Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/170772433?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
EU to probe China on climate intentions (AP)
DURBAN, South Africa ? The European Union, championing a deal to get all major countries to agree to binding pollution targets, says it will explore new signals coming from China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
A 192-party U.N. conference moves into its decisive second week Monday, seeking agreement on future pledges by industrial countries to cut emissions and to finalize arrangements for a $100 billion annual climate fund for poor countries.
EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said she will ask China about its signals in the last week that it is willing to begin negotiating on bringing major developing countries into a legally binding deal on their emissions controls.
Hedegaard said it is unclear how far China will commit to an international emissions accord.
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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Aldean reigns at American Country Awards
Now this was Jason Aldean's kinda party.
The platinum-selling artist dominated the field with six wins Monday night, including Artist of the Year, at the 2011 American Country Awards, where the fans pick the winners and the winners have to go to Vegas to pick up their Fender Telecaster trophies.
But when there's good music, good humor and girl groups with names like Pistol Annies, what is there to complain about, really?
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In addition to winning the night's top honor, Aldean was named Touring Artist of the Year; won Album and Single of the Year by a Male Artist for "My Kinda Party"; and shared both Single and Music Video of the Year in a Collaboration with Kelly Clarkson for "Don't You Wanna Stay."
Whew, was that all?!
Story: List of Grammy nominations in top categoriesThe only gal to even meet Aldean halfway was Carrie Underwood, aka Female Artist of the Year and a winner for Music Video and Single of the Year by a Female Artist for "Mama's Song."
An absentee Brad Paisley was named Male Artist of the Year, but he turned up via satellite to introduce Alabama, which is heading out on tour next year ? eight years after their "farewell tour" ? and was the three-man recipient of the Greatest Hits Award tonight.
READ: CMT Music Awards: Justin Bieber Comes Out Firing, but Taylor Swift Out-Guns Them All
Blake Shelton dedicated his wins for Music Video of the Year by a Male Artist and regular old Video of the Year to his ailing dad, Dick Shelton, then gave a stirring performance of "God Gave Me You," one of the best tunes of the night.
The husband and wife team of Keifer and Shawna Thompson, aka Thompson Square, took home an impressive three guitars, for Single of the Year by a New Artist and by a Group, and for Music Video by a New Artist ? all for "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not."
Story: Hank Williams, Jr. exits CMT stage mid-songNew Artist of the Year Scotty McCreery thanked "American Idol" for propelling him into his current lofty position, while Breakthrough Artist of the Year (there's a difference, folks) Chris Young was also a winner for Single of the Year, for "Voices."
Taylor Swift, though nominated six times, went home empty-handed ? but she didn't look too disappointed, considering she wasn't even there.
READ: 2011 CMA Awards Recap: Taylor Swift Is Tops and the Band Perry Wins Big
Also part of the drill that somewhat distinguished this show from the three country music kudosfests that preceded it this year was a countdown of the most-played artists of the past 10 years, culminating in the reveal of the Artist of the Decade.
For the record, counting backwards, the top artists were Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and ... Toby Keith.
Story: Winners of the 45th Annual CMA AwardsNot sure how they were all guys, but ... anyway, Keith sang "Red Solo Cup" after video congratulations from pal Stephen Colbert, who joined Keith in singing the national anthem during the artist's recent visit to "The Colbert Report."
READ: Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry Win Big at 2011 American Music Awards
Here's the complete list of winners from the 2011 American Country Awards:
Artist of the Year: Jason Aldean
Male Artist of the Year: Brad Paisley
Female Artist of the Year: Carrie Underwood
Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum
New Artist of the Year: Scotty McCreery
Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Chris Young
Album of the Year: My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean
Single of the Year: "Voices," Chris Young
Single of the Year, Male Artist: "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," Blake Shelton
Single of the Year, Female Artist: "Mama's Song," Carrie Underwood
Single of the Year by a Group: "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not," Thompson Square
Single of the Year, New Artist: "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not," Thompson Square
Single of the Year, Vocal Collaboration: "Don't You Wanna Stay," Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson
Touring Artist of the Year: Jason Aldean
GALLERY: 2011 American Country Awards
Music Video of the Year: "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," Blake Shelton
Music Video, Male Artist: "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," Blake Shelton
Music Video, Female Artist: Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song"
Music Video, Duo, Group or Collaboration: "Don't You Wanna Say," Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson
Music Video, New Artist: "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not," Thompson Square
Greatest Hits Award: Alabama
Artist of the Decade: Toby Keith
? 2011 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45565242/ns/today-entertainment/
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Obama steps up defense on his American faith amid GOP presidential criticism (Star Tribune)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Officials have singer McCready's son in custody (omg!)
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) ? Authorities said late Friday they had located country singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son in Arkansas and taken him into custody.
Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Terri Durdaller said in an email Friday night that her agency was working with Arkansas officials to bring the boy back to his legal guardian in Florida, his maternal grandmother. Officials said he's safe and in good health.
Gayle Inge, Zander's grandmother and McCready's mother, was tearful when she talked about the news Friday night with The Associated Press.
"I'm real excited that he's safe," she said. "But I can't explain what this is like. We feel for Mindy and we feel for Zander."
Inge said Zander was taken into custody at McCready's boyfriend's home in Arkansas. Inge said her son ? McCready's half brother ? texted McCready, who responded with a text that said her mother would never see her again.
"I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her that I love her," Inge said.
Friday night's developments recap a dayslong saga between McCready and her family.
Authorities say McCready took the boy during a recent visit to her father's Florida home. A judge there signed an order Thursday telling authorities to take the boy into custody and return him.
It's not yet clear whether the singer could face criminal charges.
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Committee continuing investigation of Jackson Jr. (AP)
The House Ethics Committee announced Friday it will continue its investigation into allegations Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. or someone acting on his behalf offered to raise campaign cash for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for a Senate appointment in 2008.
The committee also released an initial report from the Office of Congressional Ethics that said there was "probable cause" to believe that Jackson either directed a third party or had knowledge of a third party's effort to convince the since-convicted Blagojevich to appoint Jackson Jr. in exchange for campaign cash.
The report, originally compiled in August 2009, also said there is "substantial reason to believe" Jackson Jr. violated federal law by using his congressional staff to mount a "public campaign" to secure a Senate appointment. The report had not been released previously and the ethics committee had delayed its investigation because the Justice Department was conducting a criminal investigation that led to Blagojevich's conviction on a series of corruption charges including efforts to sell a Senate appointment.
The committee had previously said it would determine by Friday what course its investigation would take involving Jackson, a Democrat and son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson.
The younger Jackson responded to the committee's decision to extend the investigation with a statement pledging to cooperate and reiterating that his efforts to be appointed to the Senate were above-board.
"I have said from the beginning that I publicly and transparently sought to have the Governor of Illinois appoint me to fulfill the final two years of then-Senator Barack Obama's term in the U.S. Senate," he said. "I did nothing illegal, unethical or inappropriate in that pursuit and I believe that is what the Ethics Committee will conclude at the end of this process."
Jackson also released a letter from his attorneys, who wrote that there is no basis for the committee's investigation and urged the panel to "close its investigation of this matter."
"Although Congressman Jackson was interested in the appointment ... he was largely focused on his own re-election and Obama's campaign," Reid H. Weingarten and Brian M. Heberlig said in the letter.
Friday's announcement means the committee will continue looking into allegations involving Blagojevich and whether Jackson inappropriately used government resources to angle for an appointment. It voted unanimously to continue its inquiry and set no timetable for a conclusion.
The committee said in a statement that continuing the investigation "does not itself indicate that any violation occurred."
The detailed 2009 report from the Office of Congressional Ethics, released with the statement, indicates investigators have suspicions Jackson had knowledge of efforts to persuade Blagojevich to appoint him to the Senate. The report names a likely third party, Raghuveer Nayak.
"There is probable cause to believe that Representative Jackson either 1) directed a third party, most likely Mr. Raghuveer Nayak to offer to raise money ... or 2) had knowledge that Nayak would likely make such an offer once Rep. Jackson authorized him to advocate on his behalf with Gov. Blagojevich."
The report said investigating these claims was stymied by the fact that Blagojevich, Nayak and another fundraiser, Rajinder Bedi, have declined to cooperate with the investigation.
The report also concludes, after interviews with Jackson Jr. and his staff, that there is substantial reason to believe that his staff based in both Chicago and Washington was used inappropriately in attempts to secure a Senate appointment.
The Office of Congressional Ethics cannot discipline members of the House and does not determine whether they are guilty. That is left to the ethics committee. The Office of Congressional Ethics does preliminary investigative work for the ethics committee. Its board members are not members of Congress.
Publication of the report and the committee's decision to continue its investigation could have political consequences for Jackson beyond whatever action the committee might take.
He will stand for reelection in 2012 in a rejiggered congressional district that has attracted a viable primary opponent, former Rep. Debbie Halvorson. A Democrat, Halvorson represented the new terrain in Jackson's district both in Congress and in the Illinois Legislature. She pounced on Friday's announcement and has indicated she will make Jackson's ethical issues a focus of her race.
"There we go," Halverson said. "Another day where he's got to deal with ethics, distractions and his lawyers instead of constituents and this has been going on for over three years"
The 46-year-old Jackson was first elected to office in 1995. He has twice considered runs for mayor of Chicago and was widely seen as interested in an appointment to the Senate seat vacated by Obama when he was elected president in 2008.
_______
Associated Press Writer Deanna Bellandi in Chicago contributed to this report.
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
solo son dos almas , que quieran compartir sus sentimientos , en un lugar lejano donde no exista la triste realidad.
elqui... elquintoelemento dijo:
Es dificil evadir esa realidad.. cuando dos almas se aman d verdad, el lugar lo construye los dos, no importa donde, como, ni cuando, .. ok..saludos cuidate ....chao.
8 horas
Reportar infracci?n de las normas
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Happy 30th birthday, Britney Spears!
Grab the Cheetos and the fancy Red Bull, y'all, because we've got a birthday to celebrate!
That's right, Britney Spears has reached yet another milestone, this time of the birthday variety, and today turns the big 3-0. To help the Mouseketeer-made-good-then-bad-then-good-again celebrate, we're taking a look back at her life ? and what a life it's been! ? over the past three decades.
Where to start? Where not to start is the question ... after all, it's Britney, b----.
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Dec. 2, 1981: Britney Jean Spears is born in Kentwood, La. The world doesn't know what hit it.
1993: Making good on her prowess for performing at a young age, Britney joins the cast of "The New Mickey Mouse Club," alongside once and future contemporaries Keri Russell, JC Chasez, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling and, perhaps most notably, Justin Timberlake.
Story: 10 Unforgettable MTV Moments1996: At age 15, Britney lands her first solo record deal with Jive.
1998: Britney releases her debut smash single, "...Baby One More Time," and while it was a massive hit, what really catapulted her into the public consciousness (and fantasy) was the accompanying now-iconic music video released several months later, which saw her wearing an ultra short schoolgirl skirt, donning pigtail braids and engaging in rather suggestive school-hall dance numbers. Soon after, she's linked to fellow Mousketeer and *NSync runt Justin Timberlake, though the couple are urged by their management to both keep their relationship quiet and announce that they planned to abstain from sex until marriage. Um, best-laid plans.
MORE: What's fellow mama Jamie Lynn up to?
1999: At 17 years old, Britney releases her first album and tests the bounds of both the stretching power of spandex and the patience of conservative parents everywhere. It's in this year that she nabs her first Rolling Stone cover, which not only sparks controversy for showing the teen reclining in her underwear, but sparks rumors that the bustier-than-remembered singer had gotten breast implants.
2000: Britney releases her second album, "Oops!...I Did It Again," which sells more than 1.3 million copies its debut week. She also takes to the MTV VMA stage donning a nude, sheer, bedazzled body suit. Don't remember it? J.Lo sure does.
Slideshow: The Spears years (on this page)January 2001: Seven words: Britney. Justin. American Music Awards. Matching denim. Later that month, she performs alongside *NSync and Aerosmith during the halftime show at "Super Bowl XXXV."
Fall 2001: Britney's third album, "Britney," arrives, and while sales are still massive, they show signs of dipping from the strength of her previous two. Her watercooler quotient is as high as ever, though, which she ensures by taking to the VMA stage to perform "I'm a Slave 4 U," this time accompanied by an albino snake whose writhing is rivaled only by that of Spears herself.
MORE: Britney tweets condolences after concertgoer's tragic death
2002: Britstin? Justney? Whatever they would have been called (and thank God they decoupled before the advent of the one-named wonders), Britney and Justin break up. Teenage girls everywhere rejoice and Britney is villainized after Justin's "Cry Me a River" is released and seems to indicate that infidelity (paging Wade Robson) was to blame for their split.
2002: The same year, the newly single Spears takes on her first acting role, the widely-panned "Crossroads."
Story: Justin Timberlake attends Marine Corps ballSeptember 2003: For the third year in a row, Britney creates a sensation at the MTV VMAs, sharing the stage (and some saliva) with Madonna and Christina Aguilera. She also releases her fourth album, "In the Zone" and takes the opportunity to present a birthday cake to Michael Jackson, which he infamously misinterpreted as an award for Artist of the Millennium. Which doesn't exist.
Nov. 17, 2003: Spears receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Jan. 3, 2004: The start of something not so good. Spears shocks the world by tying the knot with her childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander in a quickie wedding in Las Vegas. A few days later, the marriage is annulled.
MORE: Check out Britney's controversial video!
June 2004: Her fourth world tour is canceled when Spears suffers a debilitating knee injury while filming the music video for "Outrageous."
Sept. 18, 2004: At the age of 22, she marries backup dancer Kevin Federline.
2005: Not content to let the tabloid press do the dirty work for her, Britney makes strides in taking herself off whatever pedestal she was on (inadvertent though that may have been) by turning her home video footage into the UPN reality show Britney and Kevin: Chaotic. And it was.
Sept. 14, 2005: She gives birth to her first son, Sean Preston Federline.
June 2006: After a string of questionable, caught-on-camera maternal missteps, Britney sits down with Matt Lauer for an emotional interview defending her mothering skills and her marriage. It doesn't help her case all that much.
Sept. 12, 2006: Her second son, son Jayden James, is born.
Nov. 6, 2006: Britney files for divorce from K-Fed and immediately begins making the social rounds with Paris Hilton ? and thus begins a string of questionable moves, associations and an alarmingly long period of underwear aversion.
MORE: Just how big is Britney on Twitter?!
February 2007: Britney shaves her head and attacks a paparazzi car with an umbrella. The next day, she checks into rehab.
March 2007: She checks out. All better?
September 2007: Clearly not prepared to get back into the spotlight, she opens the MTV VMAs with a trainwreck performance of "Gimme More."
Jan. 3, 2008: A low point. Britney locks herself in her bathroom with son Jayden James. Police, ambulances and helicopters swarm the property and she's removed via gurney and taken to a hospital, where she forcibly returns under a 5150 hold and is ultimately stripped of her custody. Her parents blame Sam Lutfi, her self-styled manager, for drugging and confusing the star.
Feb. 1, 2008: Jamie Spears is granted a temporary conservatorship over his daughter and her affairs, which lasts to this day.
MORE: 10 Best Weddings Ever!
March 2008: Comeback time! Britney pops up in a guest-starring role as a receptionist on "How I Met Your Mother."
July 16, 2008: Federline is awarded full custody of their two sons, with visitation rights only given to Spears.
September 2008: Britney's comeback album, "Circus," is released. She spends much of the next year on a world tour.
May 2010: Spears confirms that she's coupled up with her former agent Jason Trawick by taking him as her date to the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Sept. 28, 2010: Britney guest stars on "Glee."
March 29, 2011: Britney's seventh studio album, "Femme Fatale," is released and becomes her sixth No. 1 album.
MORE: What'll happen to Britney and Justin's music?
September 2011: Armed and scandalous! Britney and Trawick costar in Spears' "Criminal" music video, which causes controversy in London for depicting the duo ransacking a local store in the wake of the British riots.
August 2011: Britney's career is back in fine form as she accepts multiple awards at the Video Music Awards and even gamely appears onstage alongside Lady Gaga's alter ego Jo Calderrone.
FASHION SPOTLIGHT: Britney Spears
Fall 2011: Rumors reach a fever pitch that Trawick is planning on becoming the third Mr. Spears and gearing up to pop the question to his longtime girlfriend. Both sides deny. For now.
Dec. 2, 2011: Britney turns 30! Here's to another newsworthy decade.
? 2011 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45521876/ns/today-entertainment/
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Media business chiefs brace for bleak 2012 (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Top media executives across North America and Europe are bracing for a global economic slowdown in 2012, and are already surrendering to demands by advertisers that they offer shorter-term, flexible deals in case of another crisis.
After finally increasing advertising spending -- the lifeblood of the media business -- corporations have yet to show any sign that they are cutting budgets as they did in dramatic fashion between 2007 and 2008.
Still, executives who attended the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York, London and Paris this week said advertisers have turned more cautious in recent months and want to protect against uncertainty around the euro zone's future and political gamesmanship in the United States.
Globally, advertising deals and other business partnerships are being re-assessed and reworked, meaning deals that would normally run for six or nine months are now being shortened to just two or three months -- or less.
"It's very short-term thinking," said David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines. "There was a time when advertisers would commit three or four print issues at a time four or five months out. People are now committing a month or two out."
This fall, markets around the world suffered through weeks of turmoil as fears of an unraveling of the euro zone mounted with little sign of a settlement until the last minute. The result for corporations was a rethinking of previous plans, including how they would spend advertising money, among the most economically sensitive parts of any budget.
"You just can't run your business on the basis that something will turn up, so you have to plan on the basis that it doesn't turn up," said Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive
of WPP, the world's largest advertising holding company.
"So you think about what legally and contractually it is going to mean. You also say 'I'm going to run my balance sheet as conservatively as possible,'" he said.
CHICKENS COMING HOME
Jacki Kelley, global CEO of Interpublic Group's Universal McCann, was among those who said that advertisers had taken a noticeably "more cautious approach" in recent months.
"Advertisers are still hanging in there," she said. "While there hasn't been a significant pullback, there has been a shorter-term, more cautious approach."
Kelley, whose media agency's clients include Microsoft Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp, is expecting U.S. advertising to climb a modest 2-3 percent next year, with worldwide spending at a healthier 5 percent growth rate.
Several European executives, meanwhile, said they had high hopes the Euro zone issues would be resolved in time.
"Is it the apocalypse? I don't think so, said Maurice Levy, chief executive of Publicis, the third-largest advertising holding company in the world. "There are some serious issues, very serious issues. Can we find a solution? I am hopeful for a lot of reasons."
One bright spot is that corporate balance sheets in countries like the United States remain healthy. According to Federal Reserve data, there is more than $2 trillion on S&P 500 companies' balance sheets which is not being plowed directly back into the U.S. economy.
The question is how to spend the cash: A number of executives complained this week that solid decisions were impossible given the bitter atmosphere and political gridlock in Washington.
"I'm critical in a bipartisan way, it's pretty problematic," said Strauss Zelnick, chief executive of video game company Take Two Interactive and private equity firm Zelnick Media.
Zelnick, who called himself a liberal Democrat, said he believed that President Barack Obama's administration has "demonized capitalism."
A number of companies have used their cash to repurchase stock, and have come under criticism for not investing that money in growth and hiring. The U.S. unemployment rate has hovered above 9 percent for much of the past 18 months, though new numbers on Friday showed it had dipped to 8.6 percent.
Zelnick, however, pointed out that a closer look at the unemployment picture reveals a growing divide between classes.
"We have some really bad structural issues that are the chickens coming home to roost, no wonder people are camping out in Zuccotti Park," said Zelnick.
(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke, additional reporting by Liana B. Baker, Lisa Richwine and Peter Lauria in New York; Kate Holton and Georgina Prodhan in London ; Editing by Paul Thomasch, Dave Zimmerman)
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Friday, December 2, 2011
The 2012 Grammy Nominees Revealed ... Possibly
Adele, Kanye West and more Grammy guesses, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery
Adele
Photo: Getty Images
On Wednesday night (November 30), CBS will officially kick off the self-congratulatory season with "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!," an emphatically titled extravaganza that not only features performances from some of music's biggest stars (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Usher, etc.), but also boosts the network's burgeoning LL Cool J branch by something like 20 percent, since he's taking leave from "NCIS" duties to host the telecast.
Oh, and as the title implies, they'll also be unveiling a handful of Grammy nominees too, which means that, once again, it's time for me to blindly speculate on who will get the nods. After all, it was less than 10 months ago that acts like the Arcade Fire and Esperanza Spalding shocked the world — or at least Steve Stoute — by taking home half of the so-called "Big Four" Grammys, victories that seemed out of place in just about every conceivable way, especially when you realize Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and the Kings of Leon were the big winners at the previous year's show (though it should be noted people were still plenty mad about that too).
Combine that annual confusion with everything that goes on before the show — the addition of the so-called "Lady Gaga Rule," the subtraction of some 30 categories (farewell, Best Hawaiian Music Album) and the expansion (and subsequent contraction) of the Grammy eligibility period itself — and you can understand why trying to predict who will pick up nominations is nearly as impossible as attempting to figure out Herman Cain's taste in women.
Then again, perhaps this year is different. You'd have to be crazy to bet against Adele, who not only has the year's best-selling album and a pair of smash singles, but, as her previous Grammy wins prove, is exactly the kind of artist voters love. Katy Perry built off her Grammy noms last year by notching three #1 singles this year; Rihanna had two of her own. Lady Gaga sold 1.1 million albums in a week. Nicki Minaj broke through to the big time. Taylor Swift continued to be Taylor Swift. In short, 2011 was a year dominated by female artists, which means you can probably expect the same from the Grammy nominations too.
Then again, keep in mind there are a bunch of albums released last year that are eligible this year — efforts like Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Bruno Mars' Doo Wops & Hooligans — not to mention token old-dude releases by Tony Bennett and Paul Simon. And don't forget about country acts like Lady Antebellum and Jason Aldean. Or time-tested (Grammy-rich) rock outfits like Foo Fighters or Coldplay. Things aren't as cut-and-dried as you'd figure. These are the Grammys after all.
So here, without further ado, are my nomination predictions. And even though the Grammys cut back on categories, I'm just focusing on the Big Four: Album, Record and Song of the Year, plus Best New Artist. Cut me some slack — it's hard enough trying to sort through everyone who's even eligible.
Album of the Year
» Adele, 21
» Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
» Lady Gaga, Born This Way
» Taylor Swift, Speak Now
» Tony Bennett Duets II
Like I said, Adele is a mortal-friggin'-lock here (and just about everywhere else), and since Gaga's last two efforts picked up AOTY noms, I think Born This Way is a shoo-in too. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was a critical smash, and Kanye's been an AOTY nominee three times before, so pencil him in too. In a pinch, I'll take Taylor Swift and Tony Bennett in the last two slots, though they could easily go to Lady Antebellum's Own the Night and Simon's So Beautiful or So What, depending on the whims of Grammy voters. Having said all that, it wouldn't surprise me to see Doo Wops & Hooligans or the Foos' Wasting Light grab a nom either.
Record of the Year
» Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
» Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
» Foster the People, "Pumped Up Kicks"
» Jason Aldean (featuring Kelly Clarkson), "Don't You Wanna Stay"
» Katy Perry, "Firework"
The award given to the artist, producer and mixer. Last year, Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" bested the likes of B.o.B, Jay-Z and Eminem to win it, so the voters like to mix it up here. "Rolling in the Deep" is a no-brainer, and Bruno Mars was nommed last year for his work on "Nothin' on You," so I think he gets a nod for "Grenade." Katy Perry's "Firework" has been pushed hard by her label, so voters will probably reward its success with a nomination. I have a sneaking suspicion Foster the People are this year's token left-field nom (taking their place alongside former nominees like M.I.A. and Gorillaz), and since he's performing at the aforementioned nominations concert (and because his song was such a hit), I'll give the final slot to Aldean. Other dark-horse candidates include Gaga's "Yoü and I," Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera's "Moves Like Jagger," Coldplay's "Paradise" or even (pleasepleaseplease) Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass."
Song of the Year
» Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
» Bruno Mars, "Grenade"
» Katy Perry, "Firework"
» Lady Gaga, "Yoü and I"
» Taylor Swift, "Back to December"
The award given to the actual songwriters. Generally speaking, Grammy voters like to get classy when it comes to nominees, which is why last year you saw folks like Ray LaMontagne and Miranda Lambert snag nods. I don't even have to tell you that "Rolling in the Deep" is the favorite, and I think Gaga gets a nod here too, since she was nominated for "Poker Face" a few years back and, well, "Yoü and I" just has a certain gravitas to it. Voters love Swift, which means they'll probably love her mature turn on "December" too. I'll give Mars and Perry the final slots here, since the former knows how to write a surefire smash and the latter (or, more specifically, her team of writers) dared to get inspirational with "Firework." Then again, you could remove either of them and put defending champs Lady Antebellum (they won this one too) in the mix for "Just a Kiss" or maybe Aldean. A super long shot is Minaj's "Super Bass," but stranger things have happened.
Best New Artist
» The Band Perry
» Bon Iver
» Ellie Goulding
» Foster the People
» Nicki Minaj
Ah, Best New Artist — where "new" is a relative term. You've probably noticed I keep mentioning Nicki Minaj, who may get shut out of Record and Song of the Year, but seems like a lock to get nommed here (she probably won't win, though). Foster the People seem like sure bets too, as do the Band Perry, who fill the token country slot. My last two picks — eh, I'm basically just guessing, though Bon Iver's album sold surprisingly well and was a critical darling, and Ellie Goulding is, uh, British, and given that both Adele and Amy Winehouse won BNA previously, that may be enough to get her in. Other choices: the other Brit, Jessie J; the other country act, the Civil Wars; pop-meisters Hot Chelle Rae; singer/songwriter Christina Perri; or pintsize "America's Got Talent" runner-up Jackie Evancho.
Did we get it right? Share your Grammy predictions in the comments!
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675089/2012-grammy-nominees-predictions.jhtml
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HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite
The HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite ($1,564 direct) is the small business version of HP's flagship TouchSmart desktop PC. It has the same chassis, touch screen, and most of the same internal components as the consumer TouchSmart 610 line. It's a great system if you're going to be developing touch apps for your business or business clients.
Design and Features
Aside from the lack of Beats Audio logos, the 9300 Elite is visually identical to the HP TouchSmart 610-1065qd ($1,789.99 list, 5 stars) and HP TouchSmart 610-1150y ($1,199.99 list, 4.5 stars) that preceded the business model. The desktop has the same 23-inch widescreen that displays in 1,920-by-1,080 resolution (true 1080p), with the same two-finger multi-touch screen. All three have the same forward five-degree tilt and tilbackwards 60 degree tilt, which provides a much more ergonomic way to navigate than trying to reach straight out towards a vertical screen on your desk. The speaker bar even functions as an impromptu palm rest. The tilting mechanism and stand work together to give you a solid, bounce-free workspace, unlike the Cybernet iOne-H5 ($1,177 direct, 3 stars), which suffered from a wobbly screen during touch operations. The TouchSmart 9300 Elite also comes with a slim wireless keyboard and mouse.
Like most all-in-one PCs, the TouchSmart 9300 Elite doesn't have much interior expansion room. IT folks should be able to easily open the chassis to service the hard drive and memory slots. There are two free SO-DIMM slots for memory expansion. On the outside, the 9300 Elite has seven USB 2.0 ports (two on the left side, four in the back, and one semi-hidden port for the keyboard/mouse receiver). The system also has the usual audio ports, Ethernet port, media card reader, and a DisplayPort for external monitors. The system lacks faster eSATA and USB 3.0 ports, which would help if you regularly use external hard drives for backups or file transfer from one system to another. Another port that the TouchSmart 9300 Elite lacks is some sort of video input. A DisplayPort-in or HDMI-in port would be a boon for the multi-computer worker, since they could plug their laptop into the 9300 Elite to get a bigger screen. It could also extend your investment, since HDMI and DisplayPort-in lets you reuse the system as an external monitor when the PC internals become obsolete. You'd certainly expect it in a system that costs more than $1,500.
The desktop comes with a slot-loading Blu-ray reader/DVD burner drive, which is fine. For most business situations, I'd go with the cheaper DVD burner option. As configured here, the 9300 Elite works as a good touch development system, a great receptionist/office worker system, or excellent as a kiosk or shared PC. The system has 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, but unfortunately no 5GHz 802.11a/n support, which may or may not be important depending on your company's wireless routers.
The 9300 Elite's 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive comes with quite a bit of extra software, some of it shared with the consumer-grade TouchSmart 610; the big difference is that the selection of pre-installed software has a business angle. There's the usual TouchSmart overlay, Blio ebook reader, and a copy of Office 2010 Starter edition. The 9300 Elite also comes with HP's business software, like HP Power Assistant, HP Virtual Rooms (conferencing), Syncables Desktop SE (file sync), Huddle (collaboration/project management), and Xobni (contact and email management). Like other Windows 7 Professional systems, the 9300 Elite also comes with Virtual PC, so you can continue to run in-house business apps that only work with Windows XP. If you must fully run XP or Vista, HP has driver support for the 9300 Elite, though your IT folk may have to build their own disk image for the systems. The system comes with a paltry 15-day trial subscription to Norton Internet Security. Hopefully, your business has plans to upgrade to the full version post-haste.
Performance
The TouchSmart 9300 Elite can accommodate a wide selection of Intel processors, though our review unit came with the top SKU Intel Core i7-2600 processor, 8GB of memory, and a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 425M graphics card. This combo is good for speedy Handbrake video encoding (1 minutes 16 seconds) and fast Photoshop CS5 (3:14) work. These are near the top of the heap in the all-in-one segment, thanks to the i7-2600 processor, which is usually found in high-end tower PCs. The system also leads the class in PCMark 7 scores (2,970 points). It's faster than the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 91z ($1,386 direct, 3.5 stars) (1,948 points) and Editors' Choice Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,199 list, 4.5 stars) (2,581). The TouchSmart 9300 Elite is a system to satisfy that worker that thinks that any PC aside from a huge tower "isn't fast enough."
The configuration we reviewed came with a Nvidia GeForce GT 425M discrete graphics card. The card helped the system run our 3D game tests and 3DMark11 with modest results. Your business users are more likely to use the 3D graphics to view still images and renders like those in CAD/CAM or architectural plans. Suffice to say it's fast enough for these purposes.
The TouchSmart 9300 Elite is a great choice for the business that needs to develop or deploy touch-enabled applications. It has a more powerful processor and sturdier screen than the Cybernet iOne-H5, though the Cybernet is a bit cheaper. It's more business oriented than the consumer-grade TouchSmart 610-1065qd and 610-1150y. That said, I've seen the TouchSmart 610 models installed in hotel business centers, and they work just fine. For the enthusiast or graphics worker who deals in graphics, systems like the Sony VAIO VPC-L231FX/W ($999.99 list, 4.5 stars), iMac 21.5-inch, and Apple iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,999 list, 4 stars) are better choices due to features like audio and video inputs (for the Sony), and better 2D and 3D computing power (for the iMacs).
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:
COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite with several other desktops side by side.
More desktop reviews:
??? HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite
??? Polywell Poly ITX-Z6800
??? Asus Essentio CM1740-04
??? Acer AM3470-UC30P
??? HP TouchSmart 520-1047c
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/i-ZIEQRRqCc/0,2817,2396920,00.asp
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