "Three Stooges" big-screen update this year. Might we suggest a remake of Lily Tomlin's "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" next?

The One We Can't Stop Rooting For: Fantasia, Fantasia, Fantasia. Your 2010 album Back to Me was full of retro nuggets like the Grammy-winning "Bittersweet" and shoulda-been-a-hit "Collard Greens and Cornbread," but just when your music career gets back on track, your life spins out of control. Here's hoping you can turn your personal drama into big-screen gold when you star as Mahalia Jackson in your first official feature-film role.

The One You Shouldn't Count Out Just Yet: Leah LaBelle barely made the top 12 back in 2004 — when she was a cocky 17-year-old with shaky vocals living under the shadow of a Bulgarian pop-star mother — but the 25-year-old just made headlines by getting signed to L.A. Reid's Epic Records under the guidance of heavyweights Jermaine Dupri and Pharrell Williams. Seriously!

The One You Had No Idea Was On "Idol": Soap fans might remember Duke Buchanan on "One Life to Live" before he was killed by a tornado in 2006. The Matthew Morrison look-alike got his start on "Idol" as a semifinalist.

Season Four
The One You Know: In 2011, country megastar Carrie Underwood starred in a hit film, "Soul Surfer," reached her 11th #1 single on a duet with Brad Paisley and finally surpassed Kelly Clarkson as the biggest-selling "Idol" winner ever. She's got a new album on the way and hinted that she'll be participating in "something special" with Steven Tyler, fueling a rumor that she'll be taking the CMT "Crossroads" stage with the new "Idol" judge and — randomly — '90s band Sugar Ray.

The Goofy One: Constantine Maroulis finally got some respect with a Tony-nominated turn in Broadway's "Rock of Ages" in 2009. Constantine fans might be bummed that he won't be reprising the Drew role in the big-screen adaptation coming out in 2012, but keep your eyes peeled, because director Adam Shankman gave him a quick walk-on appearance as a producer.

The One You Had No Idea Was On "Idol": Prior to winning the sixth season of "Nashville Star," Melissa Lawson made it to the top 75 during Hollywood Week on "Idol."

Season Five
The One You Know: Daughtry's 2011 album Break the Spell went gold in December. Chris and the band will be hitting the road for their second headlining tour this March.

The One You Shouldn't Count Out Just Yet: Katharine McPhee's career has been full of starts and stops. But now that she's on NBC's high-profile midseason replacement "Smash" (including an inescapable ad campaign that claims to be "introducing" McPhee to America's living rooms), expect to see the season five runner-up reach new heights. You saw her hobnobbing with Hollywood's elite at the Golden Globes this past Sunday. Twelve months from now, you may just see her onstage holding a Globe of her own.

The Goofy One: Taylor Hicks got some love last April when Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert invited him to appear on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" during Colbert's cover of Rebecca Black's "Friday," a performance that instantly went viral and showed that Hicks is still as charmingly offbeat as you remember. The other goofy alum of season five, Kellie Pickler, is ready to show her mature side with a traditional country album, 100 Proof, out next week.

On Thursday, Jim will check in with standouts from seasons six through 10.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Related Videos

• On The Red Carpet At The Golden Globes
• MTV News Extended Play: Kelly Clarkson

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677437/american-idol-katharine-mcphee-leah-labelle.jhtml

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