"The massive data breaches at Sony and the US organisers of the X-Factor reality television show, indicate cyber criminals may be changing tactics, says security firm SecureEnvoy. The hack of the Fox television network's database of competition entrants is the latest in a string of attacks on corporate servers to extract personal data, suggesting cybercriminals are now building information profiles on people, rather than developing frauds around available credentials, says Andy Kemshall, technical director of SecurEnvoy...."

The 18th annual Race to Erase MS surfed the zeitgeist this year, tying together three prominent strands of pop culture into one high-energy quilt. Friday’s fund-raiser for the Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel—one of the biggest events on L.A.’s social calendar, scoring an impressive $2 million for research—celebrated two new beginnings: the British royal marriage of William and Kate and the launch of Andrew Charles, a new rock fashion brand owned by Davis’s longtime event co-host, Tommy Hilfiger, and his brother, Andy.

The third thread? Why, two of the biggest shapers of global consciousness, of course: Fox’s American Idol and ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, which each donated a passel of celebrities and passes to their finales to the live auction. (They brought in $7,000 and $20,000, respectively, with two bidders ponying up $10,000 for passes to Dancing.) Mindy Weiss Party Consultants handled the decor.

Spearheaded by the hands-on Davis (a member of Hollywood royalty herself, as the daughter of the late oil billionaire and 20th Century Fox owner Marvin Davis) and foundation C.O.O. Liz Seares, the “Rock & Royalty” gala branded itself with kitschy mementos of the wedding that place only hours before—plastic tiaras dotted the silent auction and dinner tables. Kate and William look- and dress-alikes posed for photos in front of a white carriage decked out in white silk flowers in the silent auction area. The couple returned to the stage during the live auction to model an instant knockoff of Kate’s Alexander McQueen wedding gown, created by ABS’s Allen Schwartz, known for his copies of Oscar dresses. The dress is being auctioned on charitybuzz.com until May 16. 

Madrid.- La Embajada de Colombia en España y la Fundación Madrid Film Comission han organizado hoy el Primer Encuentro de Productores Madrid-Colombia para potenciar la coproducción entre España y el que han considerado "diamante en bruto" de la cinematografía Latinoamericana.

Con Angie Cepeda y Juana Acosta triunfando como rostros televisivos y Sergio Cabrera detrás de "Cuéntame", o con la coproducción "Rabia", rodada en España con gran parte de capital colombiano, el intercambio de talentos ha alcanzado un flujo natural, según Michel Ruben, de Dinamo Films.

En este primer encuentro -al que también han asistido productores españoles como Gerardo Herrero o Puy Oria- los organizadores han querido hacer hincapié en las ventajas fiscales que ofrece la Ley de Cine de Colombia desde 2003, abierta a la inversión de capital privado con beneficios fiscales, y el beneficio de la etiqueta española para estrenar cine colombiano en Europa.

"El cine está globalizado pero muy saturado y la coproducción es la mejor vía para poder producir hoy en día", ha explicado a Efe Ruben.

Este productor trabaja ya en dos nuevos proyectos entre España y Colombia: "El callejón", el debut como director del guionista habitual de Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, y "La cara oculta", de Andy Baiz.

Ruben define Colombia como "un país sin tradición cinematográfica, pero abierto y flexible a nuevas propuestas" y con una variedad temática que va más allá del tópico del narcotráfico.

Por su parte, Manuel Soria, director técnico de la Madrid Film Comission, ha señalado a Efe que Colombia es "el diamante en bruto de la cinematografía latinoamericana", no solo como lugar en el que abaratar costes de producción, sino por sus recursos técnicos y artísticos.

Formatos como "Betty la fea" o "Sin tetas no hay paraíso" han demostrado su flexibilidad para ser adaptadas con éxito a los mercados estadounidense y español, y Soria afirma que "Fox y Disney están abriendo estudios de su propiedad en Colombia".

Puy Oria, productora de cintas como "No tengas miedo", de Montxo Armendáriz, ha señalado a Efe que en los últimos seis años se habían coproducido cinco películas, y seis el año pasado.

La razón: los incentivos fiscales que ofrece la legislación colombiana, ya no se produce "el desfase de moneda" que hacía inviable una inversión del 20 % (la mínima para la coproducción) sobre los dos o tres millones de euros de presupuesto medio de un filme español.

"Durante años nos hemos estado perdiendo a uno de los mejores socios en Latinoamérica", ha explicado Oria, quien, ahora que se ha activado la negociación entre productores, advierte de que el siguiente paso debe ser la distribución.

"Es la asignatura pendiente. Esperemos que al digitalización de salas ayude a difundir todas estas películas", ha concluido. EFE

A Vanity Fair article expertly shows how News International tried to close down the damaging saga

New readers who aren't yet up to speed with the phone-hacking saga, assuming they are any left, should read a long article on the subject written by former Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah Ellison, published in Vanity Fair on Thursday.

It's beautifully written and expertly constructed, as you might expect, and although it doesn't contain any new revelations, it does accurately summarise News International's thinking on how best to close down the affair.

Firstly (and these are my words), wait for Andy Coulson to resign as David Cameron's most senior aides, which depoliticised the story by ending daily calls from the Labour party for his removal. Some speculate that senior NI executives urged this course of action on Coulson for that very reason, of course.

Secondly, hold tight until the government approves parent company News Corporation's proposed takeover of BSkyB, which would give commercial competitors, including Guardian Media Group, publisher of the Guardian, one less reason to investigate the scandal, having fought and lost a battle to prevent the deal winning regulatory approval.

In truth, that was fanciful, since the phone-hacking story, as Ellison so eloquently describes, is far too compelling for any news organisation to abandon. The Guardian and others would have pursued it just as vigorously regardless of whether News Corp had bid for BSkyB or not. Indeed, the Guardian investigation began in July 2009, many months before the takeover bid was launched.

Attempting to settle the growing number of civil cases is the final part of a three-pronged plan. It is currently being implemented after many months of planning. Some litigants will settle, but many more are likely to come out of the woodwork now that £100,000 or so is the set price for compensation for anyone who can demonstrate their phone was hacked.

The scheme could end up costing News International tens of millions. The company can afford it, but the reputational damage it will suffer may take longer to repair. In her piece, Ellison points out that the saga has reveberated in the US, where opposition to News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch has grown stronger as Fox News's power has grown.

Separately, former executives at the UK arm of Murdoch's empire insist that News Corp non-executives, based in New York, are said to be appalled at the manner in which a small clique of managers in London have mishandled the entire hacking affair.

That will not prevent Murdoch from standing by News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, or ensuring his son James, recently promoted and moving from London to New York, succeeds him. But it may well give the News Corp board, and the company's shareholders, a powerful incentive to argue that the group's future would safer if it were in the hands of a more experienced executive such as Chase Carey.

Murdoch has always got his way in the past, but a retiring Murdoch may be easier to overrule for the simple reason he won't be around to complain about it. If hacking prevented Murdoch from fulfilling his final corporate wish – keeping News Corp in the family – it would be an incredible end to a remarkable story.

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

BLEECK HOUSE

Good news, readers: The Fiver's STOP FOOTBALL campaign, and equally prominent TORTURE METAPHORS - NOT ANIMALS campaign, will get more heavyweight backing tonight when Barcelona and Real Madrid meet in the latest instalment of El Fiasco and no doubt proceed to present further compelling evidence that football has jumped the shark, killed the golden goose and flogged the dead horse, while continuing to give far too comfy a living to a contemptible bunch of chicken-chokers.

These diving divas have done much in recent weeks to definitively replace football's Wow! Factor with the now-dominant Waaaaaaaaaaah! Factor, but tonight, like US Navy Seals storming an Abbottabad compound, they're going to take another shot at their target anyway just for the hell of it.

It is the negligence of the governing bodies, of course, that has done most to slay the sport; their refusal to take effective action against endemic in-game cheating and time-wasting allowing cads, cynics and cretins to hijack and snuff out the game. Perhaps as some kind of belated, typically feeble gesture. Uefa has named the referee of tonight's fiasco as Franck de Bleeckere, who is also a public relations manager, but if it thinks the Belgian can use any of his PR knowhow to restore football's image while the so-called best players on the planet jump and roll and jab and wail and scam all around him, figuratively and sometimes literally sticking two-fingers up at the swindled folk who'd paid to see them showcase their supposed skills, then Uefa's fat cats are as stupid as they look.

"I don't know what Madrid to expect," said Pep Guardiola to a journalist, presumably before hurling himself to the ground and tearfully claiming to have been maimed by the microphone. "They have such a strong team and so many players that they can play in several ways," insisted Guardiola, as - in the background - a Portuguese driver started backing up a large bus outside Camp Nou.

• Join Paul Doyle for live MBM coverage of Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid (2-1 agg) from 7.30pm.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Mathematically we are not there yet, we've got another game to go but we are in a good position" - with Southampton three points clear and 17 goals to the good over nearest League One automatic promotion rivals Huddersfield with one game to go, boss Nigel Adkins isn't counting his chickens. Still, given his previous with getting ahead of himself ...

PROMOTION FOR THE JILTED GENERATION

Gather up your Pogs, stick that Stiltskin CD in your Discman, pour yourself a refreshing glass of Tab Clear, and don that faded Global Hypercolor T-shirt. That's right – it's time to party like it's 1994, because Norwich City will be joining QPR in the Premier League (well, probably, but we'll come back to that). Yesterday afternoon, uber-chokers Cardiff crumbled to defeat against Middlesbrough, putting promotion on a plate for the Canaries, which they gobbled up like seed. A 1-0 win at Fratton Park was enough to take Norwich back into the top flight.

"It's a miracle. What has been achieved by the players, by that group of lads has been monumental," gasped City manager Paul Lambert before contradicting himself – "I don't think you can get a word to describe what has been achieved" – then rallying – "It's absolutely incredible what has happened here. Just to stay in the Championship would have been a great achievement but to actually go up beggars belief."

Having carefully put together a team with old bits of Coventry, Peterborough, Gillingham and Brighton, Lambert is now hotter property than a flaming bungalow in the Sahara. And he could yet have a title on his CV. QPR's FA hearing into the whos, whys, wheres and whatfors of Alejandro Faurlin's move to Loftus Road began today, with no one daring to bet on an outcome which could yet range from a oh-you-naughty-boys-what-are-you-like? slap on the wrists to a proper shoeing in the form of a hefty and potentially promotion-costing points deduction.

The Fiver has always been an all-or-nothing tea-time email, and we're too old in the tooth to change now. As such the only outcomes we want to see are either the removal of every point earned with the Argentinian in the side – a 77-point penalty that would, in the sort of ironic twist that would have Alanis Morissette warbling like a dying skylark, likely save Sheffield United from relegation – or a not-guilty verdict that would leave us to our early-90s-retro reminiscing on the sepia-tinged days of Trevor Sinclair, Les Ferdinand, Andy Sinton, Jeremy Goss, Ruel Fox and Ian Culverhouse.

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FIVER LETTERS

"I can't tell you how happy I am that Stop Football has been officially resurrected (Thursday's Fiver). The players, management and fans of Swindon Town have kept the faith this season when others doubted" - Paul White.

"Re: the Stop Football campaign and last Wednesday's match being 'the most depressing event in the history of mankind'. I didn't get that impression from the atmosphere at Craven Cottage - although it may have been a different story for the Bolton fans" - Marisa Cardoni.

"Robbie Savage is retiring and we need a new hero. Can I nominate the Scottish version: Darren Fletcher. Someone who is one-paced (slow), runs about a lot, kicks people and thinks he is a great player. Nominations for the Robbie Savage big boot award sought" - Peter Lamprell.

Send your letters to the.boss@guardian.co.uk. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver.

BITS AND BOBS

Ref's ref Pierluigi Collina will be dropped in like US Navy, etc and so on to observe tonight's Barcelona-Real Madrid Big Cup tie.

Pint-sized bongo baron and West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has admitted he didn't turn up to see his team at Man City because he is sick of watching them lose. "We are not £20,000 to £60,000-a-week footballers," sobbed multi-millionaire Sullivan (net worth £350m, according to the 2009 Sunday Times rich list). "Like us, the bulk of the West Ham United supporters preferred to watch it on TV."

A Madrid court has confirmed Bolton defender Marcos Alonso was involved in a fatal traffic accident on Monday and is being investigated for charges including drunk driving and reckless homicide.

And Wayne Rooney missed training today ahead of Manchester United's Big Cup meeting with Schalke. Having said that, given Schalke's performance last week United can probably do without him.

STILL WANT MORE?

Balkan housewives' favourite Jonathan Wilson throws his hat into the ring to become Norman Wisdom's successor with this piece on the ins and outs of Albanian football culture.

Scott Parker stars as Spider-Man, Leonardo DiCaprio and a mermaid in this week's Gallery

Real Madrid's feud with Barcelona has finally gone digital, says Paul Hayward, as a tittering Xavi tags a picture of a camel on Facebook as "Gonzalo Higuaín".

The failure of Manchester United to seize the initiative means the title run-in will be fraught, anxious and potentially entertaining, says Kevin McCarra pulling fraught, anxious and potentially entertaining faces, in that order.

Dominic Fifield has thought of five factors that will influence United v Chelsea on Sunday.

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While attendees at another post-WHCD party struggled to gain admittance due to their host’s chronic and unapologetic guest list failures, MSNBC’s guests breezed though check-in and down a sprawling red carpet to the Italian Embassy.  Rather than watching celebrities make their way to an isolated VIP space, MSNBC’s guests rubbed elbows with the likes of Glee’s Jayne Lynch, SNL’s Andy Samberg, Valerie Jarrett, Meghan McCain, Eliot Spitzer, Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), Bristol Palin with aunt Molly McCann and Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL).

Perhaps the weekend’s best event, MSNBC’s soiree drew a huge array of journalists – many from competitive networks.   CNN was represented by Ed Henry and Shirley Hung Henry, Edie Emery, Mark Whitaker, Sam Feist, Roland Martin, David Bohrman, and Christa Robinson.  We spotted ABC’s Rick Klein, Jim Sciutto and Polson Kanneth, as well as CBS’s Christine Delargy.  Fox News anchor Bret Baier was there.   And so was Greta Van Susteren who made quite an entrance when she and husband John Coale appeared with Todd and Sarah Palin.  The family Palin was swarmed by cameras and party-goers only moments before Cee Lo Green took the stage to perform a short set including his hit song “F**k You.”  As Palin posed for what seemed like thousands of photos, Todd, Bristol and Molly conversed with the hoards of guests who circled their corner table.

“We’re still getting used to this,” Sarah’s sister Molly admitted to FishbowlDC.  “But I find it kind of exciting because I’m not around it all the time,” she added.

As we turned away, we nearly bumped into WaPo‘s Ezra Klein who was doing a drive-by “Mean Girls” impression.  The liberal blogger laughed out loud and rolled his eyes as he passed by Palin-palooza.  Back on the dance floor, another former governor was getting a different kind of attention from Kiki Ryan.  The fearless reporter’s blonde ambition must have been in overdrive on Saturday because we hear she tried to persuade Eliot Spitzer to shake his groove thing.  He kindly declined.

Besides our favorite celebrity bartender and TV host Rachel Maddow who spent the evening slinging drinks, NBCers like Luke Russert, Kelly O’Donnell, Domenico Montanaro, Phil Griffin, Tanya Hayre, Ed Schultz, Dylan Ratigan, Erika Masonhall, Betsy Fischer, Savannah Guthrie and Contessa Brewer were among the guests gifted Starbucks swag, a slice of pizza and bottle of Fiji as they left the fete in the morning’s wee hours.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Raul of Bayoooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooone! The Sunday night 0-fer brought Ibanez’s current offensive draught to 34 straight at-bats without a hit. As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, that puts Ibanez in the radar area of some all-time ineffective streaks and just another impotent week away from breaking baseball’s record for at-bats by a position player without a hit. That mark currently belong to Brooklyn’s Bill Bergen, who went 46 straight at-bats in 1909 without recording a hit of any kind. From the Philly Inquirer:   In the last 20 years, Ibanez’s streak ranks ninth:   1. Dann Howitt — 43 AB (1992)   2. Andy Fox — 40 AB (2004)   3. Rey Ordonez — 37 AB (1997)   4. Mark Smith — 37 AB (1997-98)   5. Gerald Williams — 36 AB (2001-03)   6. Jose Gonzalez — 35 AB (1990-91)   7. Phil Stephenson — 35 AB (1992)   8. Wil Nieves(notes) — 35 AB (2002-07) With Ibanez’s season average weighing an anemic .154 and his OBP resting at a sickly .238, it’s safe to say that the 38-year-old has become a sizable anchor on the Phillies lineup. And while I hate to see him struggle as he’s one of the classier players in the game, it’s probably time to follow Matt Snyder of CBS Sports’ advice and do what’s best for the team: Admit that Ibanez is a sunk cost at this point, slide Ben Francisco over to left and restart the Dominic Brown era in right when he’s ready to go.

President Obama announced late last night that he had authorized a military mission to kill the world’s most wanted terrorist. “Last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.” In response, conservative leaders and pundits rushed to heap praise on the president — President Bush, that is:

– Majority Whip Eric Cantor: “I commend President Obama who has followed the vigilance of President Bush in bringing Bin Laden to justice.” [Link]

– Former Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card: “[Bush] made sure everything was in place so that President Obama could have an opportunity to get Osama bin Laden.” [Link]

Other conservatives used the opportunity to advance their national security agendas, claiming the mission vindicated controversial Bush policies on everything from unilateralism to torture:

– Rep. Steve King (R-IA) tweeted, “Wonder what President Obama thinks of water boarding now?” — an allusion to the fact that the nickname of the courier who served bin Laden may have been elicited under tortured interrogation. [Link]

– Former Bush adviser Karl Rove said on Fox & Friends this morning: “I think the tools that President Bush put into place –- GITMO, rendition, enhanced interrogation, the vast effort to collect and collate this information — obviously served his successor quite well.”

– Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld noted that the critical intelligence that led to bin Laden’s death “very well could have been partly a result of the interviews that took place at Guantanamo.” [Link]

– Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulner, wrote in a blog post, “Bin Laden’s elimination vindicates U.S. strategy in the region, started under President George W. Bush.” [Link]

– John Yoo, Bush legal adviser who wrote “torture memos”: “Without the tough decisions taken by President Bush and his national security team, the United States could not have found and killed bin Laden. It is the continuity of policies in the war on terror that has brought success, not the misguided effort of the last two years to disavow them.” [Link]

Meanwhile, some pundits went even further, criticizing President Obama for not giving his predecessor enough credit:

– Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin tweeted, “U know who Obama forgot 2 thank? Bush-era interrogators&detention staff who dvlped intel re couriers.” [Link]

– Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham tweeted, “BHO turning this into a campaign speech. He should have thanked GWB, not reminded us OB escaped.” She was also suspicious of the timing of the announcement, asking, “Did Obama WH wait to announce on anniv of Bush ‘Mission Accomplished’?!” [Link, link]

– Tea Party Nation head Judson Phillips “said that the death of Osama bin Laden happened in spite of President Obama and criticized the President for announcing the breaking news during Donald Trump’s ‘Celebrity Apprentice.’” [Link]

As for real estate mogul Donald Trump, he had more important things to tweet about this morning: “Don’t forget to watch Donald J. Trump’s Fabulous World of Golf—tonight at 9 pm, Golf Channel.”

Following are whispers we've been hearing from around the AFC:

• Unless there's an injury, Jason Campbell will be the Raiders' starting quarterback when the team heads to Denver for a Week One "Monday Night Football" clash with the Broncos. To the surprise of many, the team opted not to draft a player at the position, and head coach Hue Jackson said publicly that Campbell is his guy going forward. When free agency starts, the team is likely to sign a backup to compete with Kyle Boller.

• Last year's selection of CB Devin McCourty by New England was a wake-up call to Terrence Wheatley, who ended up being cut. This year's selection of CB Ras-I Dowling with the 33rd overall pick could be a similar "heads-up" to Kyle Arrington, Darius Butler and Jonathan Wilhite, as Dowling will compete to be the team's third corner behind McCourty and Leigh Bodden.

• All the confidence Chan Gailey and Buddy Nix put behind Ryan Fitzpatrick this offseason was no smoke screen, as they did not draft a quarterback, even with ample opportunities to do so. They could have taken Blaine Gabbert at No. 3, Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick at No. 34 or Ricky Stanzi on Saturday, but instead focused on defense. "Fitz's abilities, his leadership and the way he played last year gave us the freedom to be able to do what we needed to do with our football team," Gailey said.

• After not drafting a defensive tackle, a position many consider the Broncos' biggest need, we hear Denver likely will address the position in free agency. The team did not want to pass on players it considered to be more talented to reach for a DT in the draft, and head coach John Fox has said the team already has plans in place to fill its remaining needs.

• While the consensus seems to be that the Jaguars made a smart decision trading their first- and second-round picks — No. 16 and No. 49 — to the Redskins in exchange for the No. 10 pick which turned out to be QB Blaine Gabbert, we're hearing head coach Jack Del Rio could be in the minority. With pressure to win now at an all-time high for Del Rio, and Gabbert expected to take time to develop behind starter David Garrard, the embattled head coach likely would have benefited more from help on defense with those two picks.

• The way we hear it, the rumors regarding UFA DT Tommie Harris landing in Indianapolis are likely just that - rumors. According to a daily team observer, the Corey Simon signing prior to the 2005 season still hangs over the club "like a lead balloon."

• It will be interesting to monitor how the Colts proceed with ORT Ryan Diem after using their first-round pick on OT Anthony Castonzo. Diem is owed in excess of $5 million next season and his play fell off considerably last season. We hear the club also remains high on 2010 undrafted rookie Jeff Linkenbach and OT Joe Reitz, whom some have compared to a young Diem.

• Darren Sproles can officially pack his bags and put his house on the market, because despite what Norv Turner said about him, he no longer has a place on the Chargers. The team replaced his kick-return skills in the draft with Marcus Gilchrist and added a small, complementary back in Jordan Todman to take his place in the offense. With so many other priority free agents the team would like to bring back, Sproles will need to find a new team once the offseason officially begins.
 
• Free-agent OLB Mike Vrabel is a great locker-room guy and a favorite of the Chiefs' coaching staff, but his roster spot is not safe with the team. K.C. wants to get younger at the OLB position, and since Vrabel will be 36 when the season begins, the two sides might decide to go their separate ways.

• The Steelers are intrigued by the upside of fourth-round CB Cortez Allen of The Citadel. "I asked him when he came to visit us, 'How much time do you get to work on your craft?' Steelers DB coach Carnell Lake said of Allen. "He said, 'I don't get a lot of time because I have to do The Citadel stuff.' … If he can spend a lot of time working on his craft I see a lot of upside for him."

• After the 2011 draft, GM Ozzie Newsome said the Ravens tried multiple times to select pass rushers but were unsuccessful, and he indicated the team would be searching for pass-rush help once player transactions resume. "If we could get the opportunity to put ourselves in the position to get someone else, we would probably be looking at it very seriously," he said.

• A daily team observer suggests Ravens rookie CB Jimmy Smith will have a chance to start immediately opposite of Domonique Foxworth, who is expected to return to the lineup after missing the 2010 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Smith is bigger than any cornerback on the Ravens' roster and could be very effective in press coverage if he plays to his potential. 

If you missed it, here it is: Seth Meyers‘ remarks at last night’s White House correspondents dinner. He had plenty of one-liners directed at the news networks including:

“Fox News is having a party, security is tight, so make sure you bring your driver’s license and your long-form license. But if you’re blond don’t worry about it, just bring that dynamite smile.”

When pool cameras flashed Bill O’Reilly, he didn’t react much. And about MSNBC:

“I am contractually obligated to attend the MSNBC party tonight. Everyone knows how that works. President Obama makes the Kool-aid, and everybody there drinks it.”

By the way, we were at the MSNBC party, and while many of Meyers’ SNL colleagues including Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Andy Samberg were there, we didn’t see Meyers. Meyers also took some jabs at Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Piers Morgan and Rick Sanchez.

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Round 1

1. Carolina - QB Cam Newton ~ Auburn - Agent: Bus Cook

2. Denver - LB Von Miller ~ Texas A&M - Agent: Athletes First

3. Buffalo - DT Marcell Dareus ~ Alabama - Agent: Todd France

4. Cincinnati - WR A.J. Green ~ UGA – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

5.  Arizona - CB Patrick Peterson ~ LSU – Agent: Patrick Lawlor (Galaxy Sports)

6. Atlanta - WR Julio Jones ~ Alabama - Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

7. San Francisco - DE/OLB Aldon Smith ~ Missouri – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

8. Tennessee - QB Jake Locker ~ Washington - Agent: Athletes First

9. Dallas - OT Tyron Smith ~ USC - Agent: Lock, Metz, and Malinovic

10. Jacksonville - QB Blaine Gabbert ~ Missouri - Agent: Creative Artists Agency

11. Houston - DE J.J. Watt ~ Wisconsin - Agent: Creative Artists Agency

12. Minnesota - QB Christian Ponder ~ Florida State – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

13. Detroit - DT Nick Fairley ~ Auburn - Agent: Brian Overstreet (E. Overstreet Sports Management)

14. St. Louis - DE Robert Quinn ~ North Carolina - Agent: Carl Carey (Champion Pro Consulting)

15. Miami - OG/C Mike Pouncey ~ Florida - Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

16. Washington - DE Ryan Kerrigan ~ Purdue - Agent: Athletes First

17. New England – OT Nate Solder ~ Colorado - Agent: Athletes First

18. San Diego - DT Cory Liuget ~ Illinois - Agent: Impact Sports

19. New York Giants - CB Prince Amukamara ~ Nebraska - Agent: Todd France

20. Tampa Bay - DE Adrian Clayborn ~ Iowa - Agent: Blake Baratz (The Institute for Athletes)

21. Cleveland - DT Phil Taylor ~ Baylor – Agent: Peter Schaffer (All-Pro Sports)

22. Indianapolis - OT Anthony Castonzo ~ Boston College - Agent: Creative Artists Agency

23. Philadelphia - OL Danny Watkins ~ Baylor - Agent: Lock, Metz, Malinovic

24. New Orleans - DE Cameron Jordan ~ Cal - Agent: Octagon

25. Seattle – OT James Carpenter ~Alabama – Agent: Priority Sports

26. Baltimore - CB Jimmy Smith ~ Colorado - Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

27. Kansas City - WR Jonathan Baldwin ~ Pittsburgh - Agent: Priority Sports

28. New Orleans - RB Mark Ingram ~ Alabama - Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

29. Chicago - OT Gabe Carimi ~ Wisconsin - Agent: Gary Uberstine (Premier Sports)

30. New York Jets - DE Muhammad Wilkerson ~ Temple - Agent: Chad Wiestling (Integrated Sports Management)

31. Pittsburgh - DE Cameron Heyward ~ Ohio State - Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

32. Green Bay - OT Derek Sherrod ~ Mississippi State - Agent: Bus Cook

Round 2

33. New England – DC Ras-I Downling ~ Virginia – Agent: Sunny Shah (320 Sports)

34. Buffalo – DC Aaron Williams ~ Texas – Agent: Creative Artists Agency

35. Cincinnati – QB Andy Dalton ~ TCU – Agent: Select Sports Group

36. San Francisco – Colin Kaepernick ~ Nevada – Agent: XAM Sports

37. Cleveland – Jabaal Sheard ~ Pittsburgh – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

38. Arizona – Ryan Williams ~ Virginia Tech – Agent: Malik Shareef

39. Tennessee – Akeem Ayers ~ UCLA – Agent: Chuck Price (4th and 9 Sports)

40. Dallas – Bruce Carter ~ UNC – Agent: Carl Carey (Champion Pro Consulting)

41. Washington – Jarvis Jenkins ~ Clemson – Agent: BTI Sports Advisors

42. Houston – Brooks Reed ~ Arizona – Agent: Priority Sports

43. Minnesota – Kyle Rudolph ~ Notre Dame – Agent: Athletes First

44. Boise State – Titus Young ~ Boise State – Agent: Professional Sports Planning

45. Denver – Rahim Moore ~ UCLA – Agent: Impact Sports

46. Denver – Orlando Franklin ~ University of Miami – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

47. St. Louis – Lance Kendricks ~ Wisconsin – Agent: Neil Cornrich (NC Sports)

48. Oakland – Stefen Wisniewski ~ Penn State – Agent: Tony Agnone (Eastern Athletic Services)

49. Indianapolis – Ben Ijalana ~ Villanova – Agent: Tony Agnone (Eastern Athletic Services)

50. San Diego – Marcus Gilchrist ~ Clemson – Agent: Hadley Engelhard (Enter-Sports Management)

51. Tampa Bay – Da’Quan Bowers ~ Clemson – Agent: BTI Sports Advisors

52. New York Giants – Marvin Austin ~ UNC – Agent: Roosevelt Barnes (Maximum Sports Management)

53. Chicago – Stephen Paea ~ Oregon State – Agent: Athletes First

54. Philadelphia – Jaiquawn Jarrett ~ Temple – Agent: Dow Lohnes Sports

55. Kansas City – Rodney Hudson ~ Florida State – Agent: Joe Linta

56. New England – Shane Vereen ~ California – Agent: Athletes First

57. Detroit – Mikel Leshoure ~ Illinois – Agent: Blueprint Sports Group

58. Baltimore – Torrey Smith ~ Maryland – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

59. Cleveland – Greg Little ~ UNC – Agent: Octagon

60. Houston – Brandon Harris ~ University of Miami – Agent: Alonzo Shavers (Infinite Sports Concepts)

61. San Diego – Jonas Mouton ~ Michigan – Agent: Blake Baratz (The Institute for Athletes)

62. Miami - Daniel Thomas ~ Kansas State – Agent: Impact Sports

63. Pittsburgh – Marcus Gilbert ~ Florida – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

64. Green Bay – Randall Cobb ~ Kentucky – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

Round 3

65. Carolina – Terrell McClain ~ USF – Agent: Chris Martin (OTG Sports)

66. Cincinnati – Dontay Moch ~ Nevada – Agent: Peter Schaffer (All-Pro Sports)

67. Denver – Nate Irving ~ NC State – Agent: Blueprint Sports Group

68. Buffalo – Kelvin Sheppard ~ LSU – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

69. Arizona – Rob Housler ~ FAU – Agent: Thomas Santanello (The Marquee Group)

70. Kansas City – Justin Houston ~ UGA – Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

71. Dallas - DeMarco Murray ~ Oklahoma – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

72. New Orleans – Martez Wilson ~ Illinois – Agent: Professional Sports Planning

73. New England – Stevan Ridley ~ LSU – Agent: PlayersRep Sports

74. New England – Ryan Mallett ~ Arkansas – Agent: Athletes First & J.R. Carroll

75. Seattle – John Moffitt ~ Wisconsin – Agent: Thomas Santanello (The Marquee Group)

76. Jacksonville – Will Rackley ~ Lehigh – Agent: Alan Herman (SportStars)

77. Tennessee – Jurrell Casey ~ Southern California – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

78. St. Louis – Austin Pettis ~ Boise State – Agent: Athletes First

79. Washington – Leonard Hankerson ~ University of Miami – Agent: Lagardere Unlimited

80. San Francisco – Chris Culliver ~ South Carolina – Agent: Terry Watson (Watson Sports Agency)

81. Oakland – Demarcus Van Dyke ~ University of Miami – Agent: Drew Rosenhaus

82. San Diego – Vincent Brown ~ San Diego State – Agent: Ken Sarnoff (Gaylord Sports)

83. New York Giants – Jerrel Jernigan ~ Troy – Agent: Hadley Engelhard (Enter-Sports Management)

84. Tampa Bay – Mason Foster ~ Washington – Agent: Steve Caric

85. Baltimore – Jah Reid ~ UCF – Agent: Derrick Fox

86. Kansas City – Allen Bailey ~ University of Miami – Agent: Terry Watson (Watson Sports Agency)

87. Indianapolis - Drake Nevis ~ LSU – Agent: SportsTrust Advisors

88. New Orleans – Johnny Patrick ~ Louisville – Agent: PlayersRep Sports

89. San Diego – Shareece Wright ~ Southern California – Agent: Josh Arnold (Synergy Sports)

90. Philadelphia - Curtis Marsh ~ Utah State – Agent: Octagon

91. Atlanta – Akeem Dent ~ UGA – Agent: Hadley Engelhard (Enter-Sports Management)

92. Oakland – Joseph Barksdale ~ LSU – Agent: Sunny Shah (320 Sports)

93. Chicago – Chris Conte ~ California – Agent: Rep 1 Sports

94. New York Jets – Kenrick Ellis ~ Hampton – Agent: Howard Shatsky

95. Pittsburgh – Curtis Brown ~ Texas – Agent: Allegiant Athletic Agency

96. Green Bay – Alex Green ~ Hawaii – Agent: Premier Sports

97. Carolina – Sione Fua ~ Stanford – Agent: Octagon

Notes Through The First 3 Rounds

• Creative Artists Agency will only represent you if you are first round talent.  The company’s only player drafted outside of the first round was Aaron Williams, who was the 2nd selected player in the 2nd round.
• Athletes First had a total of 9 players selected through 3 rounds.
• SportsTrust Advisors had a total of 7 players selected through 3 rounds.
• Drew Rosenhaus had only 1 client selected in the 1st round, but had a total of 6 players selected through the first 3 rounds.

2011 NFL Draft Rounds 1-3 Picks (Player/Agent) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Agent News, Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Contract Negotiations, NCAA Rules and Regulations.

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TODAY'S TV SCHEDULE

ATHLETICS

2 p.m. The Penn Relays ESPN2

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

8 p.m. Collingwood vs. Western Bulldogs ESPN2

AUTO RACING

12 p.m. NHRA: Qualifying for Spring Nationals ESPN2

VERSUS IndyCar: Pole qualifying for Sao Paulo Indy 300 (same-day tape)

1 p.m. Sprint Cup: Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 FOX

COLLEGE BASEBALL

6:30 a.m. Oklahoma at Texas FSN

7 a.m. Arkansas at Georgia ESPN2

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

2 p.m. Oklahoma at Texas ESPN

CYCLING

10 a.m. Tour de Romandie: Stage 4 * VERSUS

GOLF

3 a.m. European PGA Tour: Ballantine's Championship (third round) TGC

9 a.m. PGA Tour: Zurich Classic (third round) CBS

10 a.m. LPGA Tour: Avnet Classic (third round) TGC

HOCKEY

4 a.m. IIHF World Championships: U.S. vs. Austria (preliminary round) VERSUS

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

7 a.m. Regional coverage FOX

1 p.m. Seattle at Boston MLB

1 p.m. Baltimore at Chicago White Sox WGN

4 p.m. San Diego at L.A. Dodgers FOXSP2

NFL FOOTBALL

6 a.m. NFL Draft: Rounds 4-7 ESPN

NHL HOCKEY

9 a.m. Conference semifinals: Boston at Philadelphia NBC

3 p.m. Conference semifinals: Nashville at Vancouver VERSUS

SOCCER

3:55 a.m. Premier League: Fulham at Sunderland ESPN2

SUNDAY'S TV SCHEDULE

AUTO RACING

6 a.m. IRL, IndyCar, Sao Paulo Indy 300 VERSUS

1 p.m. NHRA, Spring Nationals ESPN2

COLLEGE BASEBALL

9 a.m. Auburn at South Carolina ESPN

CYCLING

4 p.m. Tour de Romandie: Final stage* VERSUS

EQUESTRIAN

8 a.m. Rolex Championships NBC

GOLF

3 a.m. European PGA Tour: Ballantine's Championship (final round) TGC

9 a.m. PGA Tour: Zurich Classic (final round) CBS

10 a.m. LPGA: Avnet Classic (final round) TGC

HORSE RACING

4 p.m. The Quarters from Los Alamitos FOXSP2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

7 a.m. Toronto at N.Y. Yankees TBS

7:30 a.m. L.A. Angels at Tampa Bay FOXSP

10 a.m. Chicago Cubs at Arizona WGN

10 a.m. San Diego at L.A. Dodgers FOXSP2

2 p.m. N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia ESPN

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

1 p.m. Los Angeles at FC Dallas FOXSP

MOTORSPORTS

2 a.m. MotoGP World Championship SPEED

10 a.m. MotoGP Moto2 SPEED

NBA BASKETBALL

7 a.m. Western Conference semifinals Memphis at Oklahoma City (Game 1) ABC

9:30 a.m. Eastern Conference semifinals: Boston at Miami (Game 1) ABC

NHL HOCKEY

9 a.m. Western Conference semifinals: Detroit at San Jose (Game 2) NBC

1 p.m. Eastern Conference semifinals: Tampa Bay at Washington (Game 2) VERSUS

* -- Tape-delayed broadcast

FRIDAY'S BIIF RESULTS

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Varsity

Christian Liberty def. St. Joseph 25-22, 25-20, 16-25, 17-25, 15-9

Hilo def. Pahoa 25-21, 20-25, 16-25, 25-23, 16-1

TODAY'S BIIF SCHEDULE

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Varsity matches follow 10 a.m. JV matches unless noted below

Kealakehe at Hualalai Academy, 10 a.m.

Konawaena at Kohala, 10 a.m.

Honokaa at Hawaii Prep

WATER POLO

BIIF tournament championship

Kamehameha vs. Waiakea, 2 p.m.

JUDO

HHSAA state championships at Stan Sheriff Center, Oahu

TRACK AND FIELD

BIIF championships at Kamehameha, 3 p.m.

BASKETBALL

NBA PLAYOFF GLANCE

WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

San Antonio vs. Memphis

Memphis wins series 4-2

Sunday, April 17

c Memphis 101, San Antonio 98

Wednesday, April 20

c San Antonio 93, Memphis 87

Saturday, April 23

c Memphis 91, San Antonio 88

Monday's result

Memphis 104, San Antonio 86

Wednesday's result

c San Antonio 110, Memphis 103, OT

Friday's result

Memphis 99, San Antonio 91

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Chicago vs. Atlanta

Series tied 0-0

Monday's game

Atlanta at Chicago, 2 p.m.

Wednesday's game

Atlanta at Chicago, 2 p.m.

Friday, May 6

Chicago at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Sunday, May 8

Chicago at Atlanta, 2 p.m.

Tuesday, May 10

Atlanta at Chicago, TBA*

Thursday, May 12

Chicago at Atlanta, TBA*

Sunday, May 15

Atlanta at Chicago, TBA*

Miami vs. Boston

Series tied 0-0

Sunday's game

Boston at Miami, 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday's game

Boston at Miami, 1 p.m.

Saturday, May 7

Miami at Boston, 2 p.m.

Monday, May 9

Miami at Boston, 1 p.m.

Wednesday, May 11

Boston at Miami, TBA*

Friday, May 13

Miami at Boston, TBA*

Monday, May 16

Boston at Miami, 2 p.m.*

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

L.A. Lakers vs. Dallas

Series tied 0-0

Monday's game

Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday's game

Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, May 6

L.A. Lakers at Dallas, 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 8

L.A. Lakers at Dallas, 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday, May 10

Dallas at L.A. Lakers, TBA*

Thursday, May 12

L.A. Lakers at Dallas, TBA*

Sunday, May 15

Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 3:30 p.m.*

Oklahoma City vs. Memphis

Series tied 0-0

Sunday's game

Memphis at Oklahoma City, 7 a.m.

Tuesday's game

Memphis at Oklahoma City, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 7

Oklahoma City at Memphis, 11 a.m.

Monday, May 9

Oklahoma City at Memphis, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 11

Memphis at Oklahoma City, TBA*

Friday, May 13

Oklahoma City at Memphis, TBA*

Sunday, May 15

Memphis at Oklahoma City, TBA*

* -- if necessary

HOCKEY

NHL PLAYOFF GLANCE

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Washington vs. Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay leads series 1-0

Friday's result

Tampa Bay 4, Washington 2

Sunday's game

Tampa Bay at Washington, 1 p.m.

Tuesday's game

c Washington at Tampa Bay, TBA

Wednesday, May 4

c Washington at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

Saturday, May 7

c Tampa Bay at Washington, 6:30 a.m. *

Monday, May 9

c Washington at Tampa Bay, TBA *

Wednesday, May 11

c Tampa Bay at Washington, TBA *

Philadelphia vs. Boston

Series tied 0-0

Today's game

Boston at Philadelphia, 9 a.m.

Monday's game

Boston at Philadelphia, 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 4

Philadelphia at Boston, 1 p.m.

Friday, May 6

Philadelphia at Boston, 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 8

Boston at Philadelphia, 3 p.m. *

Tuesday, May 10

Philadelphia at Boston, TBA *

Thursday, May 12

Boston at Philadelphia, TBA *

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Vancouver vs. Nashville

Vancouver leads series 1-0

Thursday's result

c Vancouver 1, Nashville 0

Today's game

Nashville at Vancouver, 3 p.m.

Tuesday's game

c Vancouver at Nashville, 3 p.m.

Thursday, May 5

c Vancouver at Nashville, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 7

c Nashville at Vancouver, 2 p.m. *

Monday, May 9

c Vancouver at Nashville, TBA *

Wednesday, May 11

c Nashville at Vancouver, TBA *

San Jose vs. Detriot

San Jose leads series 1-0

Friday's result

San Jose 2, Detroit 1, OT

Sunday's game

c Detroit at San Jose, 9 a.m.

Wednesday, May 4

c San Jose at Detroit, 2 p.m.

Friday, May 6

c San Jose at Detroit, 1 p.m.

Sunday, May 8

c Detroit at San Jose, 2 p.m. *

Tuesday, May 10

c San Jose at Detroit, TBA *

Thursday, May 12

c Detroit at San Jose, TBA *

* -- if necessary

SOCCER

MLS GLANCE

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L OT Pts GF GA

Houston 3 1 3 12 11 6

New York 3 1 2 11 9 2

Philadelphia 3 1 1 10 4 2

Columbus 2 1 3 9 5 4

New England 2 2 3 9 8 9

Toronto FC 1 2 4 7 7 10

D.C. 2 4 1 7 10 16

Chicago 1 3 2 5 9 12

Sporting Kansas City 1 3 1 4 10 12

WESTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA

Los Angeles 4 1 3 15 10 7

Real Salt Lake 4 0 0 12 8 1

Seattle 2 2 3 9 7 7

Colorado 3 3 0 9 8 7

Portland 2 3 1 7 9 13

FC Dallas 2 3 1 7 8 9

Chivas USA 1 2 3 6 5 6

Vancouver 1 3 3 6 10 12

San Jose 1 3 2 5 6 9

NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Friday's result

Houston 4, D.C. United 1

Today's games

San Jose at Philadelphia, 10 a.m.

Sporting Kansas City at New York, 1:30 p.m.

Vancouver at Columbus, 1:30 p.m.

Chicago at Colorado, 3 p.m.

Toronto FC at Seattle FC, 4 p.m.

Real Salt Lake at Portland, 4:30 p.m.

New England at Chivas USA, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday's game

Los Angeles at FC Dallas, 11 a.m.

TRANSACTIONS

BASEBALL

MLB--Suspended Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen two games and fined him an undisclosed amount for arguing balls and strikes then complaining about his ejection on Twitter during an April 27 game.

American League

CLEVELAND INDIANS--Reinstated INF Jason Donald from the 15-day DL and optioned him to Columbus (IL).

NEW YORK YANKEES--Reinstated C Francisco Cervelli from the 15-day DL. Assigned C Gustavo Molina to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL).

OAKLAND ATHLETICS--Reinstated C Kurt Suzuki from the paternity leave list. Optioned C Josh Donaldson to Sacramento (PCL).

TORONTO BLUE JAYS--Activated OF Rajai Davis from the 15-day DL. Selected the contract of DH David Cooper from Las Vegas (PCL). Assigned OF Travis Snider and INF Chris Woodward to Las Vegas.

National League

LOS ANGELES DODGERS -- Placed 3B Casey Blake on the 15-day DL. Recalled INF Russell Mitchell from Albuquerque (PCL).

NEW YORK METS--Activated C Ronny Paulino from the 15-Day DL. Optioned C Mike Nickeas to Buffalo (IL).

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES--Recalled C Dane Sardinha from Lehigh Valley (IL). Assigned LHP Mike Zagurski to Lehigh Valley.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES--Returned INF Josh Rodriguez, a Rule 5 draft pick, to Cleveland.

BASKETBALL

Women's National Basketball Association

WASHINGTON MYSTICS--Acquired G Jasmine Thomas and a 2012 first-round draft pick from Seattle for G Katie Smith and C Jacinta Moore and Indiana's 2012 second- and third-round draft picks. Indiana received G Erin Phillips and a 2012 third-round pick from Seattle.

FOOTBALL

Canadian Football League

EDMONTON ESKIMOS--Signed QB Cody Kirby.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League

BUFFALO SABRES--Signed coach Lindy Ruff to a multiyear contract extension.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING--Recalled F Marc-Antoine Pouliot, F Mike Angelidis and D Mathieu Roy from Norfolk (AHL).

SOCCER

Major League Soccer

D.C. UNITED--Activated G Steve Cronin from the disabled list. Placed MF Junior Carreiro on the disabled list.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION--Loaned G Tim Murray and F Ilija Stolica to USL PRO league club FC New York. Named Peter Fuller reserve team coach.

COLLEGE

NORTH CAROLINA STATE--Named Jeff Dunlap as its director of basketball operations.

SAN FRANCISCO--Named Scott Sidwell athletic director.

SYRACUSE--Named Chris Gedney senior associate athletics director.

TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI--Named Kenneth Turner men's assistant basketball coach.

WISCONSIN--Signed men's basketball coach Bo Ryan to a contract extension.

GOLF

ZURICH CLASSIC

Friday's second round

Bubba Watson 66-68 -- 134

Josh Teater 69-66 -- 135

John Rollins 67-69 -- 136

John Senden 70-67 -- 137

Jason Dufner 68-69 -- 137

Matt Jones 66-71 -- 137

Webb Simpson 68-69 -- 137

Dean Wilson 73-64 -- 137

Tommy Gainey 67-71 -- 138

Steve Stricker 70-68 -- 138

David Mathis 70-68 -- 138

Luke Donald 68-71 -- 139

K.J. Choi 68-71 -- 139

Nick O'Hern 67-72 -- 139

Cameron Tringale 72-67 -- 139

David Hearn 71-68 -- 139

Camilo Villegas 71-68 -- 139

Matt Bettencourt 68-71 -- 139

Nick Watney 71-68 -- 139

Joe Durant 67-72 -- 139

Billy Mayfair 69-70 -- 139

Chris DiMarco 72-68 -- 140

Charles Howell III 68-72 -- 140

Hunter Haas 69-71 -- 140

Charlie Wi 70-70 -- 140

Chris Couch 71-69 -- 140

Brian Davis 71-70 -- 141

D.A. Points 70-71 -- 141

Jeff Maggert 72-69 -- 141

Blake Adams 73-68 -- 141

Peter Tomasulo 71-70 -- 141

George McNeill 71-70 -- 141

Greg Chalmers 72-69 -- 141

David Toms 70-71 -- 141

Brendon de Jonge 72-69 -- 141

Aron Price 72-69 -- 141

Joseph Bramlett 69-72 -- 141

Brandt Jobe 71-71 -- 142

Kevin Streelman 72-70 -- 142

Carl Pettersson 67-75 -- 142

Jason Bohn 71-71 -- 142

Brian Gay 71-71 -- 142

Ben Crane 69-73 -- 142

Lee Janzen 71-71 -- 142

Scott Gutschewski 73-69 -- 142

Nate Smith 75-67 -- 142

Colt Knost 72-70 -- 142

John Merrick 73-69 -- 142

Chez Reavie 71-71 -- 142

Vijay Singh 74-68 -- 142

Robert Allenby 72-70 -- 142

Rickie Fowler 70-72 -- 142

Fabian Gomez 71-71 -- 142

Billy Horschel 72-70 -- 142

Richard S. Johnson 72-71 -- 143

Shane Bertsch 74-69 -- 143

Vaughn Taylor 70-73 -- 143

Troy Matteson 71-72 -- 143

Alexandre Rocha 70-73 -- 143

Steve Flesch 73-70 -- 143

Andres Romero 72-71 -- 143

Keegan Bradley 73-70 -- 143

Marc Turnesa 70-73 -- 143

Ryan Palmer 70-73 -- 143

Michael Bradley 74-69 -- 143

Charley Hoffman 69-74 -- 143

Tim Herron 72-71 -- 143

Jeff Overton 73-70 -- 143

Tag Ridings 72-71 -- 143

Chris Stroud 73-70 -- 143

Martin Piller 70-73 -- 143

AVNET CLASSIC

Thursday's second round

Hawaii golfer in bold

Sandra Gal 70-67 -- 137

Amy Yang 70-68 -- 138

Stacy Lewis 68-71 -- 139

Karen Stupples 68-71 -- 139

Song-Hee Kim 67-72 -- 139

Suzann Pettersen 72-68 -- 140

Sun Young Yoo 72-68 -- 140

Jenny Suh 71-69 -- 140

Sarah Kemp 70-70 -- 140

Se Ri Pak 69-71 -- 140

Mindy Kim 73-68 -- 141

Alena Sharp 72-69 -- 141

Christina Kim 70-71 -- 141

Paige Mackenzie 70-71 -- 141

Na Yeon Choi 69-72 -- 141

Jimin Kang 73-69 -- 142

Candie Kung 72-70 -- 142

Morgan Pressel 72-70 -- 142

Alexis Thompson 71-71 -- 142

Grace Park 67-75 -- 142

Aree Song 74-69 -- 143

Chella Choi 73-70 -- 143

Mi Hyun Kim 73-70 -- 143

Shanshan Feng 72-71 -- 143

Katherine Hull 72-71 -- 143

Haeji Kang 72-71 -- 143

Paula Creamer 71-72 -- 143

Juli Inkster 71-72 -- 143

Laura Diaz 75-69 -- 144

Jessica Korda 75-69 -- 144

Natalie Gulbis 74-70 -- 144

Angela Stanford 74-70 -- 144

Amanda Blumenherst 73-71 -- 144

Azahara Munoz 73-71 -- 144

Haru Nomura 73-71 -- 144

Hee Young Park 73-71 -- 144

Laura Davies 72-72 -- 144

Reilley Rankin 72-72 -- 144

Dewi Claire Schreefel 72-72 -- 144

Brittany Lincicome 71-73 -- 144

Maria Hjorth 70-74 -- 144

Ilhee Lee 79-66 -- 145

Kris Tamulis 75-70 -- 145

Taylor Leon 74-71 -- 145

Karin Sjodin 74-71 -- 145

Maria Hernandez 73-72 -- 145

Tiffany Joh 73-72 -- 145

Jee Young Lee 73-72 -- 145

Anna Nordqvist 73-72 -- 145

Beatriz Recari 73-72 -- 145

Dori Carter 72-73 -- 145

Lorie Kane 72-73 -- 145

Brittany Lang 72-73 -- 145

Heather Bowie Young 72-73 -- 145

Stephanie Sherlock 71-74 -- 145

Marcy Hart 70-75 -- 145

Stacy Prammanasudh 70-75 -- 145

Karrie Webb 77-69 -- 146

Cristie Kerr 76-70 -- 146

Kristy McPherson 76-70 -- 146

Karine Icher 75-71 -- 146

Eunjung Yi 75-71 -- 146

Mhairi McKay 74-72 -- 146

Pornanong Phatlum 74-72 -- 146

Nicole Hage 73-73 -- 146

Jin Young Pak 73-73 -- 146

Ashli Bunch 72-74 -- 146

Angela Oh 69-77 -- 146

Mina Harigae 78-69 -- 147

Wendy Ward 75-72 -- 147

M.J. Hur 74-73 -- 147

Samantha Richdale 74-73 -- 147

Jennifer Song 74-73 -- 147

Cindy LaCrosse 73-74 -- 147

Ryann O'Toole 73-74 -- 147

Gerina Piller 73-74 -- 147

Hee Kyung Seo 73-74 -- 147

Failed to qualify

Sarah Jane Smith 77-71 -- 148

Hee-Won Han 76-72 -- 148

Michelle Wie 76-72 -- 148

AUTO RACING

CROWN ROYAL PRESENTS THE MATTHEW & DANIEL HANSEN 400 LINEUP

After Friday qualifying; race today

1. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 128.639 mph.

2. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 128.382.

3. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 128.272.

4. (4) Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 128.15.

5. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 128.053.

6. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 128.011.

7. (2) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 128.011.

8. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 128.005.

9. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 127.98.

10. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 127.956.

11. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 127.78.

12. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 127.66.

13. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 127.473.

14. (47) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 127.473.

15. (13) Casey Mears, Toyota, 127.455.

16. (30) David Stremme, Chevrolet, 127.401.

17. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 127.352.

18. (43) A J Allmendinger, Ford, 127.334.

19. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 127.334.

20. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 127.31.

21. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 127.304.

22. (66) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 127.298.

23. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 127.131.

24. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 127.095.

25. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 127.047.

26. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 127.023.

27. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 127.017.

28. (38) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 126.892.

29. (36) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 126.886.

30. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 126.88.

31. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 126.713.

32. (60) Mike Skinner, Toyota, 126.582.

33. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 126.393.

34. (09) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 126.351.

35. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 126.269.

36. (22) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 126.21.

37. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 126.186.

38. (32) Ken Schrader, Ford, 126.139.

39. (34) David Gilliland, Ford, 125.915.

40. (46) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 125.488.

41. (71) Andy Lally, Ford, 124.832.

42. (7) Robby Gordon, Dodge, Owner Points.

43. (37) Tony Raines, Ford, 125.482.

Failed to qualify

44. (92) Brian Keselowski, Dodge, 123.288.

Andy Hart gives his initial reaction to the newly-released Patriots 2011 schedule, and how he thinks they"ll do.

The meat of the Patriots 2011 schedule is in truly the meat of the season – the eight game stretch from Oct. 9 through Dec. 4 that kicks off hosting the Jets, concludes with a Sunday night game at Gillette against the Colts and in between has the team taking on the Cowboys, Steelers, Giants, Jets again, Chiefs and Eagles. That’s two games against their top AFC East competition, tough trips to Pittsburgh and Philly, home contests with the Giants and Chiefs as well as what should be resurgent Dallas squad. Of the eight games, six are against 2010 playoff teams, while the Giants were a 10-win team a year ago.

If New England successfully navigates the tough middle of the season, things theoretically lighten up down the stretch. The final four games are trips two Washington and Denver followed by hosting division foes Miami and Buffalo.  If the postseason is still on the line at that point, a four-game winning streak to end the year certainly wouldn’t be out of the question.

Mike Reiss offers his initial reaction to the Patriots 2011 schedule.  Here are a few of them:

Cowboys lone opponent coming off a bye. The Cowboys will be coming off a bye before traveling to face the Patriots, which means they should be fresh for that Week 6 matchup. The Cowboys are the only team coming off a bye to face the Patriots this season.

Weather test in Miami. The Patriots open the season on Monday night (Sept. 12) at the Dolphins. Temperatures in South Florida at that time of year can be challenging, even at night. This brings back memories of the 2004 season when the Patriots played at Arizona in Week 2 of the season and Bill Belichick made constant references to conditioning in the weeks leading up to the game.

First Jets game a good spot. The Jets will be coming off road games at Oakland and Baltimore when they visit the Patriots in Week 5. That's a good spot for New England.

Ian Rapoport gives us a few of his thoughts on the Patriots schedule for this season.

– I thought last year’s schedule was extremely tough, and the Pats ended up 14-2. This time, I’d characterize the slate as very fair. Opponents have a combined record of 129-127, which is 16th toughest. Not bad.

– For those who like holidays, you should be thrilled. There is no road game at Buffalo on Christmas and no Thanksgiving game in Detroit. There are no Thursday games at all. On Christmas Eve, the Pats are home against Dolphins at 1 p.m., which could have you home for presents (if that’s when you do them). Still, the Jan. 1 home game against the Bills at 1 p.m. means hangover hell for a bunch of you.

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2011 Schedule announced: Team notes and trends.
• Ask PFW: Picking the prospects.
• Andy Hart highlights Bill Belichick's appearance on "Movin' the Chains", talking about the Draft with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller.
• Patriots Today - 2011 Regular season schedule. (3.09 min. video)
• Patriots Today - 2011 Draft Preview: LB (6.29 min. video)
• PFW in Progress (4/19/11): This edition includes discussion of various mock drafts as well as a wide variety of offseason topics.
• Vote here for the 2011 Patriots Hall of Fame Enshrinee: Fans now have through May 15 to vote.

LOCAL LINKS

• Shalise Manza Young reports the Patriots open their season at Miami on a Monday night, and gives her thoughts on the schedule.
• Greg A. Bedard offers some quickie thoughts on the 2011 schedule: On paper the Patriots have a chance to start and finish the season strong.
• Ian Rapoport notes that if the Patriots want to continue the dominance they displayed during last year’s regular season, they must begin by doing so on the road.
• Christopher Price takes a closer look at the Patriots 2011 schedule.
• Mike Reiss posts his first reaction to the Patriots 2011 schedule.
• Ian Rapoport looks at how much it would cost the Patriots to move up to a top ten spot in the Draft.
• Mike Reiss profiles possible Patriots: CB Brandon Harris (Miami).
• Tom E. Curran previews potential Patriots: DT Nick Fairley (Auburn)
• Mike Reiss analyzes Peter King's first-round mock draft that has the Patriots selecting C/G Mike Pouncey (Florida) and trading the 28th pick to the Titans.
• AP reports the NFL and locked-out players are set for Day 4 of mediated talks today.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tim Graham (ESPN) New England Patriots schedule analysis.
• NFL.com 2011 NFL Schedule: See who's playing who, sorted by Team or Week.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Worst officiating call in AFC East history?
• Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) Pioli explains needs over value, and Jeff Marriott over Tom Brady.
• Richard Deitsch (SI) March media power list. Includes a story behind "The Brady 6" from James Weiner, NFL Films, senior producer.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB Mail: Why teams set at QB are kicking tires on Dalton, others.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Schedule contains no hint that the league plans to miss games.
• Alex Marvez (Fox Sports) Schedule release spoiled by lockout.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Sunday Night Football is loaded with great games.
• Don Banks (SI) Seventeen NFL games to watch for.
• Joe Fortenbaugh (Nat'l Football Post) 10 must-see matchups on the 2011 NFL schedule.
• Adam Caplan (Fox Sports) NFL regular season most intriguing matchups.
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) NFL schedule: Top 10 games of 2011.
• Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) Ten best/worst games of '11 schedule.
• Paul Kuharsky (ESPN) Power Rankings: Top 10 NFL cornerbacks. Guess who made the list?
• Brian Billick (Fox Sports) Good scouts not enough for draft success.
• Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) ESPN expects draft ratings to be higher.

LABOR LUNACY

• Albert Breer (NFL.com) 'Some progress' in labor talks on day NFL schedule released.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) "Some progress" made Tuesday in mediation.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Jeffrey Kessler absent from mediation, too.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Goodell, Ryan Clark have different views about schedule release.

Cam the man? We'll soon find out in NFL draft - The Denver Post
NFL talent evaluators either love Newton's 6-foot-5, 248-pound frame, his arm strength and his 50 touchdowns in his only major-college season as a starting quarterback — or they don't. There is no middle ground with Newton, who threw for 30 touchdowns and rushed for 20 while leading Auburn to last year's national championship. The draft is about pro potential, not collegiate glory. Just ask Tim Tebow, Tommie Frazier, Danny Wuerffel, Andre Ware and many others on the long list of big men on campus who have felt the sting of the NFL's predraft criticism.

Gabbert follows Newton to Broncos headquarters - The Denver Post
For their final impression, the Broncos scheduled meetings with quarterbacks Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert will meet with Denver executives and coaches today, the final day of draft-eligible player visits to Dove Valley. Missouri's Gabbert follows Auburn's Newton, who was at Broncos headquarters Tuesday. In the name of Tim Tebow, why?

Q&A;: Having a Hall of Fame-caliber QB isn't a requirement for winning the Super Bowl, but it's close - The Denver Post
I've asked NFL general managers and head coaches what it takes to build a successful team. Almost unanimously, they rank quarterback as the No. 1 position on the field, the offensive line's left tackle No. 2 and an edge pass rusher No. 3. Dominant players at those positions are the most difficult to find. Playing quarterback usually includes being the face of the franchise and handling the pressure that comes with public scrutiny. Hall of Famer John Elway, now the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations, says quarterback is "far and away" the most important position on the field.

Broncos' 2011 schedule opens with Raiders on "Monday Night Football" - The Denver Post
As for the Broncos' 2011 regular-season schedule? Maybe it's the perspective of a team coming off a 4-12 season, but this appears to be one of the toughest schedules in Broncos history. The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. A five-game knuckle sandwich of two road games against AFC West rivals (Oakland, Kansas City), a home game on three days' rest against the New York Jets, who are coming off back-to-back AFC championship appearances, and two more road games (San Diego, Minnesota). The Broncos' new leadership triumvirate of John Elway, John Fox and Brian Xanders will have to build a team that, for once, gets stronger as the season advances.

Auburn's Cam Newton a big NFL question mark - The Denver Post
It's worth remembering that beyond all of the excitement and touchdowns Tebow constructed with the Broncos last season, there are plenty of quarterback coaches in the league who will quickly point out he finished the year as only a 50 percent passer. Fifty percent just won't cut it in the NFL, no matter how fast you can run. Newton's biggest issue with his delivery is his weight transfer, moving from his back foot to his front foot when he throws. When he follows through, he often is still leaning backward, with the majority of the weight on his back foot. That makes him a risk in terms of accuracy.

ESPN's Jon Gruden on Cam Newton, Tim Tebow | All Things Broncos — Denver Broncos news, stats, analysis — The Denver Post
I’ve talked to quarterback gurus around the league and to encapsulate their reports, Newton is superior as both a passer and an athlete but Tebow has the clear edge in the intangible aspects of leadership, work ethic and will to win. Former NFL coach Jon Gruden has been holding made-for-TV Quarterback Camps for draft prospects the past two years and featured both Tebow last year, and Newton this year. On an ESPN conference call today, I asked him about Newton vs. Tebow.

John Fox talks up Von Miller | ProFootballTalk
"In this league, you have to rush the passer," Fox said. "[Quarterbacks are] too good just to let them stand there and look over your defense. He has the skill set to play this game, no doubt." However, this time of year, when you hear a coach talking up a draft prospect, you have to wonder why he’d tip his hand by talking up the guy he wants to draft. So when Fox talks about Miller as a good choice at No. 2 overall, what that may really mean is that the Broncos plan to take Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus at No. 2 overall.

NFL NEWS

New York Jets, New York Giants set to open 2011 on 9/11 anniversary - ESPN
The New York Giants will visit the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11, marking the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Data Points: Kickoff Game an accurate forecaster "
Perhaps the most important game, at least from a league standpoint, is the Kickoff Game, which — since being instituted in 2002 — always comes on the Thursday night prior to Week 1′s Sunday games. Of course, it’s important that the NFL brandishes a sexy matchup, like last year’s Vikings-Saints tilt from the Big Easy. But perhaps more significant is how the clubs that participate on opening day fare the rest of the season. Taking a look at the numbers, there’s no doubt that a trend exists: teams that win the Thursday Kickoff game usually have successful seasons. Going further, only one winning team on opening night ended up having a losing season: the Patrick Ramsey-led Redskins of 2003.

Patriots-Jets, Ravens-49ers just a few of the prime NFL matchups - Don Banks - SI.com
With the league's labor battle unsettled as the draft approaches, the NFL's schedule release had that written-in-pencil feel to it this year, with the words 'subject to change' perhaps the caveat that remains unspoken but implied.

It's time for the NCAA to pay up | National Football Post
Based on my research the top 25 college programs are turning a "profit" of over $25 million per school. In 2009, Notre Dame cleared $38 million in profits, Texas over $58 million, Penn State did $50 million, Oklahoma $40 million, Michigan $34 million, LSU $30 million, Georgia did $45 million, Alabama $35 million, Nebraska $49 million, and Florida $41 million. The profits made will lead to increased coaches salaries, improved facilities, supporting other unprofitable sports programs, bigger score boards and more luxury stadium seating.

A 6-10 record won’t keep the Cowboys out of primetime, all the time | ProFootballTalk
Dallas is one of only six teams to get a maximum five games in primetime this season. The other five — Eagles, Colts, Ravens, Jets, and Steelers — all made the playoffs last year. Heck, four of those teams won a playoff game last year, which matches Dallas’ postseason output for the last 13 years.

Norv Turner thinks Chargers’ schedule is conducive to a fast start | ProFootballTalk
Appearing on NFL Network just minutes after the Chargers’ schedule was released, Turner said he’s glad to see the Chargers getting home games in Weeks One, Three and Four. "There’s no question," Turner said. "Being home three out of the first four, opening at home — we haven’t done that in the last couple years. It’s time for us to get off to a great start, and being at home should help us."

NFL DRAFT

Despite an explosion in information - 04.25.11 - SI Vault
In 1984 an engaging first-round quarterback prospect, Maryland's Boomer Esiason, was coming off a separated shoulder from a December bowl game. Cleared by doctors, he threw at the scouting combine in late January and then waited three months to be picked. Esiason visited no teams and had no Pro Day—in those days no schools did. One club, the Bengals, sent a coach to work him out. Cincinnati took Esiason midway through the second round. In 2011 an engaging first-round quarterback prospect, TCU's Andy Dalton, is coming off a mostly healthy season and a terrific Rose Bowl. He threw at the combine and met with 21 NFL teams there; threw again at TCU's Pro Day, which was attended by 26 teams; worked out privately for 11 teams and visited six in March and April; ate meals with four quarterback coaches or coordinators; and faced at least one crazy job interview. A team will choose him no later than midway through the second round this year.

ESPN expects draft ratings to be higher | ProFootballTalk
ESPN’s NFL Draft Producer Jay Rothman isn’t worried. He said on a conference call he expects fan interest to be "tremendous" and thinks that ratings will be higher than ever this year. The confidence is interesting. There are certainly fewer people reading about the draft than usual, but there’s no telling if that will translate to reduced ratings.

Breaking down Christian Ponder | National Football Post
One of the more interesting names in next week’s draft is quarterback Christian Ponder of Florida State. Some scouts have told me they feel he is a first-round quarterback and others have said they wouldn’t take him before the fourth. With that being said, I decided to look at some tape and form my own opinion. I was able to watch four tapes (against Oklahoma, Boston College, Maryland and Wake Forest) plus I saw the Senior Bowl practices and tape.

Nick Fairley + New England Patriots = Pro Bowler | National Football Post
Overall, he’s a 23-year-old kid who still has a lot of maturing and growing up to do. But, in all honesty, what 23-year-old doesn’t? So often we look at where the maturity level of a kid like Fairley is now only, and automatically assume he’s never going to change. However, what if you put him in an environment with structure? Leadership? Veteran mentors? I’m not saying that Fairley hasn’t had that during his upbringing or time at Auburn, but when I watch this guy on tape I just don’t buy into the fact he doesn’t have a passion for the game.

Why speed sells at the wide receiver position | National Football Post
Wide receiver is a "stopwatch" position, and you can’t hand out a final grade for a prospect until you have a 40 time to add to the report. Unlike scouting the RB position, top end speed sells for players that align outside of the numbers. The vertical passing game, separation speed on the 9 (fade), 8 (post) and 7 cut (corner), plus the ability to turn an underneath concept into a big play. Today, let’s look at two WR prospects on video—Julio Jones and Leonard Hankerson—to highlight why speed sells in the open field on two simple route schemes.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Teams should mimic Wolf's QB ways
Ron Wolf drafted seven quarterbacks from 1992 to 2000 in his time as Packers general manager. As we know, only one played any snaps of significance for the team during that stretch: Brett Favre. But Wolf had a method to his madness. He knew that quarterbacks, when good, are the NFL's best assets. They can be team saviors. Teams are desperate to find quality triggermen. They'll trade draft picks and established veterans alike to land them.

Colts, Patriots, Saints kick the tires on Andy Dalton - Peter King - SI.com
"You have probably talked about this but why is the NFL commissioner on the owners side? It would seem the position of NFL commissioner would be neutral and try be the lead negotiator to bring the two sides together.'' --Darrell, Pensacola, Fla. In theory, that's exactly how the negotiations should go. Except Roger Goodell had to go in front of all the owners when he was vying for this job five years and sell his thoughts and plans for the league to them. He never had to sell himself to a single player. Ideally, he would be a neutral party, and I know on many issues he tries to be. But the players will never see him as an equal, or as an equal party to each side.

Did Cam Newton flunk the Jon Gruden test? | Smart Football
The argument is that Newton just passes on the long verbiage call and, in not answering, fails the question. Now, it’s clear that Newton’s offense in college was not as complicated as what the pros do, I think the conclusion that Cam is automatically unfit is unfair. He didn’t forget his own plays; he says they did not have it in his offense because everything had to be done from the no-huddle. He says "36″ might be the play name, and they call 36 and up and go. (For what it’s worth, in his book Finding the Winning Edge, put out in 1997, Bill Walsh said the future of football was in no-huddle offenses where the plays were called with single words.)

Cold, Hard Football Facts.com: Draft Primer: desperately seeking quarterbacks
Disciples of the Cold, Hard Football Facts know that professional football games are won via an efficient passing game, not by "establishing the run." Therefore, it’s no surprise that NFL personnel guys are so desperate to find signal callers who can sling the pigskin: you rarely win without them. History shows that teams are more willing to roll the dice on quarterbacks at the top of the draft than any other position. Since 2005, 53 percent of quarterbacks selected in the first round go in the Top 10.

Peter King's Mock Draft - 04.25.11 - SI Vault
SHOULD PICK Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama Let's get one thing straight: The 6'3", 319-pound Dareus is not the second coming of Ndamukong Suh. No defensive tackle in this draft rushes the passer like Suh, but then again there's rarely a defensive tackle in any draft who does. What Dareus will do is stop the run better than anyone Denver has, a good thing for a team that allowed 4.7 yards per carry last year. A safe pick for John Fox's new 4--3, and the right pick.

NFL LOCKOUT

NFL.com news: 'Some progress' in labor talks on day NFL schedule released
The NFL and players met for seven hours Tuesday, their third day of court-ordered mediation before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan. According to sources, it was a tough day of talks, with the sides largely spending time separately, but "some progress" was made.

NFLPA* pushes a "lift the lockout" petition | ProFootballTalk
In the weeks before the expiration of the now-expired Collective Bargaining Agreement, the NFLPA had made a push to get fans to sign a petition aimed at blocking the lockout. More than five weeks into the lockout and as a court-ordered mediation process commences its second week, the NFLPA* is making a new push to "lift the lockout."

Brewer Signs Bill Giving Tea Party-Backed Flag Same Status as US Flag Fox News The flag became a flashpoint in Arizona last summer after a suburban Phoenix homeowner refused to bow to his homeowners association's demands that he remove his flag within 10 days for face a $25 fine. Andy McDonel of Leveen, Ariz., said he wouldn't ... and more »

Karen Guregian highlights Bill Belichick talking about the Draft on Sirius Radio yesterday.

"We’ve definitely been contacted by teams below us, offering (us) to move back, and (teams) seeing if we want to move up into a better position," Belichick said. "Of course, that usually doesn’t get finalized until draft day, but there definitely seems to be a lot of interest in our draft picks.

"As you know, we’re not afraid to trade them," he went on, hanging a bit on the last line for emphasis. "We’ll do what’s best for the team. We’ll evaluate those opportunities if they come up on draft day and take it from there."

Bill Parcells, who is one of three finalists for enshrinement into the Patriots Hall of Fame addresses the media during his conference call Monday.

I'll say, I'm very flattered I would be considered with both Drew [Bledsoe] and Houston Antwine. It's quite a surprise to me, but I'm very flattered to be in that group, and [I] have very fond memories of my two times that I worked in New England there.

I remember going [to New England], and in all honesty, the franchise was in, I don't want to use the word disarray, but it certainly was unsettled. That would be the best way to put it. The ownership was unsettled. There were not a lot of people going to the games. The management of the franchise was unsettled. And it was a big undertaking, but I do feel like when Robert Kraft took over the team, that was really a major step for stability for the franchise and for the Patriots themselves. And of course, now it's one of the premier franchises, top three or four in the league, no doubt. And just look what's happened in 15 years or 16 years from then to now. It's gone from being a place that didn't have very good facilities to having the best. The team wasn't great, and now it's certainly a premier team.

Bill Belichick has done a tremendous job there, remarkable job. And just it's a model for the teams in the league that are aspiring to do what the Patriots have already done. I don't really think I had a whole lot to do with that, but I think the one thing I would say that was helpful is we were able to, during the course of my time there, put, I'll name a few guys because I was just thinking about what I was going to say. Besides the obvious Drew Bledsoe, [Willie] McGinest, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Curtis Martin, Adam Vinatieri, Terry Glenn. We were able to put those players on the team to go with Ben Coates and [Bruce] Armstrong and Sam Gash and say Maurice Hurst was a good little player that were already there.

And I think that was the beginning of some personnel continuity. And some of those kids have gone on to be, as you know, some of the great players in Patriots history. And so, I do get a sense of accomplishment in that because there are some real quality players there that made a significant contribution to the development of the franchise.

TEAM TALK

• Bill Parcells Conference Call (27.30 min.audio) plus Transcript.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss highlights Bill Belichick talking about the draft as a guest on Sirius Radio.
• Karen Guregian notes that during his interview yesterday, Bill Belichick pointed to the front-7 positions on defense as pivotal in this year's draft.
• Tom E. Curran talks about the interest in New England's top draft picks and how quite often the Patriots get the better of the teams they deal with.
• Mike Reiss reports the 2011 regular-season schedule will be announced tonight and offers a poll to see if fans are excited or wary about the upcoming season.
• Mike Reiss notes Alabama RB Mark Ingram tweeted that he was en route to Boston this morning.
• Mike Reiss highlights Bill Parcells' conference call with Patriots reporters Monday morning.
• Christopher Price updates the big board list of Patriots private workouts and pre-draft visits.
• Greg A. Bedard analyzes the Draft: Cornerbacks.
• Tom E. Curran and Mike Giardi preview the running backs available in the Draft. (2.45 min. video)
• Mike Reiss analyzes Ryan Mallett's pre-draft visit with the Patriots.
• Ian Rapoport notes the Patriots will host TE Kyle Rudolph today.
• Jeff Howe thinks OL Benjamin Ijalana (Villanova) has the flexibility to help the Patriots' uncertain situation on their O-Line.
• Mike Reiss profiles possible Patriots: OT Nate Solder (Colorado).
• Jeff Howe says the evolution of the Patriots' RBs turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of 2010, and Mikel Leshoure (Illinois) could be a perfect fit.
• Tom E. Curran and Mike Giardi explain how the Patriots' approach may be altered without a CBA in place. (2.45 min. video)
• Kaitlin McKinley reports Wes Welker will be competing in the 2011 American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe in July.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Andy Benoit (NY Times) 2010 Patriots: What the film revealed.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Pioli explains what prompted the Pats to take a chance on Moss.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots meeting with Mallett, Ingram.
• Evan Silva (ProFootballTalk) If Patriots want Mark Ingram, they're not hiding it.
• Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) Teams expect a lack of draft trades.
• Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) Lockout, talent pool put freeze on trades.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Bill Parcells insists he's done with the NFL.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Theismann confirms he won't be back on Thursday Night Football.
• Wes Bunting (Nat'l Football Post) The Scout's top 10: Playing GM for a day.
• Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Why speed sells at the wide receiver position.
• Peter King (SI) 2011 NFL Draft preview: one-minute drills.
• Mike Piellucci (Fox Sports) The worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL draft history.
• NewsCore (Fox Sports) Could Jets, Giants commemorate 9/11?

LABOR LUNACY

• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) As mediation stalls, propaganda returns to the labor fight.
• NFL Labor Blog (nflabor.com) What is average NFL player's career length? Longer than you might think, Commissioner Goodell says.
• AP (NY Times) Day 2 of NFL mediation ends - talks resume Tuesday.
• Judy Battista (NY Times) NFL and the players see same forest, different trees.
• Ray Ratto (CBS Sports) NFL keeps playing pretend with schedule release.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) De Smith won't be present at Tuesday's mediation.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Three new owners will attend mediation on Tuesday.
• Mike Florio (ProFootball Talk) NFLPA pushes a "lift the lockout" petition.
• Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) Agents rooting hard for a CBA: Player funding continues.
• Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) The spending problem: Short-term funds vs. long-term solution.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Retired players file another lawsuit against NFLPA.
• AP (Fox Sports) Retired players suing NFLPA.

TODAY'S TV SCHEDULE

AUTO RACING

6 a.m. Sprint Cup: Aaron's 499 FOX

8 a.m. Indy Lights VERSUS

9:30 a.m. IndyCar: Grand Prix of Long Beach VERSUS

1 p.m. NHRA: 4-Wide Nationals ESPN2

BOWLING

7 a.m. PBA: Dick Weber Playoffs (championship round) ESPN

COLLEGE BASEBALL

7 a.m. Vanderbilt at South Carolina ESPN2

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

10 a.m. Oklahoma at Missouri ESPN

GOLF

3 a.m. European PGA Tour: Malaysian Open (final round) TGC

7 a.m. Champions Tour: Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am (final round) NBC

7 a.m. PGA Tour: Texas Open (final round) TGC

9 a.m. PGA Tour: Texas Open (final round) CBS

1 p.m. Nationwide Tour: Fresh Express Classic (final round) TGC

HORSE RACING

8 a.m. Trackside Live! FOXSP2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

7:30 a.m. Toronto at Boston TBS

8 a.m. L.A. Angels at Chicago White Sox FOXSP

9 a.m. Chicago Cubs at Colorado WGN

10 a.m. St. Louis at L.A. Dodgers FOXSP2

2 p.m. Texas at N.Y. Yankees ESPN

MOTORSPORTS

11 a.m. FIM World Superbike SPEED

NBA BASKETBALL

7 a.m. Western Conference quarters: San Antonio at Memphis (Game 1) TNT

9:30 a.m. Western Conference quarters: New Orleans at L.A. Lakers (Game 1) ABC

1 p.m. Eastern Conference quarters: New York at Boston (Game 1) TNT

3:30 p.m. Western Conference quarters: Denver at Oklahoma City (Game 1) TNT

NHL HOCKEY

9 a.m. Eastern Conference quarters: Washington at New York (Game 3) NBC

2 p.m. Western Conference quarters: Vancouver at Chicago (Game 3) VERSUS

 

MONDAY'S TV SCHEDULE

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

1 p.m. Milwaukee at Philadelphia ESPN

2 p.m. L.A. Angels at Texas FOXSP

4 p.m. Atlanta at L.A. Dodgers FOXSP2

NBA BASKETBALL

1 p.m. Eastern Conference quarters: Philadelphia at Miami (Game 2) TNT

3:30 p.m. Eastern Conference quarters: Indiana at Chicago (Game 2) TNT

NHL HOCKEY

1 p.m. Eastern Conference quarters: Philadelphia at Buffalo (Game 3) VERSUS

3:30 p.m. Eastern Conference quarters: Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay (Game 3) * VERSUS

4:30 p.m. Western Conference quarters: Detroit at Phoenix (Game 3) VERSUS

 

* Joined in progress

 

SATURDAY'S BIIF RESULTS

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Varsity

Kealakehe def. Konawaena 25-19, 25-15, 25-19

Hawaii Prep def. Laupahoehoe 25-9, 25-14, 25-9

 

MONDAY'S BIIF SCHEDULE

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Varsity matches follow 6 p.m. JV matches unless noted below

Waiakea at Christian Liberty, 6 p.m.

Kealakehe at Honokaa

 

HOCKEY

NHL PLAYOFF GLANCE

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

Washington vs. New York Rangers

Washington leads series 2-0

Wednesday's result

Washington 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, OT

Friday's result

Washington 2, N.Y. Rangers 0

Today's game

c Washington at N.Y. Rangers, 9 a.m.

Wednesday, April 20

c Washington at N.Y. Rangers, 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c N.Y. Rangers at Washington, 9 a.m. *

Monday, April 25

c Washington at N.Y. Rangers, TBD *

Wednesday, April 27

c N.Y. Rangers at Washington, TBD *

 

Philadelphia vs. Buffalo

Series tied 1-1

Thursday's result

c Buffalo 1, Philadelphia 0

Saturday's result

c Philadelphia 5, Buffalo 4

Monday's game

c Philadelphia at Buffalo, 1 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20

c Philadelphia at Buffalo, 1:30 p.m.

Friday, April 22

c Buffalo at Philadelphia, 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 24

c Philadelphia at Buffalo, 9 a.m. *

Tuesday, April 26

c Buffalo at Philadelphia, TBD *

 

Boston vs. Montreal

Montreal leads series 2-0

Thursday's result

c Montreal 2, Boston 0

Saturday's result

Montreal 3, Boston 1

Monday's game

c Boston at Montreal, 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 21

c Boston at Montreal, 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c Montreal at Boston, 1 p.m. *

Tuesday, April 26

c Boston at Montreal, TBD *

Wednesday, April 27

c Montreal at Boston TBD *

 

Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh

Series tied 1-1

Wednesday's result

c Pittsburgh 3, Tampa Bay 0

Friday's result

Tampa Bay 5, Pittsburgh 1

Monday's game

c Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20

c Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, TBD

Monday, April 25

c Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, TBD *

Wednesday, April 27

c Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, TBD *

 

WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

Vancouver vs. Chicago

Vancouver leads series 2-0

Wednesday's result

c Vancouver 2, Chicago 0

Friday's result

Vancouver 4, Chicago 3

Today's game

c Vancouver at Chicago, 2 p.m.

Tuesday's game

c Vancouver at Chicago, 2 p.m.

Thursday, April 21

c Chicago at Vancouver, 4 p.m. *

Sunday, April 24

c Vancouver at Chicago, 1:30 p.m. *

Tuesday, April 26

c Chicago at Vancouver, TBD *

 

San Jose vs. Los Angeles

Series tied 1-1

Thursday's result

c San Jose 3, Los Angeles 2, OT

Saturday's result

Los Angeles 4, San Jose 0

Tuesday's game

c San Jose at Los Angeles, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 21

c San Jose at Los Angeles, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c Los Angeles at San Jose, 4:30 p.m. *

Monday, April 25

c San Jose at Los Angeles, TBD *

Wednesday, April 27

c Los Angeles at San Jose, TBD *

 

Detroit 1, Phoenix 0

Detroit leads series 2-0

Wednesday's result

c Detroit 4, Phoenix 2

Saturday's result

c Detroit 4, Phoenix 3

Monday's game

c Detroit at Phoenix, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20

c Detroit at Phoenix, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, April 22

c Phoenix at Detroit, 1 p.m. *

Sunday, April 24

c Detroit at Phoenix, TBD *

Wednesday, April 27

c Phoenix at Detroit, TBD *

 

Anaheim vs. Nashville

Series tied 1-1

Wednesday's result

c Nashville 4, Anaheim 1

Friday's result

Anaheim 4, Nashville 2

Today's game

c Anaheim at Nashville, noon

Wednesday, April 20

c Anaheim at Nashville, 2:30 p.m.

Friday, April 22

c Nashville at Anaheim, 4 p.m.

Sunday, April 24

c Anaheim at Nashville, TBD *

Tuesday, April 26

c Nashville at Anaheim, TBD *

 

* -- if necessary

 

BASKETBALL

NBA PLAYOFF GLANCE

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

Chicago vs. Indiana

Chicago leads series 1-0

Saturday's result

Chicago 104, Indiana 99

Monday's game

c Indiana at Chicago, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 21

c Chicago at Indiana, 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c Chicago at Indiana, 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, April 26

c Indiana at Chicago, TBD *

Thursday, April 28

c Chicago at Indiana, TBD *

Saturday, April 30

c Indiana at Chicago, TBD *

 

Miami vs. Philadelphia

Miami leads series 1-0

Saturday's result

c Miami 97, Philadelphia 89

Monday's game

c Philadelphia at Miami, 1 p.m.

Thursday, April 21

c Miami at Philadelphia, 2 p.m.

Sunday, April 24

c Miami at Philadelphia, 7 a.m.

Wednesday, April 27

c Philadelphia at Miami, TBD *

Friday, April 29

c Miami at Philadelphia, TBD *

Sunday, May 1

c Philadelphia at Miami, TBD *

 

Boston vs. New York

Series tied 0-0

Today's game

c New York at Boston, 1 p.m.

Tuesday's game

c New York at Boston, 1 p.m.

Friday, April 22

c Boston at New York, 1 p.m.

Sunday, April 24

c Boston at New York, 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday, April 26

c New York at Boston, TBD *

Friday, April 29

c Boston at New York, TBD *

Sunday, May 1

c New York at Boston, TBD *

 

Orlando vs. Atlanta

Atlanta leads series 1-0

Saturday's result

Atlanta 103, Orlando 93

Tuesday's game

c Atlanta at Orlando, 1:30 p.m.

Friday, April 22

c Orlando at Atlanta, 2 p.m.

Sunday, April 24

c Orlando at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, April 26

c Atlanta at Orlando, TBD *

Thursday, April 28

c Orlando at Atlanta, TBD *

Saturday, April 30

c Atlanta at Orlando, TBD *

 

WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

San Antonio vs. Memphis

Series tied 0-0

Today's game

c Memphis at San Antonio, 7 a.m.

Wednesday, April 20

c Memphis at San Antonio, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c San Antonio at Memphis, 1:30 p.m.

Monday, April 25

c San Antonio at Memphis, TBD

Wednesday, April 27

c Memphis at San Antonio, TBD *

Friday, April 29

c San Antonio at Memphis, TBD *

Sunday, May 1

c Memphis at San Antonio, TBD *

 

L.A. Lakers vs. New Orleans

Series tied 0-0

Today's game

c New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday, April 20

c New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, April 22

c L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 24

c L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 26

c New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD *

Thursday, April 28

c L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, TBD *

Saturday, April 30

c New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD *

 

Dallas vs. Portland

Dallas leads series 1-0

Saturday's result

Dallas 89, Portland 81

Tuesday's game

c Portland at Dallas, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 21

c Dallas at Portland, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c Dallas at Portland, 11 a.m.

Monday, April 25

c Portland at Dallas, TBD *

Thursday, April 28

c Dallas at Portland, TBD *

Saturday, April 30

c Portland at Dallas, TBD *

 

Oklahoma City vs. Denver

Series tied 0-0

Today's game

c Denver at Oklahoma City, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20

c Denver at Oklahoma City, 2 p.m.

Saturday, April 23

c Oklahoma City at Denver, 4 p.m.

Monday, April 25

c Oklahoma City at Denver, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 27

c Denver at Oklahoma City, TBD *

Friday, April 29

c Oklahoma City at Denver, TBD *

Sunday, May 1

c Denver at Oklahoma City, TBD *

 

* -- if necessary

 

SOCCER

MLS GLANCE

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L OT Pts GF GA

Philadelphia 3 1 1 10 4 2

New York 2 1 2 8 5 2

Columbus 2 1 2 8 4 3

D.C. 2 2 1 7 9 8

New England 1 1 3 6 5 6

Toronto FC 1 2 3 6 6 9

Houston 1 1 2 5 5 4

Chicago 1 2 1 4 7 9

Sporting Kansas City 1 2 1 4 8 9

 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA

Real Salt Lake 4 0 0 12 8 1

Colorado 3 2 0 9 8 6

Los Angeles 2 1 3 9 5 6

Vancouver 1 2 3 6 9 10

Seattle 1 2 3 6 6 7

San Jose 1 2 2 5 5 7

Portland 1 2 1 4 6 8

FC Dallas 1 2 1 4 4 5

Chivas USA 0 2 3 3 3 5

 

NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

 

Wednesday's results

Toronto FC 0, Los Angeles 0, tie

Real Salt Lake 1, Colorado 0

 

Thursday's result

Portland 4, Chicago 2

 

Saturday's results

Philadelphia 1, Seattle FC 1, tie

Vancouver 0, Chivas USA 0, tie

D.C. United 3, Toronto FC 0

Columbus 1, Sporting Kansas City 0

New York 3, San Jose 0

 

Today's games

Los Angeles at Chicago, 10 a.m.

FC Dallas at Portland, noon

New England at Houston, 1 p.m.

 

TRANSACTIONS

BASEBALL

National League

ATLANTA BRAVES -- Recalled RHP Jairo Asencio from Gwinnett (IL). Optioned C J.C. Boscan to Gwinnett.

NEW YORK METS -- Placed RHP Chris Young on the 15-day DL, retroactive to April 11. Recalled RHP Pat Misch from Buffalo (IL).

HOCKEY

National Hockey League

NHL -- Suspended Anaheim F Bobby Ryan two games for a kicking incident against Nashville D Jonathon Blum during Friday's game against Nashville.

American Hockey League

HARTFORD WHALE -- Signed F Carl Hagelin.

ECHL

ECHL -- Suspended Reading F Olivier Labelle one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for his actions during Friday's game against Kalamazoo.

 

AUTO RACING

AARON'S 499 LINEUP

Saturday qualifying, race today

1. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 178.248 mph.

2. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 177.844.

3. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 177.807.

4. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 177.765.

5. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 177.702.

6. (09) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 177.685.

7. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 177.438.

8. (22) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 177.379.

9. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 177.369.

10. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 177.353.

11. (21) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 177.353.

12. (15) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 177.317.

13. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 177.182.

14. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 177.143.

15. (47) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 177.12.

16. (43) A J Allmendinger, Ford, 177.087.

17. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 177.074.

18. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 177.061.

19. (2) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 177.032.

20. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 177.006.

21. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 176.872.

22. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 176.695.

23. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 176.659.

24. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 176.575.

25. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 176.519.

26. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 176.477.

27. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 176.461.

28. (38) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 176.425.

29. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 176.37.

30. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 176.347.

31. (4) Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 176.298.

32. (97) Kevin Conway, Toyota, 176.195.

33. (35) Steve Park, Chevrolet, 176.162.

34. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 175.939.

35. (36) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 175.806.

36. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 175.41.

37. (71) Andy Lally, Ford, 175.349.

38. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 175.154.

39. (34) David Gilliland, Ford, 175.134.

40. (13) Casey Mears, Toyota, owner points.

41. (32) Terry Labonte, Ford, owner points.

42. (7) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, owner points.

43. (46) Bill Elliott, Chevrolet, past champion.

Failed to qualify

44. (60) Mike Skinner, Toyota, 175.09.

45. (37) Tony Raines, Ford, 175.

46. (66) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 174.84.

 

INDYCAR-LONG BEACH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING

1. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.0649 (102.582 mph)

2. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.1409 (102.469)

3. (27) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.6414 (101.733)

4. (2) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.6828 (101.672)

5. (22) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.8097 (101.487)

6. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.8423 (101.440)

7. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.6037 (101.788)

8. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.6385 (101.737)

9. (77) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.6497 (101.720)

10. (82) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.7352 (101.596)

11. (06) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.8122 (101.484)

12. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.8243 (101.466)

13. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.1010 (101.066)

14. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 01:09.9400 (101.298)

15. (34) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.1146 (101.046)

16. (38) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.5883 (100.368)

17. (59) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.1465 (101.000)

18. (78) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.6407 (100.293)

19. (17) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.3477 (100.711)

20. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.7836 (100.091)

21. (19) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.8050 (100.061)

22. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.8197 (100.040)

23. (18) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.8592 (99.984)

24. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 01:10.8672 (99.973)

25. (8) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 01:11.0249 (99.751)

26. (24) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 01:11.0341 (99.738)

27. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 01:11.4916 (99.100)

 

GOLF

TEXAS OPEN

Saturday's third round

Brendan Steele 69-72-68 -- 209

Cameron Tringale 71-71-68 -- 210

Kevin Chappell 68-73-70 -- 211

Brandt Snedeker 69-72-70 -- 211

Pat Perez 71-74-67 -- 212

Charles Howell III 71-73-68 -- 212

Adam Scott 68-74-70 -- 212

Charley Hoffman 68-73-72 -- 213

Rich Beem 71-70-72 -- 213

Fredrik Jacobson 72-75-67 -- 214

J.P. Hayes 73-73-68 -- 214

Vaughn Taylor 68-75-71 -- 214

Ricky Barnes 73-70-71 -- 214

Jeff Maggert 71-72-71 -- 214

Dean Wilson 70-72-72 -- 214

Steve Flesch 71-76-68 -- 215

Martin Laird 72-74-69 -- 215

Martin Piller 70-75-70 -- 215

Brendon de Jonge 72-72-71 -- 215

J.B. Holmes 70-73-72 -- 215

Kevin Sutherland 71-70-74 -- 215

Geoff Ogilvy 69-72-74 -- 215

Bobby Gates 70-78-68 -- 216

Kevin Stadler 70-77-69 -- 216

Johnson Wagner 71-75-70 -- 216

William McGirt 73-73-70 -- 216

Briny Baird 71-75-70 -- 216

Hunter Haas 75-70-71 -- 216

Matt Every 73-69-74 -- 216

Bo Van Pelt 75-73-69 -- 217

Nathan Green 75-73-69 -- 217

Ryuji Imada 72-75-70 -- 217

Keegan Bradley 73-73-71 -- 217

Kevin Streelman 69-76-72 -- 217

John Senden 71-74-72 -- 217

Brian Gay 71-74-72 -- 217

Brandt Jobe 75-69-73 -- 217

Tag Ridings 70-74-73 -- 217

Kris Blanks 71-73-73 -- 217

Roland Thatcher 74-74-70 -- 218

Bryce Molder 73-75-70 -- 218

Chris Kirk 70-76-72 -- 218

Jarrod Lyle 74-71-73 -- 218

Troy Matteson 69-76-73 -- 218

Blake Adams 71-74-73 -- 218

Nick O'Hern 73-72-73 -- 218

Shaun Micheel 72-73-73 -- 218

Bill Lunde 71-73-74 -- 218

Jim Renner 72-72-74 -- 218

Chad Campbell 71-73-74 -- 218

Justin Leonard 73-75-71 -- 219

Arjun Atwal 71-77-71 -- 219

Ben Martin 73-74-72 -- 219

Billy Horschel 71-74-74 -- 219

Billy Mayfair 72-73-74 -- 219

Scott Stallings 71-73-75 -- 219

Jim Herman 69-78-73 -- 220

James Driscoll 74-73-73 -- 220

Bob Estes 71-76-73 -- 220

Scott Verplank 75-72-73 -- 220

Woody Austin 73-73-74 -- 220

Chris Riley 74-72-74 -- 220

Paul Goydos 71-74-75 -- 220

Stewart Cink 67-78-75 -- 220

Jhonattan Vegas 68-76-76 -- 220

Steven Bowditch 77-69-75 -- 221

John Merrick 72-72-77 -- 221

Michael Connell 73-70-78 -- 221

Justin Hicks 77-71-74 -- 222

Frank Lickliter II 70-77-75 -- 222

Fabian Gomez 72-74-76 -- 222

J.J. Henry 67-78-77 -- 222

Joseph Bramlett 70-74-78 -- 222

David Duval 75-72-76 -- 223

Bio Kim 78-69-76 -- 223

Colt Knost 73-73-81 -- 227

Tim Petrovic 72-76-80 -- 228

Scott Gutschewski 76-72-80 -- 228

 

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE OPEN

Saturday's second round

John Cook 66-65 -- 131

Russ Cochran 64-68 -- 132

Jay Don Blake 66-68 -- 134

Tom Pernice, Jr. 68-68 -- 136

Joey Sindelar 68-68 -- 136

Peter Senior 69-68 -- 137

Tom Wargo 70-68 -- 138

Joe Ozaki 69-69 -- 138

Hale Irwin 70-68 -- 138

Larry Mize 70-68 -- 138

Mark Calcavecchia 69-69 -- 138

Don Pooley 69-70 -- 139

Chip Beck 71-68 -- 139

Olin Browne 70-69 -- 139

Michael Allen 71-68 -- 139

Nick Price 71-68 -- 139

Ted Schulz 68-72 -- 140

Tim Simpson 68-72 -- 140

Tom Jenkins 72-68 -- 140

Jay Haas 70-70 -- 140

Kenny Perry 67-73 -- 140

Mike Goodes 68-72 -- 140

Steve Lowery 71-70 -- 141

Keith Fergus 73-68 -- 141

Loren Roberts 70-71 -- 141

Phil Blackmar 73-68 -- 141

Mark O'Meara 72-69 -- 141

Bob Tway 74-67 -- 141

David Eger 74-68 -- 142

Tom Lehman 73-69 -- 142

Mark Wiebe 70-72 -- 142

Lee Rinker 69-74 -- 143

Chien Soon Lu 69-74 -- 143

Fuzzy Zoeller 72-71 -- 143

Andy Bean 70-73 -- 143

Dana Quigley 71-72 -- 143

Jim Thorpe 72-71 -- 143

Bobby Wadkins 70-73 -- 143

Bill Glasson 72-72 -- 144

Mike Reid 71-73 -- 144

Bruce Fleisher 72-72 -- 144

Rod Spittle 70-74 -- 144

Bob Gilder 69-75 -- 144

Tommy Armour III 72-72 -- 144

Scott Hoch 70-74 -- 144

Jeff Sluman 71-73 -- 144

Brad Bryant 75-70 -- 145

Mark Brooks 76-69 -- 145

John Jacobs 70-75 -- 145

A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.
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Categories: Entertainment

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? X Trailer Jon Hewitt's last feature Acolytes starred Joel Edgerton, one of the best reasons why a strong ensemble makes a great movie even better especially when it comes to Animal Kingdom. He's back with a new feature that looks like it could be received just as well if this trailer is any indication of its pedigree. With the trickling of great Australian directors coming to these shores I only hope one of these fellows could steal some work from lesser jobbers knocking around Hollywood. What is inherent in this trailer from the outset is a sense of place and emotional filth. It's dingy and dirty and even though we've seen countless movies about hookers this one catches the eyes. The interstitials are fairly basic and are a little groan worthy with its attempts to be all dramatic with what it's trying to set up but it's the moments we've given that give this trailer a thrust. Seeing some depraved party where some kinky business is going down in someone's living room, watching some young runaway be coaxed into this business where it obviously won't end well, this is all good editing to provide a solid narrative to try and thread together. There isn't any superfluousness or needless parading. Now, when we get the Bad Boys storyline thrown in our face (did no one see that film) I was a little down on the story but somehow it becomes something else entirely. Kind of like Patrick Dempsey's Run mixed in with a little cat and mouse thriller theater for a hearty mix of fun. The trailer shifts from deep, dramatic thinker to full on action. Both films fit within the sales pitch and the trailer handles the transition quite well. I miss movies like this. [Twitch [1]] Two Gates Of Sleep Trailer David Lynch and Terrence Malick? In this trailer, first time feature length writer/director/editor Alistair Banks Griffin has shaped a story about loss into something is at the same time haunting and poetic. I'm almost at a loss to tell you why this trailer slowly steals your breath as you watch things unfold in a macabre but hypnotizing fashion. The two things that leap out of me when I watch this trailer is that there are no words, no sounds, no dialogue, and the only thing we hear are the weeping strings of violins. Seeing a thick forest as the opening frames show us this lush world and what it contains helps to understand what it is we're embarking on when we enter this landscape. It's populated with at least two men and a woman who is most certainly dead. Whether it is through flashbacks where we are to understand the nature of the relationship this woman has with the two guys, most certainly their mother, or if we are to deduce what is that has resulted in her being placed in a coffin and taken on a journey through a multitude of places I am in love with what is happening. Through only positive quotes given to it from those who have seen it and the awards it says it has won it is able to establish the thinnest amount of trust with the viewer as if to say you can trust in that you will understand, it all but promises that, but I like that they want to shield the contents of this this story. And I think that's gutsy in this kind of voracious environment. Why there is mud caked on a sweater of a deceased corpse that gingerly rides in the back of a pickup, how a coffin ends up in a river, what is the deal with these two men, these are all valid questions I don't mind not having answers for if it means having a satisfactory experience with this trailer. It's indeed haunting in a way that it leaves you with far more questions than it does leads about where the truth lies. I don't see many of these kinds of trailers but when I do I can't help but share. Louder Than A Bomb Trailer I’ve got to represent for my hometown whenever possible and because a good trailer has come out of that city it seems only natural to give it some love. When I interviewed Duncan Jones for his film Source Code, right before I entered the room for my 1:1, literally seconds before I pressed flesh with the man, I was told to not bring up the fact that he was David Bowie's kid. Besides not really caring one way or the other, I've never felt pro or con about the Thin White Duke, it got up in my head and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Fast forward to seeing this and realizing it was coming from Gene Siskel's nephew there is all but the faint idea that surely this guy knows what he's doing. What directors Jon Siskel and Greg Jacobs have put together to sell this film is make a pretty abstract idea like poetry and make it understandable. And not understandable in a way that would redefine the way you would interpret poetry but how this altered notion of stanzas and meter makes sense to the kids who we see profiled here. I like the auditory repetition of the guttural vowel sounds, you can feel it in the back of your throat as they come out, as we see sweet home Chicago in the beginning moments of the trailer. We get the reason why we're here, what we need to know, and why we should care about anyone we're about to be introduced to in the subsequent segments. The way it shifts into the stories of the youths who we learn about is smooth as it is interesting to hear and see the manufacturing of poetic performance comes from the lives they lead off the stage. This is inherently more interesting than just watching these kids from a stage with no understanding why they write what they do. It's heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. It's applaud worthy to see how even the balance is between normalcy and performance art. I get that this is a poetry slam but I'm getting that much more as a viewer. We see these youths in their natural habitat as they internalize the poetic medium and learn how to express themselves in a way that makes us feel more than it does make us comprehend. Towards the end, where it decides to flaunt all it's kudos and awards, I think this could have been better placed at the beginning but it's a small quibble, the inspiration knob is twisted as a far as it can go when things get more intense and profound. I applaud that we get a quote from one of the kids who says that writing a poem won't change the world as it shows that this isn't rocket science and these youths aren't going to become Rhodes scholars overnight because of this but it's the acknowledgement that it's part and parcel as to why they're hopefully becoming better people, better citizens of the globe, because they've put pen to paper. Snowtown Trailer There are worse things in the world than to be compared to David Michôd. First time director/writer Justin Kurzel looks like he has the visual style of a Rian Johnson and a flair for making this film look like an unofficial sequel to Animal Kingdom (I apologize this is the second time it's being brought up today) in all the right ways. It feels raw, the action on the screen doesn't inform as much as it does set the mood for the place where we find ourselves, and I couldn't tell you exactly what's happening or why we're following who we are. I do like that even after all this discombobulation we get the simple words of, "based on a true story." From here you know something wicked is going down and the set up couldn't be more smooth and nonthreatening. Like the boy we're following throughout the trailer, we're indoctrinated into this life of evil through small moments. There isn't a stark outburst or bombastic screaming that usually accompanies a movie like this. No, instead we sink into a morass of uneasy quietude. Like a dose of Valium to smooth out the rough edges of life, we get visceral images of horrible violence that almost seem OK because we're moving so gently through it. It's one of those rare moments when you have so much, and so little, happening before our eyes. We can't put anything together but the style, the very style of Kurzel's sensibility, is on full display. The music, tempo, editing, the quotes, it all is in perfect harmony to the point I could call this one of the best trailers I've seen this year with how it all comes together. By the end I'm still not sure how it all is working or what in the hell is happening here but I don't pay it much attention because what we are given is a rich insight into a film that you can't help but want to see if you're properly attune to what it's putting out there. Give people what they want but hold back a pinch. This trailer gets it. [Twitch [2]] Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Trailer When you have a man like this trying to fight and subvert an oppressive regime with art and introspective musings you've got to help any which way you can to get people to hear what he has to say. Documentary filmmaker Alison Klayman has molded something that shows the struggle for independent thought and expression in communist China in another light besides sharp defiance. There is a nuance here that understates the issue she's exploring in profiling an artist who is part Andy Warhol, part freedom fighter. What makes this trailer so good is the way it approaches an issue that is still so resonant within our collective social conscious, what happened at Tienanmen Square, and how it leans on the showing aspects of good storytelling and withholding the tell. We see an artist who is advocating independence of the spirit and of a culture through his work yet we see how this message might as well be a call to arms to a government who would like nothing more than to silence this one guy. From juxtaposing our man Weiwei's appearance at art galleries, social functions, and enough events that he could easily be mistaken for someone rolling with the hoi polloi and the savage beating he takes from the local law enforcement for simply being a man who wants to elevate people's minds with his work there is a bewitching charm to this doughy guy. There is an innocence to it all while being completely incendiary in its content. It's a trailer I have watched a few times this week again and again because it's yet another example of the things we allow other governments do their people that we simply allow to happen without recourse. We need China so much that this becomes something we're willing to turn a blind, commercial eye to but this documentary shows you exactly why even one person's persecution is worth knowing about, and hopefully, bringing to light. True, this isn't a trailer that is going to make a Top 10 list this year but what it lacks in creative editing it makes up for in content. For if a trailer pushes you to explore further, then it has done what it can, what it set out to accomplish. William and Kate: The Movie Trailer There is no debating, there is no discussion needed, there are no excuses, if you or any of your loved ones can sit through this and feel any need to "check it out" I can guarantee a lifetime of miserable mediocrity.  I barely could sit on my hands and marvel at the wretchedness that the Lifetime network has concocted with director Mark Rosman, a man who I loved for his work on Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire before hitting it hard on A Cinderella Movie and The Perfect Man. I can only imagine the demographics of the audience who are already setting their DVRs in hot anticipation for a TV movie that has a trailer which is really the visual equivalent of a tornado siren, a warning to get to somewhere heavily fortified. Note bene: If you have any suggestions of trailers to possibly be included in this column, even have a trailer of your own to pitch, please let me know by sending me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week: MelancholiaTrailer [3] - Excitement. I'm a ball of pure excitement at the prospect of this film after seeing this trailer. Dolphin Tale Trailer [4] - Going after this trailer would be like beating up a 3rd grader. I can't do it. I can, however, tell you Harry Connick, Jr. looks like he's doing just fine being an insufferably bad actor. Johnny English Reborn Trailer [5] - I don't get it and it's not my sensibility. This trailer looks like it will appeal to those who did, however, and I guess they'll dig it. The Woman In Black Trailer [6] - Wow, that was a whole lot of nothing. Thanks. Passion Play Trailer [7] - This trailer leaves me listless and yearning for the days when Megan Fox stayed in movies like Transformers. Cinema Verite Trailer [8] #3 [9] - For free, my bar is already set low, but this trailer convinces me that I would pay to see to see this production. X-Men: First Class International Trailer [10] - I am getting more and more convinced this could be the Iron Man hit of the summer if the trailer is as good as the film. However, I'm sure I'm mistaken and I am getting hopeful all for naught. Monte Carlo Trailer [11] - My seven year-old will love this. I'll hate it but she'll love it. The Host Trailer [12] - Russ Fischer was right: The Ref meets American Psycho. I'm not sure if I can get over the cheekiness of it all but it does look interesting. Priest Trailer #3 [13] - This is certainly a lot better than the previous trailers but it's way too little, way too late. Abduction Trailer [14] - I guess if Hanna was too much for some in our youth culture, this could be their version that looks about as dumbed down as you can get before resorting to flash cards. Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trailer [15] - Well, put me in a dress and call me Sally, this is the very first Apes film that has me interested. Nice trailer. Love Wedding Marriage Trailer [16]- I guess if I had a lot of estrogen coursing through my veins I would want to see this. But since I don't this looks about as entertaining as getting my pubes extracted with small strips of duct tape. Casa de mi Padre Trailer [17] - I can't believe how much fun I had watching this. Will Ferrell gets my vote for most interesting project coming down the comedic pipe. Sleeping Beauty Trailer [18] - You can't help but be entranced by its wickedness. Great trailer that is both stylish and compelling. Cowboys and Aliens Trailer [19]- From the sterile feeling I get from some of the scenes that feel manufactured on a sound stage, to the ho hum action beats of the scenes played out in a desert, I'm kind of down on this trailer for not getting me more excited. Monte Carlo Trailer [1] http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/04/jon-hewitts-x-gets-a-us-trailer-and-release-date.php [2] http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/04/extraordinary-new-trailer-for-snowtown.php [3] http://www.slashfilm.com/melancholia-trailer/ [4] http://www.slashfilm.com/dolphin-tale-trailer/ [5] http://www.slashfilm.com/johnny-english-reborn-trailer/ [6] http://www.slashfilm.com/woman-black-teaser-trailer/ [7] http://www.slashfilm.com/passion-play-trailer/ [8] http://www.slashfilm.com/cinema-verite-trailer-3/ [9] http://www.slashfilm.com/cinema-verite-trailer-3/ [10] http://www.slashfilm.com/xmen-class-international-trailer-english/ [11] http://www.slashfilm.com/monte-carlo-trailer/ [12] http://www.slashfilm.com/the-perfect-host-trailer/ [13] http://www.slashfilm.com/priest-trailer-3/ [14] http://www.slashfilm.com/abduction-trailer-starring-taylor-lautner/ [15] http://www.slashfilm.com/rise-apes-trailer/ [16] http://www.slashfilm.com/love-wedding-marriage-trailer/ [17] http://www.slashfilm.com/casa-mi-padre-teaser-trailer-ferrell/ [18] http://www.slashfilm.com/sleeping-beauty-trailer-emily-browning/ [19] http://www.slashfilm.com/cowboys-aliens-trailer/

JDSpartan follows up his great writeup for the Packers at No. 32 with more solid analysis for the Detroit Lions' second round pick at No. 44. Thankfully for him, the Steelers success outweighs all the misery he's gone through as a Lions fan over the years. Next up: the San Francisco 49ers, represented by Michael Ulhorn. - Michael B. -

**************

Well, my second favorite team in the world, the Detroit Lions are on the clock for their second round pick. The Lions took J.J. Watt with their first pick - not the choice I would have made, but it gives them another young difference maker on their line to pair with the manbeast, Ndamukong Suh. If there was any doubt about the Lions having the best 4 man line in the NFL, it's gone now.

The Watt pick leaves the Lions with their main needs still untouched. With needs at linebacker, corner, offensive line (particularly guard and center), SS, and wide receiver, the Lions have a bunch of options. Let's break them down. Remember, the Lions take whoever they believe the BPA is almost regardless of anything else, especially positional value.

Stefen Wisnewski, G/C, Penn State - This is an interesting pick for the Lions. They need a RG & a C pretty badly, and Wisnewski would give them some versatility. He's more of an athletic/technique blocker like Jeff Saturday, versus a powerful drive blocker like Nick Mangold. He's a good player, but there is some concern that he doesn't have too much upside and might not be much better than Dominic Raiola, who they have at center now.

Rodney Hudson, G/C, Florida State - Hudson is kind of the opposite of Wisnewski, being a more powerful blocker than Wisnewski, though isn't quite as polished technique wise. Still, he offers more upside and probably more versatility because I think he would be a better guard than Wisnewski could be. Hudson is a little small though, if I remember correctly.

Benjamin Ijalana, OT/G, Villanova - Another guy with some versatility. All three of these offensive linemen can help the Lions fill their gaping hole at guard, but Ijalana gives them an opportunity to potentially move to LT and replace Jeff Backus at some point. Personally, I think he would stay at guard because the Lions are pretty happy with their fourth round pick from last year, Jason Fox. He barely played because he was rehabbing some major injuries. When Fox did play, he was solid in pass protection but didn't show much push in the run game (resulting from not working out or playing in forever). They think Fox is a player, but Ijalana shows promise as being a solid player for them at guard. I don't know how much upside he really has, but he could solidify the spot and let them ignore it for ten years or so.

Randall Cobb, WR, Kentucky - Cobb is an interesting pick here. He can help out at returner (I know our own Stefan Logan played very well last year, but I expect they would want the roster spot for someone more useful outside of special teams like we did) and could develop into a solid number two receiver. Nate Burleson isn't too bad, but he's much better suited to being a slot receiver. I wish Baldwin had still been here, because the Lions would have the best collection of offensive weapons in team history (and maybe the league), but alas, I don't have the option. Even so, Cobb gives them someone for Stafford to take advantage of when teams double cover Calvin Johnson - which is essentially every play.

Bruce Carter, OLB, UNC - The Lions desperately need linebackers, and they're really, really interested in Carter. He's an absolute first round talent, and the Lions seem pretty sure he'll be ready to play by training camp (assuming there is one). He's athletic, a solid tackler, instinctive, and would be a great fit with Jim Schwartz. The Lions are only a few impact players away, and this guy has a very high ceiling.

Ras I-Dowling, CB, Virginia - Corner is a huge need for the Lions. People over at Pride of Detroit really wanted me to draft Brandon Harris, but he isn't available (and I probably wouldn't have taken him anyway). Dowling has been covered up and down on this board, so I won't go into it much. He's a contender.

Titus Young, WR, Boise State - Much of the same reasoning as Cobb, though Young is a better deep threat. His size is a major, major concern, however. He is talented and if he can stand up to the NFL beating he's going to stretch the defense and really open things up and take some pressure off Matthew Stafford, which the Lions desperately need.

Marcus Cannon, G, TCU - I love Marcus Cannon. He's huge, he's strong, and he's a mauler. I'm a big fan. Of all the guard possibilities on the list, he's the best, but his versatility and some concerns about his weight (unfounded in my opinion) have him placing a bit lower on most mocks and draft boards (though SI has him going to the Steelers in the first round right now). Still, he's a beast and I think could become one of the league's best guards, duking it out with Jahri Evans for the best RG guard around.

So, time to trim this down. I'm chopping Wisnewski and Young right off. I think there are better players on the board at the same positions and players that the Lions like more. Since they're BPA, see you guys. I'm going to cut Randall Cobb next, because I don't think you can legitimately argue him as the BPA for the Lions - their need at receiver isn't too great (though they desperately need depth, they can address this later).

I'm taking Hudson off next, because I think Cannon is a better prospect. That leaves Ijalana, Carter, Dowling, and Cannon. I think I have to dump Cannon now, however, because Ijalana is probably the better player.

This is a hard choice. Three great options, all with first round talent. The Lions are lucky to have this decision, but I think they go with Carter. Not only do I believe he is the best player of the three, the Lions have met with him a lot and he was very excited afterward. They seem to love him, so I'm taking the pick that seems likely to happen and fulfills a HUGE need. The Lions have squat at outside linebacker except low round picks or former busts. Even worse, DeAndre Levy is a solid player, but he's not an impact player. They have NOTHING scary at linebacker. At least Alphonso Smith pulled down a ton of interceptions last year, and Louis Delmas is pretty good. Carter is the guy here, because of talent, need, and because Dowling doesn't seem like a great fit for Schwartz's defense and Ijalana isn't as good.

Go Lions!

 

BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Selections:

1. Carolina Panthers -- Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
2. Denver Broncos -- Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
3. Buffalo Bills -- Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
4. Cincinnati Bengals -- Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
5. Arizona Cardinals -- Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
6. Cleveland Browns -- 'The Snow Cone Machine' A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
7. San Francisco 49ers -- Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
8. Tennessee Titans -- Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
9. Dallas Cowboys -- Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
10. Washington Redskins -- Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina
11. Houston Texans -- Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri
12. Minnesota Vikings -- Tyron Smith, OT, USC
13. Detroit Lions -- JJ Watt, DE, Wisconsin
14. St. Louis Rams -- Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
15. Miami Dolphons -- Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
16. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Brooks Reed , DE, Arizona
17. New England Patriots -- Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
18. San Diego Chargers -- Ryan Kerrigan, DE/OLB, Purdue
19. New York Giants -- Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
21. Kansas City Chiefs -- Martez Wilson, LB, Illinois
22. Indianapolis Colts -- Cameron Jordan, DL, California
23. Philadelphia Eagles -- Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
24. New Orleans Saints -- Justin Houston, DE/OLB, Georgia
25. Seattle Seahawks -- Jake Locker, QB, Washington
26. Baltimore Ravens -- Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland
27. Atlanta Falcons -- Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
28. New England Patriots -- Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida
29. Chicago Bears --Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
30. New York Jets -- Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple
31. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
32. Green Bay Packers -- Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor

ROUND 2

2. New England Patriots -- Cameron Hayward, DE, Ohio State (33rd overall)
3. Buffalo Bills -- Kyle Rudolph, TE, Notre Dame (34th overall)
4. Cincinnati Bengals -- Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State (35th overall)
5. Denver Broncos -- Mikel LeShoure, RB, Illinois (36th overall)
6. Cleveland Browns -- Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois (37th overall)
7. Arizona Cardinals -- Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada (38th overall)
8. Tennessee Titans -- Andy Dalton, QB, Texas Christian (39th overall)
9. Dallas Cowboys -- Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor (40th overall)
10. Washington Redskins -- Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh (41st overall)
11. Houston Texans -- Aaron Williams, CB, Texas (42nd overall)
12. Minnesota Vikings -- Brandon Harris, CB, Miami (43rd overall)

[1] 20th Century Fox has also sent us a batch of 8 high resolution concept art from Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes. While the trailer, released this morning [2], featured some quick glimpses at WETA's awesome visual effects work, the final sequences of the movie are far from rendered. But if you want to see some concept art of the Apes rising against the humans, hit the jump. [gallery order="DESC" columns="2" orderby="ID"] Official Plot Synopsis: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. The film is a prequel/reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise which takes place in present day with a science fact-like take on how animal testing leads to the end of the human race, and yes, the rise of the apes. James Franco plays "a young, driven scientist who becomes a crucial figure in the war between humans and apes." John Lithgow plays Franco's father, also a scientist, Freida Pinto plays a primatologist who helps Franco, Brian Cox plays "the villainous owner of a primate sanctuary who runs the facility without compassion for the animals that live there," Tom Felton is the son of Brian Cox's character, and through performance capture and WETA created visual effects, Andy Serkis plays Caesar, the chimp who leads the simian revolt. The screenplay is written by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. Rise of the Planet of the Apes will hit theaters on August 5th 2011. [1] http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/17SF-scene-7-8-more-human.jpg [2] http://www.slashfilm.com/rise-apes-trailer/

When Dan Beebe predicted Big 12 schools could thrive by staying together, we all laughed. That prediction came true, and Andy Staples says Beebe's league looks strong and stable.

20th Century Fox has released the first trailer for the highly-anticipated sci-fi adventure Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which arrives in theaters nationwide on August 5. Click on the video player below for your first glimpse at this new ape adventure, set in modern-day San Francisco. We also have the new poster, which you can check out below.

An origin story in the true sense of the word, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is set in present day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale -- a science fiction/science-fact blend where mankind's hubris leads to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. Oscar-winning visual effects house WETA Digital - employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for Avatar - will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes comes to theaters August 5th, 2011 and stars James Franco, Brian Cox, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton. The film is directed by Rupert Wyatt.

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Twentieth Century Fox released the first trailer for Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a prequel to Tim Burton's remake from starring James Franco, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, and Tom Felton. While completely hesitant based solely on studio, my first reaction was actually pretty positive. Other than feeling like WETA just shrunk down their CG King Kong, put a more human face on him, and then multiplied him by a billion, the trailer is slightly chilling. Up until the first ape is on the loose, there's an extreme sense of impending doom giving the franchise much needed tension. An origin story in the true sense of the word, 'Rise' is set in present day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale -- a science fiction/science-fact blend where mankind's hubris leads to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. Oscar-winning visual effects house WETA Digital - employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for Avatar - will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors. We'll see how this all comes together on August 5.

20th Century Fox has revealed the teaser trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes , opening in theaters on August 5. Directed by Rupert Wyatt, the film stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar. In Rise of the Planet of the Apes , a single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and "Lord of the Rings" film is breaking new ground, creating a CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate.

20th Century Fox has released the movie trailer for Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes., starring James Franco, Andy Serkis, Frida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, and Tom Felton. The film is a prequel/reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise which takes place in present day with a science fact-like take on how animal testing leads to the end of the human race, and yes, the rise of the apes. Watch the trailer embedded after the jump. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. [1] Watch the trailer in high definition on Apple [2]. Official Plot Synopsis: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. James Franco plays "a young, driven scientist who becomes a crucial figure in the war between humans and apes." John Lithgow plays Franco's father, also a scientist, Freida Pinto plays a primatologist who helps Franco, Brian Cox plays "the villainous owner of a primate sanctuary who runs the facility without compassion for the animals that live there," Tom Felton is the son of Brian Cox's character, and through performance capture and WETA created visual effects, Andy Serkis plays Caesar, the chimp who leads the simian revolt. The screenplay is written by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. Rise of the Planet of the Apes will hit theaters on August 5th 2011. [1] http://trailers.apple.com/movies/fox/riseoftheplanetoftheapes/riseoftheplanetoftheapes-tlr1_480p.mov [2] http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox/apeswillrise/

Apes Will Rise! Fox has unveiled the teaser trailer on Apple for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a new prequel in the beloved Planet of the Apes sci-fi series. Just yesterday, WETA revealed their first look at the movie, as they're doing all of the CGI rendering on every ape, including Caesar, played by Andy Serkis. Now we have our first tease of what to expect and it looks really, really good. I'm intrigued by how realistic all of the apes are, compared to the men-in-suit of the classic films, but the emotion on Caesar's face is what makes me feel like this will be amazing. It's only just a teaser, but I'm definitely looking forward to this now. Watch the official teaser trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes: [flv:http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/RiseofthePlanetoftheApesteaser.mp4 http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/RiseofthePlanetoftheApesteaser.jpg 598 254] You can also get the Rise of the Planet of the Apes teaser in High ...

20th Century Fox will be streaming the WETA chat for Rise of the Planet of the Apes from New Zealand live at 2:30PM PT/5:30PM ET and you will be able to watch it using the player below! A 15 second clip from the film will be made available after the chat and the full teaser trailer will come online at 12:01AM PT/3:01AM ET, so stay tuned. Rise of the Planet of the Apes , hitting theaters on August 5, stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis. A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes . The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and "Lord of the Rings" is breaking new ground, creating a...

Christopher Price shares some of his thoughts on ESPN's 'The Brady 6'.

1. Bolstered by exclusive interviews with five of the six quarterbacks (hence the name of the hourlong documentary) who were taken before Tom Brady in the 2000 draft (as well as Brady himself, his father, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick), it provided some real insight into Brady’s fire, his motivation and what really makes him great. He’s had a chip on his shoulder about his abilities since he was in high school, and has turned that intensity into a surefire ticket to the Hall of Fame. And the shot of him tearing up when it came to his draft day wait was fascinating television. We’ve always known that he’s leaned on his family for support over the years, but for him to mention his father and mother and what they did for him in that moment was especially telling.

2. No one is better at seizing an opportunity than Brady. The quarterback was stacked against the six guys who were taken in front of him, and many of them — including Tee Martin and Spergon Wynn — confessed in Tuesday’s show that they were not ready when they were called upon as young quarterbacks. In addition, few are more confident in their abilities. Not in a cocky way, but especially confident. There was the oft-told story of his first meeting with Kraft, but Brady’s college teammate Aaron Shea recalled how Brady told him before the fall of 2001 he was going to take Drew Bledsoe’s job.

3. It was great to see the video of the 2000 Hall of Fame Game between the Patriots and 49ers. In a contest that was better known at the time as being the "Monday Night Football" debut of Dennis Miller, it was a game that served to illuminate the differences between Brady and Giovanni Carmazzi. Video from the game had Carmazzi scrambling to avoid sacks and generally looking unprepared. As for Brady, he looked smooth and relatively polished. The quotes from Belichick regarding that game were especially illuminating: "I think we walked out of that game feeling that we probably had taken the right guy."

4. The relationship between Brady and Belichick is always fascinating — over the years, the two have come to share an eerily similar mindset when it comes to football — and there’s a new layer revealed here. Belichick says that keeping Brady around in 2000 was a "wasted roster spot," but confessed to being worried that they would lose him if they did anything else with him like put him on the practice squad. In addition, Belichick said that Brady had a better training camp and preseason than Bledsoe in 2001, but that they went with Bledsoe to start the season because of Brady’s relative inexperience. ...

Jeff Howe notes Bill Belichick revealed what kept him from selecting Tom Brady earlier in the 2000 Draft.

While looking back to April 2000, head coach Bill Belichick appeared dumbfounded that Michigan quarterback Tom Brady could still be on the board when the Patriots were approaching their fifth-round pick.

But Belichick had to rationalize for a moment. He recalled Brady's collegiate career, in which he was a masterful quarterback as a junior and a team captain as a senior. Yet, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr kept yanking the starting job away from Brady during his senior season, instead favoring highly touted prospect Drew Henson.

Belichick said he could only go by what he saw of Brady on film, but the fact that Brady couldn't keep his job was a red flag. Why, Belichick wondered, did they keep trying to replace him?

"We saw Tom time and again his senior year start the game off well, and so many times Tom would come back in, and rescue the situation, and pull out the win for Michigan against great competition, the biggest game," Belichick said Tuesday on ESPN's hour-long special, The Brady 6.

TEAM TALK

• Ask PFW: Shooting the breeze about the Draft.
• Andy Hart offers his thoughts on QB Jake Locker visiting New England.
• The New England Patriots' 2011 preseason opponents were announced Tuesday.
• Patriots.com points out it has come to their attention for those enjoying the slopes of Aspen, Colo., that there is a special homemade shrine for Patriots fans worth visiting.
• Patriots Today - 2011 Draft Preview: CBs. (3.58 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Pats' 2011 Preseason schedule. (1.34 min. video)
• PFW in Progress - 4/12/11: We discuss top draft prospects we feel could be Patriots, ESPN's upcoming special 'The Brady Six' and moreoffseason topics. (2 hr program)
  

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss offers his thoughts on QB Jake Locker's visit to Gillette Stadium.
• Tom E. Curran addresses the Jake Locker-to-the-Patriots rumor that has been gaining steam.
• Christopher Price offers a few quick notes on the Patriots preseason schedule.
• Greg A. Bedard breaks down where the 2010 opening day starters on each NFL team came from in the draft: DT/NT position.
  
• Mike Reiss gets Jim Schwartz' thoughts on the Patriots-Lions preseason matchup.
• Mike Reiss breaks down ESPN's power rankings, with Jerod Mayo ranking sixth in the linebacker position.
• Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag: Trying to guess Bill Belichick's draft plan.
• Mike Reiss focuses on the draft picks available at the running back position for the Patriots, beyond the first round.
• Mike Reiss analyzes Adam Caplan's first first mock draft and who he has the Patriots selecting in the first round.
• Shalise Manza Young scouts the Draft: CB Buster Skrine (Tennessee-Chattanooga).
• Jeff Howe gives us an inside look at the life of draft prospect OT Anthony Castonzo (BC).
• Tom E. Curran profiles potential Patriots draftee: DE/OLB Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue).
• Jeff Howe says Akeem Ayers (UCLA) might be the Patriots answer at outside linebacker.
• Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Last year the Patriots wined and dined QB Tim Tebow, but this time it's Jake Locker (Washington) at Gillette for a 2-day visit; The Patriots also hosted DE Greg Romeus (Pittsburgh) who would be considered a "project".
• Jeff Howe thinks the Jets' interest in Randy Moss could be a fabrication, and 19 other Patriots thoughts.
• Mike Reiss reports the Pro Football Writers of America votes on awards each year, and there are candidates with Patriots ties in numerous categories this year.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tim Graham (ESPN) Only one NFL exec called Michigan about Brady.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) "The Brady 6" highlights the inaccuracies of the Draft.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Green-Ellis trains on Ali's hallowed ground. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a Law Firm."
• Jack Bechta (Nat'l Football Post) Are NFL scouting departments underfunded?
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Not all linebackers created equal.
• ESPN Sources: Patriots hosting QB Jake Locker (Washington), Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Seth Wickersham (ESPN Magazine) A matter of perspective: Jake Locker, projected as the top pick in the draft last year,now could end up a third-rounder.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB: Mail: NFL teams hung up on strength issues of Iowa's Clayborn.
• Adam Caplan (Fox Sports) Post pro day mock draft. Patriots pick OT Anthony Costanzo (Boston College) at 17 and DT Phil Taylor (Baylor) at 28.
• Richard Deitsch (SI) ESPN downscales its draft coverage.
• Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) Ingram might be only hope for RB to be taken in first round.
• Pat Kirwan (NFL.com) Draft do-overs:Texans nailed their '06 first-rounder, but not many others did.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Parcells kicks himself for drafting Pat White, picking Long over Ryan.
• Armando Salguero (Miami Herald) Bill Parcells content with status.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Report: Jets have no interest in Randy Moss.
• Fox Sports Top 10 most over-hyped draft picks in NFL history.
• Wes Bunting (Nat'l Football Post) The draft’s top five overrated prospects.
• Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) For veteran players, Ross Tucker says missing training camp is "the dream".
• Joe Wertheim (SI) Marvin Miller on Barry Bonds, drug testing and the NFL labor situation.

LABOR LUNACY

• Gregg Rosenthal (ProFootballTalk) Mediation process gets started.
• Jon Krawczynski, AP (Yahoo! Sports) Legal team for NFL players meets with judge.
• Staff (Pro Football Weekly) Players' reps meet with Boylan.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Participants in court-ordered mediation still aren't known.
• NFL.com League: No one is telling players to skip NFLPA event.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) League denies effort to keep rookies from NFLPA draft events.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Marvin Miller rips NFL union for ever agreeing to a salary cap.
• Rand Getlin (Yahoo! Sports) Cash-strapped NFL players seeking high-risk lockout loans.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Players seeking high-interest lockout loans.
• Josh Katzowitz (CBS Sports) Owners, predatory lenders have to be salivating.

Filed under: TV Replay

In case any of us '80s kids were not glued to 'The Joy Behar Show' (weeknights, 10PM ET on HLN), here's a clip from her interview with our beloved 'Family Ties' stars (minus Mallory's Justine Bateman and Alex P. Keaton's Michael J. Fox). Michael Gross (father Steven) and Tina Yothers (Jennifer) joined her in the studio, Meredith Baxter (Elyse) and Brian Bonsall (Andy) by satellite.

Joy Behar chose the opportunity to ask a ridiculous hypothetical question to Baxter, who came out in 2009. "What do you think Alex P. Keaton would have thought about you being gay?"

 

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• The leader of the Liberal Democrats in Liverpool has called on deputy prime minister Nick Clegg to pull out of the coalition government, according to the Independent. It says Warren Bradley, council leader until last year's election, has warned the party leader that long-serving Lib Dem councillors were set to lose their seats in elections on May 5 "not because of their record, but because of your record and the perception of what we as Liberal Democrats now are".

• Job satisfaction is more important to social care staff than pay, according to the Department of Health, despite a report showing nearly one in 10 workers are paid below the minimum wage, reports Community Care. Social care staff are among the lowest paid groups in the economy, with 9% of the 1.5m workforce earning less than the minimum wage of £5.93 an hour but the DH is adamant that social care staff put job satisfaction before earnings and low pay would have little effect on the quality of the workforce.

On my radar ...

• Sir Simon Milton, Boris Johnson's chief of staff, who has died aged 49. Our London blogger, Dave Hill, is collating tributes paid to the former Westminster council leader, "whose vast knowledge of local government and importance to the present mayoralty were disputed by no one". On the PoliticsHome site, Paul Waugh writes:

"As a reporter on local papers and then the Evening Standard, I monitored his progress closely over the past 20 years. For all the personal tributes, it's worth noting that ultimately Simon was a formidable politician, having risen rapidly to power in Westminster in the wake of the Dame Shirley era. His hard-nosed reputation as a fixer also ensured the swift demise of Tim Parker as Boris realised his appointment as deputy wasn't working out. When the Mayor appointed the experienced Milton as his chief of staff, there was a sigh of relief in many Tory circles. It's fair to say that the Mayor campaigned in poetry while Simon governed in prose."

• RCN congress. In his keynote speech to the conference on Monday, chief executive and general secretary Peter Carter warned that NHS reforms could be "the biggest disaster in the history of our public services". Prolific tweeter Dave Dawes picked up a fascinating fact from Carter's speech:

"The White Paper that the Bill is based on mentions nursing only once"

Today junior health minister Anne Milton, herself a former nurse, will be addressing the event, my colleague Andrew Sparrow will be following the speech on the Politics live blog. And among the speakers lined up for tomorrow is Alastair Campbell, who is asking readers of his blog to help contribute to his speech.

"They have asked me to talk about mental illness, and in particular the work I do with Time to Change to tackle stigma and discrimination ... The RCN has had a fair bit of play with their survey showing significant cuts will affect the frontline in NHS care which Messrs Cameron, Clegg, Osborne and Lansley all promised to protect ...
I'd be grateful for any examples, particularly in mental health, showing that the frontline is already being affected, and examples of where the cuts are likely to affect it further. Feel free to feed in any other thoughts you have too."

• Benefit sanctions. Following his superb investigation into the Jobcentre staff tricking people off benefits to meet cuts targets, my colleague John Domokos is appealing for help. He's asking for first hand experience of the practice, from those who have been sanctioned or from Jobcentre staff past and present.

• This new LGIU blog post from Andy Sawford, which looks at Shelter's new Housing Insights for Communities online resource:

"It is a an impressive use of data to drive policy and campaigning, and Shelter deserve credit for recognising that in the new more localist world, after the abolition of housing targets and the drive towards community planning, they need a new approach. Instead of looking to Whitehall to influence funding and targets for housing, they will need to focus on councils and communities. This can only be a good thing for generating a new kind of debate amongst people about the best approach to housing. At present while most people agree that we need more housing, most people also say they don't want it in their area. The old 'top down' housing targets entrenched this contradiction, rather than resolving it. Perhaps when local people are much more engaged in thinking about housing need in their area, and feel more in the driving seat, there might be local progress."

• Indie singer Matthew Murphy, lead singer of the Wombats, who speaks bravely and openly in today's G2 about his history of depression and anxiety.

• Martha Lane Fox, who explains in an interview for Third Sector why charities need to get more tech-savvy:

"Funders of charities are not as bullish about using technology as they should be. It's hard to get money to build websites, but the funders should see that it's not waste but vital to help charities move on."

• New campaign Action for Happiness, which launches today. Founded by Lord Richard Layard, Geoff Mulgan and Anthony Seldon, the movement aims to boost "people's inner lives, relationships and general wellbeing". Its director, Mark Williamson, has written a piece for the site today:

"Action for Happiness is based on this new science of happiness and the evidence that we can affect our happiness. We have identified 50 practical actions that people can take in their everyday lives that not only help boost their own happiness but contribute to building better, more positive environments in their families, relationships, workplaces and communities. These include simple things like finding things to be grateful for each day, however small; trying out something new or different; and looking for the good in others. They also include skills to be more "mindful" in our thinking."

• This excellent post on the Where's the Benefit blog, about the government's Red Tape Challenge. Ministers launched the challenge last week, asking members of the public to nominate examples of needless bureaucracy that need curbing. Interestingly, the new challenge follows on from the Your Freedom website launched by the coalition last year to - well - ask members of the public to nominate examples of needless bureaucracy ... etc. But as Where's the Benefit points out, respondents so far have been keen to call for the Equalities Act to be scrapped:

"These people seem to think that the act is all about "positive discrimination" and don't seem to understand that the act protects men as well as women, straight people as well as gay people, and white people as well as non-white people ...
There have been a few people standing up for equality, but sadly not nearly enough ... I think us pro-equality, anti-discrimination types need to make our voices heard.
It is truly farcical that they think more disabled people will suddenly find jobs without anti-discrimination laws. Already the employment rates of disabled people are around 48%, compared with around 78% of non-disabled people (sure, some of that's to do with illness and inability to work, but discrimination in the job market is also a massive factor). The gap in the rate of employment between disabled and non-disabled people has shrunk since 2002 when it was 36% to the rate of around 29% in 2010. You can be sure that that's a direct result of the DDA getting stronger."

• I loved the Daily Mash's new story this morning, Oxford 'has enough black students for Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band', which quotes a bursar:

"Oxford University is, has been and always will be a Boogie Wonderland."

In tomorrow's SocietyGuardian supplement

• Once a thriving seaside resort, Margate has recently become a 'dumping ground' for vulnerable people. Can a new arts centre help revamp the town's fortunes, asks Jo Phillips

• To tackle crime, we need to understand what's causing it, writes Carlene Firmin

• The Manchester art exhibition celebrating the history of women's football

• A private company that won a 10-year contract to run a failing GP surgery in east London has pulled out after three years. Doctors are warning that it is a taste of things to come. By Andy McNicoll and Denis Campbell.

• Christopher McCabe and Ian Kirkpatrick ask what increasing private sector involvement in delivering healthcare means for the NHS

• Why are policymakers supporting later life at the expense of earlier years, asks Tom Clark

• We must do more to protect personal budgets, says Martin Routledge

• Heather Munro, the head of the London probation trust, tells Rachel Williams how she plans to stop 'customers' reoffending

• It's not easy for charities to prove they are doing a good job, writes Lucy de Las Casas

On the Guardian Professional Networks

• Brian Carr, chief executive of Birmingham Voluntary Service Council, is worried about the impact of cuts on the city's charities

• Candidates wanting to join the police could be required to pass a higher education college course, argues Peter Neyroud, author of a new report on the subject and formerly chief constable of Thames Valley police and head of the National Policing Improvement Agency

• The Welsh health service is diverging from England's, and the assembly's government now has more power to accelerate this, writes Eifion Rees

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Dove : Take No Prisoners [Video]

SapientNitro, New York created a :15 television spot and a web video to capture the singular and unique moments of decadent pleasure that women experience while enjoying DOVE Ice Cream Bars. Take No Prisonersâ is now airing on national mainstream media networks including Fox, CBS, ABC, and NBC, as well as online. To capture âthe extended momentsâ of eating pleasure, SapientNitro used special motion control camera techniques involving five different speeds shot in live action style but edited with fluidity to convey the creamy essence of the bar and showcase the beauty of the product.

Client: Dove Agency: SapientNitro, New York Production: SapientNitro Country: United States of America Director: Vittorio Sacco- from C-Entertainment Director: Kathi Prosser- from The Sweet Shop Group Account Director: Lance Porigow Chief Creative Officer: Kathy Delaney Copywriter: Susan Phuvasitkul Art Director: Rachel Donovan Senior Agency Producer: Erika Best Editor: Russell Icke - from White House Post Head of Production: Andy Wilcox Business Affairs: Jen Kurtzman Account Supervisor: Riyhana Bey

20th Century Fox has released a brief special effects clip from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which arrives in theaters nationwide on August 5. Click on the video below for a tiny glimpse inside WETA's special effects work on the main ape Caesar in this upcoming adventure. The official logo has also debuted, which you can take a look at below the video player.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes comes to theaters August 5th, 2011 and stars James Franco, Brian Cox, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton. The film is directed by Rupert Wyatt.

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I'm not much of a fan of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes redo, but I'm hoping that Rupert Wyatt's newly titled Rise of the Planet of the Apes prequel finds a way to deliver. In theaters August 5, 2011, Bloody Disgusting has learned that Twentieth Century Fox has sent the team back out into production with some additional photography to get underway later this month. In addition, inside you'll find the official logo, along with a video teaser of the apes, courtesy of WETA. "Set in present-day San Francisco, 'Apes' reveals the origins of a war that ultimately led to a global apocalypse and to Earth becoming the Planet of the Apes." James Franco, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Tom Felton all star. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings is taking on its most ambitious challenge, creating for the first time a non-human CGI character that delivers a dramatic performance with real emotion and intelligence.

WETA Digital, the industry-leading and Academy Award® winning visual effects house behind the wizardry of films such as Avatar, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and District 9, will host a livestream event on Facebook, for RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. On April 13, at 2:30PM PDT, from WETA’s headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand, WETA’s Joe Letteri and Dan Lemmon will give viewers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at their work on the film, a reality-based cautionary tale that blends science fiction and science-fact – and is the last big event movie of the summer. The event will live on Facebook’s official fan page for Avatar, which has 14.2 million followers. Last year, WETA won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects work in rendering an entire fantasy world in James Cameron’s history-making epic. WETA’s work on RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES presented very different challenges and opportunities. In addition to creating a CG character that gives a performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, WETA is applying some of the technology it developed for Avatar to bring to life a real world – the film is set in modern-day San Francisco – and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate.Letteri, a five-time Oscar® winner, and Lemmon will provide a look into WETA’s process, and explain how working on a Planet of the Apes film has long been the “holy grail” of visual effects wizardry – and a driving force behind their own careers. In addition, visitors to the livestream event will hear from other RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES filmmakers, including director Rupert Wyatt, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of actor Andy Serkis, whose nuanced performance is playing a key role in WETA’s rendering of Caesar, the film’s principal ape character. A five-second preview of WETA’s work on RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is available online, which you see below.In the film’s story, a single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. It stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar. Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark are producing for Chernin Entertainment under its pact with Fox. Rupert Wyatt is directing from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, who are also producing.RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens in theaters everywhere August 5, 2011. Source: 20th Century Fox

This blogaround brought to you by Shaxco, proud distributors of Deeky's Frozen Tacos. "They're yummity-scrumptious!"

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Now that Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes has a new title [1], release date [2] and Fox has a major movie opening this weekend, the marketing machine for the summer blockbuster is beginning to ramp up. Up until now, all we've seen from the Rupert Wyatt-directed prequel to Planet of the Apes is an official photo [3] of star James Franco in his lab and a crappy image of one [4] of the apes from the movie. The first trailer, and much much more, is set to hit the net later this week and in preparation, Fox has released a four-second clip through their Facebook page (and Twitter feed [5], and more) that reveals our first look at WETA's motion capture work. Check it out after the break. You can find this clip, and more, at the official Rise of the Planet of the Apes Facebook page [6] as well as the official site [7]. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes - Teaser Site [8] That looks very strong, no? Odds are that's Andy Serkis as Caesar, the main ape in the film. Here's the official plot description: Set in present-day San Francisco, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES reveals the origins of a war that ultimately led to a global apocalypse – and to Earth becoming the Planet of the Apes. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings is taking on its most ambitious challenge, creating for the first time a non-human CGI character that delivers a dramatic performance with real emotion and intelligence. Also on the Facebook page, before the official trailer premiere, they say that on Wednesday they'll premiere "an exclusive live look at Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Be the first to see footage from the film - including a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the apes!" We'll keep our eye out. Fans who have been looking forward to this film are going to get a whole bunch of information this week. What do you think of the clip? [1] http://www.slashfilm.com/rise-apes-retitled-rise-planet-apes/ [2] http://www.slashfilm.com/rise-apes-moves-time-august/ [3] http://www.slashfilm.com/james-franco-rise-apes/ [4] http://www.slashfilm.com/now-we-bought-zoo-the-descendants-rise-apes-ape/ [5] http://twitter.com/#!/apeswillrise [6] http://www.facebook.com/apeswillrise [7] http://www.apeswillrise.com/ [8] http://origin.foxcontent.com/030882/caesar-rise-of-the-apes/trailer/us/index.html

Huddersfield really could be contenders, is Luke O'Donnell the 'buy of the year' and other thoughts from the weekend

1) They might be Giants

Huddersfield's convincing win against Warrington on Friday night removed any doubts that the Giants must be taken seriously as genuine Grand Final contenders. Don't take my word for it. "A Championship performance," said Bev Risman, the former Great Britain captain as he left the directors' box at the Galpharm wearing the chains of his current office as the president of the Rugby Football League.

It was achieved by a 17-man squad including only three overseas players, and with five products of the development programme in which the Giants have invested so heavily in recent years. Two of that quintet, the bustling wing Jermaine McGillvary and the galloping prop Larne Patrick, must now rank among the most exciting talents in the game. Could they join Luke Robinson – the little birdhouse in their soul – in the England squad to face the Exiles in June? And how many of the other Giants contenders may Steve McNamara also consider? Danny Brough – now that he's switched allegiances from Scotland again – perhaps Scott Grix if he can be tempted from Ireland, and possibly Leroy Cudjoe, Michael Lawrence, Kevin Brown, Eorl Crabtree, Shaun Lunt and Darrell Griffin. The eligibility embarrassment could easily be avoided if Great Britain were playing the Exiles rather than England, but that's another story.

2) The buy of the year?

Quality rather than quantity has been the key to Huddersfield's overseas recruitment. David Faiumu has been one of the most consistently effective – and overlooked – imports in the Super League for more than a year now, and after a slow start his former North Queensland team-mate Luke O'Donnell has begun to show the form that made him one of the more feared forwards in Australia. For a few tantalising seconds on Friday, there was the delicious possibility that the former New South Wales and Cowboys enforcer might take on Adrian Morley, after his heavy hit on McGillvary which made the rest of us feel nostalgic for Morley's wild past - while the impressively tough Rawthorpe flier counted his teeth.

The two veterans chose to keep their powder dry, perhaps until they meet again in the England-Exiles game. But after the match Huddersfield's coach Nathan Brown struck a blow on O'Donnell's behalf, describing him as "the buy of the year".

It's early days in the season, but O'Donnell is certainly making a good case. He also seemed like a good bloke at the Exiles launch at Headingley a couple of days earlier, conducting interviews with his baby daughter in his arms, as though butter wouldn't melt. Appearances can be very deceptive.

3) What about Rangi?

Had Brown been slightly more careless with his language, and described O'Donnell as the best overseas player in the Super League, he might have sparked more of a debate. This time two weeks ago, Michael Monaghan would have had a strong claim to that accolade after his huge contribution to Warrington's wins against Harlequins and Wigan, but the former Manly hooker has gone off the boil with many of his Wolves team-mates since then. In contrast, the livewire Castleford stand-off Rangi Chase is going from strength to strength, and his coach Terry Matterson thought his contribution to the 52-20 thrashing of Salford that took the Tigers back above Huddersfield to the top of the Super League table was "the best he's been". The slightly frightening thing for England is that O'Donnell, Monaghan and Chase will all be available for the Exiles, and that high-calibre, or in-form Aussies like Luke Patten and Scott Dureau respectively couldn't even make the 34-man squad.

I haven't got round to making my contribution to Brian McClennan's selection process yet – with part of the Exiles squad to be determined by internet voting by us punters – but off the top of my head it would be something like: Hodgson; J Monaghan, Menzies, Carmont, Richards; Chase, T Leuluai; O'Meley, Monaghan/Buderus, Mason (to give us a chance), O'Donnell, Newton, Fitzgibbon. Interchange: Faiumu, Puletua, Fa'alogo, Lima/K Leuluai (selection to be determined by a pre-match wrestle, to undermine team spirit).

4) Crises? What crises?

Neither Hull club has made an appearance in the Set of Six in recent weeks, on the basis of least said, soonest mended. But they appear to be getting their acts together just in time for the Good Friday derby. I've not seen Hull FC for weeks because of their irritating decision to play home games on Friday nights, but Hull KR showed some good signs in beating Leeds on Saturday – although they were helped by a Rhinos performance that must rank alongside some of Salford's efforts as one of the worst of the season. Michael Vella's return to the pack obviously made a big difference, and Blake Green did plenty of damage from stand-off, but it was the performances of the unsung stalwarts Scott Murrell and Ben Cockayne, plus talented younger players like Scott Taylor and Josh Hodgson, that most impressed me. It was hard to argue with Phil Clarke when he suggested on Sky that Rovers looked better when Matt Cook replaced Willie Mason in the second-row, but perhaps Big Willie is saving himself for his first derby. What a cracker that promises to be, especially with Martin Gleeson now apparently a good bet to be a Hull FC player by then.

5) Other bouquets this week to...

As some have noted in response to recent blogs, a Set of Six makes it impossible to recognise every good performance, especially when I've not seen them in the flesh. But a quick nod to St Helens, who have now won four on the bounce and will fancy their chances of making that five by beating Wakefield on Friday before their Easter derby at Wigan; to Wakefield, whose 52-22 demolition of Harlequins in front of an excellent 5,412 crowd gives them three wins from nine matches this season, which is far better than anyone had a right to expect; to the Catalans, who were by all accounts sensational at Wigan on Friday, but received their share of praise in this quarter last week; and to Leigh, who embarrassed Widnes for the second time in quick succession to consolidate their position at the top of the Championship table.

6) Let's have a Heritage Round

Finally, a lesson – and a good quote – from Australia. For several years now, they've used one round of league fixtures to celebrate the code's rich history, pinching the idea from Aussie Rules. So this weekend, teams played in retro kits and commemorated great games from the past, with South Sydney and Wests Tigers switching their game to the splendid surroundings of the Sydney Cricket Ground. Gareth Ellis seemed more inspired by playing at the scene of England's winter Ashes triumph than his fellow Yorkshireman Sam Burgess, as his Tigers cruised to a comfortable win. Elsewhere St George Illawarra Dragons played Canterbury Bulldogs in a repeat of the 1985 Grand Final – so when Dean Young, the Dragons' hooker, was put on report, he politely pointed out to the referee that he couldn't have done that in 1985.

Without wanting to resort to jingoism, we do have a few years' more rugby league history than the Aussies. So why not Leeds v Wakefield in the 1968 kits worn by Risman and Don Fox in the watersplash Challenge Cup final? Maybe Wigan v Hull in the hoops immortalised by Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling 17 Wembleys later? Any other suggestions welcome below.

Ben Green and Joe fox ride their favourite spots and talk about what riding is to them.Related posts:

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I'll acknowledge right up front that Gary Kubiak isn't the NFL's best coach. He's a real nice fellow, a class act, and I'm sure those qualities have bought him some time with Bob McNair. On the other hand, there are things he struggles with.

For instance, motivation. There are some games when the Texans sleep-walk through the first half, and those kinds of things reflect on the head coach. And if you're going to pick on every little thing, Gary sometimes has problems with clock management, play calling, hiring coaches, picking players and winning games. Don't you hate it the way some people nitpick?

Kubiak isn't as good as Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin, Rex Ryan, Mike McCarthy, John Harbaugh, Mike Smith, Tom Coughlin, Raheem Morris, Todd Haley, John Fox and one or two more.

Kubiak is the longest tenured NFL head coach without a playoff appearance, one of the few in the last 40-50 years to go five seasons without getting a team to the postseason and still be invited back for a sixth.

If Gary Kubiak doesn't get down on his knees every single day and thank the Good Lord for allowing him to work for a sleepy owner like Bob McNair, he's a pretty ungrateful guy.

Having said all that, there's no way Gary Kubiak is the NFL's worst head coach, and if you give me a couple of hours, I'll come up with a worse one. Hey, we kid because we care.

I bring this topic up because The Big Lead rated the NFL's 32 head coaches, and they've got our guy dead last. Frankly, I've got some real problems with this evaluation.

For one thing, Jim Harbaugh, Mike Munchak, Hue Jackson, Pat Shurmur and Ron Rivera have never coached an NFL game, and they're ahead of our guy. Also, I think it's a mistake just to consider the W-L record. Doesn't class and character count for something? Why does it have to be all about winning and losing?

And if The Big Lead is going to rate the NFL's head coaches, I hope it rates the owners and general managers. I promise you we're not exactly leading the league in those two categories, either.

I know I sound like a homer in defending Gary Kubiak, but someone has to do it. It's not like I'm putting him up there beside Belichick or Reid. I just don't think he's the worst. If you're ranking him 27th or 28th, you're getting no argument from old bubber here. So there.

It's NASCAR race day at Texas Motor Speedway, and we've got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about the Texas race for you below.

Start time: The command to start engines will be given by retired U.S. Army Master Aviator Gary Linfoot at 7:38 p.m. Eastern time (6:38 local). The actual start time of the race is estimated to be 7:46:30. Yep, you read that right – the estimated green flag time is 30 seconds past 7:46. Pretty specific, isn't it? An executive from Sprint is waving the green flag tonight.

Race name/distance: The race is called the Samsung Mobile 500, although it's actually not 500 miles. The real distance of the race is 501 miles, which is the result of 334 laps around the 1.5-mile Texas track.

TV and radio: As for all of the races through May, FOX is televising the race. The radio broadcast can be found on your local Performance Racing Network (PRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of PRN stations where you can listen.

National anthem: For those who are sick of singers screwing up the national anthem before the start of NASCAR races, fear not: There is no anthem singer at Texas. Instead, it'll be performed by the Army Ground Forces Band, also known as the "Brass Brigade." Should be a good one.

Last time: Denny Hamlin pulled off an incredible win, going to Victory Lane one year ago just days after he had surgery on his injured knee. Hamlin followed his spring Texas win with another victory there in the fall.

Starting lineup for the Texas Motor Speedway race tonight:

1. David Ragan
2. Carl Edwards
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Regan Smith
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Marcos Ambrose
8. Joey Logano
9. Greg Biffle
10. Kurt Busch
11. Kyle Busch
12. Jeff Burton
13. Kasey Kahne
14. Juan Pablo Montoya
15. AJ Allmendinger
16. Ryan Newman
17. Jamie McMurray
18. Trevor Bayne
19. Paul Menard
20. Michael McDowell
21. Mark Martin
22. Casey Mears
23. Denny Hamlin
24. Landon Cassill
25. David Reutimann
26. Tony Stewart
27. Brad Keselowski
28. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
29. Kevin Harvick
30. Brian Vickers
31. Martin Truex Jr.
32. Jeff Gordon
33. David Starr
34. Bobby Labonte
35. JJ Yeley
36. Mike Skinner
37. Joe Nemechek
38. Dave Blaney
39. Andy Lally
40. Robby Gordon
41. David Gilliland
42. Ken Schrader
43. Tony Raines

TODAY'S TV SCHEDULE

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

6 p.m. Port Adelaide at Geelong ESPN2

BOWLING

4 p.m. Hawaii TV Bowling IND

AUTO RACING

12 p.m. IndyCar: pole qualifying for Grand Prix of Alabama VERSUS

1 p.m. Sprint Cup: Samsung Mobile 500 FOX

9:30 p.m. Formula One: Malaysia Grand Prix SPEED

GIRLS SOFTBALL

5 p.m. Kamehameha-Oahu vs. Punahou OC16

7:30 p.m. Campbell vs. Mililani OC16

GOLF

9:30 a.m. The Masters (third round) CBS

HORSE RACING

8 a.m. Trackside Live! FOXSP2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

7 a.m. Philadelphia at Atlanta FOX

10 a.m. Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox WGN

MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY

1 p.m. NCAA tournament championship game ESPN

MEN'S COLLEGE LACROSSE

6 a.m. North Carolina at Virginia ESPN

NBA BASKETBALL

2:30 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Houston FOXSP2

NBA DL BASKETBALL

4:30 p.m. Playoffs (first round) VERSUS

NHL HOCKEY

4:30 p.m. Anaheim at Los Angeles FOXSP

RODEO

2 p.m. PBR: Built Ford Tough Invitational VERSUS

SOCCER

1:30 a.m. Premier League: Everton at Wolverhampton ESPN2

1 p.m. MLS: New York at Philadelphia ESPN2

1:30 p.m. Los Angeles at D.C. United FOXSP

5:30 p.m. Columbus at Chivas USA FOXSP2

TENNIS

7 a.m. WTA Tour: Family Circle Cup semifinals ESPN2

SUNDAY'S TV SCHEDULE

AUTO RACING

7 a.m. IRL: Indy Lights VERSUS

9 a.m. IndyCar: Grand Prix of Alabama VERSUS

CYCLING

1 p.m. Paris-Roubaix: Compiegne to Roubaix, France * VERSUS

GOLF

8 a.m. The Masters, final round CBS

HORSE RACING

8 a.m. Trackside Live! FOXSP2

4 p.m. The Quarters from Los Alamitos FOXSP2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

7:30 a.m. Philadelphia at Atlanta TBS

8 a.m. Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee WGN

9:30 a.m. Toronto at L.A. Angels FOXSP

2 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Boston ESPN

NBA BASKETBALL

7 a.m. Chicago at Orlando ABC

9:30 a.m. Boston at Miami ABC

3:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers FOXSP

NHL HOCKEY

6:30 a.m. Detroit at Chicago NBC

RODEO

9 a.m. PBR: Built Ford Tough Invitational NBC

TENNIS

7 a.m. WTA Tour Family Circle Cup: (championship) ESPN2

* -- Tape-delayed broadcast

FRIDAY'S BIIF RESULTS

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Varsity

Honokaa def. Konawaena 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 29-27

Hualalai Academy def. Laupahoehoe 25-22, 25-19, 25-20

Kohala def. Hawaii Prep 25-23, 25-12, 24-26, 26-24

Junior varsity

Hawaii Prep def. Kohala 25-20, 25-20

TODAY'S BIIF SCHEDULE

BASEBALL

Kealakehe at Hawaii Prep, 11 a.m.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Varsity matches follow 10 a.m. JV matches unless noted below

St. Joseph at Keaau, 10 a.m.

Christian Liberty at Kamehameha

JUDO

All BIIF schools at Waiakea, 10:30 a.m.

SOFTBALL

Kamehameha at Hilo, 11 a.m.

Pahoa at Ka'u, 1 p.m.

Hawaii Prep at Honokaa, 1 p.m.

Kohala at Konawaena, 1 p.m.

TENNIS

Round-robin tournament: East vs. West at Holua Tennis Center

TRACK AND FIELD

All BIIF schools at Konawaena, 9 a.m.

HOCKEY

NHL GLANCE

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

x-Philadelphia 81 46 23 12 104 252 219

x-Pittsburgh 81 48 25 8 104 233 197

N.Y. Rangers 81 43 33 5 91 228 196

New Jersey 80 37 38 5 79 169 202

N.Y. Islanders 81 30 38 13 73 225 257

Northeast Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

y-Boston 80 45 24 11 101 241 191

x-Montreal 81 43 30 8 94 212 208

x-Buffalo 81 42 29 10 94 240 225

Toronto 81 37 33 11 85 217 247

Ottawa 81 32 39 10 74 191 247

Southeast Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

y-Washington 81 48 22 11 107 224 196

x-Tampa Bay 81 45 25 11 101 241 238

Carolina 81 40 30 11 91 234 233

Atlanta 81 34 35 12 80 221 264

Florida 81 29 40 12 70 194 229

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

y-Detroit 81 46 25 10 102 257 238

x-Nashville 81 44 26 11 99 219 192

Chicago 81 44 28 9 97 255 221

St. Louis 81 37 33 11 85 238 234

Columbus 81 34 34 13 81 211 253

Northwest Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

z-Vancouver 81 53 19 9 115 259 183

Calgary 81 41 29 11 93 248 234

Minnesota 81 38 35 8 84 201 230

Colorado 81 29 44 8 66 223 285

Edmonton 81 25 45 11 61 190 265

Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

y-San Jose 81 47 25 9 103 245 212

x-Phoenix 81 43 25 13 99 230 223

x-Los Angeles 81 46 29 6 98 218 195

x-Anaheim 81 46 30 5 97 236 234

Dallas 81 42 28 11 95 224 228

NOTES: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. x -- Clinched playoff spot; z -- Clinched conference

Thursday's results

Atlanta 3, N.Y. Rangers 0

Ottawa 3, Montreal 2, OT

Dallas 4, Colorado 2

Vancouver 5, Minnesota 0

Friday's results

Pittsburgh 4, N.Y. Islanders 3, SO

Chicago 4, Detroit 2

Buffalo 4, Philadelphia 3, OT

Carolina 6, Atlanta 1

Tampa Bay 4, Florida 2

Nashville 4, Columbus 1

Dallas 3, Colorado 2

Minnesota 3, Edmonton 1

Phoenix 4, San Jose 3

Anaheim 2, Los Angeles 1

Today's games

New Jersey at N.Y. Rangers, 6:30 a.m.

Ottawa at Boston, 7 a.m.

Montreal at Toronto, 1 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m.

Washington at Florida, 1 p.m.

Buffalo at Columbus, 1 p.m.

Nashville at St. Louis, 2 p.m.

Vancouver at Calgary, 4 p.m.

Anaheim at Los Angeles, 4:30 p.m.

Phoenix at San Jose, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday's games

Detroit at Chicago, 6:30 a.m.

Boston at New Jersey, 9 a.m.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 9 a.m.

Edmonton at Colorado, 9 a.m.

Dallas at Minnesota, noon

SOCCER

MLS GLANCE

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L OT Pts GF GA

New England 1 0 3 6 5 4

Philadelphia 2 1 0 6 2 1

New York 1 0 2 5 2 1

Chicago 1 0 1 4 4 3

Sporting Kansas City 1 1 1 4 8 8

Toronto FC 1 1 1 4 5 5

Columbus 1 1 1 4 3 3

D.C. 1 2 0 3 5 7

Houston 0 1 2 2 2 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA

Colorado 3 1 0 9 8 5

Los Angeles 2 1 1 7 4 5

Real Salt Lake 2 0 0 6 5 1

Vancouver 1 1 2 5 8 7

San Jose 1 1 1 4 4 3

FC Dallas 1 2 1 4 4 5

Seattle 0 2 2 2 3 5

Chivas USA 0 2 1 1 3 5

Portland 0 2 1 1 2 6

NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Wednesday's result

Vancouver 1, New England 1, tie

Friday's result

FC Dallas 3, Colorado 0

Today's games

Chicago at Seattle FC, 10 a.m.

New York at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Los Angeles at D.C. United, 1:30 p.m.

Real Salt Lake at New England, 1:30 p.m.

Columbus at Chivas USA, 4:30 p.m.

Toronto FC at San Jose, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday's game

Vancouver at Houston, 1 p.m.

GOLF

THE MASTERS

Friday's second round

Rory McIlroy 65-69 -- 134

Jason Day 72-64 -- 136

K.J. Choi 67-70 -- 137

Tiger Woods 71-66 -- 137

Geoff Ogilvy 69-69 -- 138

Alvaro Quiros 65-73 -- 138

Yong-Eun Yang 67-72 -- 139

Ricky Barnes 68-71 -- 139

Fred Couples 71-68 -- 139

Rickie Fowler 70-69 -- 139

Lee Westwood 72-67 -- 139

Charl Schwartzel 69-71 -- 140

Luke Donald 72-68 -- 140

Jim Furyk 72-68 -- 140

Ross Fisher 69-71 -- 140

Brandt Snedeker 69-71 -- 140

Sergio Garcia 69-71 -- 140

Angel Cabrera 71-70 -- 141

David Toms 72-69 -- 141

Trevor Immelman 69-73 -- 142

Steve Stricker 72-70 -- 142

Paul Casey 70-72 -- 142

Phil Mickelson 70-72 -- 142

Gary Woodland 69-73 -- 142

Dustin Johnson 74-68 -- 142

Adam Scott 72-70 -- 142

Bo Van Pelt 73-69 -- 142

Ryo Ishikawa 71-71 -- 142

Robert Karlsson 72-70 -- 142

Charley Hoffman 74-69 -- 143

Ryan Moore 70-73 -- 143

Ian Poulter 74-69 -- 143

Alexander Cejka 72-71 -- 143

Ryan Palmer 71-72 -- 143

Martin Laird 74-69 -- 143

Matt Kuchar 68-75 -- 143

Miguel Angel Jimenez 71-73 -- 144

Bubba Watson 73-71 -- 144

Edoardo Molinari 74-70 -- 144

Justin Rose 73-71 -- 144

Nick Watney 72-72 -- 144

Bill Haas 74-70 -- 144

Kyung-Tae Kim 70-75 -- 145

a-Hideki Matsuyama 72-73 -- 145

Steve Marino 74-71 -- 145

Camilo Villegas 70-75 -- 145

Jeff Overton 73-72 -- 145

Aaron Baddeley 75-70 -- 145

Ernie Els 75-70 -- 145

Did not qualify

Anthony Kim 73-73 -- 146

Hunter Mahan 75-71 -- 146

Lucas Glover 75-71 -- 146

Francesco Molinari 75-71 -- 146

Robert Allenby 75-71 -- 146

Sean O'Hair 70-76 -- 146

Stewart Cink 71-75 -- 146

Tim Clark 73-73 -- 146

Zach Johnson 73-73 -- 146

Graeme McDowell 74-73 -- 147

Jerry Kelly 74-73 -- 147

Kevin Na 73-74 -- 147

Mark Wilson 76-71 -- 147

Stuart Appleby 75-72 -- 147

D.A. Points 72-76 -- 148

Ben Crane 73-75 -- 148

Peter Hanson 72-76 -- 148

a-David Chung 72-76 -- 148

Heath Slocum 72-76 -- 148

Jason Bohn 73-75 -- 148

Jhonattan Vegas 72-76 -- 148

Retief Goosen 70-78 -- 148

Yuta Ikeda 74-74 -- 148

Carl Pettersson 75-73 -- 148

a-Lion Kim 76-72 -- 148

Gregory Havret 70-79 -- 149

Hiroyuki Fujita 70-79 -- 149

Kevin Streelman 75-74 -- 149

Louis Oosthuizen 75-74 -- 149

a-Peter Uihlein 72-77 -- 149

Padraig Harrington 77-72 -- 149

Anders Hansen 72-77 -- 149

Jose Maria Olazabal 73-77 -- 150

a-Jin Jeong 73-77 -- 150

Larry Mize 73-77 -- 150

Mark O'Meara 77-73 -- 150

Martin Kaymer 78-72 -- 150

Rory Sabbatini 74-76 -- 150

Arjun Atwal 80-71 -- 151

Craig Stadler 80-71 -- 151

Jonathan Byrd 73-78 -- 151

Tom Watson 79-72 -- 151

Davis Love III 75-77 -- 152

a-Nathan Smith 75-77 -- 152

Sandy Lyle 73-80 -- 153

Vijay Singh 76-78 -- 154

Ben Crenshaw 78-77 -- 155

Ian Woosnam 78-77 -- 155

TRANSACTIONS

BASEBALL

American League

BOSTON RED SOX--Recalled RHP Alfredo Aceves from Pawtucket (IL). Activated Felix Doubront from the 15-day DL. Placed RHP Matt Albers on the 15-day DL, retroactive to April 6. Designated LHP Dennys Reyes for assignment.

SEATTLE MARINERS--Placed C Adam Moore on the 60-day DL. Selected the contract of C Chris Gimenez from Tacoma (PCL).

TAMPA BAY RAYS--DH Manny Ramirez announced his retirement.

TEXAS RANGERS--Claimed RHP Ramon Aguero off waivers from Pittsburgh and assigned him to Round Rock (PCL). Transferred RHP Omar Beltre from the 15- to the 60-day DL.

National League

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS--Agreed to terms with LHP Ron Mahay on a minor league contract and assigned him to extended spring training.

ATLANTA BRAVES--Optioned LHP Mike Minor to Gwinnett (IL). Purchased the contract of C J.C. Boscan from Gwinnett.

CHICAGO CUBS--Recalled RHP Jeff Stevens from Iowa (PCL). Placed RHP Andrew Cashner on the 15-day DL, retroactive to April 6; and RHP Randy Wells on the 15-day DL, retroactive to April 5.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association

NBA--Fined the New Jersey Nets $50,000 because part-owner Jay-Z had contact with players who are not yet draft eligible on March 27.

DETROIT PISTONS--Announced Tom Gores has agreed to buy the franchise from Karen Davidson.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League

COLORADO AVALANCHE--Announced the retirement of D Adam Foote.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS--Signed D Jamie Doornbosch.

NEW YORK RANGERS--Recalled F Mats Zuccarello from Connecticut (AHL).

OTTAWA SENATORS--Agreed to terms with general manager Bryan Murray on a three-year contract. Signed F Pat Cannone to a one-year contract and assigned him to Binghamton (AHL). Signed F Andre Petersson to a three-year contract.

American Hockey League

AHL--Suspended Adirondack RW Zac Rinaldo three games as a result of his actions in an April 6 game against Albany.

WORCESTER SHARKS--Called up F Matt Francis from Gwinnett (ECHL).

ECHL

ECHL--Suspended Idaho's Adam Huxley one game and fined him an undisclosed amount as a result of his actions in an April 6 game at Las Vegas.

ELMIRA JACKALS--Announced D Patrick Coulombe was returned to the team by Binghamton (AHL). Loaned D David Sloane to Binghamton. Announced F Eric Lampe was recalled by Syracuse (AHL).

READING ROYALS--Announced F Rob Slaney and F Dale Mitchell were assigned to the team by Toronto (AHL). Activated F John Scrymgeour the playoff roster reserve. Placed F Rob Slaney, RW Eric Castonguay and D Rob Kwiet on the playoff roster reserve.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES--Signed coach Frank Yallop and general manager of soccer operations John Doyle to multiyear contract extensions.

COLLEGE

HOLY FAMILY--Named R.C. Kehoe men's basketball coach.

MISSOURI--Signed football coach Gary Pinkel to a two-year contract extension through the 2017 season.

TOLEDO--Signed women's basketball coach Tricia Cullop to a two-year contract extension through the 2019-20 season.

UTAH--Named Tommy Connor men's assistant basketball coach. Announced freshman G-F J.J. O'Brien was granted his release.

XAVIER--Announced freshman F Jordan Latham and freshman G Jay Canty are transferring.

AUTO RACING

SAMSUNG MOBILE 500 LINEUP

Friday qualifying; race today

1. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 189.82 mph.

2. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 188.521.

3. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 188.232.

4. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 188.199.

5. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 187.95.

6. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 187.761.

7. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 187.656.

8. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 187.585.

9. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 187.552.

10. (22) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 187.402.

11. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 187.37.

12. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 187.35.

13. (4) Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 187.233.

14. (42) Juan Montoya, Chevrolet, 187.175.

15. (43) A J Allmendinger, Ford, 187.175.

16. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 187.045.

17. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 187.045.

18. (21) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 187.019.

19. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 186.896.

20. (66) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 186.838.

21. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 186.819.

22. (13) Casey Mears, Toyota, 186.638.

23. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 186.535.

24. (09) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 186.49.

25. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 186.406.

26. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 186.361.

27. (2) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 185.944.

28. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 185.938.

29. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 185.918.

30. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 185.874.

31. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 185.771.

32. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 185.58.

33. (95) David Starr, Ford, 185.58.

34. (47) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 185.516.

35. (46) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 185.293.

36. (60) Mike Skinner, Toyota, 185.122.

37. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 184.944.

38. (36) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 184.143.

39. (7) Robby Gordon, Dodge, 183.617.

40. (34) David Gilliland, Ford, 183.287.

41. (32) Ken Schrader, Ford, Owner Points.

42. (37) Tony Raines, Ford, Owner Points.

43. (71) Andy Lally, Ford, 183.78.

Failed to Qualify

44. (38) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 183.78.

Fox News Photo

Congrats to Miami forward Andy Miele for winning the Hobey Baker Memorial Award this afternoon. While I and other Sioux fans are probably a little disappointed with UND Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin not being selected for the award, Andy Miele is a very deserving candidate as well.

St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Executive Committee announced Friday that Miami-Ohio RedHawks forward Andy Miele was named the 31st winner of college hockey's most prestigious individual honor.

Named after a legendary Princeton hockey player who died in World War I, the award recognizes strength of character in players both on and off the ice.

During his senior season, Miele led all of college hockey with 71 points (24G, 47A) in just 39 games. He also took home the CCHA scoring crown after posting 56 points (16 goals, 40 assists) in 28 contests. His 40 assists were more than any other player had points, which was a first in league history.

Read the full original article...

With pro days in the rearview mirror, momentum continues to shift in the scouting process, and Robert Quinn, Tyron Smith and Andy Dalton are gaining steam. Meanwhile, air has come out of the sail of Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers and Washington's Jake Locker, who could fall out of the first round altogether. Given the lack of depth at the cornerback position and the need at the position, PFW projects five cornerbacks fitting into the first round, with Jimmy Smith benefiting greatly.

Friday is day two of the TV clash between the Barrett-Jackson auto auction from West Palm Beach, FL and the on-track NASCAR action from the Texas Motor Speedway.

Nationwide Series practice ends at 1:30PM ET and that overlaps with the start of the Friday auction coverage at noon on SPEED. So, neither of the two Nationwide practice sessions will be televised.

Later in the day, Happy Hour for the Sprint Cup Series starts at 3PM but the Barrett-Jackson auction coverage is live until 6:30PM. So, no Happy Hour from Texas for NASCAR fans.

Click here to discover an interesting twist to the auction coverage. The SPEED production is being made available live online for the entire 6.5 hours on Friday. Where can it be seen? At the SPEED website, of course.

It seems ironic that a private company auctioning cars can arrange a simulcast live on SPEED, SPEED-HD and SPEEDtv.com all day long. Meanwhile, NASCAR and SPEED cannot figure out how to offer one moment of Nationwide Series practice or Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour online at either the NASCAR or SPEED websites.

The frustrating part is that all the parts and pieces are on-location in Texas. The TV cameras are there. The production team is there. The cars are on the track. The product that is being seen by the fans in the stands cannot be seen by the fans nationwide and that is a shame.

Our friends at Turner Sports Interactive who own the online video rights to NASCAR just recently finished offering an amazing online package of basketball games during the NCAA tournament. This weekend, The Masters golf tournament is also available online for fans who would like to view by computer or smart phone.

There are four more seasons of exactly this type of coverage under the current NASCAR TV/Internet contract. FOX and TNT cannot help because they only carry the Sprint Cup Series races. Until July rolls around and ESPN takes over, the opportunity to provide Sprint Cup Series TV "support programming" like practice and qualifying belongs to SPEED.

Despite protests to the contrary, ESPN has continually given only lip service to the Nationwide Series since 2007 and happily throws them to the TV wolves of college football once ESPN's own coverage of the Sprint Cup Series begins.

The bottom line is that the teams in the Nationwide Series need more help through exposure on TV. When SPEED covers Nationwide Series practice and qualifying, the "regulars" are given strong exposure and all the stories of the day are followed. The teams are all treated equally.

ESPN has never grasped that concept and continues to hound the Sprint Cup Series drivers during Nationwide TV coverage like demented stalkers. Every move is documented as if they are somehow the entire show, instead of being exactly what NASCAR is trying very hard to downplay this season.

Once the Nationwide Series race coverage hits the air on ESPN2, the realistic opportunity for a team of "regulars" to get coverage is gone. ESPN loves stars and when the big boys are playing in the minor leagues, the big boys get the TV coverage.

This weekend NASCAR.com has a slate of press conferences, appearances, chats and video clips. What NASCAR's own official website does not have is any of the live on-track action from TMS.

It seems clearer by the moment that as SPEED and ESPN continue to gather diverse high-profile sports properties, expanding online NASCAR offerings is the only way to continue to make the on-track sessions before the races themselves available to fans.

Marty Reid, Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree will handle Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday for ESPN2 starting at 5PM ET. Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds will host the Sprint Cup Series qualifying on SPEED at 6:30PM. Reid and company then return with the NNS race coverage beginning with the pre-race at 8PM ET.

We welcome your comments on the topics discussed above. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

We will live blog the Nationwide Series race coverage right here beginning at 8PM. Please join us for TV comments.

Cameron pauses to reflect on NHS cuts and continues to feel the pain of the brave men and women in the armed forces

Cameron: We are living the dream . . .

Osborne: . . . the cuts that Thatcher could only dream of . . .

Cameron: We are all going to have to make sacrifices.

Lansley: The seriously ill should ask not that their country cure them, but that their country slaughter them on the altar of privatisation.

Cameron: That reminds me, Andy. I'm going to have to put some of your NHS reform on hold.

Lansley: I thought you wanted people to make sacrifices.

Cameron: I do. I want you to sacrifice your career for mine.

Lansley: I have decided I am a listening minister and the time is right for us to pause and reflect . . .

Osborne: . . . that you will be out of a job within 18 months.

Clegg: I agree with Daddy's NHS reforms, even though we're delaying them.

Osborne: And you'll be gone soon, too.

Armed Forces: We're fed up with making sacrifices in wars that have no end.

Cameron: I understand and feel the pain . . . blah, blah . . . of our brave men and women who serve . . . blah, blah . . .

Liam Fox: Which is why we will be making sure that fewer of them die in action by making 17,000 of them redundant within four years.

Hague: Then how are we going to keep bombing Caracas?

Letwin: If we stopped all the Sheffield chavs from going abroad we could get a few Ryanair pilots to fly their empty planes over Tripoli . . .

Osborne: . . . and if we get the bombs reclassified as hand luggage we won't even be surcharged.

Cameron: Top thinking, chaps. Instead of making us look like cheapskate scroungers, we can call it Big Society in action.

Clegg: I love the Big Society, too, Daddy. I think we should stop people using their contacts to get them jobs for which they are unqualified.

Osborne: How do you think you got your current job, you halfwit?

Clegg: Speak for yourself, Ozzy.

Cameron: Now, now chaps. We're all here absolutely on merit.

Sir Tim Rathbone MP: Ah, David, my favourite godson. Do you remember when you came to work for me as an unpaid intern? Such fun . . .

Milidee: I'm saying nothing about nepotism.

Everyone: Give us a job. I can do that.

Cameron, Clegg, Milidee: No chance.

The Hub, the kids-centered cable channel that replaced Discovery Kids in October, will unveil nine new series at its upfront presentation today, including Secret Millionaire's Club, a series of animated specials featuring Warren Buffett as a secret adviser to a group of kids who learn about business. Secret Millionaire's Club, from Andy Heyward's A Square, runs as a Web series on AOL Kids. Also among Hub's new series is Majors & Minors, a reality singing competition from songwriter Evan Bogart and producers Tim Bogart and Gary Randall, featuring 16 young performers vying for a recording deal with RCA/Jive. Also newly announced by The Hub, a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro, is The Aquabats Super Show, featuring the rock band, and a slew of series based on Hasbro toy brands, including Blythe Loves The Littlest Pet Shop, Clue, The Game of Life, Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, Scrabble Showdown and Transformers offshoot Rescue Bots. Additionally, The Hub, which averages 107,000 viewers in primetime, has acquired game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, which aired on Fox, and has renewed 10 series: The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, Animal Mechanicals, Dan Vs., Family Game Night, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Pound Puppies, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series,  Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures, Transformers ... Read More »

Over the past couple of years, I’ve started a thread focusing on albums that would be celebrating the 40th anniversary of their release. It takes quite a bit of work to compile the list in this form but, I figured that it’s worth it. Since I had a bit of time over the holidays, I thought that I’d work on the list for 1971/2011. (I'm sure that there are many more that could be on the list but, this is a pretty good representation. Any corrections are certainly welcome. Feel free to mention additions to the list.) Once again, it was another good year for new releases. Three of The Beatles had releases. John had Imagine, Paul had Ram (and Wild Life with Wings) and George issued a set with his Concert for Bangladesh. ELO released their debut and ELP and Yes issued a pair of albums each. Traffic issued a pair as well with The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and Welcome to the Canteen. There were some nice live albums, too. The Allman Brothers released their At Fillmore East and Humble Pie put out their Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore. There were also a pair of Hendrix posthumous releases (Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge). Some big sellers in the form of Jethro Tull’s Aqualing, Led Zeppelin’s fourth LP, The Who’s Who’s Next and Carole King’s Tapestry also hit the shelves. Joni Mitchell released Blue, David Bowie issued Hunky Dory and Van Morrison had Tupelo Honey. Pink Floyd issued an album of new material (Meddle) as well as a compilation (Relics). The same for The Rolling Stones with Sticky Fingers and Hot Rocks. So much good stuff! I’ll let the list speak for itself... *Record Albums Released in 1971* (note that release dates in North American and Europe may vary) A The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East Amboy Dukes - Survival of the Fittest (Live) Amon Düül II - Tanz der Lemminge Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden April Wine - April Wine Atomic Rooster - In Hearing of Atomic Rooster Brian Auger - Oblivion Express Kevin Ayers - Whatevershebringswesing B Badfinger - Straight Up Joan Baez - Blessed Are... The Band - Cahoots Bang - Bang Barclay James Harvest - Once Again Count Basie - Afrique Count Basie - Have a Nice Day Shirley Bassey - Something Else The Beach Boys - Surf's Up The Jeff Beck Group - Rough and Ready Bee Gees - Trafalgar Chuck Berry - San Francisco Dues Birth Control - Operation Black Oak Arkansas - Black Oak Arkansas Black Sabbath - Master of Reality Black Widow - Black Widow Carla Bley & Paul Haines - Escalator over the Hill Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 Blue Cheer - Oh! Pleasant Hope Booker T & the MG's - Melting Pot David Bowie - Hunky Dory Bread - Manna Edgar Broughton Band - Edgar Broughton Band James Brown - Hot Pants James Brown - Sho Is Funky Down Here James Brown - Super Bad Jack Bruce - Harmony Row Jack Bruce - Things We Like Budgie - Budgie Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon - Guilty! The Byrds - Byrdmaniax The Byrds - Farther Along C Cactus -One Way...Or Another Cactus - Restrictions John Cale & Terry Riley - Church of Anthrax Can - Tago Mago Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - Mirror Man (material recorded in 1967) Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink Carpenters - Carpenters Johnny Cash - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Johnny Cash - Little Fauss and Big Halsy Johnny Cash - Man in Black Johnny Cash - The Man, The World, His Music Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis - Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis Sing Hank Williams Ray Charles - Volcanic Action of My Soul Chase - Chase Chicago - Chicago at Carnegie Hall Chicago - Chicago III The Chi-Lites - (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People Gene Clark - White Light Jimmy Cliff - Another Cycle Cluster - Cluster Bruce Cockburn - High Winds, White Sky Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate Ornette Coleman - Twins John Coltrane - Sun Ship (recorded 1965) Judy Collins - Living Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band - No Roses Colosseum - Colosseum Live Rita Coolidge - Nice Feelin' Rita Coolidge - Rita Coolidge Alice Cooper - Killer Alice Cooper - Love It to Death Chick Corea - Piano Improvisations Vol. 1 Chick Corea - Piano Improvisations Vol. 2 Crazy Horse - Crazy Horse Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 4 Way Street David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name King Curtis - Live at Fillmore West Curved Air - Second Album D Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson Miles Davis - Live-Evil Deep Purple - Fireball Delaney & Bonnie - Motel Shot Sandy Denny - The North Star Grassman and the Ravens John Denver - Poems, Prayers and Promises Neil Diamond - Stones Bo Diddley - Another Dimension Dion DiMucci - You're Not Alone Dr. John - The Sun, Moon & Herbs Donovan - H.M.S. Donovan The Doobie Brothers - The Doobie Brothers The Doors - L.A. Woman The Doors - Other Voices Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. Ii E Earth, Wind & Fire - Earth, Wind & Fire Egg - The Polite Force Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra (aka No Answer) Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition John Entwistle - Smash Your Head Against the Wall F Faces - A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse Faces - Long Player Fairport Convention - Angel Delight Family -Fearless Faust - Faust The 5th Dimension - Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes Ella Fitzgerald - Ella à Nice Roberta Flack - Quiet Fire Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head Fleetwood Mac - Future Games The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Flying Burrito Brothers Focus - Moving Waves Aretha Franklin - Aretha Live at Fillmore West Aretha Franklin - Aretha's Greatest Hits Free - Free Live! Funkadelic - Maggot Brain G Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson Rory Gallagher - Deuce Rory Gallagher - Rory Gallagher Marvin Gaye - What's Going On The J. Geils Band - The Morning After Genesis - Nursery Cryme Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste Golden Earring - Seven Tears Grand Funk Railroad - E Pluribus Funk Grand Funk Railroad - Survival Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead (live) Grateful Dead - Historic Dead Live 1966 Al Green - Al Green Gets Next to You Grin - Grin Gordon Lightfoot - Summer Side of Life Groundhogs - Split The Guess Who - So Long, Bannatyne H Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Country Tom T. Hall - In Search of a Song Peter Hammill - Fool's Mate John Hammond - Source Point Roy Harper - Stormcock George Harrison and Friends - The Concert for Bangladesh Richie Havens - Alarm Clock Hawkwind - In Search of Space Isaac Hayes - Black Moses Isaac Hayes - Shaft Jimi Hendrix - The Cry of Love Jimi Hendrix - Rainbow Bridge Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks - Where's the Money? The Hollies - Distant Light Honey Cone - Soulful Tapestry Honey Cone - Sweet Replies John Lee Hooker - Goin' Down Highway 51 John Lee Hooker - Mad Man Blues John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat - Hooker 'n Heat Hot Tuna - First Pull Up, Then Pull Down Howlin' Wolf - The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions Humble Pie - Performance Rockin' the Fillmore Humble Pie - Rock On I If - If 3 Incredible String Band - Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air J The Jackson 5 - Goin' Back to Indiana The Jackson 5 - Greatest Hits The Jackson 5 - Maybe Tomorrow Jade Warrior - Jade Warrior Jade Warrior - Released James Gang - James Gang Live in Concert James Gang - Thirds Jefferson Airplane - Bark Waylon Jennings - The Taker/Tulsa Jethro Tull - Aqualung Billy Joel - Cold Spring Harbor Elton John - 11-17-70 (aka 17-11-70) Elton John - Madman Across the Water Tom Jones - Tom Jones Sings She's a Lady Janis Joplin - Pearl Joy of Cooking - Closer to the Ground Joy of Cooking - Joy of Cooking K B.B. King - Live in Cook County Jail Carole King - Music Carole King - Tapestry King Crimson - Islands The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies The Kinks - Percy Kluster - Eruption (live) Kluster - Zwei-Osterei Kris Kristofferson - The Silver Tongued Devil and I Fela Kuti - Live! (with Ginger Baker) Fela Kuti - Why Black Man Dey Suffer? L The Last Poets - This is Madness Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV John Lennon - Imagine Lindisfarne - Fog on the Tyne Little Feat - Little Feat Jon Lord - Gemini Suite M Taj Mahal - Happy Just To Be Like I Am Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame The Mamas & the Papas - People Like Us Man -Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? Bob Marley & The Wailers - Soul Revolution Bob Marley & The Wailers - Soul Revolution II John Martyn - Bless the Weather Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! Curtis Mayfield - Roots Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney - Ram MC5 - High Time Don McLean - American Pie Melanie - Gather Me Melanie - The Good Book Steve Miller Band - Rock Love Mr. Fox - The Gypsy Joni Mitchell - Blue The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey Mott the Hoople - Brain Capers Mott the Hoople - Wildlife Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride The Move - Message from the Country Mungo Jerry - Electronically Tested Mungo Jerry - You Don't Have to Be in the Army Anne Murray - Talk It Over in the Morning N Graham Nash - Songs for Beginners Nazareth - Nazareth Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band - Rudy the Fifth Willie Nelson - Yesterday's Wine Randy Newman - Randy Newman Live New Riders of the Purple Sage - New Riders of the Purple Sage Olivia Newton-John - If Not for You The Nice - Elegy Harry Nilsson - Aerial Pandemonium Ballet Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson Harry Nilsson - The Point! Laura Nyro - Gonna Take a Miracle O Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand Yoko Ono - Fly Le Orme - Collage Osibisa - Osibisa Osibisa - Woyaya Gilbert O'Sullivan - Himself P Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors The Partridge Family - A Partridge Family Christmas Card The Partridge Family - Shopping Bag The Partridge Family - Sound Magazine The Partridge Family - Up to Date Pentangle - Reflection Pink Floyd - Meddle Pink Floyd - Relics Poco - Deliverin' Poco - From the Inside Elvis Presley - C'mon Everybody Elvis Presley - Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas Elvis Presley - Love Letters from Elvis Elvis Presley - You'll Never Walk Alone John Prine - John Prine Procol Harum - Broken Barricades Q Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver R Bonnie Raitt - Bonnie Raitt The Rascals - Peaceful World The Rascals - Search and Nearness Renaissance - Illusion REO Speedwagon - REO Speedwagon Emitt Rhodes - The American Dream Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - One Dozen Roses The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964-1971 The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Diana Ross - Surrender Todd Rundgren - Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren Leon Russell - Leon Russell and the Shelter People Mitch Ryder - Detroit S Buffy Sainte-Marie - She Used to Want to Be a Ballerina Pharoah Sanders - Thembi Mongo Santamaria - Afro Roots Santana - Santana III Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs & Band Boz Scaggs - Moments Carly Simon - Anticipation Carly Simon - Carly Simon Frank Sinatra - Sinatra & Company Sir Lord Baltimore - Sir Lord Baltimore Skid Row - 34 Hours Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On Soft Machine - Fourth Sparks (as Halfnelson) - Halfnelson Spirogyra - St. Radigunds Jimmie Spheeris - Isle of View Status Quo - Dog of Two Head Steeleye Span - Please to See the King Steeleye Span - Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills 2 Stoney & Meat Loaf - Stoney & Meatloaf Barbra Streisand - Barbra Joan Streisand Barbra Streisand - Stoney End The Stylistics - The Stylistics Sun Ra - Pictures of Infinity Supertramp - Indelibly Stamped Sweet - Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be T James Taylor - James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine (recorded ‘66-'67) James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon Kate Taylor - Sister Kate Livingston Taylor - Liv The Temptations - Sky's the Limit Ten Years After - A Space in Time Thin Lizzy - Thin Lizzy Three Dog Night - Golden Bisquits Three Dog Night - Harmony Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys Traffic - Welcome to the Canteen (live) T.Rex - Electric Warrior U UFO - UFO 2: Flying Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself Uriah Heep - Salisbury V Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts W War - All Day Music War - War Dionne Warwick - The Dionne Warwicke Story Muddy Waters - They Call Me Muddy Waters Weather Report - Weather Report Tony Joe White - Tony Joe White The Who - Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy The Who - Who's Next Andy Williams - Love Story Wings - Wild Life Edgar Winter - Edgar Winter's White Trash Johnny Winter and - Live Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage Bill Withers - Just as I Am Stevie Wonder - Where I'm Coming From Link Wray - Link Wray Y Yes - Fragile Yes - The Yes Album Z Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Fillmore East, June 1971 Frank Zappa - 200 Motels Soundtrack ZZ Top - ZZ Top's First Album