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Ryan Hudson — 2010-03-11 00:01:08 GMT

Keith Srakocic - AP

29 days ago: Robert Morris' Velton Jones, left, and Gary Wallace , right, defend as Pittsburgh's Brad Wanamaker drives to the hoop in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Pittsburgh, Monday, Feb. 8, 2010. Pittsburgh won 77-53. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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The Schmuck Stops Here

Peter Schmuck — 2010-03-11 02:29:19 GMT

The Orioles defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2, tonight at McKechnie Field in Bradenton to end their six-game exhibition losing streak, but only because the bullpen did a spectacular job of holding a one-run lead for 7 2/3 innings. Luis Lebron,...

2010-03-10 23:06:56 GMT

El actor también indicó que le gustaría alejarse de las cintas de acción para profundizar en la comedia

VentureBeat

Dean Takahashi — 2010-03-10 20:30:15 GMT

If you’re wondering which games-on-demand company is the real one, today’s news isn’t going to help you out.

While Steve Perlman’s OnLive has revealed concrete plans to launch its service today, another rival, Otoy, is revealing today that its video compression technology will be the foundation of a new kind of supercomputer that will enable the digital distribution of video games.

Jules Urbach, chief executive of Otoy (right), is making the announcement today at GamesBeat@GDC, our executive game conference in San Francisco. His company clearly has a ways to go, but he is making up for that by partnering with powerful companies.

The multiple-teraflop supercomputer will be made by Supermicro, a leading maker of high-end servers. Together with its support from chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, the relationship with Supermicro is the strongest endorsement yet of what has been an experimental technology at Otoy. And in another interesting twist, which Otoy is staying mum about, another one of its partners is Intel.

Supermicro says it will launch Fusion Render Cloud Servers in the second quarter. The Fusion Render Cloud is a new kind of supercomputer that uses a bunch of servers with both microprocessors and graphics chips in them. These servers can be used to create high-end graphics imagery that can be piped at lightning speed to a home computer. The effect is that a low-end computer could be used to display high-end games, thanks to the processing that happens in the so-called cloud.

Otoy’s ORBX codec — the compression software – is one of the key links here because it allows one server to send thousands of streams of high-definition video or game graphics to just about any display. The Los Angeles startup was created by graphics technology wizard Urbach, whose topic today is Disruptive Innovation at GamesBeat@GDC. In an interview, Urbach said consumers will be able to use the technology this summer.

One of the cool features of Otoy is progressive downloading. This means you can operate a digital distribution business such as Valve’s Steam network without having to wait a long time for downloading. As with OnLive, you can step into the play immediately. You may be playing a game on a server at first, but it eventually downloads to your computer where you can play it locally. Of course, if your machine is a low-end machine, you don’t have to play it locally. Urbach says the company has tested this technology with 400 games.

As with its rival OnLive, this cloud-based computing breaks loose a digital distribution business model for games, which are typically sold for $60 in retail stores. With this technology, web-based companies will be able to sell games directly to consumers.

About 10 supercomputers could probably support a million users, Urbach said. For this reason, AMD views the Fusion Render Cloud as the next evolutionary step in cloud computing.

“We look at Otoy as a technology that we can use to reorganize everything around cloud services,” said Charles Boswell, director of digital media and entertainment at AMD.

With these announcements, Urbach’s dream of getting a whole alliance of companies to launch a games-on-demand service is coming together. He thinks that services using Otoy will be launched for consumers starting in the summer. You’ll be able to play fast-action games such as Left 4 Dead 2 on any device by tapping into the Fusion Render Cloud, which is enabled by the supercomputer.

The consumer service will be similar to what Steve Perlman envisions with OnLive, the well-financed games-on-demand service backed by big game publishers and AT&T. But Otoy’s approach is very different. The company is operating in a horizontal fashion, while OnLive is more vertical, doing each layer of the service itself. Otoy is licensing its technology to be used in the supercomputer, which is fueled by graphics and processors from Advanced Micro Devices. Hosting companies will offer the cloud-based service to publishers of games and other apps. And consumers will ultimately subscribe to the services.

The hardware itself is quite intimidating. A supercomputer will consist of 128 servers, with a total of 250 AMD “Mangy Cours” Opteron microprocessors and 500 graphics chips based on AMD’s Cypress designs. Each of those graphics chips can process 2.7 teraflops, or 2.7 trillion math operations per second. Each supercomputer could serve 3,000 high-definition users, or 12,000 standard-definition users. Otoy’s own software on a consumer’s own machine is tiny, taking up just four kilobytes of data.

The system will work with Mac, PC, Linux, Android, Windows Mobile, iPhone, iPad and custom set top box solutions based on cheap ARM chips. Urbach says that Otoy is trying to strike bundling deals now that will allow its software to reside on a wide range of platforms.

This horizontal approach, where each company provides just a layer of the overall solution, could allow Otoy to reach a larger group of consumers and companies than it otherwise might, Urbach said. In that sense, the games-on-demand service enabled by Otoy will resemble something like Amazon’s EC2 service, which leases cloud computing and storage to startups.

The Otoy technology isn’t a pure phantom. Dassault Systems has shown its SolidWorks application, a 3D modeling and design program, working on a netbook via Otoy. Normally, that software has to run on a beefy workstation, but with Otoy it can run on any device. Urbach has also shown high-end games running on iPhones using the technology.

Compared to OnLive, Urbach is certainly the underdog here. He has been talking about delivering this disruptive technology since 2004. But people took notice when Otoy announced the AMD alliance in January, 2009. OnLive has positioned itself as closer to a consumer launch than Otoy, although it’s possible that both may be out in the market at the same time.

The key question is whether Otoy, OnLive or a third rival, Gaikai, can pull off server-based gaming for millions of consumers on the same network. If they can, they will turn the video game industry upside down by cutting out retailers and eliminating the need to buy high-end game hardware.

As we’ve said before, the goal of shifting computing from the client (i.e., the user’s machine) to the server is an inexorable trend. Google hopes to undermine Microsoft’s client-based Office software with server-based Google Docs software. If it succeeds, Google could disrupt Microsoft’s 500-million user base.

Doing something similar in the games market — creating video games that can be instantly played from a server with no download to a client machine — could be similarly disruptive. If you can buy a game over a network, you don’t need the retailer. And if the heavy computing is done on the server, you don’t need anything more than a display in the user’s device. There is no need for a gamer PC or a game console. You can also play your games on any machine as long as you log into the same account via the Internet. The cost of delivering these games will likely be small, which means consumers could enjoy more games for less money.

These benefits are so obvious, you would think companies would have done it already. But technically, it’s an enormously difficult problem. Faster broadband connections help, delivering better throughput, or one-way traffic speed. But games need low latency, meaning fast interactions back and forth. Improving broadband speed helps with throughput but not with latency.

Urbach was a co-founder of The Groove Alliance, a Flash game maker that made a splash in the 1990s with cool 3D web games. He also started LightStage, a facial capture company that helped capture human faces so they could be easily animated in movies such as Brad Pitt’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. LightStage, coincidentally, does work that is similar to that done by another Perlman company, Mova. Both were used in the Benjamin Button movie, but for slightly different effects.

Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7

AP — 2010-03-11 03:10:36 GMT

Scott helps Orioles beat Pirates 3-2 BRADENTON, Fla. ? Luke Scott hit a two-run single off Zach Duke in the first inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Wednesday night. Duke allowed three runs and four hits in 2 2-3 innings. Ty Wigginton also had an RBI single for Baltimore in the first. Top .... Source : Luke Scott’s two-run single leads Baltimore Orioles to 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cele|bitchy

Kaiser — 2010-03-10 14:53:56 GMT

Last week, Life & Style revealed that there was yet another “tell-all” book being written about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and this one wasn’t written by anyone named Halperin, or any miscellaneous gossipy gerbil. This one was being written by a British tabloid journalist named Jenny Paul, and the excerpts that she’s already [...]

PopSugar

PopSugar — 2010-03-10 20:00:00 GMT

This morning we got our first look at the anticipated W Magazine cover featuring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The spread was photographed by Stephen Klein, who is also responsible for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's infamous shoot in 2005. Both twosomes look amazing, but in totally different ways. So tell us, between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2005 and Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler in 2010 - which do you prefer?

Spoiler Alerts from SomeoneSpoilMe.com

2010-03-10 08:00:00 GMT

Shopping and Goodies Red Carpet Fashions A Few Goody Gumdrops gets Red Carpet ready with Kate Beckinsale's look from shu uemura. Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy shows you how to recreate Anna Kendrick's Oscar look with jewelry from ICE.com! Fashion Cents wants you to pick the Oscar winners. Okay, at least the fashion winners. Vote now! Fashion Fille tells all about her favorites from the Academy Awards. Agree? Disagree? Let her know! Handbag du Jour loves Jada Pinkett's red carpet -worthy Judith Leiber clutch. Photo Courtesy of Shopping and Info. Ladybrillemag.com Selects its Top 3 Looks at the Oscars!Princess Dominique will make you feel like you've WON AN OSCAR! Enter for a Chance to WIN The Weekly Shoe Giveaway.. Quinta Trends comments on Magaly Solier’ s look in Oscar 2010. Her dress was created by Peruvian designer Lucía Cuba. Shopping and Info loved the gold dresses worn by Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz and Miley Cyrus at the Oscars and shows you how to channel their looks. SomeoneSpoilMe.com found a great site for celebrity jewelry for less. Style Eyes shares her favourite Oscar red carpet dresses and picks out a dress for her own Oscars Party. StyleMaven spots the red carpet trend for the most GORGEOUS nude shades in celebrity gowns worn by Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Kruger. The Curvy Fashionista celebrates Red Carpet Worthy Curves deemed fashion favorites at the Oscars! The Well-Heeled Society showcases heels that reflect how Mo'Nique BLUE us away with her homage to Hattie McDaniel. TheFind is giving away an Almond Cookie Crave Spa Set, from Carol's Daughter a natural skincare line with red-carpet celebrity fans including Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary J. Blige, and Brad Pitt. ENTER to win this amazing spa set! What's Haute Magazine presents the best and worst red carpet looks from the 82nd annual Academy Awards!

PopSugar

Molly — 2010-03-10 17:00:00 GMT

Brad Pitt took out his long-lensed camera to photograph architecture in Venice yesterday while Angelina hurried into work on the set of The Tourist. The Jolie-Pitts skipped the Oscars this year, instead bringing Shiloh, Pax, and Zahara to a birthday party on Sunday and hitting the park with their four oldest Monday. Angelina's costar in her current film, Johnny Depp, had a great opening weekend with Alice in Wonderland, and her man Brad Pitt also has his own movie news. Jonah Hill may be signing on for a part in Brad's troubled project, Moneyball. For now, however, Pitt is literally focusing on another of his big passions - design.

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Artes. Noticias, vídeos y fotos de Artes en lainformacion.com

2010-03-10 14:36:17 GMT

Matt Damon confiesa que se siente como el eterno segundo plato de productores y directores. El actor, que esta semana estrena en España Green Zone: Distrito protegido, dice que él es siembre la segunda opcción y que hace los papeles que rechaza Brad Pitt. "Creo que los papeles van primero a Brad. Lo cual está bien", afirmó Damon olvidando por completo que él fue el progaonista absoluto de la trilogía de Bourne, una de las sagas más taquilleras de la última década. "Pregunta por la calle a la gente que actores protagonizaban las películas de Ocean's y te dirán que son George Clooney y Brad Pitt. Yo era un simplemente una especie de telonero. Lo mismo ocurría en Salvar al Soldado Ryan, Tom Hanks llevaba el peso de la película", dice el actor que señala que de lo único que se le puede acusar es de "ir a cuestas de la brillantez de otras personas, más que de otra cosa". En cuanto la futuro más inmediato, Damon apunta que le gustaría alejarse de las cintas de acción para profundizar más en el género que le parece más dificil, el de la comedia. "Me gustaría rodar una cinta como Resacón en Las Vegas, pero creo que es verdaderamente difícil hace una buena comedia. Es por eso que hay muy pocas que en realidad sean buenas", señaló.

Bleacher Report - Front Page

TJ Gerrity — 2010-03-10 14:41:00 GMT

The first day of free agency came and went with little surprise—players like Julius Peppers and Karlos Dansby signed with the teams they were speculated to, and only a few other things happened.

Now we are on the second wave of free agency, the second tier players are the only ones left, but this is where the value is to be had.

Most of the attention is on the unrestricted free agents, and rightfully so. But, with less than normal UFA’s, don’t be surprised if teams are giving up draft picks to attain proven commodities for other teams’ restricted free agents. (I won’t be focusing on RFA’s though)

With the best UFA wide receivers already signed (Kevin Walter—Houston, Chris Chambers—KC), Anquan Boldin now unavailable after a trade to Baltimore, and the real big guns being RFA’s (Vincent Jackson, Miles Austin, Brandon Marshall) there isn’t much depth in this year’s WR FA class.

With the recent signing of Chris Chambers, the Chiefs now have no real urgency to sign another WR from free agency unless they want to use them in the slot.

Antonio Bryant leads the best of the rest when it comes to split ends, and could come at a good value to a team who signs him (maybe Cincinnati today). While he definitely has lost a step since his prime, he still brings the ability to stretch a defense vertically and open up the running game because of it.

He won’t be a team’s number one receiver at this age, but certainly can come in and contribute to a team. The downside with Bryant, however, is that he is not exactly a stand up citizen in the locker room, and has a reputation for being divisive in that area.

Derek Mason is another grey-beard that has had a productive career thus far. He, like Bryant, is no longer a number one wide receiver, but can be a very valuable number two guy providing stability for the quarterback. He still is a great route runner and has glue for hands.

In his mid 30’s, a team should be able to get him cheap for a one or two-year contract.

Ben Watson was one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets during the Patriots Super bowl runs, and his contract has run out up there. This is a popular name being thrown around for any team who needs a tight end, but he clearly has Pioli connections and could fill the desperate need the Chiefs have for a pass-catching TE.

Ryan Lilja was released by the Colts a few days ago because they “want to get bigger” on the offensive line, and he was the first casualty of this movement. Even though a bit undersized for a guard (6’2” 290 lbs.) he is a smart, and effective pass blocker.

He occasionally has trouble moving his man off the line of scrimmage, but I would imagine this would be less of a concern for a team like the Chiefs running a zone blocking scheme.

In fact, one would figure that his intelligence and quickness would make him extremely attractive to GM Scott Pioli, and would be high on his list to bring in for a work out.

Chester Pitts is another player with a lot of starting experience. In fact, he has started every game since he was drafted at right guard for the Texans until last year when he was injured in September. He will not be 100 percent again until sometime in May, but he is still definitely worth taking a look at.

Bobbie Williams was in instrumental part in Cedric Benson having a career year last year, even at 34 years of age. While he has publicly made it known that he wants to return to the Bengals, he understands that it is a business and can end up anywhere.

Williams has a reputation for being a leader in the locker room, and can be such a player for at least one, if not two more years. If a team (like the Chiefs) is planning on drafting an interior lineman late in the draft this year, Williams would be the perfect guy to have him learn behind for a year or two.

Palacinka Beauty Blog

palacinkabeauty@gmail.com (Palacinka Beauty) — 2010-03-10 14:00:00 GMT

This guest post is courtesy of Thefind.com

Fan TheFind on Facebook for a chance to win this Carol's Daughter Almond Cookie Crave Set valued at $78 from our friends at Carol's Daughter. AND leave a comment on the contest page at TheFind Blog telling us why you want to win the Carol's Daughter Almond Cookie Crave Set.

Some cravings are impossible to resist. But when it comes to this trio of delicious Almond Cookie treats, this may not be a bad thing. Start by turning your bath into a relaxing mini spa with our sumptuous, long-lasting Almond Cookie Candle with its intensely aromatic blend of almonds and marzipan. Next, gently buff away dry, winter-worn skin with the Almond Cookie Sea Salt Scrub that’s made with a delightful blend of softening Avocado and Jojoba Oils. For the finishing touch, spray on a light veil of fragrance from our purse-size Almond Cookie Eau de Toilette Mini. It’s the perfect little indulgence for someone special, or for yourself!

Brooklyn native Lisa Price began experimenting with fragrance, essential oils and natural moisturizers in her home for friends that soon blossomed into a successful mail-order and web-based business and has been feature on The Today Show, The View and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Today Carol's Daughter fans include Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Brad Pitt and Chaka Khan and the all natural products are available at Sephora, Macy's, Dillards and Carol's Daughter boutiques across the U.S.

The prize set includes an Almond Cookie Eau de Toilette Mini, .5 fl. oz., Almond Cookie Candle, 7.2 oz., Almond Cookie Sea Salt Scrub, 24 oz., and a Jute Bag (value $78.00).

SAVE on everything you need to indulge your winter-weary skin this spring with an exclusive Carol's Daughter coupon code for fans of TheFind .

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If you are already a Fan on TheFind, let us know in comments!

The contest begins Monday March 8th 2010 and ends Sunday March 21st 2010 11:59 p.m. PST. The winner will need to reply to our email within 24 hours after notification of winning. If there is no response an alternate winner will be chosen.

Good luck everyone!

SBNation.com - All Posts

Chris Dobbertean — 2010-03-10 12:03:41 GMT

Here is the updated look at the teams fighting for the last few spots in the NCAA field. Click here for my Wednesday bracket projection.

Thanks to Butler's win the Horizon League final Tuesday evening, the only change to this list is the removal of UConn after their 21-point loss to St. John's in the Big East Tournament.

Click any team name that appears as a link to visit that school's SB Nation blog.

RPI data from Crashing The Dance and reflects games through Monday, March 8. All records reflect games played against Division I opponents through Tuesday, March 9.

Last Four In

Seton Hall (19-11; 9-9 Big East; RPI: 55; Non-conf. RPI: 78): Remember that string of four games at the end of 2009/start of 2010, where the Pirates lost heartbreakers, including OT games against West Virginia and Virginia Tech? Hall fans are undoubtedly wishing they’d won a couple of those right about now, as those wins would be major boosts to an OK resume. But they didn’t, meaning the Pirates own a 2-8 mark against the RPI Top 50 and a 5-7 road/neutral mark. However, they have four wins against teams I have in my Monday projection. That's a boost. The Pirates finished strong, wrapping up a sweeping Rutgers and winning at Providence to close the regular season. They beat the Friars again in the Big East opening round Tuesday, but the Friars mounted a comeback that exposed the Pirates' defense. But the Hall held on, meaning a game with a hungry Notre Dame team is on deck for Wednesday. Given how the first meeting between the two went, perhaps another shootout is in the cards.

San Diego State (20-8; 11-5 MWC; RPI: 36; Non-conf. RPI: 36):The Aztecs won their home finale Wednesday night over Colorado State, then followed that victory up with a win at Air Force Saturday. At one point, SDSU was four points away from owning a 10-game win streak, as they lost to BYU by 2 at home and dropped a 2-point OT game at New Mexico. The Aztecs will wish they had those two games back, as they currently sit at 2-5 against the RPI Top 50 (both wins, over New Mexico and UNLV, came at home). The fourth-seeded Aztecs open the Mountain West Tournament with a game against fifth-seeded Colorado State Thursday. Top seeded New Mexico is their potential semifinal opponent.

South Florida (20-11; Big East 9-9; RPI: 61; Non-conf. RPI: 69): The Bulls knocked off UConn Saturday to burst the Huskies' bubble and move a little closer to booking a place of their own. The Bulls seem to have an issue with playing to the level of their competition, as they’re 3-5 vs. the RPI Top 50, but only 2-5 against teams rated between 51 and 100. They own wins over Pitt, Georgetown and Seton Hall, but a sweep at the hands of Notre Dame, and losses to St. John's, Central Michigan and South Carolina are blemishes. USF will probably need to win twice in the Big East Tournament. That won't be easy, as the Bulls only grabbed the nine seed. USF knocked off DePaul Tuesday, and will try to beat Georgetown for the second time this season Wednesday afternoon..

Illinois (17-13; 10-8 Big Ten; RPI: 72; Non-conf. RPI: 117): The The Fighting Illini's resume has some good points (win at Wisconsin, comeback over Clemson, home wins over Michigan State and Vanderbilt) and some bad (home loss to Minnesota, neutral site losses to Bradley, Utah, semi-away loss to Georgia). They'd likely be in, but they've dropped three in a row, which isn't the way to head into the Big Ten Tournament. Making matters worse, they play Wisconsin, who they lost to at home on Sunday, in the quarterfinals Friday..

First Four Out

Mississippi (21-9; 9-7 SEC; RPI: 57; Non-conf. RPI: 35): While Miss. State is fading, Ole Miss is winning late, as they closed the regular season with four straight wins, capped by a close victory over Arkansas in Fayetteville on Saturday. The Rebels’ marquee win is better than archrivals' Mississippi State's, as they defeated Kansas State by 12 in Puerto Rico before Thanksgiving. Still, not managing to beat the Bulldogs once is an issue, considering that’s the difference in the race for the weaker division of the SEC. For now, the Rebels hold a place, but the SEC Tournament will ultimately determine their fate. As the two seed out of the West, Ole Miss will face either Tennessee or LSU in Friday's quarterfinals.

Arizona State (22-9; 12-6 Pac-10; RPI: 54; Non-conf. RPI: 56): The Sun Devils swept past the L.A. schools to lock up the second seed in this week's Pac-10 Tournament. Thanks to what else has gone on around the country, they may only need to make the final to get in, which speaks volumes about the quality of this season's bubble. Currently, the only win the Sun Devils can hang their hat on is a home victory over San Diego State on December 19, their lone top 50 win in six tries. ASU begins Pac-10 Tournament play against seventh-seeded Stanford on Thursday.

Washington (20-9; 10-7 Pac-10; RPI: 52; Non-conf. RPI: 28): Much like the Sun Devils, the Huskies have some life, as they own home wins over Texas A&M and Cal. However, December losses at Texas Tech and against Georgetown in Anaheim are missed opportunities in a weak bubble year. Washington swept the Oregon schools to finish the regular season strong and lock up the third seed in the Pac-10 Tournament. They'll face sixth-seeded Oregon State again in the quarterfinals on Thursday. If both ASU and UW make the semifinal, that game could be for a bid.

Dayton (20-11; 8-8 A-10; RPI: 50; Non-conf. RPI: 14): The Flyers will need to make a run in Atlantic City to go dancing after Saturday's home loss to St. Louis. Their road/neutral record stands at 5-9 after Thursday night's setback at Richmond, a game the Flyers were in control of until the last 10 minutes. The Flyers' the best win came against Georgia Tech in Puerto Rico way back on November 19 and the best true road victory came against George Mason on December 8. The Flyers are the seventh-seeded team in the A-10 Tournament, and they'll face second-seeded Xavier in Atlantic City Friday, as they knocked off George Washington in the opening round on Tuesday.

Next Four Out

UAB (23-7; 11-5 C-USA; RPI: 40; non-conf. RPI: 17): The Blazers looked like they were going to grab a valuable road win at Conference USA regular season champ UTEP Saturday, but they let the Miners off the hook. They can no longer rely on their early season home wins over lock Butler and fellow bubble team Cincinnati. UAB owns a 11-4 road/neutral record, but that’s a bit deceptive, as the losses came against four of their best five road opponents — Kent State, Memphis, UTEP and Virginia. The Blazers slipped down to the three seed for the conference tournament in Tulsa. They'll meet either Southern Miss or Tulane in the quarterfinal Thursday. The bad news for UAB is that they're on Memphis' side of the bracket, and the Tigers won both regular season meetings.

Memphis (23-8; 13-3 C-USA; RPI: 47: Non-conf. RPI: 92): The Tigers do own a 7-5 mark against the RPI Top 100; however, only two of those wins came against a Top 50 opponent, the sweep over UAB. Memphis' two best non-league wins came against IUPUI and Oakland. A 7-5 road/neutral mark is OK, but the best of those wins (after the win at UAB) came against Marshall and Tulsa. Josh Pastner's club fattened up on Division I's worst teams, going 15-2 against teams ranked 151+ in the RPI, losing at UMass and SMU. The Tigers are the two seed in the C-USA Tournament, meaning they'll face either Houston or East Carolina in the quarterfinals Thursday. I still think they need to win the auto bid to dance.

Rhode Island (22-8; 9-7 A-10; RPI: 39; Non-conf. RPI: 5): After Saturday's loss to UMass, the Rams are probably headed to the NIT. They can change that with a run through the A-10 Tournament, which they started with a win over St. Joseph's on Tuesday night. That sets up a quarterfinal with St, Louis (who beat the Rams in St. Louis) Friday. Rhody's marquee non-conference win came against Oklahoma State, and they own respectable victories over Northeastern, Providence and Boston College. However, none of those three are likely to dance. Making matters worse is the fact the Rams' best league win is over Dayton, as they're 0-4 against Temple, Richmond and Xavier, the three A-10 teams who are in the best shape.

Mississippi State (21-10; 9-7 SEC; RPI: 68; Non-conf. RPI: 76): The wheels came off the Bulldogs at the wrong time, as they finished the regular season with back-to-back losses to Auburn (inexcusable) and Tennessee (forgivable, but not in the manner in which MSU fell). The Bulldogs' resume is a bit thin outside of their sweep of archrival (and fellow bubble team) Ole Miss, as a win over Old Dominion in South Padre is the non-conference highlight and losses at Western Kentucky and against Rider in Starkville are major blemishes. As the top seed in the West, the Bulldogs have a bye to the quarterfinals at the SEC Tournament. They'll meet the Florida-Auburn winner on Friday in Nashville.

On The Fringe

UConn falls off the board after their loss to St. John's Tuesday.

Minnesota (18-12; 9-9 Big Ten; RPI: 78; Non-conf. RPI: 60): After grabbing a win at Illinois last Saturday, the Golden Gophers made a huge jump. Tuesday night, they gave it all back with an abysmal performance at Michigan, where they lost by 28. The defeat was costly as it cost the Gophers a shot at a bye in the Big Ten Tournament. The Golden Gophers are 5-9 this season against the RPI Top 100. Three of those wins came at The Barn, where they defeated Ohio State, Wisconsin and now-out of the picture Northwestern. Minnesota's nine-point triumph over Butler in Anaheim is useful, but the losses to Portland and Texas A&M that followed aren't. Neither was the road loss at Miami days after the California trip. Losses to Indiana (in Bloomington) the Michigan sweep sting. Minnesota beat Iowa on Sunday to close the regular season, but they'll need to make a run in Indianapolis. The Gophers open with Penn State on Thursday, with Michigan State awaiting in the quarterfinals if they win.

St. Louis (19-10; 11-5 A-10; RPI: 83; Non-conf. RPI: 200): There are two reasons why the Billikens aren't closer to the field: their 5-7 road/neutral record, and the fact their best non-conference win came against Big 12 bottom feeder Nebraska. Still, SLU grabbed the four seed, and a bye, for the A-10 Tournament after Saturday's win at Dayton. They'll face Rhode Island in Atlantic City on Friday.

Wichita State (23-9; 10-2; RPI: 45; non-conf. RPI: 87): The Shockers couldn't take themselves off the bubble aas they fell to Northern Iowa in Sunday's MVC championship game. The Shockers best two wins, over the Panthers and Texas Tech, came at home. Like UNI, Wichita State also lost to Evansville and Bradley in the league, but the Shockers also fell to Drake and Creighton once. All four of those losses came on the road, meaning WSU has a mediocre 7-8 road/neutral mark.

StyleList

Erin Donnelly — 2010-03-10 16:52:00 GMT

Filed under: Fashion, Celebrity, News, Celebrity Style

Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler get hot and heavy. Photo courtesy of W Magazine

Um, looks like two certain someones need to get a room.

Namely, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, who are too hot to handle on W Magazine's April cover.

The "Bounty Hunter" co-stars' sexy pic -- way to put those dating rumors to rest -- was snapped by legendary lensman Steven Klein and styled by Alex White over a two-day photo shoot in Canyon Country, Calif.

Klein also photographed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a '60s suburban couple for the Pitt-conceptualized W cover and lengthy feature a few years back -- a shoot that Aniston dubbed insensitive.

Looks like two can play that game!

Aniston also sheds her girl-next-door image in a plunging Alberta Ferretti nude silk chiffon frock paired with Carine Gilson Couture lingerie, sultry Stella McCartney garters and white Lanvin heels for a look inspired by Kim Basinger in "9 1/2 Weeks," according to Aniston's hairstylist, Chris McMillan.

And if you think the cover is sexy, wait until you see the inside images, which show an Agent Provocateur garter-clad Aniston being read her rights by Butler, who's sporting a tight policeman's uniform.

And they say crime doesn't pay.

Aniston also rocks looks from Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana in the shoot, which marks W's first shopping issue, giving where-to-buy details for everything the actress wears.

For your dose of steamy desert action, pick up the April issue of W, which hits stands March 17.

Meanwhile, check out Kirsten Dunst's new cover for V.

Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler Get Steamy for W Magazine originally appeared on StyleList on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pop Crunch

Castina — 2010-03-10 12:05:16 GMT

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a brainiac in the family — their eight-year-old son Maddox! Not only does the Cambodian-born cutie have the arguably the best-looking pair of parents on the Planet, the oldest member of the Jolie-Pitt 6 (Brangelina has three biological kids: Shiloh, 3, and Knox and Vivienne, 19 months; and two other [...]

Bleacher Report - Front Page

Ryan Lester — 2010-03-10 14:10:15 GMT

The free agent signings and trades have changed the complexion of the 2010 NFL draft. Here’s my fourth look at the first round of the draft:

1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
It appears as if Bradford’s decision to stay in school won’t cost him the No. 1 overall pick, after all. He bulked up for the combine, and as long as his shoulder checks out, he’ll be the No. 1 pick.

2. Detroit Lions: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
The Lions have added DT Corey Williams and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, making the likelihood of adding another piece to their defensive front slim. They will instead provide protection for Matthew Stafford. Okung had a terrific combine, showing his strength by finishing second with 38 bench press reps.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneeers: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Tampa Bay gets the luxury of deciding between Suh and Gerald McCoy. They both had strong showings at the combine, but Suh threw up nine more bench press reps and had a five inch edge in vertical.

4. Washington Redskins: Matt Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
While I’m not enamored with either QB, I think they will both go in the top four. Every team feels the pressure to add a franchise QB, and the money allotted to the fourth slot makes it hard to pass on one.

5. Kansas City Chiefs: Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
Bulaga has been rising up the rankings like wildfire. The Chiefs need help on their line and Bulaga is a good fit. They’ll need him to protect Matt Cassel and open holes for Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.

6. Seattle Seahawks: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
McCoy could go No. 2 to the Lions or he could slide down the Seahawks. While they need help on the line, I believe they’ll address that with their second first round pick. McCoy is too good of a value to pass on here.

7. Cleveland Browns: Joe Haden, CB, Florida
The Browns will be tempted to select Eric Berry, but in the end will stick with Joe Haden, who fills a bigger need.

8. Oakland Raiders: Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
Bruce Campbell’s 4.85 forty time virtually solidified that Al Davis will take the mammoth tackle.

9. Buffalo Bills: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
While the Bills need help elsewhere, Berry comes at too good of a value to pass on.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
The Jags need a pass rush, but they addressed that by signing Aaron Kampman. They instead turn their attention to the offensive side of the ball. The Torry Holt experiment failed miserably. The Jags will turn to the talented Dez Bryant to play opposite of Mike Sims-Walker.

11. Denver Broncos: Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
The Broncos beefed up their defensive line by adding Jamal Williams and Jarvis Green. They’ll continue to build on defense with ILB Rolando McClain to play opposite of D.J. Williams. However, if Bryant is there, he’ll likely be the pick.

12. Miami Dolphins: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
Williams is four-for-four landing with the Dolphins in my mock drafts. Williams is a great fit and fills a need for the Fins’ defense.

13. San Franciso 49ers: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
Davis didn’t do himself any favors at the combine, but he didn’t drop out of the top 15 either. He fills a need for the Niners.

14. Seattle Seahawks: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
After surprisingly have McCoy fall in their laps, they add his teammate Trent Williams to solidify their offensive line.

15. New York Giants: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
Now that safety isn’t as big of a need following the acquisition of Antrel Rolle, they can turn their attention to bolstering their defensive front. Morgan, who slid down thanks the to the aforementioned Kampman signing, lands with the G-men.

16. Tennessee Titans: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
Pierre-Paul did not disappoint at the combine, leading the Titans to grab him at the midway point of the first round. They Titans need to improve their pass rush in a big way.

17. San Francisco 49ers: Taylor Mays, S, Southern Cal
Mays had a strong showing at the combine, and fills a need for the Niners. He’s a hard hitter, which will endear him to Mike Singletary.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Iupati, G, Idaho
Assuming Big Ben is playing in the league rather than behind bars or suspended, the Steelers will need to protect him. Iupati is a versatile player that can play in a couple of spots on the line.

19. Atlanta Falcons: Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan
The Falcons need help getting to the QB big time. Getting Graham is a step in the right direction.

20. Houston Texans: C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
The Texans have little to offer at RB so when Spiller falls in their lap, they trip over themselves to grab him. He gives them a home run threat.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame
The Bengals are going to put a Band-Aid on the WR position with T.O. or Antonio Bryant. They need to infuse some youthful talent as well. Tate delivered during the combine, and would make a great addition for the Bengals.

22. New England Patriots: Brian Price, DT, UCLA
The Patriots still have plenty of work to do on defense. They could use a pass rusher, but they’re more likely to invest in the trenches.

23. Green Bay Packers: Charles Davis, OT, Southern Cal
The Packers have to protect their franchise quarterback. He’s not Brett Favre. Eventually he’ll go down if he keeps getting abused like he was last year.

24. Philadelphia Eagles: Everson Griffen, DE, Southern Cal
He’s been making sexy picks recently with DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin. This year Andy Reid goes back to his roots and bolsters their defensive front.

25. Baltimore Ravens: Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
Just because the Ravens added Anquan Bolding, it doesn’t mean they stopped adding weapons for Joe Flacco. The tight end position has gotten old for Baltimore. Gresham will take the torch from Todd Heap.

26. Arizona Cardinals: Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri
The Cardinals can’t let Karlos Dansby walk away without addressing the void he left, especially when a talented player like Weatherspoon is available.

27. Dallas Cowboys: Markuis Pouncey, C/G, Florida
The Cowboys don’t have a lot of needs, but could stand to improve at guard. Pouncey fits the bill while providing insurance at center.

28. San Diego Chargers: Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State
The Chargers need to restock the middle following Jamal Williams’ departure. I know they need an RB, but they’re confident they can find good value later.

29. New York Jets: Sergio Kindle, DE/OLB, Texas
The Jets added another outstanding cornerback in Antonio Cromartie. They continue to build their impressive defense by adding Kindle.

30. Minnesota Vikings: Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
Wilson had an impressive combine, and help fill the void of Cedric Griffin, who could miss the bulk of the season with a knee injury.

31. Indianapolis Colts: Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU
Dwight Freeney’s injury made it clear how vulnerable they are if he goes down again. The Colts address this need by adding Hughes, who should help put pressure on opposing QBs.

32. New Orleans Saints: Earl Thomas, S, Texas
With Darren Sharper’s status up in the air, the Saints address the position by adding Thomas. Even if Sharper returns, Thomas can be groomed as his eventual successor.

MommyQ

admin — 2010-03-10 03:16:54 GMT

According to my source (SaraGNYC), Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane are to be bringing home their new baby girl in a pink Little Giraffe baby blanket! The luxe, ultra-soft blankies are available at Nordstrom for $62. These new parents join other celebrity fans of Little Giraffe like Gwen Stefani, Nicole Richie, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, [...]

Celebrity Pictures, Lol Celebs and Funny Actor and Actress Photos - ROFLrazzi

Cheezburger Network — 2010-03-10 12:00:02 GMT

celebrity pictures for your blog - brad pitt and angelina jolie - Shut up or we'll adopt your kids

Chaos Theory

Sherry — 2010-03-10 03:42:12 GMT

So I know that blogging about blogging is redundant and also cliche and all that, but have you ever gone so long without updating that you a) don’t remember how to go about it, b) don’t know where to start, and c) have no idea what to write about anyway even though you clearly did *something* over the past couple of weeks?

Yeah. No, me neither. Cough.

So let’s see what happens if I leave this window open and just write whatever pops into my head. Ummm. Wow, do you hear crickets chirping?

Okay, here’s something! You probably know that I wrote about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at a site called PittWatch. Due to some changing around of this, that, and the other thing, I now write the same sort of thing over at a new site all my own, so if you have any interest in celebrity life (and specifically Brad and Angelina’s life), you can check out JoliePittWatch.

*******
Last week was March break. During March break which was, if you count the weekends, nine days long, I discovered how many times two sisters can argue over the television, the computer, the Wii, the blocks, the bathtub, who gets to splash in which puddle outside, who has more pine cones collected, whether we’re going to walk in this direction or that one, who’s bigger, smarter, funnier, prettier, smellier, etcetera etcetera ad nauseum holy frickin’ run-on sentence.

That’s not to say the entire week sucked. It did not. Specific moments certainly did and there were some evenings where I was counting down the seconds until bedtime (often aloud) but overall it was a nice week. It was great to not have to get up early in the morning even though the kids clearly have different concepts of what constitutes “sleeping in”. It was also nice to not have to rush through the evening for an 8 pm bedtime, and it was awesome to not have any homework to deal with for a full week.

The weather was odd but really nice. We call it March break not only because it’s (duh) in March but because it was ridiculous to refer to something as Spring break when there were snowdrifts taller than we are lingering around. This year has been the year of Very Bizarre Weather though, and as a result we had almost no snow on the ground at all and temperatures above freezing. Let’s put it this way - one day Hayley insisted that she wear snowpants even though I had walked the dog and told her there was more grass (and mud) than snow. She carried on so much I went ahead and put them on her and we went outside where she discovered I was right and she was way overdressed. Guess who needed to have mud washed out of her snowsuit?

I’m mostly enjoying the weather because this is Eastern Canada dammit, and we don’t see this weather until at least late April if we’re lucky. It’s hard though because every day that they say it’s going to be 7C and sunny when we should be buried in our 83rd snowstorm feels like it’s one day closer to the apocalypse.

*******
Speaking of the apocalypse, I watched 2012 the other night. I regretted not seeing it in theaters on a huge screen with massive surround sound but I still really enjoyed it. Naturally it was over the top, had many highly unlikely situations, and was ludicrous, so I loved it. Honestly, one of my favorite types of movies is the “holy shit it’s the end of the world mega-disaster say goodnight Irene” movie. It doesn’t matter if it’s natural (2012, Armageddon, Dante’s Peak, etc) or if it’s man-made (I Am Legend), if 95% or more of the human species gets wiped out, I’m all over it. It was a fast-paced movie, they surprisingly didn’t ruin it by showing all the good stuff in the trailers, and it didn’t feel as long as it actually was.

On the other hand, watching it on the same day where Chili was hit by an earthquake so strong that it shifted the planet’s axis and caused massive tsunami warnings… well, that might not have been the best idea ever. I was a little more, shall we say, TENSE while watching it considering what had been on the news.

*******
Speaking of 2012, I’ve given it some thought and wonder just how plausible it is that the world might really end in two years’ time. Because if it’s going to happen I’d like to have some notice so I can stop paying my bills and bothering with housework.

*******
So. What’s new with you? Anything exciting? Seen any good movies lately? Who do you think was best-dressed at the Oscars (Sandra Bullock, IMO)? Tell me a story!

A Few Goody GumDrops

A FEW GOODY GUMDROPS (noreply@blogger.com) — 2010-03-09 20:20:00 GMT

Photos Courtesy of Style Maven and Shopping and Info
Weekly Shopping and Goodies is totally Red Carpet ready with all the latest info from Oscar Night!
Check out what my favorite fashionistas have to say about Oscar fashion, make-up, jewels, celebrities and so much more. Find out who Fashion Fille's favorites were. Did Ladybrille select your top looks? Did you love Jada's Judith Leiber clutch? Who wore your favorite plus size gowns? If I were you, I'd start reading the inside scoop about Oscar Glam!

A Few Goody Gumdrops gets Red Carpet ready with Kate Beckinsale's look from shu uemura.
Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy shows you how to recreate Anna Kendrick's Oscar look with jewelry from ICE.com!
Fashion Cents wants you to pick the Oscar winners. Okay, at least the fashion winners. Vote now!
Fashion Fille tells all about her favorites from the Academy Awards. Agree? Disagree? Let her know!
Handbag du Jour loves Jada Pinkett's red carpet -worthy Judith Leiber clutch.
Photo Courtesy of Shopping and Info.
Ladybrillemag.com Selects its Top 3 Looks at the Oscars!Princess Dominique will make you feel like you've WON AN OSCAR! Enter for a Chance to WIN The Weekly Shoe Giveaway..
Quinta Trends comments on Magaly Solier’ s look in Oscar 2010. Her dress was created by Peruvian designer Lucía Cuba.
Shopping and Info loved the gold dresses worn by Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz and Miley Cyrus at the Oscars and shows you how to channel their looks.
SomeoneSpoilMe.com found a great site for celebrity jewelry for less.
Style Eyes shares her favourite Oscar red carpet dresses and picks out a dress for her own Oscars Party.
StyleMaven spots the red carpet trend for the most GORGEOUS nude shades in celebrity gowns worn by Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Kruger.
The Curvy Fashionista celebrates Red Carpet Worthy Curves deemed fashion favorites at the Oscars!
The Well-Heeled Society showcases heels that reflect how Mo'Nique BLUE us away with her homage to Hattie McDaniel.
TheFind is giving away an Almond Cookie Crave Spa Set, from Carol's Daughter a natural skincare line with red-carpet celebrity fans including Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary J. Blige, and Brad Pitt. ENTER to win this amazing spa set!
What's Haute Magazine presents the best and worst red carpet looks from the 82nd annual Academy Awards!

Yardbarker: College Basketball

2010-03-10 08:19:59 GMT

First off, I want to start by saying anyone who advocates expanding the NCAA Tournament field from 65 teams to 96 teams is a moron. This isn’t little league. We don’t all get participation ribbons. And I know there were opponents to the expansion to 64 back when it was introduced, but come on. It’s hard enough this year picking 65 teams worthy of selection, nevertheless 96. If the tournament expands to four shy of 100, what’s the point of playing the regular season? Just have writers and coaches vote on who they think the best 96 teams are and go from there. Because Lord knows the champion isn’t coming from a group outside the top-100. So let’s just have a two-week season. Complete money hungry dumb asses if you ask me. (You didn’t? Oh well, take it anyways.) OK, now that that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at this year’s potential field. And as I mentioned above, it’s pretty watered down this year. While there doesn’t seem to be a dominant team out there (Kansas, Syracuse and Kentucky are good, but how good?) there is even more uncertainty at the bottom of the tournament, otherwise known as the bubble. Analysts have called this year, the weakest bubble in history. And I can’t argue. I’ll admit, I’m a tough critic. And if it were up to me, we’d cap this year’s NCAA Tournament at 48 teams. It’s that bad this year. But luckily for mediocre programs, I’m not in charge, and plenty of undeserving teams will get a chance to dance. Here’s a list of the team’s that I feel are already in. You’ll probably notice some high-profile absentees, but we’ll get to that later. And teams that have already secured automatic bids are mixed in here too. ACC (2): Duke, Maryland Atlantic Sun (1): East Tennessee State Atlantic 10 (3): Temple, Xavier, Richmond Big East (4): Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Villanova Big South (1): Winthrop Big 12 (4): Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas A&M; Big Ten (4): Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin Colonial (1): Old Dominion Conference USA (1): UTEP Horizon (1): Butler Ivy (1): Cornell MAAC (1): Siena Missouri Valley (1): Northern Iowa Mountain West (2): New Mexico, BYU Ohio Valley (1): Murray State Pac-10 (1): Cal SEC (3): Kentucky, Vanderbilt,Tennessee Southern (1): Wofford Summit (1): Oakland Sun Belt (1): North Texas West Coast (2): St. Mary’s, Gonzaga Later in the week, 10 more automatic bids from one-bid leagues will be up for grabs not represented in the list above. Those conferences are the America East, Big Sky, Big West, MAC, MEAC, NEC, Patriot, Southland, SWAC and WAC. In total that brings my number of teams to 47. That means I’ve got 18 teams left to pick and to be honest it’s not easy. I’ve broken down the bubble in alphabetical order for you, and remember this is not a prediction of what I think will happen come Selection Sunday. This is merely one man’s opinion on how uninspiring most of these bubble teams’ resumes are. And I’m told I have to hit 65 even though I really don’t want to. Akron: (22-9, 12-4) The Zips need to win the MAC Tournament if they want to earn a trip to the Big Dance. Akron is 7-2 in its last nine games, but lost twice to league leaders Kent State and then bombed vs. VCU in its Bracket Buster matchup Feb. 20. The Zips don’t have any notable non-conference wins, losing both opportunities (Rhode Island on Jan. 5 and at Texas A&M; on Dec. 4). Losing to Eastern Michigan, Austin Peay and ACC cellar dweller N.C. State didn’t help the Zips’ at-large cause. Verdict: OUT Arizona State: (22-9, 12-6) This year is probably the worst the Pac-10 has been in its history. Just about every team either sucks or is the definition of mediocre. Arizona State falls into the latter category. The Sun Devils have only two wins versus Pac-10 teams with winning records in conference play, which I guess isn’t saying much, since most - if not all - of the conference sucks. But ASU is 8-2 in its last 10 games and thinks it can stake claim to a bid because, you know, there’s no way the Pac-10 just gets one bid, right? The Sun Devils had chances to enhance their resume in non-conference play but lost to BYU, Baylor and Duke. Arizona State’s marquee out of league win is against San Diego State, a bubble team itself. Verdict: IN, BARELY Clemson: (21-9, 9-7) Winners of six of its last nine, Clemson is praying a blown 23-point second half lead at home to Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge doesn’t come back to bite them in the ass. The Tigers boast just three wins versus the ACC’s top-six clubs, with two of those wins coming against Florida State. Not exactly gangbusters. Wins against Butler and Winthrop, two tournament teams will help, but per usual there’s really nothing too exciting about Clemson. Lucky for them, it’s a ridiculously weak year for bubble teams. Verdict: IN Florida: (20-11, 9-7) The Gators haven’t been back to the Big Dance since they won back-to-back national titles. And it might be another year wait after they’ve stumbled to the finish line. Florida is 3-5 in its last eight games and has just three wins against SEC teams with winning records in conference play (Tennessee, at Ole Miss and Mississippi State). The Gators are 1-5 versus the conference’s top three teams and despite starting the season 8-0, Florida struggled against quality non-conference competition losing to Xavier, Richmond and Syracuse. Beating in-state rival Florida State will help as will a three-point victory over Michigan State, but that was around Thanksgiving. What have you done for me lately Florida? Not much. If you’re trying to make the NCAA Tournament, you can’t lose to Georgia. And Florida did. Verdict: OUT Florida State: (22-8, 10-6) The numbers look good on paper, but only two of the Seminoles’ conference wins have come against the ACC’s top five teams (a four-point win March 3 vs. Wake and a five-point win vs. Virginia Tech Jan. 16). FSU lost twice to Maryland and Clemson each and really couldn’t afford to lose to N.C. State like it did Jan. 12. Had the Noles dropped the regular season finale against last place Miami, a game they squeaked out by a solitary point, things could have gotten might sticky. It’s not often you think of a third place team in the ACC as a bubble team, but the conference is down and besides beating Marquette, FSU did nothing in non-conference play to distinguish itself. Verdict: IN Georgia Tech: (19-11, 7-9) OK, so the Yellow Jackets are talented. Big deal. They;ve lost six of their last nine games and Georgia Tech’s last three wins weren’te xactly against the upper echelon of a struggling conference (N.C. State, 5-11; Boston College, 6-10; and UNC, 5-11). The Jackets’ best non-conference win came against USC, who finished under .500 in the woeful Pac-10. Dayton beat Tech, and if I don’t have the Flyers in, I can’t in good conscious put the Wrambling Wreck in. Verdict: WAY OUT Georgetown: (20-9, 10-8) The Hoyas are 4-5 in their last nine and have just three wins versus Big East teams with a winning conference records (Villanova, at Pitt and at Louisville). An earlier season loss to Old Dominion doesn’t look so bad now that the Monarchs have won the Colonial, and if Georgetown makes the tournament it will be on the strength of its non-conference wins, beating the likes of Duke, Butler, Temple and Washington. Verdict: IN Illinois: (18-13, 10-8) Illinois isn’t doing itself any favors by losing five of its last six. The Fighting Illini have just two wins against teams with winning records in Big 10 play, but they’re big ones, and they both came within a four-day span. First, the Illini knocked off Michigan State Feb. 6, before doing the near impossible, winning at Wisconsin Feb. 9. Nobody wins in Madison besides the Badgers. So that was a hefty feather in Illinois’ cap, as is wins against Vanderbilt (Dec. 8) and an improbable come-from-behind victory at Clemson (Dec. 2). But the Illini have really put themselves in a bind lately and it just gives the Committee more reason to focus on early season losses to the likes of Georgia, Utah and Bradley, none of whom are really any good. Verdict: BARELY IN Kent State: (23-8, 13-3) The Flashes really just need to win the MAC Tournament to be safe. It’s always going to be hard to get an at-large bid from a mid-major such as the MAC despite going 13-1 in their last 14 games. Kent State lost to a decent Northeastern and to Pitt, Xavier and South Florida on the road. The Flashes needed to win at least two of those games to keep the Committee’s attention, and they didn’t. A win against UAB is good and all, but losses to Buffalo and Wisconsin-Green Bay sting. Kent State will always have a soft spot in my heart as I fondly remember their trip to the Elite Eight in 2002 because my beloved Indiana Hoosiers absolutely bombarded them with 3-pointers (IU hit 7-of-7 from behind the arc in the game’s first 10 minutes all but sealing the game from the jump.) Verdict: IN ONLY IF IT WINS MAC Louisville: (20-11, 11-7) I hate it that Louisville has basically built an entire resume on the strength of just two games. Apparently, Rick Pitino knows how to break through the Syracuse zone and no one else does, as the Cardinals knocked off the Orange twice this year, including a must-win last week in the finale at Freedom Hall. But other than the wins versus Syracuse, Louisville has just one more against a Big East team with a winning record (Notre Dame in overtime at home). The Cardinals’ most notable non-conference win is their season opener against a below average Arkansas team. A 19-point loss to St. John’s and 22-point defeat to Charlotte looks awful on the resume. As does a Dec. 12 loss to Western Carolina. Fellow bubble team UNLV also beat Louisville. Pitino said as long as Joe Lunardi has the Cardinals in his bracket, he feels safe. Well unfortunately for Slick Rick, I ain’t Joe. Verdict: PAINS ME TO DO IT, BUT IN Marquette: (20-10, 11-7) Very little separates Marquette from its opponents as evidenced by four of the Golden Eagles’ last five games going to overtime. And seeing as three of those came against the likes of St. John’s, Seton Hall and Cincy (none above .500 in conference), I’m skeptical. In all, Marquette has just two wins against teams in the Big East with a winning conference record (Georgetown, Jan. 6 and Louisville March 2). Being the only Big East team to lose to DePaul in two years is downright debilitating as is a loss to ACC garbage N.C. State. A non-conference win against Xavier looks good on paper, but it happened around Thanksgiving. That’s a long, long time ago. Verdict: MY LAST TEAM IN Marshall: (23-8, 11-5) Marshall probably has the best player no one has seen in freshman big man Hassan Whiteside, a projected lottery pick in next year’s NBA Draft. The Thundering Herd has won eight of their last nine, but a five-game skid from Jan. 20-Feb. 3 will be the team’s undoing. Marshall had a chance at least to raise a few eyebrows against North Carolina, Old Dominion and West Virginia, but alas lost all three. Verdict: OUT Memphis: (23-8, 13-3) Not finishing atop Conference USA is something new for Tigers’ fans, something they won’t have to get used to with a stud recruiting class coming in. But it doesn’t bode well for 2010. Memphis has won seven of its last eight, but wasn’t able to pick up a marquee non-conference win. However, it wasn’t for lack of trying. The Tigers scheduled Gonzaga, Tennessee, Syracuse and Kansas, but failed to win any of those contests. They beat UAB twice, but lost their only meeting to C-USA regular season champs UTEP. When your best non-conference win is against Summit League champs Oakland and you play in a weak conference yourself, you’re in trouble. Losses at Houston, SMU and UMass won’t help either. Verdict: OUT Minnesota: (18-12, 9-9) The Gophers are 5-4 in their last nine, and they are in danger of snapping Tubby Smith’s impressive streak of 16 straight 20-win seasons. Minnesota really needed to take advantage of Robbie Hummel’s injury when the Purdue forward went down in the first half of their XX matchup. The Gophers eventually lost by one. An overtime loss to Northwestern also stings, as does two defeats to Michigan, including an inexplicable blowout loss last week. Minnesota still picked up decent wins against Wisconsin (by 16 points), versus Butler and at Illinois, but they have work to do in the Big Ten Tournament if they want to go dancing. Verdict: OUT Mississippi State: (21-10, 9-7) The Bulldogs are 5-5 in their last 10 and only have two wins versus SEC teams with winning records in conference play (both vs. Ole Miss). They did manage to take Kentucky to overtime Feb. 16, but lost. A win in that game would have been nice, but alas they fell short. Mississippi State also lost to Atlantic 10 bubble contender Richmond, a team I have in the field. When your best non-conference wins are against Old Dominion (Nov. 28) and Wright State (Dec. 16), you’re in trouble. They did beat UCLA and DePaul, but so did pretty much everyone else. Losses to Western Kentucky, Auburn, Arkansas, Alabama and Rider don’t do the Bulldogs any favors. Verdict: OUT Missouri: (22-9, 10-6) I thought I’d like Mizzou’s resume more than I do. The Tigers have just one win versus the Big 12’s top-four (a Jan. 9 home win against Kansas State). Missouri’s best non-conference win was in the Bragging Rights showdown between Illinois, another bubble team. A 1-point loss on the road to Oral Roberts could haunt Missouri as might a Jan. 16 loss to a poor Oklahoma team. A few wins in the Big 12 Tournament are a must if Missouri wants to avoid landing in the NIT. Verdict: IN Notre Dame: (21-10, 10-8) Getting Luke Harangody back will do the Irish a world of good, and unlike their other Big East bubble buddies, at least the Irish have proven adept at beating more than one good opponent. Notre Dame has four wins against teams with winning records in Big East play (an overtime win at Marquette, at Georgetown and home wins vs. Pitt and West Virginia). The Irish’s Thanksgiving holiday tournament play is a wash, beating bubble team St. Louis, but losing to Northwestern. Verdict: IN Oklahoma State: (21-9, 9-7) An uninspiring non-conference slate could hurt the Cowboys (most notable wins versus sub-standard Stanford and Utah teams), but Oklahoma State managed to finish the regular season 5-2 in its last seven including win against Kansas and Baylor. Add in a road win at Kansas State on Jan. 23, and the Cowpokes resume has some legs. Oklahoma State’s bugaboo is its play on the road as six of the team’s last seven losses have come away from Gallagher-Iba Arena. And then there’s the 21-point loss to Tulsa Dec. 2. But as I’ve stated time and time again, it’s a weak bubble year, and someone’s got to go dancing. Verdict: IN Ole Miss: (21-9, 9-7) The Rebels went 0-6 against SEC teams an above .500 conference record, meaning they beat up the dregs of a mediocre league. They do have some nice non-conference wins, beating UTEP in overtime Dec. 16 at home and knocking off Kansas State real early in the season (Nov. 20), but there’s just not enough on the resume to warrant selection. Perhaps a win versus West Virginia or Villanova might have changed things, but the Rebels couldn’t pull of the upsets. Verdict: OUT Saint Louis: (20-10, 11-5) Winners of seven of their last nine, the young Billikens might sneak into the field of 65. Their last two losses came against the A-10’s elite, a two-point loss to Xavier and a six-point loss to Temple. Saint Louis’s other two most recent losses were road overtime defeats at George Washington and at Charlotte in January. Now, they’ve got some bad non-conference losses, losing to the likes of Bowling Green, Missouri State, Georgia and Iowa State, but the strength (or the perceived strength) of the A-10 should help Saint Louis. However, we cannot confirm whether or not the rumor that Rick Majerus will go on a hunger strike if the Billikens aren’t selected is true or not. Restaurants across the Midwest pray it’s not. Verdict: OUT San Diego State: (22-8, 11-5) How many bids does the Mountain West get? We all know BYU and New Mexico are locks, but San Diego State is hoping to slip in. The Aztecs are 8-2 in their last 10, split their regular season series with the Lobos and beat fellow Mountain West bubble team UNLV. But SDSU lost twice to BYU, and struggled against quality non-conference opponents, losing to St. Mary’s, Arizona State and Pacific. Playing in the Aztecs favor is the fact they really only have one bad loss, a two-point defeat at Wyoming Jan. 9. Verdict: IN Seton Hall: (19-11, 9-9) The Pirates are 7-2 in their last nine after Tuesday night’s track meet in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. But two wins each versus Providence and Rutgers (a combined 9-27 in Big East play) doesn’t really do it for me.) Add a win against 1-17 DePaul and I’m really not impressed. Seton Hall has just two wins versus teams Big East teams with winning conference records (Louisville Jan. 21 and Pitt Jan. 24). Personally I don’t think any team that finishes with a .500 or lower record in conference play should ever be considered for NCAA Tournament play, I don’t care how massive your conference is. Out of the league, the Hall’s best win is against Ivy League champ and sleeper favorite Cornell. But is that really good enough? Verdict: OUT South Florida: (20-11, 9-9) Dominique Jones is fun to watch and all, but like I just pointed out with Seton Hall, if you finish .500 in your conference, you’re better suited for the NIT. The Bulls have just two wins against Big East teams with winning conference records (at Georgetown Feb. 3, vs. Pitt Jan. 31). A Thanksgiving time win against Kent State serves as South Florida’s most notable non-conference victory. Not exactly ideal. Throw in losses to Central Michigan, South Carolina and St. John’s and we’ve got problems. Verdict: OUT Texas: (23-8, 9-7) I know what you’re thinking, “This kid is freaking off his rocker if he thinks a team ranked No. 1 midway through the season is on the bubble.” Well the Longhorns haven’t been very good as of late. In fact, they haven’t even been mildly good. Texas is 6-8 in its last 14 games. The Longhorns are 1-6 against the Big 12’s top-five teams and are hanging their conference hat on two wins against Oklahoma State. In non-conference play, Texas beat Michigan State and Pitt, which is good and all, but that was before the turn of the new year. It’s a good thing Rick Barnes cares more about preparing his kids for the NBA rather than NCAA Tournament glory because if I was running the show, they’d be sitting at home. Verdict: OUT UAB: (23-7, 11-5) I miss Mike Davis, I really do. He was fun to cover as a student journalist at Indiana and despite his failings as a coach, you won’t find a nicer man. That doesn’t change the fact that his Blazers are most likely NIT bound. UAB had a chance to enhance its resume with its last two games, and the Blazers blew it, losing close games to Conference USA’s top-two teams, UTEP and Memphis. Including Marshall, UAB went 0-5 against C-USA’s top squads. A win against Butler is good and all, but it’s not enough. Verdict: OUT UConn: (17-15, 7-11) The fact that UConn was even considered a bubble team is a laughingstock. The Huskies finished the year four games under .500 in Big East play, yet some analysts said that if UConn had won a few games in conference tourney, they’d have a legitimate shot. Are you kidding me? They are 7-11 in a conference with teams like St. John’s, Rutgers, Providence and DePaul. They finished the regular season on a three-game losing streak, knowing they had to win those games. OK, so they beat West Virginia, Villanova and Texas. They also lost to Michigan and Providence. Talent-wise, the Huskies probably are among the best 65 teams, But so what. You still have to win games, and the Huskies didn’t do enough of that this year. Verdict: DON’T WASTE MY TIME UNLV: (23-7, 11-5) The Rebels started the season 12-1 and have won nine of their last 12. You’d think that would be good enough. UNLV split with the season series with BYU and New Mexico, the two teams above them in the Mountain West. Arizona and Lousiville are the top non-conference scalps for the Rebels, but losing twice to a bad Utah team and also dropping a game to USC is hard to overlook for a team from a non-power conference trying to snag an at-large bid. With most of the major conferences struggles, UNLV could slip into the tournament, and perhaps the Mountain West gets four teams into the Big Dance, but it’s going to be tight. Verdict: IN Virginia Tech: (23-7, 10-6) It seems every year Hokies coach Seth Greenberg bemoans the NCAA Selection Committee. And this year, if Virginia Tech doesn’t get in, he might have a legitimate beef if one solely looks at the team’s overall record. But upon closer inspection, there’s really not much to the 23 wins. OK, so the Hokies beat Wake by five (Feb. 16) and Clemson by 11 (Feb. 6), but I’ve got both of those schools on this bubble list too. So it’s not exactly beating Duke or Maryland, which they didn’t do. Virginia Tech’s non-conference wins don’t set my heart aflutter either. Penn State, Georgia and Iowa stink and Seton Hall, arguably the Hokies’ best non-league win, finished .500 in the Big East. If Greenberg is trashing his office late Sunday night it’s probably because his Hokies lost to Boston College, North Carolina and Miami (a combine 15-32 in ACC play). Verdict: IN Wake Forest: (19-9, 9-7) The record looks nice and all, but the Demon Deacons have lost four of their last five, including bad losses to North Carolina and N.C. State, both of whom are 5-11 in conference play. Wins against Maryland and Clemson provide substance as do overtime wins against tough Atlantic 10 foes Xavier (Jan. 3) and Richmond (Dec. 31). But a 1-point loss to last place Miami Jan. 9 is a definite blemish as is a 10-point defeat to William & Mary. Verdict: OUT Washington: (21-9, 11-7) Have I mentioned how whack the Pac-10 is this year? Luckily for the Huskies, they are starting to play well at the right time of year winning, nine of their last 11 games. Washington has picked up wins against Cal, Arizona State and Arizona in conference, but also lost to the likes of USC (twice), UCLA and Oregon. Not good. The Huskies’ non-conference slate was also something of a mixed bag, beating Texas A&M;, but losing to Texas Tech. Verdict: IN

iVillage - Latest Blog Posts and Slideshows

2010-03-09 13:42:29 GMT

Honestly girlfriends, can you blame Brad and Angie for skipping the Oscars hoopla and choosing family time over glamour time?

Brad Pitt, the star of the Oscar-nominated film, Inglourious Basterds, and his baby mama Angelina Jolie blew off Hollywood in favor of a Sunday birthday party playdate with their kids and then a relaxed walk through a Venice park, Mon, March 8.

The couple, with their four oldest children, worked hard on blending in with the relaxed locals. The entire family dressed in nondescript grey, denim and camouflage-wear , with hoods and hats. Only a smiling Angelina let her signature long hair go free. And the tactic appears to have worked. The happy family strolled comfortably without any adoring fans interrupting. Guess that’s why Angelina, who’s currently filming The Tourist, in Venice with co-star Johnny Depp reportedly prefers living in Europe versus the US, where she and Brad are far less known.

So do you think Brad and Angie made the right decision, walking through a park with their kids versus walking the Oscar red carpet?

CAMBODIA NEWS - Google News

2010-03-10 05:07:52 GMT

Sydney Morning Herald

MADDOX JOLIE-PITT IS A BRAINY CHILD
Daily Star
Angelina Jolie, 34, and Brad Pitt, 46, have been raving to pals that their adopted eight-year-old from Cambodia is intellectually gifted and has a high IQ. ...
ANGELINA JOLIE : 'PITT PERSUADED ME TO GET PREGNANT'Bosh
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie`s son Maddox labelled a geniusMonsters and Critics.com

all 449 news articles »

Twittorati - RSS Feed

2010-03-09 08:58:04 GMT

Vera Sweeney: Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt Enjoy A Day In Venice Together: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are… http://goo.gl/fb/2M45

(By @imnotobsessed - Editor - Entertainment, I'm Not Obsessed)

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

The Huffington Post News Editors — 2010-03-09 16:49:26 GMT

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt head back to their water taxi in Venice, Italy after a fun day with their little ones on Sunday (March 7).

Maddox, Pax, Shiloh and Zahara went out with mom and dad for a children's party held at The Tourist director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's home.

The Ultimate iPhone News Collection - iphone2die4.com

2010-03-09 21:21:28 GMT

<h4>The first rule of iPhone Club is...</h4> <p>In the 1999 movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/" target="_blank"><em>Fight Club</em></a>, Brad Pitt famously tells a huddle of pugilistic aspirants: "The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club."…</p> <p><p><a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/696/smartprotection-whitepaper.pdf?td=rss">Offloading malware protection to the cloud</a></p></p>

Sourced from: "The Register"

The Register

2010-03-09 20:54:57 GMT

The first rule of iPhone Club is...

In the 1999 movie Fight Club, Brad Pitt famously tells a huddle of pugilistic aspirants: "The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club."…

Offloading malware protection to the cloud

Fast Company

Colin Doody — 2010-03-09 18:34:21 GMT

One of the ways individuals can reduce the impact of aviation emissions is to buy carbon offsets every time they fly. Around $25 can offset the amount of carbon released per passenger during a London to NY roundtrip. But most people don't know how carbon offsets work or how to purchase them.

Transcript:

Brad Pitt: One of the ways individuals can reduce the impact of aviation emissions is to buy carbon offsets every time they fly. Around $25 can offset the amount of carbon released per passenger during a London to NY roundtrip. But most people don't know how carbon offsets work or how to purchase them

Mike Mason, Founder and Chairman, ClimateCare: Ten years ago we set up to try and develop a mechanism for getting ordinary people to be able to do positive things about the climate that were measurable, that were deliverable and related to their own lives. So we set out to create a voluntary carbon market.

David McMillan, Direct General, Eurocontrol: A number of airlines now are offering voluntary offsets schemes to their passengers; where they say if you want to offset the cost of emissions that you personally will be responsible for as a passenger on that aircraft. It will cost you an extra few lbs. But if you add that for all the passengers on the aircraft and use that to do something sensible like buying some carbon reduction schemes somewhere else in the world, it has a real impact.

Mike Mason: The actual measurement is the least difficult of all the issues. If you swop an incandescent light bulb for an energy efficient light bulb, you know exactly how much electricity you save and you know how much the grid emits in producing that and you can do it, it's a simple sum. Much more difficult is making sure what you're doing, first of all is additional this is the jargon or additionality. In other words, what you're doing is going above and beyond the existing policy the existing customs and practice., and the emissions aren't being counted by someone else. So for example, if we do something in the UK they will be counted by the UK government, which is not our objective, our objective is to go above and beyond what the UK government is doing.

The other piece that piece that is quite difficult also is to make sure we avoid leakage. Take for example avoided deforestation; deforestation is a huge source of green house gas emissions, but if you just put a fence around the forest and say "ok guys no more chopping the forest down anymore", without removing the source of demand, than all that happens is they go and chop down a forest somewhere else. So that is the other problem, dealing with leakage, dealing with problems where you don't get that kind of effect.

Brad Pitt: Money from offsets is used to fund energy saving projects in the developing world. These projects reap other benefits for the community, like employment and better health.

Mike Mason: There are two kinds of projects; there are those which have environmental benefits in terms of reduced emissions such as wind farm. But may not have any particular local benefit. On the other end of the scale this is a good example of a piece of low-technology intervention that we're using in Africa, in Uganda in fact., that's why its painted in the national colors of Uganda. This is an improved cook stove, its not the worlds most improved cook stove but its made locally using appropriate manufacturing techniques so that local people and build them and repair them. What distinguishes this from the stoves that many people use at the moment is that there's a ceramic liner in here, which keeps the heat in, which reduces hugely the amount of fuel you need in order to operate and cook your food. It also has controlled air holes there, which makes sure enough air, comes in to burn the fuel properly. A stove like this can reduce emissions and fuel consumption by 40% or more. Its very simple, obviously it isn't a solution to a global problem, but a quarter perhaps a third of the worlds population cook on very poorly made cook stoves which cause blindness and respiratory illness as well as causing huge amounts of pollution.

I speak to senior people at companies, I speak to ordinary audiences of employees, and when you explain to them the back-story the issues behind climate change they all come away thinking "good lord, is it really that bad". And if you could capture their intent the moment they walk out of that room we would have solved the problem. But they go back to their desk and the same pile is in the in try and the same problems face them at home and within 24hrs they've moved on. This is such a big issue, that people don't seem able to comprehend that it affects everything they do and that when they walk out of the room they should start behaving differently. Its making demands of people that are bigger than they can cope with. And some how what we have to do is to ease that transition, don't face them with a cliff, face them with a gentle ascending path that they can climb up.

I would dearly love to see every airline operator required to either include offsets in the price or to offer them as an opt-out. In other words you have to tick the box is you don't want it. We've got to start offsetting we've got to do it today, its easy to do it today and there are plenty of opportunities to do it. You and I share one planet, and we haven't got a spare one.

Additional digital shorts from the e2 Series: Seoul Reengineers a Freeway Into a StreamPortland, A Global Model of Transit Oriented Development London's Transportation Transformation for the 2012 Olympics

KIDS NEWS - Google News

2010-03-09 23:15:09 GMT

Sydney Morning Herald

Credit: INFphoto.com
Us Magazine
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took four of their kids for a walk in Venice Monday. Enter your personal information to the left, or sign in with your Facebook ...
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt swap Oscars for kids' partySan Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: 'Brangelina' skips Oscars to ring in kid's B'day!Entertainment and Showbiz!

all 447 news articles »

Culture | guardian.co.uk

Imogen Fox — 2010-03-09 21:00:02 GMT

No male face can truly be considered stylish this season without a smattering of hair around the jawline. But which celebrity beard is right for you?

The Hollywood beard

Right this second you are a nobody in LA if you don't have a beard. At the post-Oscars bash the Governor's Ball, the beard's dominance was plain for all to see. There was Jeff Bridges flaunting his winning silver goatee, while the Hurt Locker table was home to all manner of beards. Sandra Bullock's husband, Jesse James, has one, as does Mo'Nique's husband, Sidney Hicks. James Cameron must be kicking himself – if he'd only grown some stubble at least, the academy might have been kinder to him. This particular Hollywood beard is meant to convey status and career security. It isn't very cool – it's a bit wrong even but it doesn't matter because it says that one's work counts more than a clean shave. The real-life parallel is thus: a company director can sport one, but the humble postroom boy cannot.

The off-season beard

Such is the cult status of Jon Hamm's beard that New York magazine honoured it with its very own obituary when he shaved it off in late January. Hamm's beard is rumoured to appear the split second he stops being Don Draper – he reportedly has to shave twice a day on the Mad Men set. Yes, he's that manly. Not to be outdone, the rest of the cast followed suit and grew beards between filming different seasons. The off-season beard isn't restricted to Equity members – it's there on the cheeks of the city worker who has been made redundant, and the fortysomething who is taking a sabbatical. Even a two-week summer holiday is enough to bring on an off-season beard.

The crisis beard

AKA the scandal beard. You're an actor or a sportsman, you've had an affair, you go into hiding, you grow a beard. It's the male facial equivalent of the pashmina – it literally wraps your chin in a protective manner. Jude Law is the past master of this, and recently Ashley Cole's mum was rumoured to have become increasingly worried about her son's emotional state because of the beard he grew in Biarritz. It says: "I'm in pieces; too shattered mentally and physically even to lift a razor." If a friend grows a straggly beard, give him a hug and ask what's worrying him.

The charity beard

If you're committed to a cause, you have to grow a beard. The Hope for Haiti Now charity telethon underlined this unspoken decree. Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Timberlake, Chris Martin and of course Brad Pitt – all of them felt that they couldn't ask for a donation without sporting at least some facial hair. Beards are earnest, you see; they suggest that you are too interested in the plight of humanity to give any thought to shaving. In Pitt's case, his commitment to the straggly Ho Chi Minh model (and sometime plaiting of it) has been to the detriment of his sex-symbol status; meanwhile, speculation that the beard was the root cause of the ongoing Brangelina saga is rife. If someone you know grows one, be generous to their Just Giving website and hope the worthiness passes.

The mid-life crisis beard

In Ronan Keating's world, nothing underlines his journey from boy-band pop star to authentic thirtysomething muso better than his carefully tended beard. But a quick scan of his topless cover shoot for Attitude magazine this month suggests there is another impetus to Keating's facial-hair growth. At just 33 Keating is entering an early mid-life crisis phase. How else to explain his over buffed up body and his desire to show it off? The beard is doubtless part of this. If your partner buys a beard trimmer and starts working out, it's time to start worrying.

The testosterone beard

As exemplified by Russell Brand. The fact that the Ancient Greeks regarded a beard as a sign of virility won't be unknown to Brand, who is clearly desperate to convey his masculinity. Now that he's engaged to Katy Perry there is no way he could shave it off because it would be tantamount to saying that monogamy means less sex for him. Plus it would reveal his baby face. In civilian life, the testosterone beard can often be spotted on a man who is balding or who doesn't have much chest hair. Its purpose is clear – it says simply: "I am a red-blooded man."

Imogen Fox

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

The Movie Blog

Rodney — 2010-03-09 15:28:42 GMT

Bennet Miller’s Moneyball was starting to shape up into a light comedy revolving around the Oakland A’s ball club and stats man Paul DePodesta with Demitri Martin and Brad Pitt to star. Until Demitri dropped out and they picked Jonah Hill to replace him. What? JoBlo shares: Demetri Martin has dropped out of director Bennett Miller’s MONEYBALL. [...]

Excite UK

2010-03-09 14:18:00 GMT

Brad Pitt is doing nice things in New Orleans, so why not read about that instead of all the filthy sleaze?

Total Film News

2010-03-09 14:49:43 GMT

Just when it was looking like baseball flick Moneyball was set for the knackers yard, a bit of re-jigged casting seems to have breathed new life into the ailing drama.

The story of the how 2002’s successful Oakland A’s side were assembled on a miniscule budget, Moneyball has been lingering in production hell ever since original director Steven Soderbergh was shown the door last year.

Soderbergh’s documentary-style might not have been to Sony’s taste, but star Brad Pitt is still attached, and will now be joined by Superbad star Jonah Hill.

Hill is set to appear as Harvard graduate Paul DePodesta, the statistician whose mathematical approach revitalised the A’s strategy to great effect. The role was initially earmarked for comedian Demetri Martin before Soderbergh’s departure, but this recasting hopefully suggests the wheels are moving once again.

With Capote helmer Bennet Miller in place to direct, and Aaron Sorkin drafted in to tinker with an existing script, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that this one might yet turn into a winner. If it does, it’ll be an against-the-odds tale to match the one on screen!

Looking forward to a new baseball movie, or still haunted by For Love Of The Game?

Total Film on Facebook

Celebrity Baby Blog

Anya — 2010-03-09 15:00:46 GMT

Bauer-Griffin Lil sis Shiloh may be comfy in pants and sneaks, but Zahara’s all about the girlie glam! While out with dad Brad Pitt in Paris recently, the stylish 5-year-old wore a black alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet Bow Back Double Breasted Coat ($221) and black knit dress paired with bright striped tights from H&M’s Sonia by Sonia Rykiel [...]

MTV Movies Blog

Adam Rosenberg — 2010-03-09 13:30:33 GMT

There's some strange news from an unusual source this morning. Remember "Moneyball"? Last summer, a Steven Soderbergh/Brad Pitt collaboration fell apart when Sony halted the work they'd done on bringing Michael Lewis's book about baseball's Oakland A's and their GM Billy Beane to the big screen. Soderbergh stepped away from the project, but Pitt kept [...]

Jezebel

Dodai — 2010-03-09 14:00:00 GMT

Lindsay Lohan is suing E-Trade for creating a commercial in which a boyfriend-stealing, "milk-aholic" baby is named Lindsay. Here's the thing about LL's lawsuit:

She wants $100 million. Her lawyer explains: "Many celebrities are known by one name only, and E-Trade is using that knowledge to profit. They used the name Lindsay. They're using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn't they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody's talking about it and saying it's Lindsay Lohan." The commercial is at the link. [NY Post]
What? Kathryn Bigelow is "the baddest dude in Hollywood"? [NY Post]
Yes, yes, George Clooney was in on the joke at the Oscars and had discussed acting grumpy with Alec Baldwin beforehand. That doesn't mean his sourpuss faces weren't funny! [Gatecrasher]
A new shot from the "Telephone" video starring Lady Gaga and Beyoncé is at the link; the clip will be released on Thursday and some people can hardly wait. [ONTD]
Betty White was the "It" girl at Elton John's AIDS Foundation Oscar bash. She sat right next to Elton and True Blood hottie Ryan Kwanten, and chatted with Victoria Beckham. Too cool for school. [Gatecrasher]
Gabourey Sidibe was the "It" girl at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. [Page Six]
The blue gown that Mo'Nique wore to the Oscars was not her first choice. What happened with the original dress? She says: "I had a wardrobe malfunction! It happened while I was getting dressed. We just chuckled and were like, 'We got to find something new.' …This covers up everything in all the right places." [E!]
Victoria Beckham "would love" to dress Michelle Obama. "I just think she's incredible and she's a very strong woman and she's beautiful. I love women and I just want to make women feel good… It's just been a huge compliment that ladies have enjoyed wearing my dresses and they look great! It just goes to show they can flatter women of all different shapes and sizes, all different heights, and that's what it's about. It's about creating an illusion and having a great cut." [Fox 411]
Rihanna traveled to Arizona to meet Matt Kemp's family over the weekend, and a source says: "Rihanna fit right in as if they all knew each other. It was comfortable." [E!]
Did you know that Robert De Niro's late father was an artist? Bobby D was at the Matisse Museum in France yesterday, where his father's work — abstract expressionist paintings — is being shown in an exhibition. [CBS News]
Levi Johnston has finally paid the $21,000 in back child support payments he owed Bristol Palin. Thanks, Playgirl! [TMZ]
Oh, hmm: According to this report, Levi Johnston might ask the judge to reconsider the amount of child support he's been ordered to pay. [Radar Online]
A judge has ruled that Jennifer Lopez is able to keep her $10 million suit against her ex-husband and business partner private. [The Wrap]
Quentin Tarantino is being sued by a man who claims the concept of Kill Bill was ripped of from a 1999 treatment he sent to Miramax. There's also something about Jews getting Hollywood jobs in the suit. [E!]
Wait, what? Eli Roth and Peaches Geldof are A Thing?!?! [ONTD]
Vanity Fair Oscar party gossip: Jane Fonda wants Kate Bosworth to do the Barbarella sequel. Carey Mulligan was seen "kneeling before" Kathryn Bigelow as the director lounged on a couch. Hilary Swank has a "secret handshake" which involves puffing up her cheeks and popping her eyes. [Showbiz 411]
Jamie Foxx and Clueless star Stacey Dash: "Together"? [Fox 411]
Well Jamie Foxx and Stacey Dash went to the VF Oscar party together, that's for sure. And they look happy in this pic. [NYDN]
The Hurt Locker's six Oscars should help double its box-office revenue, say analysts. [Business Week]
Simon Cowell is engaged, okay? Jeez. [The Sun]
Simon's fiancée, makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy, fled the Taliban with her family from Afghanistan. Her first marriage was arranged for her when she was 19, and it's a sad tale — she was miserable and not in love. More at the link. [NY Post]
Simon Cowell's ex, Terri Seymour, "refused" to walk the red carpet at the Elton John party, because she didn't want to bump into Simon and his new fiancée. [Page Six]
Conan O'Brien is following one person — an engaged 19-year old girl — on Twitter. He Tweeted: "I've decided to follow someone at random. She likes peanut butter and gummy dinosaurs. Sarah Killen, your life is about to change." She says: "It's been amazing. It really has changed my life completely." [NY Post]
BREAKING: Katherine Heigl has dark hair now. [ONTD]
"Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz has arranged a deal with a private equity firm to sort out her debts." [Reuters]
At the link, a story about Vanessa Rogers, whose New Orleans home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and who now lives in a place built by Brad Pitt's organization, Make It Right. [The Sun]
Kathy Griffin was asked which star she'd like to see take a "celebrity spill" (?!?!) and she replied: "I'd like to push Sarah Palin down the stairs." [Radar Online]
Russell Brand was sober and laughing when his pals Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham got so drunk they fell out of a cab and this is news. [Mirror]
Sheryl Crow will play a recurring role on Cougar Town. Did Sheryl and Courteney Cox come up with the idea in Mexico over margaritas? Will Jennifer Aniston guest star next? [UPI]
After being in the hospital for chest pains, Michael Lohan was in court yesterday to deal with his ongoing battle with ex-gf Erin Muller. He says he's "felt better." [TMZ]
Snoop Dogg is allowed in the UK again, but it cost him more than £100,000. [Telegraph]
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren were seen hugging and kissing on Monday. [Radar Online]
Last year, Sting said Simon Cowell and his talent shows were "preposterous," noting that "you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion." Now Simon says: "First of all, anybody who at the age of 60 calls himself Sting is an idiot." And: "I find those kind of people… who come from quite humble beginnings and they're (now) living in these stately homes, professing to know everything about everything in the world, and what the contestants may or may not feel… They can say that because they've got everything they want in their lives, but what they're really saying is anybody else who needs a shot shouldn't be allowed to do it." [PopCrunch]
Robbie Williams smoked too much pot last year and gained weight from munchies. [The Sun]
Lil Wayne has been sent to Rikers Island correctional facility, and will not be in protective custody, but in gen pop. Good luck! [NYDN]
Guns N' Roses will play three secret/private shows in Brazil and Argentina. [Reuters]
The lawsuit filed against Dr. Drew by a man who threatened to murder the doctor's family has been dismissed. [TMZ]
"EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW & PHOTOS: J-WOWW'S Boyfriend Admits They Had Problems When She Made Out On TV" [Radar Online]
Famed hotelier (and Uma Thurman's ex) Andre Balazs is pitching a scripted TV show about what goes on behind the scenes at a top hotel. Let's guess: intoxication, sex, breaking shit? [NY Post]
Bob Barker will donate $2.5 million to PETA tomorrow. [Page Six]
Rozlyn Papa — a reject on The Bachelor has a sex tape online. Well actually it sounds like a blow job video, but whatever. [TMZ]
Miss America may not have a home, but the Miss Universe pageant will be on NBC for three more years. Try to contain your excitement. [Reuters]
Q: After the whole Leno-Conan debacle, there were lots of articles about how there are no women in late night. How do you feel when you hear that, yet there you are every night on E? Chelsea Handler: "That's annoying because I've been there now for over two and a half years. It's a smaller franchise, because it's a smaller network. But with the way things are now, it's almost like cable is going to be taking over network [in terms of] ad dollars. It seems like cable's kind of the place to be. So I'm glad that I'm there now. I feel a little bit ahead of the curve. But I don't get too upset about any kind of comparison like that. I don't take myself that seriously." [Time]
"I was shocked, appalled and I am angry." — Alana Stewart on her friend Farrah Fawcett being left out of the Oscar "In Memoriam" tribute. [Radar Online]
"'Community' was not something that I actively sought out. I was up for a recurring [role] on Trauma …but I don't think I was ready to sign a six-year contract and so it didn't work out. But that's how the network sort of became aware of me." — Katharine McPhee, whose first episode of Community airs Thursday. She also says: "You never know what's going to come out of Chevy Chase's mouth - it's just unpredictable." [NYDN]
"He isn't doing enough. Where do you want to begin? Everybody talks the talk but they don't walk the walk." — Sharon Osbourne thinks Barack Obama needs to step up on legalizing same-sex marriage. [Fox 411]
"I'm a huge Obama supporter, but I want to be careful with what I say. He's being barraged right now from the right and from his own party and I think those of us that support him need to support him and not find new ways to bash him. That said, I'm a huge equality supporter, I'm a huge gay marriage supporter, and I'll do what I can and if I ever get a chance to talk to him, it's probably something I'll bring up." — Will & Grace actor Eric McCormack on Barack Obama. [Fox 411]
"I don't know yet, but I will definitely be doing something with her." — Simon Cowell on Paula Abdul. [The Wrap]
"I adore watching people like Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill but I wouldn't necessarily cast myself in those roles. They are people that audiences can easily identify with. I don't play so easily the regular guy." — Matt Lucas. [LA Times]
"Hip-hop is such a male-dominated industry. There's a female voice that's sometimes kind of missing." — Ludacris, who enlists several female artists on his new album, Battle Of The Sexes. [USA Today]
"I think in American society we're messing up our kids by taking away the education on and awareness of our sexuality and replacing it with violence, guns and video games - and we're breeding little criminals." — Zoe Saldana. [The Sun]
"I love sex. Love it, love it, love it... Can't live without it. I love skin. I don't believe the body is something to hide." — Zoe Saldana. [The Sun]

Gossipcenter.com

2010-03-09 18:23:00 GMT

Getting in some all-important family quality time, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were spotted out and about with their kids in Venice, Italy on Sunday (March 7).

The “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” costars enjoyed a relaxing afternoon with Maddox, Pax, Shiloh, and Zahara, with everyone smiling and laughing together.

And while the rest of Hollywood was busy getting ready for the Academy Awards over the weekend, Brangelina chose to focus on family as they attended a children’s party.

As for Shiloh’s recent boyish haircut, child psychologist Lawrence Bater says it’s no big deal. “Kids try on roles. How she dresses reflects what interests her now.”

Hollywood Insider

Nicole Sperling — 2010-03-09 13:44:21 GMT

While it’s still early for any deals to be signed, it’s looking more and more like comic actor Jonah Hill will be playing expert statistician Paul De Podesta in the baseball drama Moneyball for Sony Pictures. The role was originally slated to go to comedian Demetri Martin, but that was scrapped when Sony abandoned the

Hispanic Business Magazine

2010-03-09 00:05:16 GMT

Hey guys, ever wanted to be close enough to Jennifer Aniston to know what she smells like? Well, you no longer have to be Brad Pitt to smell her scent....

2 Political Junkies

Dayvoe (dayvoe@gmail.com) — 2010-03-09 07:01:00 GMT

This is getting redundant, I know.

Spending all this time pointing out the conflicts of interest found on the editorial pages of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is a path that "lies the way to madness" I've been told.

So be it. If it's madness then I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

Today, Richard Mellon Scaife's braintrust talks about welfare. And references, lovingly and devotedly, this piece by Katherine Bradley and Robert Rector and at the Heritage Foundation.

The same Heritage Foundation who's incestuous relationship with Scaife's editorial page is detailed here.

The circle-jerk continues.

2 Political Junkies

Dayvoe (dayvoe@gmail.com) — 2010-03-09 06:45:00 GMT

Remember this?

The OPJ posted a link (with a photo) to an online article detailing how it looks as if Melissa Hart abandoned her car in DC. In the House parking lot. For going on three years.

Well, Richard Mellon Scaife's Tribune-Review has picked up the story:

Having apparently left her car unattended for more than three years, you'd think Melissa Hart would have received a parking ticket by now.

Hasn't happened yet. But that doesn't mean the Republican and former U.S. representative from Bradford Woods will be able to leave her Volkswagen Jetta parked indefinitely in the Longworth House Office Building garage in Washington, D.C.

You would think Hart would have gotten the vehicle out of the garage after returning to Pittsburgh in the wake of her defeat by Democrat Jason Altmire of McCandless in 2006, when she sought re-election. But former House members are allowed to park there as long as they are not registered lobbyists, the Daily Caller Web site reported.

Therein lies the problem. As head of the Pittsburgh-based law firm Keevican Weiss Bauerle & Hirsch's government relations practice, Hart is now registered in the Senate's lobbyist database.

When something like this is reported about a conservative politician (now lobbyist) in a conservative newspaper, you know something's up.

It's time, Missy. It's time to move the car or prove that it ain't yers.

La Jornada

2010-03-09 09:12:52 GMT

Miami, Fl., 8 de marzo. El lanzador mexicano Alfredo Aceves logró hoy su primer triunfo en la pretemporada primaveral de Yanquis de Nueva York, con miras al comienzo de la campaña 2010 del beisbol de Grandes Ligas. En el partido realizado en Bradenton, Florida, Aceves (1-0) dio la victoria a Yanquis por pizarra de 6-0 sobre Piratas de Pittsburgh. El regiomontano lanzó cuatro rollos perfectos, sin hit ni carrera y recetó tres ponches. En dos salidas ha retirado a los 18 bateadores que ha enfrentado.

LAist

Jimmy Bramlett — 2010-03-09 07:30:33 GMT

Alexander Frolov celebrating with Fredrik Molin after scoring a goal over the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets. AP Photo/Christine Cotter

The Kings used a bad Columbus Blue Jackets team to shore up some of the deficiencies they’ve had in the last couple of games and in the process notched their third shutout of the season 6-0 in front of 17,524.

“When you get into these kinds of games in the remaining part of the season, it’s always about the checking, defensive structure that your show and holding teams to a fewer number of shots,” head coach Terry Murray said after the game.

The Kings did just that holding the team who in the last nine games scored the first goal in the game to just 11 shots on goal.

“That was the most important part of the game for me,” Murray said of the defense.

On the offensive side Murray started Wayne Simmonds, Michal Handzus and Fredrik Modin which paid off with Simmonds scoring his first goal since February 4 against the Anaheim Ducks to put the Kings up 1-0 5:49 into the game.

“He really showed a lot of explosive speed on that play,” Murray said about Simmonds’ goal. “He looks like a really good player right now playing with [Handzus] and Modin.”

Being the energetic sort Simmonds also mixed it with Blue Jackets defenseman Mike Commodore resulting in both players getting two minute roughing penalties to set up four-on-four action. The Kings took advantage with 19 seconds left in the penalities with Drew Doughty scoring a goal at 13:24 assisted by Handzus and Alexander Frolov.

The Blue Jackets then lost their composure. Their captain Steve Nash got hit with a four minute high stick double minor penalty at 14:01 in the period which led to a Handzus goal 37 seconds later and an Frolov goal 1:18 later.

“That was embarrassing,” Blue Jackets forward RJ Umberger said. “We didn’t play smart. We are our own worst enemies out there. We didn’t play smart hockey.”

With this scoring blitz the Kings held the Blue Jackets to three shots on goal, but then it helps to spend about a third of a period with a man advantage.

“I think we played as well as we could have,” Blue Jackets interim head coach Claude Noel said. “That’s a good team. We lost players and were depleted. If you lose two of your top scorers with not much offense to begin with, it’s no surprise you lose.”

The Kings didn’t let up in the second period holding the Jackets to only two shots on goal and adding a power play goal at 4:20 by Modin against the team he played for until Wednesday and an even handed goal by Brad Richardson 9:46 to ride to a 6-0 lead. Modin has scored a goal in two consecutive games for the Kings in just three games played and four overall in the season. By the second period the Kings had already spent more than half a period with a man advantage.

“It’s always nice when you get the chance to score against your old team,” Modin said.

Frolov in this game joined Doughty, Johnson, Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth as players who have had four points in the season.

“If you want to have success in the power play you have to shoot and shoot as much as you can and as often as you can,” Frolov on the team’s power play success tonight. “That’s what we tried to do tonight - to put the puck in the net.

“It was a really good team effort.”

“He was showing a complete game here tonight,” Murray said of Frolov’s game. “Lots of speed - I like to see that.”

The Kings continued to show the effort on the defensive end limiting the Blue Jackets to six shots in the final period despite having to go on the penalty kill four times.

“Mentally it can be a bit of a battle to stay focused a full 60 minutes,” goalie Jonathan Quick said. “But the team played great the whole game. We took a couple of penalties here at the end, but our penality killing unit played great and it was real easy for me.”

The Kings now head to Chicago to play the Central Division leader Blackhawks and their high octane offense.

“That’s the checking part of the game that we’ve got to be really good at,” Murray said. “There can be no risk or gamble - try to make them do the checking in their end. If we make those right decisions through the middle of the ice and get it in behind their [defense]. Make them play a checking game. That will give us an opportunity.”

Notes: Their four-goal first period tied their largest scoring outburst in a period this season which occurred on November 5 against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Six different Kings players scored goals for the Kings.

Tonight’s Action

Toronto Raptors at LA Lakers. 7:30 pm FSWest, AM 710 KSPN.

LA Clippers at Orlando Magic. 4:00 pm FS Prime Ticket, AM 980 KFWB.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Anaheim Ducks. 7:00 pm FS Prime Ticket, AM 830 KLAA.

Absolutely Not Martha

Absolutely Not Martha (jackie@vanillaspoons.com) — 2010-03-08 23:20:00 GMT

Angelina Jolie with her parents.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with their children.

(Photos via weheartit)

Theater News

2010-03-09 07:25:58 GMT

Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' and Spyglass Entertainment's 'Invictus' at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Theater on December 3, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California.

Bleacher Report - Front Page

Jeremy Clark — 2010-03-09 03:53:17 GMT

First Round

1. STL QB SAM BRADFORD – THEY WILL EITHER TRADE OUT OF THIS PICK OR TAKE BRADFORD. ALTHOUGH, CLAUSEN PROJECTS AS THE BETTER NFL QUARTERBACK

2. DET DT NDAMUKONG SUH – NO FUC*ING BRAINER!

3. TB DT GERALD McCOY – NO FUC*ING BRAINER!

4. WSH OT RUSSELL OKUNG – CHRIS SAMUELS’ RETIREMENT SET SHANNY’S REBUILDING PLAN BACK, AT LEAST A BIT. THE UPGRADE BY TAKING OKUNG IS GREATER THAN THE UPGRADE BY TAKING A QB TO REPLACE JASON CAMPBELL. ASSUMING THEY HAVE CAMPBELL, THEY WILL TAKE OKUNG.

5. KC S/CB ERIC BERRY – NO FUC*ING BRAINER! ARGUABLY THE BEST OVERALL, NFL READY PROSPECT IN THIS YEARS CLASS, THE CHIEFS ARE THRILLED HE IS AVAILABLE AT NUMBER FIVE. AN INSTANT STARTER ON MOST NFL TEAMS. PROBABLY AN ALL-PRO FOR YEARS TO COME. **POSSIBLE DESTINATION FOR TRADE-UP TARGETING CLAUSEN??

6. SEA QB JIMMY CLAUSEN – CALLED A MIX BETWEEN DREW BREES AND PHILIP RIVERS BY ONE ANALYST, CLAUSEN IS REGARDED BY MANY AS THE MOST NFL READY QUARTERBACK TO COME ALONG IN YEARS, POSSIBLY SINCE PEYTON MANNING.

PETE CARROLL LOST A HARD-FOUGHT, THREE YEAR LONG RECRUITING BATTLE TO CHARLIE WEIS FOR THE RIGHT TO COACH AND DEVELOP THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE, WHOSE OLDER BROTHERS RICK AND CASEY BOTH PLAYED DIV. 1 COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

NOW, AFTER HE SPENT THREE YEARS UNDER WEIS, CARROLL IS SITTING IN POSITION TO TAKE THE JUNIOR QUARTERBACK AND REBUILD THE SEAHAWKS AROUND HIM. **LOOK FOR SEATTLE TO MOVE DOWN, ESPECIALLY IF BOTH QB’S ARE GONE.

7. CLEV RB C.J. SPILLER – SPILLER IS A BIT UNDERSIZED, BUT HAS SHOWN THE ABILITY TO RUN BETWEEN THE TACKLES VERY EFFECTIVELY. HIS 4.28 40-YARD DASH AT THE COMBINE SOLIDIFIED WHAT MANY THOUGHT: SPILLER IS 2010’S TOP BACK. AFTER RELEASING JAMAL LEWIS, HOLMGREN IS POISED TO REUNITE THE CLEMSON PRODUCT WITH HIS FORMER TIGER TEAMMATE. **LOOK FOR CLEVELAND TO POSSIBLY MOVE UP, TARGETING CLAUSEN/BRADFORD.

8. OAK OT BRUCE CAMPBELL – WORKOUT WARRIOR. 6’5” 315 LBS. AND SHREDDED (FOR A BIG MAN)! THAT BEING SAID, I CAN’T FIND ANYONE, ANYWHERE THAT’S THINKS HE GAME FILM MATCHES HIS MEASUREABLES! THAT BEING SAID, AL DAVIS WILL TAKE HIM AND ALLOW THE MORE NFL-READY TACKLE PROSPECTS TO SLIDE DOWN A SLOT! THANKS AL!

9. BUFF OT BYRAN BULAGA – ALTHOUGH I THINK HE PROJECTS BETTER AS A RIGHT TACKLE ON A LONG-TERM BASIS, BULAGA WILL BE AN INSTANT STARTER AND ENORMOUS UPGRADE FOR AN UP-AND-COMING BUFFALO BILLS LINE. I THINK THAT OKUNG AND ANTHONY DAVIS WILL BE BETTER LEFT TACKLES IN THE FUTURE, BULAGA IS VERY NFL-READY, AS MOST KIRK-FERENTZ COACHED LINEMEN ARE.

THE BILLS ARE THRILLED HE’S HERE AND BRING SOME ATTITUDE AND STABILTY TO THE TRENCHES. **LOOK FOR BULAGA TO BE A POSSIBLE TARGET OF THE CHIEFS AT #5 AS PIOLI AND FERENTZ ARE FRIENDS AND FORMER CO-CORKERS. IF BULAGA AND ANTHONY DAVIS ARE GONE HERE, THE BILLS COULD GO WITH DAN WILLIAMS, NT, AND GET THEIR 3-4 ANCHOR.

10. JAX CB JOE HADEN – A PLAYER CAN IMPRESS ON AND OFF THE FIELD FOR 3-4 YEARS. SHOW OUTSTANDING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ABILITY BOTH IN PERSON AND ON FILM. EVERY YEAR ONE OF THOS PLAYERS DOESN’T TEST WELL IN HIS UNDERWEAR, WITH NO PADS ON, NOT PERFORMING ANYTHING THAT IS WIDELY USED ON A FOOTBALL FIELD, AND FALLS IN THE DRAFT.

THIS YEAR IT'S JOE HADEN. WATCH HIS FILM. IN BUFFALO, WE SAW A LOT OF HIM THESE LAST FEW YEARS ON CBS AND ALL HE DID WAS SHUT DOWN THE OPPOSITIONS BEST PERIMETER WEAPON. HE PLAYS FASTER THAN HIS OFFICIAL 4.57, AND IF HE TESTS BETTER AT HIS PRO DAY, HE MAY MOVE BACK UP THE BOARD.

HE DOES, HOWEVER, RUN THE RISK OF RUNNING A SLOWER TIME AND FURTHER DAMAGING HIS STOCK. WHEREVER HE IS TAKEN, HE WILL BE A PLAYMAKER AND WILL BECOME A PRO-BOWL CALIBER CORNER. **I HOPE THEY TAKE TEBOW HERE!!!! HAHAHA

11. DEN LB ROLANDO McCLAIN – THE BRONCOS HAVE A HOLE ON THEIR LINEBACKING CORE, NEEDING ANOTHER ILB TO PLAY NEXT TO D. WILLIAMS. McCLAIN HAS TONS OF EXPERIENCE IN A 3-4 AND HAS THE ABILITY TO PLAIN BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. INSIDE MAY BE HIS BEST POSITION, AS HE DIDN’T APPEAR TO BE TERRIBLY FLUID THROUGH HIS LOWER BODY BUT HAS RAY LEWIS TYPE OF INSTINCTS!

**HADEN COULD ALSO BE A CONSIDERATION HERE, IF HE’S STILL ON THE BOARD. I KNOW MIAMI TOOK DEDENSIVE BACKS WITH HIS FIRST TWO SELECTIONS LAST YEAR BUT HE CONTINUES TO THINK THAT’S THE AREA IN NEED OF AN UPGRADE.

12. MAI NT DAN WILLIAMS – WILLIAMS IS A MONSTER IN THE MIDDLE OF A 3-4 SCHEME. NOT ONLY DOES HE HAVE THE SIZE, AT 6’2” 327 LBS, BUT HE CARRIES HIS WEIGHT IN HIS TRUNK. WILLIAMS IS THE KIND OF PLAYER THAT CAN ANCHOR YOUR DEFENCE FOR 15 YEARS AND THE LIKES OF BUFFALO, CLEVELAND AND KANSAS CITY MAY ONE DAY REGRET PASSING ON HIM.

MIAMI GETS A POTENTIAL STEAL AT #12 AND SPRINTS TO THE PODIUM TO GET HIM! **HADEN COULD ALSO BE A CONSIDERATION HERE, IF HE’S STILL ON THE BOARD. I KNOW MIAMI TOOK DEFENSIVE BACKS WITH HIS FIRST TWO SELECTIONS LAST YEAR BUT HE CONTINUES TO THINK THAT’S THE AREA IN NEED OF AN UPGRADE.

13. SF OT ANTHONY DAVIS – DAVIS PROJECTS AS THE BEST LONG-TERM LEFT TACKLE (SAVE OKUNG) IN THIS YEAR’S CLASS, ALTHOUGH HE MAY NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME AT RIGHT TACKLE UNTIL HE UNSEATS JOE STALEY. THE NINERS ALREADY HAVE AL DAVIS’S THANK-YOU CARD!

14. SEA OT TRENT WILLIAMS – ANOTHER THANK YOU CARD, THIS TIME FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, IS ON ITS WAY TO AL DAVIS! SEAHAWKS FANS ARE THRILLED WILLIAMS IS THERE, WALTER JONES’ REPLACEMENT IN NOW ON-BOARD.

15. NYG DE DERRICK MORGAN – MORGAN IS AN OUTSTANDING ATHLETE WITH EXCELLENT VERSITILITY. HE COULD CERTAINLY BE SELECTED HIGHER THAN THIS, CONSIDERING HIS ABILITY TO PLAY END IN BOTH 4-3 AND 3-4 ALIGNMENTS. HE HAS SPEED (4.70), STRENGTH AND SIZE (6’4” 270 LBS).

I THINK THE GIANTS WILL THAKE THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER AVAILABLE AND MORGAN IS JUST THAT, WITH McCLAIN OFF THE BOARD. **IF MCCLAIN IS THERE, THE GIANTS WILL RUN TO THE PODIUM, IN HOPES OF REPLACING ANTONIO PIERCE.

16. TENN DE/OLB JASON PIERRE-PAUL – BIGGEST BUST POTENTIAL IN THIS YEARS DRAFT (SAVE BRADFORD, ESPECIALLY IF HE GOES FIRST OVERALL). DON’T LIKE HIM; DON’T LIKE THE TITANS – PERFECT MATCH!

17. SF CB KYLE WILSON – WILSON OFFERS THE BEST COMBINATION OF SPEED/COVERAGE ABILITY/RETURN ABILITY IN THIS YEARS CLASS. HE WILL STEP INTO A PLAYMAKING ROLE AS SOON AS HE ARRIVES IN THE BAY, AND WILL HOPEFULLY BE EVERYTHING THEY HOPED TO GET OUT OF ‘PLAYMAKER’ NATE CLEMENTS.

18. PITT OT/G MIKE IUPATI – OVER 6’5” AND 331 LBS, IUPATI IS A NASTY PLAYER. HE BRINGS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS AND A BLUE-COLLAR MENTALITY. HE’S A PERFECT FIT IN THE STEEL CITY BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE LOCKER ROOM TO PREVENT HIM FROM TURNING INTO RICHIE INCOGNITO.

19. ATL S EARL THOMAS – WHILE TAYLOR MAYS HAS BETTER MEASUREABLES (SIZE, SPEED, THE “EYEBALL” TEST), EARL THOMAS WAS MORE CONSISTANTLY MAKING GAME CHANGING PLAYS ON THE FOOTBALL. HE HAS GOOD SPEED (4.48) AND OUTSTANDING INSTINCTS. THE FALCONS NEED ALL THE DEFENSIVE HELP THEY CAN GET AND THOMAS AT NO. 19 IS EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.

20. HOU S TAYLOR MAYS – SCOUTS HAD MAYS ALL OVER THE BOARD ON HIS 40-YARD DASH (4.24-4.41). EITHER WAY, THAT’S FREAKISH SPEED FOR A MAN 6’3” 234 LBS! MAYS IS AN OUTSTANDING ATHLETE WHO TOO OFTEN LOOKS FOR THE BIG HIT.

THE TROJANS DEFENCE LOST 5-6 PLAYERS TO THE NFL LAST YEAR (MAYS PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE LEFT THEN TOO) AND CARROLL ASKED MAYS TO PLAY OUT OF POSITION TOO FREQUENTLY.

MAYES IS AN OUTSTANDING LEADER IN THE LOCKER ROOM AND WILL PATROLE THE TEXANS SECONDARY, STRIKING FEAR INTO THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS RECEIVERS.

21. CINN WR DEZ BRYANT – THE MOST TALENTED ALL-AROUND RECEIVING PROSPECT SINCE CALVIN JOHNSON, BRYANT CAN’T SEEM TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. THERE HAVE BEEN RUMORS CIRCULATION THAT HE “ROLLS” 15-20 PEOPLE DEEP AND SOMETIMES REFERS TO HIMSELF IN THE THIRD-PERSON – BUYER BEWARE, OBVIOUSLY!

22. NE OLB BRANDON GRAHAM – ALL GRAHAM DOES IS PLAY IN THE OPPONENTS BACKFIELD. AFTER AN OUTSTANDING SENIOR BOWL WEEK, HIS STOCK HAS CONTINUED TO CLIMB. A TEAM LIKE THE STEELERS MAY TARGET HIM AT #18, BUT THE PATS ARE HAPPY HE’S AVAILABLE FOR THEM HERE AT #22.

23. GB OT CHARLES BROWN – NEED MEETS VALUE HERE FOR THE PACKERS. TED THOMPSON KNOWS THERE ARE ‘SEXIER’ PICKS OUT THERE, BUT WATCHING REPLAYS OF AARON RODGERS KILLED IN THE NFC PLAYOFFS HAUNT HIS DREAMS! THOMPSON QUIETS THE LAMBS BY TAKING THE FORMER TROJAN WITH TONS OF POTENTIAL.

24. PHILLY DE CAROLS DUNLAP – DUNLAP HAS TOP-10 PRODUCTION, GAME FILM AND MEASUREABLES. HE’S AVAILABLE FOR THE EAGLES AT #24 BECAUSE OF THE QUESTION MARKS SURROUNDING HIS MATURITY AND UNWILLINGNESS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. HE COULD END UP BEING REGGIE WHITE, BUT I DOUBT IT. ANOTHER BUYER BEWARE!

25. BAL OLB RICKY SAPP – SAPP PLAYED DE IN A 4-3 AT CLEMSON, BUT AFTER RUNNING A PAIR OF SUB-4.70’S AND IMPRESSING DURING POSITION-SPECIFIC DRILLS IN INDY, SAPP HAS MANY 3-4 COORDINATORS SALIVATING OVER HIS POTENTION. SAPP REMINDS ME OF ROBERT AYERS,

26. AZ OLB SERGIO KINDLE – KEN WISENHUNT IS THRILLED KINDLE IS AVAILABLE FOR HIM AFTER LOSING DANSBY TO FREE-AGANCY. KINDLE WILL CONTRIBUT IMMEDIATELY FOR THE CARDS, WHO MAY ALSO CONSIDER SAPP IF HE IS STILL ON THE BOARD.

27. DAL G/C MAURKICE POUNCEY – POUNCEY HAS BEEN COMPARD TO NICK MANGOLD BECAUSE OF HIS VERSITILITY AND ATHLETICISM. IF THOSE COMPARISONS HOLD TRUE, DALLAS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A DOMINANT LINE FOR YEARS TO COME, ALLOWING THEM TO UTILIZE ALL THREE OF THOSE RUNNING BACKS.

28. SD RB RYAN MATTHEWS – REPLACING L.T. IS GOING TO BE TOUGH ENOUGH, BUT HAVING TO REPLACE SPROLES PRODUCTION DURING THE SAME OFFSEASON WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR AJ SMITH. MATTHEWS IS A WELL ROUNDED BACK WHO HAS THE ABILITY TO BE ON THE FIELD ALL THREE DOWNS, ASSUMING HE CAN FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF WITH NFL-CALIBER BLITZ SCHEMES/PACKAGES.

29. NYJ LB SEAN WEATHERSPOON – AT 6’1” 240 LBS, HAS THE ABILITY TO PLAY INSIDE/OUTSIDE IN A 4-3 OR INSIDE IN A 3-4. REX RYAN WILL KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY USE THIS DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKER. THE JETS COULD ALSO LOOK TO UOGRADE AT DE, WHERE THE STARTERS ARE GETTING OLD!

30. MINN DT BRIAN PRICE – THE VIKINGS KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF STOPPING THE RUN. WITH SUSPENSIONS HANGING OF THE WILLIAMS WALL (POTENTIALLY) AND PAT WILLIAMS CONSIDERING RETIREMENT, CHILLY TAKES A PLAYER THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO PENETRATE AND COLLAPSE THE POCKET AS WELL AS GERALD McCOY.

31. IND CB KAREEM JACKSON – THE COLTS NEED HELP ALL OVER THE FIELD DEFENSIVELY, PARTICULARLY IN THE SECONDARY, WHICH COULD NOT PREVENT DREW BREES FROM COMPLETING PASSES. JACKSON IS REGARDED AS A VERY INSTINCTIVE PLAYER, WITH SPEED AND STRENGTH ENOUGH TO MATCH UP WITH SOME OF THE NFL’S TOP PERIMETER THREATS.

32. NO OLB JERRY HUGHES – WIDELY REGARDED AS AN ELVIS DUMERVIL-TYPE. STRONG, COMPACT AND FAST WITH AN OUTSTANDING FIRST STEP, THE SAINTS NEED TO PRESSURE THE QUARTERBACK, AND WITH SUSPENSIONS LOOMING OVER SMITH/GRANT, HUGHES MAY FIND HIMSELF IN THE BAYOU!

Second Round

33(1). STL WR GOLDEN TATE – DONNIE AVERY IS A DECENT #2 WIDEOUT, BUT PROBABLY BELONGS IN THE SLOT. THE RAMS WILL GET THEIR YOUNG SIGNAL-CALLER A WELL-ROUNDED WEAPON ON THE PERIMETER WHO ENJOYS BLOCKING, MAYBE A LITTLE TOO MUCH. THE NOTRE DAME PRODUCT HAS BEEN CALLED A HINES WARD-TYPE, WITH BETTER SPEED (4.41). A STEAL AT THIS POI NT IN THE DRAFT.

34(2). DET WR ARRELIOUS BENN – CALVIN JOHNSON IS SPECTACULAR…WHEN HEALTHY! BENN HAS FIRST ROUND ABILITY AND POTENTIAL, MAYBE TOP-10. SADLY, HIS QUARTERBACK PLAY AT ILLINOIS WASN’T VERY CONSISTENT FROM A PASSING STANDPOINT. BIG, STRONG AND DECEPTIVELY FAST, BENN WILL START IMMEDIATELY AND SEE PLENTY OF ACTION WITH MEGATRON ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE.

35(3). TB DeMARYIOUS THOMAS – 3 WR’S IN A ROW, I KNOW, BUT THIS WILL BE THE RUN. TOO BAD THE WR DEPTH WASN’T THIS PLENTIFUL WHEN THE BILLS TOOK HARDY IN THE SECOND ROUND A FEW YEARS BACK, THERE MAY NEVER HAVE BEEN A T.O. SHOW IN B-LO. THOMAS IS A PHYSICAL FREAK WHOSE BROKEN FOOT WILL BE A SETBACK, BUT HIS ABILITY WILL PROVE HE’S MORE THAN WORTHY OF AN EARLY SECOND ROUNDER.

36(4). KC CB PATRICK ROBINSON – HERE COMES A RUN ON CORNERS! WHILE CERTAINLY NOT TOP HEAVY, THE WAY IT WAS IN 2008, THERE IS PLENTY OF TALENT THROUGH ROUNDS TWO AND THREE. ROBINSON IMPRESSED AT THE COMBINE (4.45) AND AT NEARLY 6’ 190 LBS, HE’S GOT THE SIZE TO MATCH UP WITH #1 WR’S. ROBINSON ALSO CONTRIBUTES ON SPECIAL TEAMS, HAVING BLOCKED SEVERAL KICKS IN HIS SEMINOLE CAREER.

37(5). WASH RB JAHVID BEST – AT 5’10 200 LBS; BEST BLAZED A 4.43 IN THE FOURTY-YARD DASH. QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS DURABILITY MAY RAISE SOME FLAGS, BUT IF UTILIZED IN A BRIAN WESTBROOK FASHION, BEST CAN BE A TRUE GAME-CHANGER! THE FORMER GOLDEN BEAR WILL DO SOME REAL DAMAGE IN SHANNY’S ONE-CUT, ZONE-BLOCKING SCHEME!

38(6). CLEV CB DEVIN McCOURTY – 5’11” 193; SHOWED OFF GREAT SPEED, TURNING IN A 4.38 AT THE COMBINE, McCOURTY IS REGARDRD AS RAW, BUT WITH A VERY HIGH CEILING. CZAR HOLMGREN IS THRILLED McCOURTY IS STILL AVAILABLE, AFTER FLIRTING WITH THE IDEA OF TAKING HADEN IN THE FIRST ROUND.

39(7). OAK CB CHRIS COOK – THIS YEARS BIGGEST CORNER, AT 6’2” 212 LBS; MANY COMPARE COOL TO MIAMI DOLPHINS SEAN SMITH. COOK’S AT HIS BEST WHEN HE’S IN THE OPPONENTS FACE, USING HIS LONG REACH TO JAM AT THE LINE, THROWING OFF THE ROUTE’S TIMING.

40(8). SEA WR DAMIAN WILLIAMS – PETE CARROLL KNOWS WHAT HE’S GETTING OUT OF THE BIG (6’1” 197), STRONG (19 REPS) AND DECEPTIVELY FAST (4.47) FORMER TROJAN. WILLIAMS PROBABLY RUNS THE BEST ROUTES IN THE DRAFT, MAKING HIM A PERFECT FIT EARLY IN THE SECOND ROUND. HE WOULD PROBABLY BE A FAVORITE TO START OPENING DAY OPPOSITE TJ HOUSH, CONSIDERING HIS FAMILIARITY WITH SEATTLE’S OFFENSE.

41(9). BUFF NT CAM THOMAS – IT’S HARD TO FIND AN INTERIOR LINEMAN RISING UP THE BOARD FASTER THAN THE FORMER TAR HEEL. THOMAS WAS THE MOST DOMINAT DEFENSIVE LINEMAN DURING THE SENIOR BOWL AND THE BILLS ARE THRILLED HE’S HERE, AS THEY NEED AN ANCHOR FOR THE MIDDLE OF THEIR NEW 3-4. AT 6’4” 331 LBS; HE’S JUST THAT.

42(10). TB CB PARRISH COX – COX HAS FIRST ROUND ABILITY AND MANY MOCKS HAVE HIM GOING IN THE FIRST ROUND. HERE, HOWEVER; THE BUCS ARE GLAD HE IS AVAILABLE AND WILL AT LEAST BE THE NICKLE, AND COULD UNSEAT THE AGING RONDE BARBER OPPOSITE UP-AND-COMING A. TALIB.

43(11). MIA S CHAD JONES – JEFF IRELAND TOOK A RUN AT RYAN CLARK OF THE STEELERS THIS OFFSEASON, BUT FAILED TO LAND THE 30-YEAR OLD SAFETY. JONES IS A RUN STUFFING SAFETY WITH THE SIZE TO PLAY IN THE BOX AND GOOD ENOUGH SPEED (4.55) TO STAY WITH MOST TIGHT ENDS.

44(12). NE WR MARSHAWN GILYARD – AT 5’11” 187 LBS, GILYARD PLAYS FASTER THAN HIS 4.59 WOULD INDICATE. HE IS DYNAMITE AFTER THE CATCH, AND IF HE CAN IMPROVE HIS TIME AT HIS PRO-DAY, HE WILL VALIDATE THIS DRAFT SLOT.

45(13). DEN ILB BRANDON SPIKES – ALTHOUGH HE LAST ODEAL ATHLETIC ABILITY, SPIKES HAS THE SIZE (6’3” 250 LBS) AND INSTINCTS TO PLAY THE ILB IN DENVER’S 3-4. EXPECT AN IMPROVED DENVER DEFENSE TO BE EVEN BETTER NEXT YEAR WITH THE ADDITION OF NT D. WILLIAMS (FIRST ROUND), ILB/OLB ROLANDO McCLAIN (FIRST ROUND), AND JUSTIN BANNAN (UFA).

46(14). NYG OLB DARYL WASHINGTON – THE GIANTS MISSED OUT ON KARLOS DANSBY IN FREE AGENCY, AND BIG BLUE NEEDS A PLAYMAKER FROM THE LINEBACKER POSITION, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE LOSS OF ANTONIO PIERCE. WASHINGTON WILL PROVIDE PRESSURE OFF THE EDGE, TEAMING WITH A DOMINANT FRONT FOUR.

47(15). NE NT TERRENCE CODY - **RED FLAG** RUMOR HAS IT, SOME TEAMS HAVE TAKEN MT. CODY OFF THEIR BOARDS ALL-TOGETHER. HE CAN BE DOMINANT, BUT CONSTANTLY STRUGGLES WITH HIS WEIGHT (SOMETIMES AT 400+). WHILE HE DID SHOW UP AT THE COMBINE IN THE 354 LBS, SUDDEN, DRASTIC CHANGES IN WEIGHT ARE OFTEN TIMES ALARMING, RATHER THAN BENEFICIAL TO A PLAYERS STOCK (AARON MAYBIN, ANYONE? 250 LBS AT LAST YEARS COMBINE). BUYER BEWARE.

48(16). CAR S NATE ALLEN – THE PANTHERS DEFENSE HAS TAKEN SOME MAJOR HITS THIS OFFSEASON (PEPPERS, MARSHALL) – HERE THEY GET A PLAYMAKER FOR THEIR SECONDARY. ALLEN IS A WELL-ROUNDED SAFETY THE PANTHERS ARE HAPPY TO SEE HERE AT THIS POINT IN THE SECOND ROUND.

49(17). SF RB TOBY GERHART – AT 6’ 230 LBS, GERHART ANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS SPEED IN INDY (4.5), BUT SCOUTS STILL SEE HIS AS TOO-UPRIGHT OF A RUNNER. HE WONT BE ASKED TO BE THE GUY YET IN SAN FRANCISCO, BUT SOMEDAY HE MIGHT. IN THE MEANTIME, HE WILL SPELL FRANK GORE, WHO WHEN HEALTHY, HAS BEEN GREAT.

50(18). KC OT CIRON BLACK – THE CHIEFS HOPED OKUNG WUOLD FALL TO THEM, AND CONSIDERED TAKING BULAGA IN ROUND ONE, BUT ARE THRILLED THE FORMER LSU TIGER IS AVAILABLE. BLACK IS PROBABLY BEST EQUIPPED AT A RT IN THE NFL, BUT CAN PLAY EITHER SIDE IF ASKED. AN OUTSTANDING RUN-BLOCKER, HE WILL NEED TO IMPROVE HIS FOOTWORK TO CONSTANTLY BEAT SPEED-RUSHERS AT THE NEXT LEVEL.

51(19). HOU RB BEN TATE – FOR A PLAYER WITH SUCH POWER AND LEVERAGE (5’10” 220 LBS, 4.44), TATE HAS SOME TROUBLE CUTTING AND CHANGING DIRECTIONS. MANY BACKS GET BY BECAUSE THEY ARE QUICKER THAN THEY ARE FAST, BUT THR OPPOSITE IS TRUE OF THE FORMER AUBURN PRODUCT. HE TIMED FAST AND IS A PRODUCTIVE THREE-DOWN BACK, BUT HIS SHAKY POSITIONAL DRILLS IN INDY MAY HURT HIM.

52(20). PITT CB/S DONOVAN WARREN – AT 5’11” 193 LBS, THE FORMER WOLVERINE CAME INTO THE SEASON MUCH HIGHER THAN THIS ON THE DRAFT BOARDS. HOWEVER, A SHAKY SEASON AND A PAIR OF 4.6+ TIMES AT THE COMBINE HAVE SCOUNTS THINKING WARREN MAY BE BEST SUITED TO PLAY SAFETY IN THE NFL – TIME WILL TELL.

53(21). NE TE JERMAINE GRESHAM – GRESHAM PROBABLY WON’T BE ABLE TO WORKOUT BEFORE THE DRAFT, AND IF HE IS IT MAY NOT BE ALL TOO IMPRESSIVE. HOWEVER; HE IS TOO GOOD A VALUE AT THIS POINT, ESPECIALLY FOR A NEW ENGLAND OFFENSE THAT LOST BEN WATSON AS AN UFA. IF A TRADE FOR GREG OLSEN TAKES PLACE, THE PATS WILL LOOK IN ANOTHER DIRECTION.

54(22). CINN RB DEXTER McCLUSTER – THE BENGALS NEED A HOME RUN HITTER IN THE BACKFIELD, REGARDLESS OF HOW WELL CEDRIC BENSON PLAYS FOR THEM. ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT TIME AS FAST AS HE PLAYS (4.56), HE IS STILL WELL-RESPECTED FOR A MAN HIS SIZE TO PRODUCE BETWEEN THE TACKLES, IN THE SEC.

55(23). PHI DT JARED ODRICK – THE EAGLES ADD SOME STARTER-CALIBUR DEPTH TO THEIR DEFENSIVE LINE HERE. ODRICK MAY END UP IN THE TOP-TEN COME DRAFT DAY, BUT TODAY SITS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND ROUND.

56(24). GB DE EVERSON GRIFFEN – MANY THINK HE IS A TWEENER 3-4/4-3 GUY, BUT I THINK HE IS BEST SERVED IN A 4-3 AT DEFENSIVE END. HOWEVER, GREEN BAY IS COUNTING ON HIM BEING A BETTER 3-4 OLB THAN AARON KAMPMAN, AND HE MAY VERY WELL BE.

57(25). BAL WR JORDAN SHIPLEY – THE NEXT WES WELKER. 5’11” 193 LBS, AND QUICKER THAN FAST. SHIPLEY RUNS GREAT ROUTES AND ALWAYS FINDS THE SOFT SPOT IN ZONES. WILL BECOME HIS QUARTERBACKS GO-TO GUY ON THIRD DOWN AND IN CRUNCH TIME.

58(26). AZ OT RODGER SAFFOLD – RT LEVI BROWN IS BELIEVED TO BE SWITCHING TO THE LEFT SIDE, BUT WITH A SOUTHPAW READY TO GO UNDER-CENTER AND HIS STRUGGLES THERE IN THE PAST, BROWN MAY STAY RIGHT WHERE HE IS AND ALLOW SAFFOLD TO BE THE STRONG SIDE PROTECTOR ON THE LEFT SIDE.

59(27). DAL WR BRANDON LaFELL – JERRY JONES CONSIDERED, IF ONLY FOR AN INSTANT, MAKING A PLAY FOR BRANDON MARSHALL. HE WISELY WENT WITH AN O-LINEMAN IN ROUND ONE AND GETS HIS PERIMETER WEAPON IN ROUND TWO. WITH ROY WILLIAMS STRUGGLING TO SETTLE IN, LaFELL MAY SEE MORE PLAYING TIME THAN EXPECTED IN THE LONE-STAR STATE.

60(28). SD DL ARTHUR JONES – JONES CAN PLAY DT IN A 4-3 OR NT IN A 3-4. EITHER WAY, HE’S A STEAL AT THIS POINT IN THE SECOND ROUND. THE CHARGERS AND REBUILDING DEFENSIVELY, AND JONES WOULD LOOK AWFULLY GOOD OPPOSITE L. CASTILLO IN SoCal.

61(29). NYJ OT VLADIMIR DUCASSE – A PROJECT OT WITH A VERY HIGH CEILING. DUCASSE GIVES AN AGING NYJ LINE AN INFUSION OF YOUTH. PLAYS WITH A NASTY STREAK, WHICH REZ RYAN AND BRIAN SCHOTTENHIEMER LOVE. TOUGH, ROAD-GRADING RUN BLOCKER.

62(30). MINN TE ROB GRONKOWSKI – GRONKOWSKI, WHEN HEALTHY, HAS THE ABILITY TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING FROM THE TIGHT END POSITION. A STRONG, WILLING BLOCKER, GRONKOWSKI CAN ALSO STRETCH THE SEAM WHEN NEEDED. SHOULD PROBABLY GO HIGHER THAN THIS, BUT HEALTH CONCERNS CAUSE HIM TO FALL RIGHT INTO THE VIKINGS LAPS.

63(31). INDY CB DOMINIQUE FRANKS – INDY, WHOSE SUSPECT SECONDARY WAS EXPLOITED IN THE SUPER BOWL BY DREW BREES, CONTINUES THE MAKEOVER AT BACK WITH THE TOUGH CORNER FROM OAKLAHOMA. HE WILL TEAM WITH FIRST ROUNDER KAREEN JACKSON TO HELP SOLIDIFY THE COLTS DEFENSIVE PERIMETER.

64(32). NO DE GREG HARDY – IF HARDY HAD COME OUT LAST YEAR, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A MID-LATE FIRST ROUND SELECTION. HIS STOCK TOOK A HIT, AFTER LOSING PERIA JERRY, ALONG SIDE OF HIM, BUT HE WILL FILL THE VOID LEFT BY THE RELEASE OF CHARLES GRANT NICELY.

Bleacher Report - Front Page

Andrew Garda — 2010-03-08 23:30:04 GMT

Things couldn't have worked out better in this Mock, in so far as the 49ers would be concerned. After taking CJ Spiller with their first pick at #13, the team finds that a guy who some experts have ranked as the second best offensive tackle in the NFL Draft has fallen to them at 17.

They would happily select Oklahoma's Trent Williams.

Williams is a big guy but despite his size, he moves incredibly well and shows a good initial quickness—especially on run plays.

He is very effective in run blocking, as he can get into the second level and seal off linebackers, which would give Gore, Coffee and Spiller room to get clear and maybe break off a big run.

In pass blocking, his technique needs a little work but overall Williams is good at protecting the quarterback. He can redirect an incoming pass rusher and has the strength to counter a bull rusher, though he is more effective at it when he utilizing a hand punch.

Williams could either come in as a left tackle or shift to the right tackle if need be. As the 49ers are in desperate need of a second tackle, he would be a great addition to the line.

Idaho offensive guard Mike Iupati is still on the board and would be very attractive as well. One could also make a case for Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford if he was here (assuming the shoulder is fine) but I believe that the 49ers will wait on a quarterback.

They picked up David Carr and it's true he's a band-aid unless his time in New Jersey has really revitalized him. However I think it buys them at least a year, depending on Alex Smith.

So it's not impossible that Bradford might go to the 49ers (perhaps at 13) and if he was sitting here at 17, he would be awfully tempting for them. I just don't think it will happen. Call it a gut read.

Looking back on the #13 pick, I still like it overall. However, the more I look at the depth of the running back class, the more I consider that the 49ers could get a very good running back later or a nice kick returner later instead.

It's hard to gauge where the team's collective head is at so for now it's hard to tell what chances there are that—if Spiller were there at 13—the 49ers would take him. Looking back—and knowing Bradford kept falling—taking Williams early might have freed me up to take Bradford at 17.

I'd imagine given the surprise appearance of Michael Crabtree in Singeltary's lap in the 2009 Draft, that every possibility is being discussed.

For now though, the last few picks fell pretty much the way I thought they would—no tackles taken. The risk for Spiller was worth it and getting Williams at 17 is a big gift as far as I am concerned.

With those two big needs out of the way, let's move on.

For other rounds, I would expect the 49ers to concentrate on some secondary help, and some defensive line help as well.

I can't assume Bradford continues his tumble too much longer, but if he fell to near the second round—well the potential trading frenzy would make a team very happy.

Up next is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The rest of the picks thus far:

#16 Titans Select Brandon Graham

#15 Giants take Thomas

Dylan

#14 Jonathan Dwyer to the Seahawks

#13 C.J. Spiller to the Niners

#12 Pierre-Paul to Dolphins

#11: Bryant to Broncos

#6 Morgan to Seahawks

Search for "math OR mathematics"

2010-03-09 02:55:23 GMT

The Moneyball movie has gone through quite a number of changes since the decision to turn the crazy computer and math adventures of Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics front office into a movie, and though Brad Pitt is still playing the role of Beane and Aaron Sorkin is still writing the movie, there's been another change made.

Gawker

Maureen O'Connor — 2010-03-09 04:47:28 GMT

In addition to Palin's mystery show, Mark Burnett is shopping Martha Stewart whirls into your life, whips up a quiche, and fixes everything. For the first guests, may I suggest...

Personal grooming with Brad Pitt. Sure, he doesn't want to shave now. But once he experiences the luxurious touch of a badger-bristle brush and the sweet weight of a platinum straight-edge razor hewn by blind artisans in the Himalayas, he won't be able to resist. To test his new skills, Brad will in turn stage an intervention on Apolo Ohno.

Housecleaning with Lindsay Lohan. After her bizarre Hoarders-like episode of Insider, I question LiLo's ability to maintain a livable domicile. Martha should sweep in and teach Lindsay the art of straightening, vacuuming, and unclogging drains tangled with dead hair and stray extensions. At the end of the episode, Martha could slip Linds a little piece of paper with the number of a good maid service on it.

Posture and etiquette with Kristen Stewart. Dedicated to the art of being a hostess, Martha is versed in manners and the making of small talk, all of which Kristen needs. She'll put the sulky, slouchy starlet through a My Fair Lady-like boot camp where Kristen will strut across slick, waxed floors with a stack of Emily Post etiquette guides stacked on her head. Her mouth full of marbles, she will recite, "Hello, pleased to meet you, I'm happy to be here." Is that cocaine in your nose? Spit it in Mama Martha's hand. Come to think of it, Lindsay would benefit from this episode, too. Ke$ha, Miley, Taylor Momsen, the Hiltons, the Olsens, and the Geldofs, too.

A second debut for Tinsley Mortimer. Now that the newly single Queen Bee socialited is reclaiming her youth with a reality show on the CW, the Tinz says she's "living my life a little bit in reverse now. It's like what I should have done in my 20s." She needs a parent figure to announce her sexual availability with an elaborately choreographed cotillion. Of course, Martha will have to foot the bill herself, because that's another rule about throwing parties for 20-something New York brats: Someone older always pays.

Cooking lessons for Britney Spears. Poor Britney doesn't know how to cook, which is why she is forced to eat McDonald's all the time. Martha should teach her the ways of homemade ricotta, arugula salads picked from the organic garden in her own backyard, and honey harvested from local bees nursed only on award-winning primroses. Once you've had the fancy lettuce, you can never go back. [AP] [Pics: Getty, Getty, Bauer-Griffin, Getty, Getty, Bauer-Griffin]