The closest Iowa caucus results in history produced a near draw, with Mitt Romney winning by just eight votes over Rick Santorum and Ron Paul a close third. Romney, considered the favorite in the Republican presidential race quest, did not notch a commanding win that could have ended the primary process early. However, a win’s a win, and after a year in which one candidate after another sought to be the conservative alternative to him, a pretty impressive one at that. Even more remarkable was the finish of Rick Santorum, whose candidacy was so moribund just weeks ago that many wondered why he was still in the race. The former Pennsylvania Senator was neck-and-neck with Romney, the one-time Governor of Massachusetts, for all of Tuesday night and into this morning. Romney being declared the winner by a mere eight ballots early Wednesday. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was a close third with 21 percent of the caucus votes. “We will go on,” he said in an upbeat speech. “There is nothing to be ashamed of.” The race was so close, Romney couldn’t even claim victory in his speech. With 99 percent of the vote counted, he and Santorum each had 24.6 percent. ‘‘We also feel it’s been a great victory for us here,’’ Romney said early today, before the final votes were tallied. “Onto New Hampshire, we’ve got work to do.” ‘‘Thank you so much Iowa,’’ said Santorum, who is also off to N.H. ‘‘You, by standing up and not compromising ….. have taken the first step of taking back this country.’’ The GOP nominating process continues with the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday, followed by the South Carolina primary Saturday, January 19. The former favors Romney heavily, the latter not so much. Santorum and Newt Gingrich, who placed fourth last night in Iowa, will be contesting it hard. And Ron Paul … you can never count out Ron Paul. You may soon count out Texas Gov. Rick Perry, though. After finishing fifth in Iowa, he announced that he was returning to Texas to assess his candidacy. Last night’s Iowa caucus results: Mitt Romney: 24.6%
For native New Yorker Lady Gaga, it was a dream come true. The singer performed live in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, treating Little Monsters to a medley of “Heavy Metal Lover,” “Marry the Night” and “Born This Way.” She began the routine in a costume that looked like a cross between Jabba the Hutt, a giant squid and a sequined Pac-Man. Your guess is as good as ours really. Soon enough, she changed to a (relatively, for Gaga) normal black body suit, Catwoman mask and globe-structure thing. Watch her NYE performance below: Lady Gaga – Live in Times Square 2012 Gaga later helped NYC Mayor Bloomberg push the button to drop the Times Square ball after changing into a sparkly Versace number. What a way to start 2012! Always emotional but rarely like this, she got a little choked up talking to Ryan Seacrest about the whole thing. Check out her brief interview after the jump: Lady Gaga Cries During NYE Speech
Regis Philbin’s last show Friday boosted ratings of Live With Regis and Kelly to near-record highs, with ABC scoring a 7.3 household rating and 23 percent share. Philbin’s swan song included a celebrity packed audience, taped accolades from celebrities and a key to the city presented by New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Ratings were up 157 percent year-over-year, leaving many fans wondering what the network will do to replace him … and specifically who will fill his shoes. Questions for another time. Here’s Regis Philbin’s brief farewell speech: Regis Philbin Farewell Speech Who should replace Regis?
With infidelity and divorce rumors swirling around him , Ashton Kutcher attended the GQ Gentleman’s Ball in New York City last night, taking the stage to be honored for the anti-child prostitution charity he founded with wife Demi Moore. She did not join him at the event. Instead, Rabbi Philip Berg, Kutcher’s spiritual mentor and the Dean of the worldwide Kabbalah Centre organization, was by the actor’s side. “Our global issues are getting tougher,” Kutcher said during his speech. “A lot of the things we’re doing we can’t talk about, but I can promise you we’re fighting and we’re going to make a change, so that’s a little about what I’m working on.” Following these words, the Two and a Half Men star returned to his seat and was asked by radio personality Craig Schwartz how everything was going. “I am doing okay, thanks,” Kutcher reportedly replied. “Thank you for caring. Thank you for caring, really. It means a lot.” Moore visited her husband on his sitcom’s set last week, spurring talk that they may be trying to work things out. [Photo: WENN.com]
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas got a standing ovation from the UN General Assembly after his speech asking the body for a unilateral declaration of Statehood on Friday. Since the mission of the United Nations is to maintain peace throughout the world, the members of the UNGA must be convinced that the Palestinian Authority, President Abbas and his ruling party Fatah are ready to make peace. Sadly,… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : YID With LID Discovery Date : 24/09/2011 20:52 Number of articles : 2
President Obama delivered this 32 minute speech to a joint session of Congress tonight, Thursday, September 8. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The New Civil Rights Movement Discovery Date : 09/09/2011 03:09 Number of articles : 2
If you haven’t heard by now, the illustrious men and women of the porn industry are shook right now after finding out one of their own caught the HIV. The pornography trade association that broke the news that an adult film performer has tested HIV-positive released a statement Tuesday noting that “the incident occurred outside of California” and that “there is nothing to suggest that the occurrence has affected the Los Angeles-based industry.” The Canoga Park-based Free Speech Coalition learned that the performer had tested HIV-positive on Saturday and the group called for a moratorium on filming Sunday night, according to the statement. It was not clear Tuesday how long the temporary suspension of filming would last. “This moratorium should remain in place until primary reports of any exposure are confirmed. In the event of the necessity for first- and second-generational testing, a list of any individuals that may have been exposed will be compiled and the moratorium will then be evaluated by our medical and legal advisers, as well as industry stakeholders,” the statement said. It was not clear how many porn studios have suspended filming. “Producers, agents and performers are cooperating in order to uphold health and safety protocols,” the statement said. Among the studios that have suspended production is Van Nuys-based Evil Angel, according to spokeswoman and former performer Tricia Devereaux. “The moratorium will last as long as needed to feel confident we won’t be shooting anyone who was exposed,” Devereaux said in a Tuesday email. “Once that ends, there will still be people who haven’t been cleared yet who will have to wait before they can perform.” Almost immediately after the news broke out, it was followed by rumors that “the performer” in question was Brian Pumper . True or false? Click here to see what he had to say about it .
If the first two weeks of the preseason is any indication, the National Football League (NFL) is officially back. With the lockout threatening the start of the season (not really) for most of the spring and early summer, the return of organized activity led to a dizzying array of transactions and signings. Now that the dust has settled, here are ten storylines to follow as we approach the start of the 2011 campaign. 10. Dallas Cowboys As “America’s Team” and with Jerry Jones as your owner, the beginning of any NFL season will cast all eyes on the Cowboys by default. Tony Romo is still the starting quarterback, and with Jessica Simpson no longer around to blame for his failures on the field, the question is will he finally play to his potential and get the ‘Boys deep into the postseason after a year where they failed to post a winning record? The answer better be a resounding “yes” or head coach Jason Garrett (career backup QB that he was) may have to throw on a jersey and become a player/coach. 9. Cam Newton The overall number 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft was taken by a team that already had a young quarterback in Jimmy Clausen. Seen as a pick the Carolina Panthers could not pass up, Newton is currently in a battle with Clausen for the starting QB job. Newton will get to show his stuff for the first three quarters of Carolina’s next preseason game on Thursday (Aug. 25th). Will he impress enough to earn the starting nod once the games count? 8. Brett Favre comeback part…? Brett Favre This was a non-story when the NFL lockout ended until Michael Vick tweeted that he would be “honored” to have Favre as his backup in Philadelphia. That tweet was quickly deleted, but sent the rumor mill spinning out of control. The Eagles have since signed Vince Young to hold the clipboard for Vick, but that did not kill Brett Favre Voorhies yet… 7. Peyton Manning The 4-time NFL MVP had neck surgery in the off-season and while it was common knowledge that he would not be ready for the pre-season, there are now whispers that Manning won’t be ready for opening kickoff. Re-enter Brett Favre . The Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted (in jest, we hope) on Sunday (Aug. 21st) that he was “in Hattiesburg” (as in Mississippi, where Favre lives). Now the sports world is forced to endure another pre-season of Favre “will-he-or-won’t-he” rumors because the Colts may need a starting quarterback. Shoot me now. 6. Jay Cutler His team’s season ended in a NFC Championship playoff game loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers , but Cutler was done about more than half the game before the final whistle. Cutler went down early in the game with what seemed to be a minor injury. Problem was Cutler never returned and, even worse, looked unaffected by what was happening on the field. Cutler took a beating on Twitter from his fellow players watching at home. Everyone from running back Maurice Jones-Drew to Deion Sanders questioned Cutler’s toughness. Turns out that Cutler had ligament damage in his knee. Still the players that called him out never apologized. Can Cutler rebound, and will his teammates (including Brian Urlacher , who did defend him after the game) respond to him as their leader this season? 5. Carson Palmer In one of the weirdest developments of the off-season Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Carson Palmer threatened to retire if he was not traded to another team. The Bengals did not budge, but they did bend a little just in case Palmer was serious. They drafted quarterback Andy Dalton in the second round and signed former Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski . They also re-signed Palmer’s younger brother Jordan (also a quarterback). To add insult to the game of chicken, long-time Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was traded to perennial contenders The New England Patriots . Carson is not even on the Bengals official roster as of Monday Aug. 22nd, but if he decides to just show up for the start of the season the first QB to be cut would be his little brother. Insane. 4. Donovan McNabb Thought to have found a new life in Washington, McNabb’s only season in the nation’s capital was the worst of his career. He was benched for the final three games of the season, a demoralizing slap in the face for a QB with McNabb’s track record. His exodus from the Redskins was a given, now the question is will he be able to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the promised land or was his season in Washington more than a fluke? 3. Pittsburgh Steelers Similar to the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers are always a team to watch heading into an NFL season because of off-the-field drama. The last couple of seasons the microscope has been on starting QB Ben Roethlisberger , but with Big Ben being a virtual choir boy leading the Steelers back to the Super Bowl after missing the first four games of the 2010 season the acrimony has come from other areas of the “black and yellow” squad. It began with linebacker James Harrison ‘s comments criticizing Roethlisberger’s play in the Super Bowl. Harrison, who is no stranger to controversial remarks, in this case needed to, in the immortal words of ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the morning , “just shut up” here. Your quarterback got you to the Super Bowl after missing four games with a suspension. He pretty much beat the Jets in the AFC Championship game by himself. Smh. Then you have Hines Ward , who showed off his twinkle toes on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars , then was pulled over for in a bizarre incident with a female companion that was deemed a misunderstanding, yet followed that up with a DUI arrest practically a week later. These guys prove that they feed off turmoil. I would not count them out. 2. Plaxico Burress The Giants wanted him back (after turning their back on him at his lowest point), but he signed with the Jets. After hauling in a touchdown pass in his 2011 preseason debut eerily similar to the catch he made to win Super Bowl XLII for the other New York team, Burress is officially back. Can he lead another New York team to a Super Bowl victory? 1. New York Jets For the third season in a row Jets head coach Rex Ryan predicted the Jets would not only make it to the Super Bowl, but win it. After falling short in the AFC title game two straight seasons, the average viewer had no reason to believe Ryan this time. After all, the Jets’ best chance was presumably this past season where they vanquished their bitter rival Patriots in an emotional Divisional playoff game. Unfortunately it seems to the Jets that was their AFC title game because they ran out of gas to the Steelers. Ryan must have known something the rest of the sports world did not. He already had a Super Bowl hero in Santonio Holmes at WR and could not get it done in 2010. Then the Jets signed Plaxico Burress . Burress cannot be covered as he proved time and again as a member of the Giants and Steelers. With both Burress and Holmes on the ends that can go up and get the ball on a fade route, you have to like the Jets’ chances to be there at the end. BONUS: Tiki Barber After four years away from the game, Barber wants to come back to the NFL after a failed attempt at broadcasting. Does anyone want a 36 year-old running back who hasn’t played for four years. Some say the layoff has kept wear and tear off his body, but with the lifespan of an elite running back peaking at age 30, Tiki’s plight may be daunting. Deion Sanders NFL Hall Of Fame Speech [VIDEO] Bubba Smith Dead At 66 Steve Smith Leaves Giants For Rival Eagles
It looks like The King’s Speech won’t be the only Weinstein Company film headed to Broadway in the near future. The New York Post reports that Harvey and Bob Weinstein are planning to “mine the Miramax and Weinstein Co. vaults for material for eight to 10 projects.” Already on deck is Finding Neverland , with Chocolat and perhaps Cinema Paradiso on the way. Maybe this could be a way for the notoriously sequel-averse Harvey Weinstein to continue Rounders ? “Pay That Man His Money” could be a show-stopper! [ NYP ]
Heartfelt Hall Of Fame Speech of the Day: Rather than tout his accomplishments or settle old scores, Dennis Rodman used his Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech to thank the people who made it possible, apologize for his many character flaws, and promise to try harder to be a better person. [ guyism .] Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Daily What Discovery Date : 13/08/2011 19:56 Number of articles : 2
Breaking Sports Video
