Obama will give a major policy talk at Cairo University on June 4, intended to start mending the rift between the United States and the Arab world. During the Bush years, many Arabs turned against the United States because of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the abuses at Guantanamo and Abu Graib. But the issue that is really at the crux of the tensions with the United States is the intractable conflict between Israel and Palestine, and what many perceive as a one-sided U.S. policy in support of Israel.

The Obama administration has taken a positive stand on the Israeli settlements, calling for a complete freeze. “[Obama] wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not ‘natural growth’ exceptions,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently told reporters.

But the administration has said almost nothing about the devastating Israeli invasion of Gaza that left over 1,300 dead, including some 400 children. To many in the Middle East, this is an unfortunate continuation of past policies that condemn the loss of innocent Israeli lives, but refuse to speak out against the disproportionately greater loss of Palestinian lives at the hands of the Israeli military.

The Israeli invasion of Gaza began on December 27, 2008, when Obama had just won the election but had not yet taken office. While he spoke out against the November 26 Mumbai terrorism attack, he refused to even call for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying coldly, “When it comes to foreign affairs it is particularly important to adhere to the principle of one president at a time."

Once inaugurated, Obama appointed George Mitchell as a special peace envoy and immediately sent him on a “listening tour” to key places in the Middle East—except Gaza. Mitchell returned for a second trip to the region in late February, visiting Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel and the West Bank but once again bypassing Gaza. The same thing happened on his third trip in April.

Hillary Clinton has never visited war-torn Gaza. She promised $300 million for rebuilding, but the aid won’t get to Gaza as long as the administration insists on dealing only with Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority in the West Bank while shunning Hamas, which controls Gaza and was democratically elected.

Obama won great support from the American people during the presidential campaign when he said that America must talk to its adversaries, without preconditions. But his administration now puts ridiculous conditions on talking to Hamas: It must recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous international agreements. Israel, on the other hand, does not have to recognize Palestine, renounce violence or abide by past agreements. Putting preconditions on just one side of the conflict makes it impossible to move a peace process forward.

While Obama prepares for his trip to the Middle East, more than 150 people—mostly Americans—are trying to enter war-torn Gaza through both the Egyptian and Israeli borders. Organized under the umbrella of the peace group CODEPINK, this is the largest group of Americans to travel to Gaza since the siege began.

The delegations, invited by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), are bringing medicines, toys, school supplies and playground building materials. An estimated 1,346 Gazan children were left without one or more of their parents as a result of the Israeli assault and the majority were left traumatized and depressed.

That’s why the peace group CODEPINK has launched an international petition (see www.codepinkalert.org) calling on Obama to visit Gaza and see for himself the devastation and deprivation that continues to plague the region’s 1.5 million people almost 6 months after the invasion. Just this week, Obama just tacked a new stop to his upcoming Middle Eastern visit: Saudi Arabia. If he can make room for a private dinner with the King, then surely he can find the time to go to Gaza. Isn't it more important for Obama to visit a region where 1,300 people have recently been killed and thousands of homes, schools and mosques destroyed? Isn't it more important for him to see how the Israelis are using the yearly $3 billion in military aid from U.S taxpayers?

Obama should take the opportunity, during this visit to Egypt next week, to visit Gaza. He should express his condolences for the loss of so many innocent lives, call for a lifting of the inhumane siege that continues to imprison an entire population, and support an investigation of how U.S. military funds to Israel are being spent.

Those actions, more than any fine words he may speak during his talk at Cairo University, will do wonders to repairs our relations with the Arab world that were so tattered during the Bush years.

LONDON - Unlikely Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle was plotting her future Sunday after her shock defeat in the "Britain's Got Talent" television show which made her a worldwide star thanks to the Internet.
Boyle, a frumpy, 48-year-old church volunteer, will reportedly earn up to eight million pounds (nine million euros, 13 million dollars) in the next year from a record deal, book about her life and even a film.
She is set to start rehearsing for an album of showtunes this week and will fly to Prague next month for recording sessions with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, British media said.
Boyle's career looks likely to reach new heights even though she lost to the multi-ethnic street dancers Diversity in a public vote of one million viewers after the talent show final late Saturday.
Despite winning praise from the audience and the judges in her last performance on live television, Boyle was forced into second place, saying the "best people won" and wishing the dance troupe winners "all the best".
Boyle enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame over the past two months after video footage of her audition piece for the show, "I Dreamed A Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables", was posted on YouTube.
It has had at least 100 million hits and brought her celebrity fans including actress Demi Moore and rock star Jon Bon Jovi, who embraced the dowdy spinster from small-town Scotland with a voice worthy of Broadway.
Bookmakers made her the favourite to win, but after an unconvincing semi-final performance, there were fears that Boyle, who was starved of oxygen at birth and has mild learning difficulties, was suffering under the pressure.
She was spoken to by police after an outburst at the London hotel where she was staying, while "Britain's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan described her as "a frightened rabbit in headlights" and said she considered quitting.
In a live performance in the "Britain's Got Talent" final Saturday, though, Boyle proved the critics wrong and repeated her audition piece with gusto.
Judge Amanda Holden said after the performance: "I have never heard such powerful, confident vocals."
Following her performance, Boyle -- wearing a grey-blue, long sequined dress -- gushed appreciation for her worldwide fan base.
"I want to thank people for all the support they've given me," she said.
Asked if it was worth all the media pressure, she replied: "Well worth it!... I really feel at home on stage, I'm among friends."
As for her future plans, Boyle added: "I hope to get an album out -- I'll just play it by ear. What a journey -- unbelievable, and very humbling. Thank you for everything."
Simon Cowell, one of the show's judges and its mastermind, said he had high hopes for Boyle.
"It's the biggest phenomenon I've ever seen out of any of my shows," Cowell, who is also a judge on "American Idol", told the News of the World newspaper.
Boyle's performance was watched by hundreds of fans in her home town of Blackburn, outside Edinburgh, where she lives in social housing with only her cat Pebbles for company.
"She told me that after the final, she wants to come back and resume her previous life," one of Boyle's neighbours, 24-year-old housewife Vicky McLean told the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
"She doesn't want to make millions and go to America, she just wants to sing. I think all she really hopes to have out of it is enough money to buy her house."
src=abs-cbnnews.com

Italian paper La Stampa confirmed Saturday rumors that Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the richest men in the world, was the mystery "Arab sheikh" who purchased Carla Bruni's family castle in February.Saudi's royal businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, bought the historic castle dating back to 1019 from Carla Bruni, French president's Nicholas Sarkozy's wife, for a whooping €17.5 million ($25 million), Arab media reported Sunday. Last week the prince, who ranks as the 22nd richest man in Forbes's list of the World's Billionaires, sealed the deal on the "Castagneto Po" palace, which is located at the outskirts of Turin in Northern Italy

Prince al Waleed bin Talal is the 22nd richest man according to Forbes.com
The forty-room chamber palace boasts an 18th century interior without parallel in Italy. The palace, whose furniture was sold in a London auction for 10 million ($14 million), takes up 1,500 square meters (16,000 sq feet) and is surrounded by a garden with an ancient forest, according to La Stampa.Supermodel Carla Bruni, 39, and her mother and sister, actress and director Valeria Bruni, owned half the shares of the company that owned palace. According to Italy’s La Stampa newspaper, Carla's mother said their palace has fallen out of use.

"We are done with Castagneto Po and we no longer frequent that palace," Marisa Bruni Tedeschi said.Alberto Bruni Tedeschi, Carla's Italian father and the heir of a rich industrial family purchased the chateau in 1952.Prince bin Talal also purchased two hotels, the Movenpik and Alfoarcisonz Mauritius hotel and resort in the Republic of Mauritius

An Egyptian cut off his own penis on Sunday in protest at his parents' choice of bride, a police official said.The 25-year-old laborer from the village of Sheikh Eissa in southern Egypt was taken to hospital in stable condition, the official said, adding that the man had also mutilated his testicles."He was in love with a woman but his parents rejected her and told him to marry another woman he didn't want. He took a knife and cut off his penis in his room."Doctors were unable to reattach the severed member, the official said.

Brooke Shields is a beautiful, successful actress and devoted mom. But even this former model had some issues with her body, which led to her hanging on to her virtue longer than she would've liked.
She admits in the new issue of Health that one regret she had is "not learning to love the way I looked earlier."
"And I think I would have had sex a lot earlier!," she laughs. "I think I would have lost my virginity earlier than I did at 22. I had the public and all this pressure, and I wish I had just gotten it over with in the beginning when it was sort of OK.
I think I would have been much more in touch with myself," she reveals. "I think I wouldn’t have had issues with weight—I carried this protective 20 pounds [in college]. It was all connected. And to me, that’s a health regret."
All's well that ends well, it seems, as Brooke is now happily married to Chris Henchy and is a proud mother to two girls.
src:http://www.okmagazine.com/posts/view/14458/

Armando Lucero, who was placed in a maximum security prison on May 11 for "aggravated and repeated sexual abuse", is said to have raped the three girls from early childhood.
The tragic drama unfolded in the city of Mendoza, about 620 miles west of Buenos Aires
Officials are now waiting for the results of psychological exams of Lucero, who has come to be known as the "Monster of Mendoza" in a case chillingly similar to the Austrian incest scandal that shocked the world last year.
In that case, Josef Fritzl, 73, was sentenced in March to life in prison for imprisoning his daughter in a secret dungeon for 24 years, and for the death of one of the seven children he had with her.
Lucero faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. The woman at the center of the drama, now 35, fled her family home to obtain protection from the local authorities.
She told investigators that she had been sexually abused repeatedly over a period of 20 years, during which time she bore her father seven children.
The woman decided to break her silence, she said, because her father threatened to sexually abuse one of her daughters.
Lucero, who is unemployed, lived in his home with his daughter and their children, as well as his second wife and his stepmother.
His civil record shows he had seven children by his wife and eight more children from a previous marriage. Counting his liaison with his daughter, he would have fathered 22 children.
The seven children he has fathered with his daughter are now between the ages of two and 19.
Another one of Lucero's daughters, aged 40, has said she was raped by her father from the age of eight.

FC Barcelona have won the UEFA Champions League for the third time in history. Goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi led Josep Guardiola's side to a rather easy 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
Manchester United took the initiative in the opening phase and had a good chance to open the score in the second minute. A free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo almost surprised Victor Valdes but the keeper reacted in time to parry the shot, for defenders to clear the danger.
After ten minutes of play at Rome's Stadio Olimpico, it was FC Barcelona's first real attack that earned the Catalans the opening goal. Samuel Eto'o cut past Nemanja Vidic and then struck on goal. Keeper Edwin van der Sar touched it but the shot was too powerful to block completely.
Barcelona controlled the game in the rest of the first half without particular difficulties, as United seemed to be suffering from the deficit and failed to get anywhere near the opposing goal.
The start of the second half saw an even stronger Barcelona who created one chance after the other. Eight minutes after the break, the Spaniards had a free kick just outside the penalty area and Xavi's powerful effort bounced off the right post.
But Barcelona got their deserved second goal on 70 minutes. Xavi's cross from the right side found Lionel Messi, and the Argentinian striker headed past Van der Sar for 2-0.
With a comfortable lead in the pocket, Barcelona continued to attack and create chances, and would have scored several more goals if it wasn't for Van der Sar, who made a number of saves to avoid a larger defeat.
Apart from winning the trophy for the third time, after 1992 and 2006, Barcelona also become the first Spanish side to win the 'treble', as they had already secured the Primera Division and Copa del Rey titles

Demi Moore has been an active Twitterer just like her amazingly active Twitterer husband, Ashton Kutcher.One of her much talked about Tweets is a photo of her self missing a tooth!
You better believe it!Demi Moore, in sunglasses, on a dentists chair, missing a front tooth! and she's smiling!She shared this with the world and it started spreading like fire in dry hey!
She continued to tweet about it and replied to other Twitteres about the issue.She told one "happy to share and always appreciate the opportunity to find humilty!!! Or at least be able to laugh at myself!"She told another, who apparently is a dentist, "No implant but thank god for modern dentistry!"
What do you think?Seeing Demi Moore like we've never before.So natural ... just like me and you.

ScienceDaily (May 19, 2009) — Scientists have found a 47-million-year-old human ancestor. Discovered in Messel Pit, Germany, the fossil, described as Darwinius masillae, is 20 times older than most fossils that explain human evolution.
Known as “Ida,” the fossil is a transitional species – it shows characteristics from the very primitive non-human evolutionary line (prosimians, such as lemurs), but is more related to the human evolutionary line (anthropoids, such as monkeys, apes and humans). At 95% complete, the fossil provides the most complete understanding of the paleobiology of any Eocene primate so far discovered.
The scientists’ findings are published in PLoS One, the open-access, peer-reviewed journal from the Public Library of Science.
For the past two years, an international team of scientists, led by world-renowned Norwegian fossil scientist Dr Jørn Hurum, University of Oslo Natural History Museum, has secretly conducted a detailed forensic analysis of the extraordinary fossil, studying the data to decode humankind’s ancient origins. At 95% complete, Ida is set to revolutionize our understanding of primate evolution.
"This is the first link to all humans ... truly a fossil that links world heritage," said Dr. Hurum.
"It’s really a kind of Rosetta Stone," commented study co-author Professor Philip Gingerich, of the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan.
The fossil was apparently discovered in 1983 by private collectors who split and eventually sold two parts of the skeleton on separate plates: the lesser part was restored and, in the process, partly fabricated to make it look more complete. This part was eventually purchased for a private museum in Wyoming, and then described by one of the authors (Jens L. Franzen) who recognized the fabrication. The more complete part has just come to light, and it now belongs to the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo (Norway). The PLoS ONE paper describes the study that resulted from finally having access to the complete fossil specimen.
Unlike Lucy and other famous primate fossils found in Africa’s Cradle of Mankind, Ida is a European fossil, preserved in Germany’s Messel Pit, the mile-wide crater and oil-rich shale is a significant site for fossils of the Eocene Epoch. Fossil analysis reveals that the prehistoric primate was a young female. Opposable big toes and nail bearing tips on the fingers and toes confirm the fossil is a primate, and a foot bone called the talus bone links Ida directly to humans.
The fossil also features the complete soft body outline as well as the gut contents: a herbivore, Ida feasted on fruits, seeds and leaves before she died. X-rays reveal both baby and adult teeth, and the lack of a ‘toothcomb’ or a ‘grooming claw’ which is an attribute of lemurs. The scientists estimate Ida’s age when she died to be approximately nine months, and she measured approximately three feet in length.
Ida lived 47 million years ago at a critical period in Earth’s history–the Eocene Epoch, a time when the blueprints for modern mammals were being established. Following the extinction of dinosaurs, the early horses, bats, whales and many other creatures including the first primates thrived on a subtropical planet. The Earth was just beginning to take the shape that we know and recognize today – the Himalayas were being formed and modern flora and fauna evolved. Land mammals, including primates, lived amid vast jungle.
Ida was found to be lacking two of the key anatomical features found in lemurs: a grooming claw on the second digit of the foot, and a fused row of teeth in the middle of her lower jaw known as a toothcomb. She has nails rather than the claw typical of non-anthropoid primates such as lemurs, and her teeth are similar to those of monkeys. Her forward facing eyes are like ours – which would have enabled her fields of vision to overlap, allowing 3D vision and an ability to judge distance.
The fossil’s hands show a humanlike opposable thumb. Like all primates, Ida has five fingers on each hand. Her opposable thumb would have provided a ‘precision grip’. In Ida’s case, this is useful for climbing and gathering fruit; in our case, it allows important human functions such as making tools, and writing. Ida would have also had flexible arms, which would have allowed her to use both hands for any task that cannot be done with one – like grabbing a piece of fruit. Like us, Ida also has quite short arms and legs.
Evidence in the talus bone links Ida to us. The bone has the same shape as in humans today. Only the human talus is obviously bigger. X-rays and CT scanning reveal Ida to be about nine months old when she died, and provide clues to her diet – which included berries and plants. Furthermore the lack of a bacculum (penis bone) means that the fossil was definitely female.
X-rays reveal that a broken wrist may have contributed to Ida’s death – her left wrist was healing from a bad fracture. The scientists believe she was overcome by carbon dioxide gas whilst from drinking from the Messel lake: the still waters of the lake were often covered by a low lying blanket of the gas as a result of the volcanic forces that formed the lake and which were still active. Hampered by her broken wrist, Ida slipped into unconsciousness, was washed into the lake, and sunk to the bottom, where the unique conditions preserved her for 47 million years.
The findings of the two-year study will be revealed exclusively by Atlantic Productions in a documentary film, "The Link," to be screened by History on Monday May 25th, 2009 at 9pm ET/PT and BBC One in the UK Tuesday May 26th, 2009 at 9pm BST. It will also be broadcast on ZDF, NRK and around the world. A book, "The Link," will be published by Little Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, on Wednesday May 20th. An interactive, content-rich website about Ida has been launched at http://www.revealingthelink.com.
"This little creature is going to show us our connection with all the rest of the mammals," said renowned broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough. "The link they would have said until now is missing ... it is no longer missing."

A Cairo court on Thursday sentenced an Egyptian tycoon and a former policeman to death for the murder of Lebanese pop diva Suzanne Tamim in Dubai last year.
The judge ordered Hisham Talaat Mustafa and retired policeman Mohsen al-Sukkari hanged for respectively ordering and carrying out the brutal slaying of the singer in a luxury Dubai apartment in July.
“Untill now I still believe that Talaat Mustafa is innocent. The evidence we have is strong and the ruling of the court is severe,” lawyer Samir al-Shishtawi, claimant of civil rigths, told Al Arabiya. “We are going to take the case to the appeals court and we are confident the ruling will be overturned.”
Mustafa, former chairman of the Talaat Moustafa Group and a prominent politician, had been accused of paying security man Sukkari $2 million to stab Tamim to death at her luxury Dubai house in the United Arab Emirates on July 28. Samir al-ShishtawiThe indictment had accused Sukkari of killing Tamim after tricking her into opening the door of her apartment by posing as a representative of the building owners. He then attacked her with a knife.
It accused Mustafa of participating in the crime through "incitement, agreement and assistance" in the killing of his former lover.
The evidence included tape recordings of telephone calls between Mustafa and Sukkari, security video footage from the apartment and DNA from the bloodied clothes that Sukkari was accused of leaving close to the scene of the crime.
But defense lawyer Atef Manaawi raised questions during the trial about the clothes the prosecutor said the accused was wearing when he committed the crime. He also cast doubt on the weapon used to commit the murder as well as the autopsy of the victim’s body.
The lawyer of the victim said: “We accept the court’s ruling and we respect the law.”
Sukkari’s files were referred to Egyptian religious authorities for review, as normal in capital cases in Egypt.
The arrest of Mustafa in September, after weeks of speculation about the case, hit Talaat Mustafa shares. They closed on Wednesday at 5 Egyptian pounds ($0.89) per share, off a year low of 2.52 pounds hit in March.
Mustafa, who was born in 1959, gave up the chairmanship of the Talaat Mustafa Group to his brother Tarek. Tamim, who died at the age of 30, rose to fame after winning the top prize in a television show in 1996.

Tom Hanks must have done something heinous in his life, right? Something awful? Nasty? Unspeakable? Unprintable? Something he wouldn’t tell his mother?
No? Cheated on his taxes? Stole a parking space? Didn’t recycle? Forgot to wear a flag pin?
Perhaps not. Long one of America’s leadingest leading men, Hanks, 52, is a real disappointment to connoisseurs of celebrity misbehavior — even if he did make his name as a transvestite (in the gender-bending ’80s sitcom “Bosom Buddies”).
Married to the same woman (actress-producer Rita Wilson) for more than 20 years, he’s been irritatingly on target about doing the right thing. He received the U.S. Navy’s highest civilian honor in 1999 for “Saving Private Ryan.” He was instrumental in pushing through the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. He helped make AIDS part of the national conversation via the dying Andrew Beckett in Jonathan Demme’s “Philadelphia” (1993). When it comes to salacious scandal, he generates as much juice as a turnip. Frankly, it makes you wonder why we’re writing about him at all.
There is, of course, a reason: “Angels & Demons,” the Ron Howard-directed follow-up to “The Da Vinci Code,” which opens Friday and returns Hanks to the role of Robert Langdon, Harvard professor, expert in religious iconography/symbology and theology’s version of Indiana Jones.
The story involves dead popes, a secret society, a good-looking woman, a fanatical, unstoppable assassin — it could be the “The Da Vinci Code,” except for all the Einsteinian hoo-hah about antimatter and Galilean astrophysics.
But amid a project in which so much is being repeated, the most surprising thing, in the endless summer of Tom Hanks’ career, is that the actor is repeating himself. Unlike most long-lasting stars in Hollywood, that’s something he hasn’t done. At least not since he became a star.
This wouldn’t have been surprising two decades ago. Back then it was all boyishness all the time. And quite a few mediocre movies — “Bachelor Party” (1984), “Volunteers” (1985), “The Money Pit” (1986) “Dragnet” (1987), “The ’burbs” (1989), “Turner and Hooch” (1989) — it’ a wonder Hanks survived the ’80s. How about “The Man With One Red Shoe” (1985)? OK, we’ll stop.
The point is that Hanks was being boyish, and boyishly unwise about what the heck he was doing.
That is, except for “Splash” (1984). And “Big” (1988). Movies that remain iconic in their way, and were the real steppingstones to Hanks becoming the star of such movies as “A League of their Own“ (1992), “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), “Philadelphia” (1993), “Forrest Gump” (1994) and “Apollo 13” (1995), the films upon which the brand was built. (“Toy Story” and its sequels seem to exist in another Pixar-ian universe entirely.)
It’s a frequent enough phenomenon that popular artists — authors, composers, actors — have a single period in their lives of furious productivity and creativity, which can’t be maintained forever but permanently identifies the careers in question.
This may be true of Hanks, although it seems equally true that his most interesting work as an actor (he also has credits as a producer) has been done post-Oscars (following back-to-back wins for “Philadelphia” and “Gump”).By JOHN ANDERSON
Newsday

Nancy Ajram Lebanese singer gave birth to the first. The chosen name, "Mela", which enjoys good health. Date of birth had coincided with the birthday of Nancy Ajram Nancy preferred to stay in the hospital to assure the health of the baby before returning to the house.

Barcelona claimed their 19th Spanish league title without kicking a ball after title-rivals Real Madrid lost 3-2 at Villarreal on Saturday.
It left Pep Guardiola's side with an unassailable lead ahead of their match at Mallorca on Sunday.
On Wednesday Barcelona won the Copa del Rey when beating Athletic Bilbao 4-1.
Barca could become the first Spanish side in history to win the treble if they beat Manchester United in the Champions League final on 27 May.
The Catalan club's title triumph was their first in three years and is their first domestic double for 11 seasons.
Their Copa del Rey victory was the first time they had won the cup since 1998 and was their first piece of silverware in two seasons.
Barcelona currently have 86 points and a goal difference of plus 72 with three games left, while Madrid have 78 points with two to play.
Their triumph came on the same day that their Champions League rivals United claimed their third successive English Premier League title with a 0-0 draw against Arsenal.
The pair meet in Rome with United looking to defend their European title.
Barcelona's success this year has vindicated their decision to part company with long-standing coach Frank Rijkaard at the end of last season and appoint former player Guardiola as manager.
For 38-year-old Guardiola, a Catalonian by birth, this week's triumphs are his first as manager of the club he spent 11 years playing for.

Newlywed Mandy Moore insists husband Ryan Adams will be the only guy who will see her naked - because she can't stand the thought of random movie fans ogling her online and at the cinema.The actress/singer admits she has fought directors over their plans to get her to peel off for movie roles - and she'll never bare all unless it's absolutely necessary.She tells WENN, "Right now, that's something that is off limits. I'd never say never because some things are absolutely necessary."I feel oftentimes I've been attached to a film and then, at the last second, someone has said, like, 'OK, well this is an absolute necessity - this scene requires nudity and there's no two ways around it.'"I'm like, 'I really believe there's so much of that which could be implied and it's just gratuitous.' I'm not comfortable within my own skin. That side of myself is reserved for my personal life and I wouldn't feel comfortable walking down the street knowing, like... it's perfectly logical to believe that any random person walking down the street has the ability to see me with my clothes off."But Moore is keen to challenge her goody-goody image on and off the big screen - she recently posed for a provocative Details magazine lingerie spread and stuns fans in a supershort slip in her new video I Could Break Your Heart.She adds, "I'm getting to a point and an age - I'm a married woman now - where I would like to find things that challenge me, particularly in the film side of work."I've had a lot of fun on movies, but I'd like something a little more dramatic, something with a little more flavour. I wanna try something that scares me a little bit."

Taking a swipe at Scarlett Johannson, model-actress Megan Fox has said she doesn't need to prove she's intelligent.
The Transformers star resents the assumption that sexy stars are unintelligent, but insists that unlike Johansson she wouldn't go on talk shows to prove how smart she really is, reported contactmusic.com.
"I don't want to have to be like a Scarlett Johansson who I have nothing against. But I don't want to have to go on talk shows and pull out every single word I've ever learned, to prove, like, 'Take me seriously, I am intelligent, I can speak.' I don't want to have to do that. I resent having to prove that I'm not a retard," said Fox.

Scientists have snapped the first ever portrait of H1N1, the new swine flu virus that has swept the globe in recent weeks.
A virus cell (such as the H1N1 swine flu cells above) is made up of a core that contains genetic material, which is surrounded by a protein-filled coat that allows the virus to catch onto and invade target cells. Each cell measures about one-ten-thousandth of a millimeter wide.
The samples, obtained from an infected patient in California, were photographed on April 27, 2009, at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
(See more swine flu pictures.)
As of May 4, 2009, 286 people have swine flu in the United States, according to the CDC. Twenty countries have seen nearly a thousand instances of swine flu, the World Health Organization reported. (See a map of swine flu's spread.)
The new virus is similar to flu viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America. But H1N1 has genes from European and Asian pigs, as well as from birds and humans, which makes the virus a very different organism, experts say.
No one knows how severe this virus will become, but so far in the U.S. most cases have been mild.
"It's a situation where we should be cautious but not panicky," Susan Rehm, medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said on April 29.
"From what we understand so far, the severity doesn't seem to be much different than what it is in regular seasonal influenza."
—Christine Dell'Amore
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Photograph courtesy CDC Influenza Laboratory

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A popular Chinese online video showing a woman going hysterical after her male companion refuses to buy her a car is stirring debate about Shanghai's females, who are renowned for their demanding ways.
In the video, apparently shot on a mobile phone or handheld camera and carried on the widely read www.youku.com (http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjQ0NTc0Njg=.html), the woman is seen screaming at the man in a Shanghai car showroom.
It's already attracted over 1.7 million hits since it was posted some four months ago and is still drawing heated comments.
"The car doesn't suit you," the man tells the woman, to which she answers screaming: "It does suit me!"

"It's like this each time we go shopping. I'm not buying this car for you!" he counters.
The woman is then seen jumping into and driving the burgundy sedan up and down the showroom, ignoring her frantically gesturing companion and the salesman.
Finally the man gives in, waving his credit card and shouting: "Stop! Stop! I'll buy it! I'll buy it!"
So far, the video has attracted over 1,000 comments, some supporting, others criticizing the woman's behavior.
But not everyone is buying the video, entitled "What Shanghainese women are like," with some bloggers questioning its veracity and the stereotypical image it portrays of women from mainland China's richest and most cosmopolitan city.
"I didn't even hear one word of Shanghainese!" wrote one poster, asking why the whole exchange was in Mandarin rather than the local Shanghai dialect.
"Listening to the accent you know they are not Shanghainese. You people who say Shanghainese are bad -- how many do you actually know?" wrote another.
Others wondered whether the whole thing was a stunt by the car brand. "It's all been whipped up," one person wrote. "What great publicity."
Still, not everyone thought the woman was at fault.
"I admire this lady. In the end she won -- that's the moral of this tale!"
(Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie and Miral Fahmy)

Barcelona came back from a goal down to rack up a fully deserved 4-1 Copa del Rey victory over hapless Athletic Bilbao at the Mestalla on Wednesday evening.An early strike from Toquero gave the Lions the lead, but Yaya Toure soon restored parity before a Lionel Messi brace and a Xavi free-kick made for a thrilling victory for Barca.It is the Catalan side's 25th Copa del Rey victory and their first piece of silverware since their 2006 Supercopa, League and Champions League wins.Athletic, meanwhile, could not capitalise on their early lead, and thus missed the chance to make it 25 Copas for themselves, and to pick up their first silverware since their Liga and Copa double of 1984.

The Lebanese singer Haifaa Wahby refused to comment on the design of the posters of the movie “Dokkan Shehata” (Shehata’s Shop) in which she starred alongside Ghada Abdel Razek and Amr Saad.

The posters show boldly that it’s only a Khaled Youssef’s movie without referring to any of the film’s stars –especially- Haifaa Wahby, although having her on the poster was expected as the focus should’ve been on her since it’s her first experience as an actress.
The Lebanese diva decided to react very wisely, and not to fall in that trap, as she felt these were mere attempts to start a feud between her and the director Khaled Youssef, thus endangering the success of the movie after its public release; accordingly Wahby chose to stay quiet about it at least for the time being, specially that it’s been said that other posters with her on them are due out soon.

And I found out that my mind opens and closes with the same degree of difficulty that an old rusty piano accordion might. Do you ever get shocked about what comes out of your mouth and how narrow minded you seem? Even to yourself? I said something about Madonna today which made me want to slap myself. My mind's arteries are narrowing. I have bypassed sounding like my mother and now sound dangerously like my grandmother. If you hear me sprouting yellow peril sentiments soon, such as you'll need to hide under your bed because China is going to attack us soon, you'll know that my mind is closed for good (you think I'm joking about her saying that don't you). I just saw a picture of 50 year old Madonna with her 22 year old boyfriend Jesus (the whole name combo is a little too contrived for my liking but whatever...).

I looked at their picture and the first words out of my mouth were "She looks like his mother. It's just plain embarrassing. Someone has to tell her she looks ridiculous. She is way too old for him." I know, I should have been saying, 'way to go Madonna', but I just cannot bring myself to do so. Five minutes earlier I was cooing over the wedding pictures of 29 year old millionaire Australian model Kristy Hinze who has just married 65 year old Netscape founder and billionaire Jim Moneybags (oh, I forget his name but surnames aren't necessary when you are that rich). Why is this any more acceptable to me. Hardly fair is it?
OK so they are just people I do not even know. I guess the real litmus test is this - how would you react if your son bought home a girlfriend 30 years older than him or your daughter bought home a boyfriend 35 years older than her? I would call the police ....I am joking....sort of. Let's just say it would take me a long time to get used to the idea even though I know its not my decision to make.
What do you think, is age really just a number? Does it really matter? PS. I may need to have a more open mind about these things. I am guessing that it's more than likely that one day soon you will be oohing and ahhing over pictures of me with a 20 year old toy boy (I will be the one pushing him in his stroller. In another few years he will be the one pushing me in mine, haaaaaa-aaaardly).
Before I go, I have a story to tell you about a 'mistake' I made recently with an older man/younger woman. I ran into an old boss of mine. He was happily bouncing along (that should have given me a clue) hand in hand with 'what I thought' was a teenage school girl. He stopped to chat and I looked at the girl and asked her how school was going. I thought she was his daughter. He introduced me to his wife. I walked away with a rosy glow on my cheeks that no doubt equalled his. Oops!

src:Lilly's Life

It's a girl.Seal, 46, said his wife, Heidi Klum, is expecting a baby girl this fall, their third child. The Grammy-winning singer spilled the beans on the baby's sex Friday during an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey" show. He said Klum "can't keep a secret" and gave him the go-ahead to go public with baby's sex. The couple announced last month at his Radio City Musical Hall concert that the German-born supermodel and host of TV's "Project Runway" was pregnant. Klum, 35, and Seal, who married in 2005, have two sons - Henry Günther, 3, and Johan Riley, 2 - and also raise a 5-year-old daughter, Leni, from her previous relationship with Flavio Briatore.Read more: src:nydailynews.com

Like many teen pop celebs before her, "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus has declared she intends to remain a virgin until married, in a new interview with London's Daily Mail newspaper.
Cyrus has been dating underwear model Justin Gaston since last year, and she insists the couple has not had sex.
"I want to keep my virginity until I marry. I was brought up in a Christian family," Cyrus says.
Cyrus chalks up controversies — like last year's Lolita-like photos by Annie Leibovitz in Vanity Fair — to simple growing pains.
"It’s hard growing up in the spotlight, and I’m changing. I can’t be the 12-year-old who just moved to LA for ever," she says. “I’m having a great time doing what I do but I’m also going to stumble and fall. Having my parents close helps."
In addition to her parents, Cyrus says her religious faith keeps her grounded. "You don't know what's real and what's fake in this city [Los Angeles] because almost everyone has a motive and everyone wants to get something," she says. "So many [kids] tell me they are here for new show castings and they'll have their hair and make-up done, ready to be cast — but they're just 9 or 10 years old. My sister Noah is 9 and she's one of those girls. She'll come home and say: 'Oh, I don't think the casting director thought I was pretty,' which is heartbreaking."
Cyrus says she's also getting advice from former child stars: "People mention child performers who have gone off the rails, but there are also stable people like Jodie Foster. She was a child star and look where she is now. She called to give me advice, which was great."
Cyrus formerly dated Nick Jonas. His band of siblings, the Jonas Brothers, has publicly vowed to remain virgins until marriage. Nick Jonas also previously dated another young Disney star Selena Gomez, who's also vowed chastity till marriage.
Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson also made such public declarations early in their careers.
src:suntimes.com

There was uncertainty over the whereabouts of Tom Henning Ovrebo, the referee of Chelsea's contentious Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, after reports that he had to be smuggled out of Britain under police guard last night
Ovrebo has reportedly become the target of furious Chelsea supporters, after the Norwegian denied Guus Hiddink's men a series of penalties that would have secured them victory and a place in the Rome final with Manchester United.
At the end of yesterday's Stamford Bridge clash, which finished 1-1 thanks to Andres Iniesta's last-gasp equaliser, Ovrebo was targeted by Chelsea players - most notably Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack - who confronted the referee, with Drogba caught on camera hurling a tirade of abuse in the 42-year-old's direction, calling him "a f*****g disgrace".
The animosity was such that police reportedly grew concerned about Ovrebo's safety and, according to former referee Graham Poll, were forced to change his hotel before organising a secret exit from the country.
Poll told Radio Four: “This morning he's being smuggled out of our country under police escort - this is a referee of a football match. That is a disgrace.
“When he booked in a hotel they had to change the hotel he was staying at because of the fear that maybe fans would find him.

“When you see players acting like that, fans are called fans because they are fanatics - they may feel it's time to take action themselves.”
The Metropolitan Police, however, said they were not aware of any specific death threats against the referee, and insisted that they had not provided an escort to the airport. And reports in Norway suggest that Ovrebo is yet to leave the country.
A police spokesman confirmed that a police car did escort the referee to his hotel from Stamford Bridge last night, but officers did not advise him to change his accommodation plans. The decision to change hotels was taken by the Uefa referees team.
According to the London Evening Standard, officers in Ovrebo's home city of Oslo are investigating threats made on the internet towards the referee, with message boards displaying his home address, including warnings that fans will “hunt him” and “kill him”.
An Oslo police spokesman said: “We are watching closely what is being posted on the internet. Anything we believe would threaten his personal safety will be taken seriously.”
If the reports are verified, it would not be the first time Chelsea fans have turned on an official in such a manner. Anders Frisk, a Swedish referee who officiated Barcelona's 2-1 win over Chelsea at the Nou Camp back in Feb 2005, when Jose Mourinho was in charge, had a campaign of intimidation directed at him and eventually quit as a referee.
At the time Frisk said: "I have been subjected to things that I couldn't even imagine.
"I love to referee and I have done it since 1978, but what has happened to me means it is not worth continuing. I won't ever go out on a football pitch again. I am too scared. It is not worth it. Unfortunately that is the way football looks in 2005. I've had enough. I don't know if I even dare let my kids go to the post office."
Uefa have been criticised for putting Ovrebo in charge of such an important match, especially as he has previously made mistakes in a big game.
At Euro 2008 he refereed Italy's 1-1 draw with Romania, awarding the Romanians a dubious penalty and incorrectly ruling out an Italian goal. After the match, he apologised for his mistakes and did not take charge of another game during the competition.
John Terry and Guus Hiddink were both infuriated that Ovrebo had been allowed to officiate last night's encounter, with Terry saying "Why did we get a referee who has officiated in 10 games in the Champions League in his career? To be given the Champions League semi-final, that's not good enough."
Hiddink was equally scathing, adding: "If you've seen the three or four (penalty) situations waved away, this is the worst refereeing performance I've ever seen."
The Norwegian football federation, meanwhile, have defended Ovrebo and say both he and his linesmen need not worry about their careers, despite Chelsea's outrage.
Rune Pedersen said: "Naturally we must have respect for the fact that there can be decisions that are debatable, but the way they carried out the game right to the end I believe was a show of strength.
"I don't think that some questionable situations would mean that they don't get any more assignments."
src:telegraph.co.uk

Chelsea (Essien 9′) 1-1 Barcelona (Iniesta 90′ + 3) (Barcelona win 1-1 on Aggregate on Away Goals Rule)Stadium: Stamford Bridge, EnglandCompetition: UEFA Champions League, Semifinals, Leg #2Date: 6 May 2009Kickoff: 18:45 GMT, 14:45 EST
Barcelona pulled off a great escape and eliminated Chelsea to advance to the Champions League Final! Soccerlens brought you the action live! Click below for the live-blog and feel free to leave comments below!

Match Preview:The old adage goes “offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.” If that’s the case, then Chelsea’s performance in the first leg against Barcelona was Treble caliber. Guus Hiddink’s men rarely ventured forward and seemed content to eke out a scoreless draw. Their hope was to take a 0-0 scoreline into the second leg at Stamford Bridge, where they’ll take on a more offensive posture against a club that hasn’t played nearly as well on the road in Europe as they have at home.
Indeed, heading into this past weekend, you could argue that Barcelona haven’t been in the best of form. They drew with Valencia which opened the door for Real Madrid to close the gap in La Liga. They haven’t won on the road in Europe since November, when they defeated Sporting Lisbon. However, then came Saturday’s 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid in El Clasico. Barcelona confirmed their credentials as the most dangerous and dynamic offensive team in Europe and dismantled one of the hottest teams in recent history in Real Madrid. Their big guns, especially Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta, were quiet in the first leg, but were in excellent form over the weekend and will be looking to prove that the first leg was a fluke. Most importantly, they know that they don’t have to win at Stamford Bridge in order to advance. Any goal that they score will give them an advantage over Chelsea, and any scored draw will send them through to the Finals.
Chelsea, however, have reason to feel confident going into this match. They’ll be getting Ashley Cole back from suspension, and he’ll be able to mark Messi, allowing Jose Bosingwa (who did a respectable job) to move back to his natural position at right-back. They should also have Alex and Michael Ballack available, despite both players leaving last weekend’s match with Fulham with slight knocks. Moreover, Chelsea can take heart knowing that Barcelona have been suspect on defense all year, and they were burned for two goals on set-plays by an otherwise impotent Real Madrid side. Chelsea have scored numerous goals on set-pieces this year, and we need look no further than the first leg of the Liverpool tie to see that. They’ll need all hands on deck, especially if Barcelona bring their scoring boots that they used to humble Real Madrid.
Hopefully, we should see a more wide-open and entertaining game than the first leg. Will Barcelona continue their offensive rampage and overwhelm Chelsea at Stamford Bridge? Or will Chelsea prevail and make it to their second consecutive Finals? Tune in and find out!
Lineups:Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry (c), A. Cole, Essien, Ballack, Malouda, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba.Subs: Hilario, Ivanovic, Di Santo, Mikel, Kalou, Belletti, Mancienne.
Chelsea will make only one change from the side that defeated Fulham over the weekend, bringing back Ballack in favor of the defensive-minded Mikel. That, along with Anelka’s place in the starting lineup, could indicate that Chelsea will have their attacking boots on. Otherwise, they would have gone with their lineup in Barcelona last week and simply played for penalty kicks. Ashley Cole is back in the lineup after his suspension, and will be tasked with stopping Lionel Messi.
Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Toure, Abidal, Busquets, Xavi (c), Keita, Messi, Iniesta, Eto’o.Subs: Pinto, Caceres, Gudjohnsen, Bojan, Sylvinho, Hleb, Pedro.
As expected, Barca will be without Thierry Henry, who sustained an injury during the weekend’s victory over Real Madrid. Barca will start with Toure at center-half in place of the suspended Puyol. Busquets will come into the lineup to sit in front of the defense, and Keita will start alongside Xavi in midfield. As with the first leg, former Chelsea man, Gudjohnsen, will be available off the bench, as will former Arsenal players Hleb and Sylvinho.
Minute-by-Minute:90′ + 7 Eto’o comes off and Sylvinho will replace him. Chelsea win a free kick and Cech comes up for it. They can’t do much with it, though, as there’s the whistle and we’re done! Chelsea players are bum-rushing the ref and are really giving him a earful. They feel jobbed, and it’s hard to argue. However, Barcelona have pulled off a great escape and will meet Manchester United in the Final! Thanks to everyone who followed along! I’ll see you next time!
90′ + 6 Cech comes up for the corner and Lampard plays it into the box for him. It’s knocked out to Ballack and he tries a hard shot that looks like it might have hit Eto’o’s shoulder! No call from the ref and Ballack is incensed. In fact, he looks like he’s trying to grab the ref and beat him up. Needless to say, he’s booked and he’ll miss the next match.
90′ + 5 Chelsea look shell-shocked, but they win a corner. Barcelona make a change as Iniesta will come off for Gudjohnsen.
90′ + 3 GOAL!! Wow! What a heartbreaker! Alves lifts a cross from the right and Terry heads it away, but Messi corrals it on the edge of the box. He sends it to Iniesta, and he fires a shot from the center edge of the box and he beats Cech!
90′ + 1 Four minutes will be added on. Essien gives it away poorly, and Messi’s pass to Pique on the center edge of the box is taken away by Lampard. Eto’o is booked for mouthing off to the ref and he’s clearly had a frustrating night. Belletti gets through, but his shot is wide of the post.
90′ Alves with a long cross from the top-right edge of the penalty area to the far post. Eto’o tries valiantly to keep it from going out, but the linesman rules that it crossed the line.
89′ Lampard wins a corner and, for some reason, Guardiola hugs Hiddink. What’s that about? Is he conceding defeat already? Nothing doing on the corner as Chelsea are called for a foul.
88′ Iniesta and Messi play a one-two on the center edge of the penalty area and Messi takes a tumble. No call, though.
87′ Lampard gets free down the left edge of the box, and he sends it back to a trailing Essien. His shot is easily blocked by Pique, though.
86′ Lampard’s pass to Anelka is poor and Pique cuts it out. Malouda wins it back, but he loses it before he can do anything with it.
85′ Busquets is off for Krkic. Will that make a difference?
84′ Messi with a terrible cross and he’s been mediocre tonight. Let’s say that the score, right now, is Ronaldo 1, Messi 0.
83′ Lampard wins a corner off Pique. Chelsea take their time setting this up, and you can’t blame them. Malouda’s corner is easily cleared away from danger.
82′ Long pass into the box for Anelka, and it looks like Pique hands it inside the box. No call from the ref, and on the replay, it looked like a clear penalty. Pique got away with one there.
80′ Alves whips a cross from the right but Alex heads it away. It’s into some space and Pique gets it. He tries a shot, but it’s just wide of the post.
79′ Toure makes a mistake as he misjudges the long pass to Anelka. The French forward is away from him and he goes down under the contact from Toure. No penalty call, though, and it would have been a soft penalty had it been given.
78′ Alves takes the free kick from about 30 yards out, but it’s just over the crossbar.
77′ Alex muffs his clearance as he slips on the pitch as he tries to kick it away. Messi pounces on it, and Alex catches him in the midsection with a nicely placed kick. That’s a yellow for Alex, and he’ll miss the Final.
76′ Essien plays it through to Anelka and he’s got a great chance in the box. Too bad he’s flagged offside. So much for that.
75′ Messi gets away from Terry and he sends it to Alves. He crosses it into the box, but Ballack is back there and he heads it away.
74′ Essien is booked for a late tackle on Iniesta.
72′ Drogba will come off and he gets a deserved ovation from the Chelsea fans. Belletti, the former Barca man, will replace him.
71′ Drogba is still limping around, and he’s probably going to come off. Lampard takes a good shot from the edge of the box. It takes a bit of a deflection, but Valdes makes the diving save.
70′ So, if Barca make it to the Final, they’ll be missing their starting left-back and their starting right-back. I bet Sir Alex is rooting hard for Barca right now.
69′ Drogba limps off the pitch so it’ll be 10-on-10 for now. Lampard takes the free kick from about 25 yards out, but his low effort flashes wide of the far post.
66′ RED CARD! Pique and Drogba go for the 50-50 ball in the air, and they both miss. It bounces to Anelka, and Abidal brings down him outside the box and he’s off for committing the professional foul! But wait! On the replay, it looks like Abidal barely touched him. It looks like Fletcher isn’t the only one with a complaint about the officiating. Anyway, it’s no matter as he’s off and Barca are in a huge hole.
65′ Messi gets away from Cole and cuts across the edge of the penalty area. He tries a speculative shot, but it’s over the crossbar.
64′ Drogba is giving them all kinds of problems today, and he gets it inside the box yet again. This time, he gets held up and Barca are able to knock it away.
63′ Iniesta makes a nice run into the box and he tries to thread it through to Eto’o. It’s out of his reach, though, and Eto’o has some choice words for his teammate.
62′ Drogba takes a dive inside the box as Abidal barely touches him and he’s clearly trying to win a penalty to make up for that no-call earlier. Like a great actor, Drogba commits to it and Chelsea even bring out their medical staff to tend to him. Not even Daniel Day-Lewis is that devoted of an actor.
61′ Keita with a nice bit of skill to take it on a half-volley, but it’s not even close to bothering Cech.
60′ Terrible corner from Xavi as he plays it low and it’s right to Drogba on the near edge of the box. Pique then plays it through to Alves, but he unleashes a terrible cross from the right wing.
59′ Messi nearly threads it through to Eto’o, and Alex stumbles and falls. Luckily for him, Bosingwa is there to cover for him, and he kicks it away. Malouda then gives away a corner.
56′ Malouda with an optimistic effort from long range, but it’s not even close. Drogba gets it inside the box and Toure is grabbing his arm and shirt. How that’s not a foul, I don’t know. He eventually slides in and knocks it away, and Drogba wants a penalty. No call and I don’t disagree with the tackle, but Drogba was clearly fouled outside the box. Oh well.
55′ Terrible long-range shot from Alves and he’s not winning any admirers tonight.
54′ Great ball by Toure and Alves gets it deep down the right. He sends a cross into the center of the box, but it’s between two players.
52′ Anelka with a nice run into the box and he finds an unmarked Drogba in the box. He eludes a sliding Pique and looks to have Valdes at his mercy. He fires a low shot and Valdes saves it with his feet. Malouda tries to follow up, but he hits the side netting. Wow. Valdes came up huge there.
51′ Iniesta with a clever ball into the box from the left wing, but it bounces awkwardly for Keita, who can’t handle it.
50′ Xavi sends it to the near post again, but this time, Essien clears it away.
49′ Busquets with a nice run into the box, and he flicks it over-the-top to Keita. It’s off Ballack for a corner. Xavi’s corner strikes Toure at the near post and it’s out, but Barca gets another corner.
47′ They’re only about 30 yards out or so, and the free kick will come in from left side of the field. Xavi touches it to Iniesta at the center edge of the box, and he touches it back to Alves. He shanks it wide and Guardiola is incensed. Not their best effort there. They were trying to be a little too cute there.
46′ Chelsea will kick off and we’re underway! No changes for either side at the half. Iniesta gets fouled close to the edge of the box, and they’ll have a great chance here.
46′ I would have thought that Manchester United would want to face Chelsea, especially with the way they’ve handled them this season. But after that first half, I think they’d take Barcelona in a heartbeat.
Well, as Yogi Berra once said, it’s like deja-vu all over again. Much like last season’s semifinal, Barca were held scoreless at home and then fell victim to a long-range strike early in the second leg to their English opponents. Said English opponents then defended the one-goal lead and held on to eliminate Barca from the competition. Could history repeat itself here tonight? So far, it looks like it will. Barca have yet to solve Chelsea’s defense, and now that Chelsea have a lead to protect, you can expect more of the same tactics that they employed in the first leg. We will see what Barca are made out of as they try to get that all-important away-goal.
45′ + 3 Messi takes on the entire Chelsea defense and he lays it off to Alves down the right. His cross is defected out for a corner. Barca play it short and Xavi eventually gets the shot opportunity on the edge of the box. It’s out and Xavi claims he’s won a corner. No matter, though, as there’s the whistle and we’re at halftime!
45′ + 2 Bosingwa gets it and actually moves back towards his own penalty area. He’s under a lot of pressure from Iniesta, but he gets it away.
45′ + 1 There will be three added minutes.
45′ Drogba gets it to Anelka, and he makes the run down the right. He can’t get away from his defender, though, and he gives it away to Valdes.
43′ Lampard tries to send the corner to Ballack, but he can’t control his header. It’s out for a Chelsea throw.
42′ Toure gives away a free kick, and Lampard will take it from about 35 yards out. He tries to set up his teammates, since Barca are so vulnerable on set pieces. Toure eventually nods Lampard’s freebie out for a corner.
41′ Alves wins a corner as his cross is knocked out by Bosingwa. They take it quickly and Messi eventually sends a long cross from the right to the far post for Eto’o, but gets flat-footed and it’s out for a goal-kick.
40′ Tommy Smyth actually makes a good point (!). He mentions that Barcelona look like they’re getting rid of the ball more quickly than usual and that it’s wrecking havoc with their usual offensive rhythm. It’s like they’re afraid of getting hit by the Chelsea players and are more worried about that than anything else. In other words, he’s calling them soft.
39′ Messi sends it into the box for Xavi, but it’s long and out for a goal-kick.
38′ Messi turns on the wheels and burns Cole down the right. He has Eto’o in the box, but Messi decides to go for goal, instead. His shot is then easily handled by Cech.
37′ Iniesta is fouled by Bosingwa near the centerline. Eto’o threads it through to Messi down the right. He curls a shot on goal that gives Cech some problems. He’s able to handle it, though, and that’s really the first thing Messi has done today.
35′ Cech kicks it away and Drogba gets it on the edge of the penalty area. He heads it forward to Malouda, but Valdes is out to take it.
31′ Lampard is on the ground after he catches an elbow from Keita. He looks like he might be bleeding from the mouth. He’ll come off to receive treatment, but he should be okay. He’s been excellent, thus far.
30′ Alves gets booked for a flying elbow on Cole. Stupid play and he’s suspended for the Final if Barca make it. Well, it was coming.
29′ Xavi with a nice pass to Iniesta and he tries a shot that’s well off the mark.
28′ Xavi chips a great pass from the edge of the box to the right post where Alves tries to head it in. He’s called for a foul, though, and Cech will kick it away.
27′ Great pass into the box by Lampard for Drogba and Abidal grabs him by the shirt. Drogba goes down and Valdes is there to take it away. No penalty call, and I have to disagree with the ref here. Abidal looked like he fouled him.
26′ Chelsea are really taking it to them right now, aren’t they? So much for anti-football.
25′ Drogba fires it to the far post, but Valdes just gets a touch on it and concedes the corner. On the corner, Terry gets his head on it, but it’s just wide of the post.
24′ Malouda makes a run down the left and Alves fouls him on the edge of the box. It looked like the foul might have occurred in the box, but the ref won’t award the penalty. Now, Chelsea will have a free kick from the lower left corner of the penalty box.
23′ Lampard flicks it forward and Drogba gets behind Toure and Pique! Drogba has a chance, but Valdes is alert and kicks it away. Great play by the keeper, because Drogba could have chipped it past him and had an open net to shoot at.
21′ Iniesta is fouled from about 35 yards out by Anelka. They’ll have a good chance here, especially with Alves kicking it. He kicks it and gets it over the wall. However, it travels well wide of the post and Cech had it well covered anyway.
20′ Messi tries to play it into the path of Eto’o down the left, but Cech comes out to collect it. He almost collided with Alex there, but Cech was able to get to it first.
18′ Alves runs over Malouda and he’s called for a foul. No booking, though.
17′ Malouda gets it and he’s got a ton of space along the left. He lays it back to Lampard, and he tries a shot from inside the box that is just wide. He was unmarked and probably should have done a little bit better with that shot, but Valdes closed off the near post well.
16′ Messi and Xavi try to play a one-two on the edge of the box, but Xavi loses it. He takes a tumble, but no call from the ref.
15′ Iniesta passes it long into the path of a hard-charging Xavi, but it’s just beyond his grasp and it’s out for a goal-kick.
14′ Eto’o tries to make a move inside the box, but he loses it. Anelka takes it, but he’s run over by Busquets. Yeah, both Anelka and Drogba are back defending, so I guess we know what they’re going to do here.
13′ Bosingwa gives away a free kick from about 40 yards out on the left flank near the end-line. Xavi’s free kick is easily cleared from danger, and he’ll have to do better than that if he wants to make Chelsea’s defense sweat.
12′ Xavi tries to pass it to Eto’o at the left edge of the box, but the pass is behind him and out for a Chelsea throw.
11′ Barca win a corner but Drogba clears it away. Will Chelsea go into their shell now?
9′ GOAL!! Xavi tries a long pass to Keita, who gets in front of Alex. However, the pass is long and Cech will kick it away. Chelsea come back as Cole slides in a pass into the box for Lampard. He tries to turn and fire, but his shot is blocked. It’s deflected out off Toure’s back to the Essien, who volleys it from outside the penalty area, and he clips the shot under the crossbar and it bounces over the line! Wow! What a shot form Essien!
7′ Messi plays it through to Alves, who makes the run down the right. He tries to whip a cross to the far post for Iniesta, but it’s out for a Chelsea throw.
5′ Alves is inside the box and he chips it to Messi deep down the right edge of the box. Messi tries a cross, and it looks like it may have gone off Ballack’s hand. No handball, though, and Bosingwa eventually clears it away.
3′ Messi makes a run into the box from the left, but Terry closes him down and makes the great defensive play to take it away.
2′ Terry plays Drogba through the middle, Drogba’s touch is poor and he gives it away. He would have been through on goal if he hadn’t done that. Eto’o then comes back and tries a long-range shot, but it’s well wide and doesn’t trouble Cech.
1′ Barca kick off and we’re underway! Tom Henning Ovrebo is our referee. Messi tries to get around Cole, but he has him well played. Ballack is also back to help out and they take it away.
0′ The Chammmmm-pionnnnns!
0′ Let’s hope that the presence of Anelka means that Chelsea are going to actually play some offense today. I don’t have a problem with what they did in the first leg, at least not compared to some people who have labeled their tactics as “cowardly,” “negative,” or “anti-football.” I mean, you have to put your team in the best position to advance, and they certainly did that. If they had gone with an open-approach and lost like Real Madrid did over the weekend, then that would have been foolhardy, right?
0′ From the “Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves” Dept. A lot of Barcelona fans think that, just because they thrashed Real Madrid on Saturday, that they’ll be in great form for this match. Not so fast. Real Madrid’s defense is hardly anything to write home about. Plus, Barca have not faced stiff competition in Europe, thus far. They took out an overmatched Lyon side in the Round of 16 (and couldn’t win on Lyon’s home pitch), and outclassed a Bayern Munich side that recently fired their manager and may not qualify for Champions League play next season.
0′ One last note about yesterday’s Arsenal/Manchester United match. We knew that the Gunners were caught with their pants down, but Nicklas Bendtner seems to have taken that literally. Apparently, he wears briefs, which is more than I ever wanted to know about him.
0′ One word about Darren Fletcher, because I didn’t think of it until after the game was long over. You have to feel for him as a human being. Burglars broke into his house when he was out of town, getting ready to play at Inter Milan. They held his family at knifepoint and threatened to cut his fiance’s throat. Fletcher could have gone home and left his team, but he was professional about it. Not only did Fletcher play against Inter Milan, but he did a decent job. I remember thinking that he looked like he was about to break down and cry during the playing of the UEFA Anthem before the match. You had to feel for him then, and you certainly have to feel for him now. For him to miss the Final, on a disputed foul no less, seems incredibly unfair after everything he’s gone through.
0′ Who will join Darren Fletcher on the sidelines if they pick up another yellow today? For Chelsea, Michael Ballack, Alex, and Nicholas Anelka had better be on their best behavior. For Barcelona, Sergio Busquets and Dani Alves better watch themselves.
0′ Welcome to Soccerlens’ live coverage of the UEFA Champions League Semifinals between Chelsea and Barcelona! The winner will face Manchester United in the Finals from Rome on May 27, 2009! I’m Victor and I’ll be your liveblogger! I’m watching this match on ESPN. However, this match is available, on-line, at ESPN360. For information on how to access that fine service, feel free to consult this article. Click here for other, free, options.

Prior to giving birth to twins, Max and Emme, Jennifer Lopez already had a superb figure; but you know what? The body she has now seems to be better than before! Her new slimmed down figure was even more pronounced in the sexy blue mini-dress which she wore when she made an appearance on the TV Show Good Morning America. The mid-thigh dress belted at the waist looked perfect on her with its slightly capped sleeves. She matched the blue dress with black high heels. It’s too bad I can’t find who her dress is.

J-Lo also accessorized with a long silver necklace with huge black pendants hanging from it. She also had a big black watch on her right wrist.

At the show J-Lo talked about whooping cough vaccinations. She’s raising awareness that any adult who takes care of babies should get vaccinated to avoid passing on the infection to the baby. Whooping cough can be fatal to infants.

What do you think of her dress?

Five years ago, a shotgun blast left a ghastly hole where the middle of her face had been. Five months ago, she received a new face from a dead woman.

Connie Culp stepped forward Tuesday to show off the results of the nation's first face transplant, and her new look was a far cry from the puckered, noseless sight that made children run away in horror.

Culp's expressions are still a bit wooden, but she can talk, smile, smell and taste her food again. Her speech is at times a little tough to understand. Her face is bloated and squarish, and her skin droops in big folds that doctors plan to pare away as her circulation improves and her nerves grow, animating her new muscles.
But Culp had nothing but praise for those who made her new face possible.
"I guess I'm the one you came to see today," the 46-year-old Ohio woman said at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic, where the groundbreaking operation was performed. But "I think it's more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person's face."
Up until Tuesday, Culp's identity and how she came to be disfigured were a secret.
Culp's husband, Thomas, shot her in 2004, then turned the gun on himself. He went to prison for seven years. His wife was left clinging to life. The blast shattered her nose, cheeks, the roof of her mouth and an eye. Hundreds of fragments of shotgun pellet and bone splinters were embedded in her face. She needed a tube into her windpipe to breathe. Only her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin were left.
A plastic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Risal Djohan, got a look at her injuries two months later. "He told me he didn't think, he wasn't sure, if he could fix me, but he'd try," Culp recalled.
She endured 30 operations to try to fix her face. Doctors took parts of her ribs to make cheekbones and fashioned an upper jaw from one of her leg bones. She had countless skin grafts from her thighs. Still, she was left unable to eat solid food, breathe on her own, or smell.
Then, on Dec. 10, in a 22-hour operation, Dr. Maria Siemionow led a team of doctors who replaced 80 percent of Culp's face with bone, muscles, nerves, skin and blood vessels from another woman who had just died. It was the fourth face transplant in the world, though the others were not as extensive.
"Here I am, five years later. He did what he said — I got me my nose," Culp said of Djohan, laughing.
In January, she was able to eat pizza, chicken and hamburgers for the first time in years. She loves to have cookies with a cup of coffee, Siemionow said.

src:nydailynews.com

The silver screen is about to get a little "Dirrty."
Christina Aguilera has signed on to make her feature film debut in "Burlesque," a star-vehicle written especially for the pop siren, Variety.com reported on its Web site.
Described as a sultry musical after Broadway legend Bob Fosse's heart, Aguilera will portray a small town girl with a big voice who moves to Los Angeles and finds romance and stardom at a new-fangled striptease club.
Though her voice was featured in the animated film "Shark Tale," the new film will give the Grammy-winning songstress' a big screen debut in the flesh.
The film is scheduled to begin shooting late this year.
Let's just hope the studio behind the project, Screen Gems, has better luck with this movie than their current film driven by a big name pop goddess.
That movie, the thriller "Obsessed," starring Beyonce Knowles, managed to eke out surprise box office success in spite of being universally panned

Facing the strength of English soccer in the Champions League and chasing scoring records in Spain, Barcelona could be only a few games away from proving itself the best team in the world.Saturday's spectacular 6-2 victory at Real Madrid underlined its supremacy over its traditional rival in the Spanish league and opened up a seven-point lead in La Liga. It also took Barca to 100 league goals for the season and now the Catalan soccer giant has four games to overtake the record of 107 set by Real in 1989-90.Although England's Premier League appears to be dominating European club soccer with three Champions League semifinalists for the second season in a row and a finalist for the fifth year in succession, Barcelona looks strong enough to beat any of the top English sides.Now it has the chance to prove it."We will go to win, to attack and to qualify for the final in Rome," coach Pep Guardiola said ahead of Wednesday's Champions League semifinal second leg against Chelsea. "Chelsea know that. This result will help us."Unless it is to rely on a penalty shootout, however, it has to score at least once at Chelsea to reach the final of the Champions League and face another English team-either Manchester United or Arsenal-in the May 27 final in Rome.Barca was held 0-0 at home by Chelsea last Tuesday and hopes that Saturday's scoring spree carries over to another big performance at Stamford Bridge. Guardiola, who only took charge at the start of the season, is confident that his players won't have left their best form and fitness behind on Saturday and will be up for another showpiece display in west London."When a player is so close to Rome, there is no such thing as tiredness," he said.But it will be a huge letdown for Barcelona fans and soccer in general if Guardiola's team can't repeat some of the performance it produced against Madrid.Last week Chelsea stifled Barca's impressive strikeforce of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o, who have scored a combined 69 league goals this season, and the flow of passes provided by Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.Now wily coach Guus Hiddink hopes to do the same at Stamford Bridge.The Dutchman is expected to send out a lineup that will try to make sure Barcelona's talented stars do not get a chance to show off their skills in front of 40,000 Chelsea fans. That task would be made easier if Henry fails to recover from a knee injury picked up against Real.Hiddink saw defensive problems in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Fulham that he does not want to see again against Barca.That makes it imperative for Guardiola to get the best out of his stars, partly to make sure it doesn't fall at the semifinal hurdle for the second season in a row and partly to show that attractive, positive soccer is also the way to win titles.It happened at national team level last year when Spain impressively won the European Championship and is now the best in the world. But that was after Barcelona got knocked out of the Champions League semifinal and two English clubs, Manchester United and Chelsea, made it to Moscow for the final where United triumphed after a penalty shootout and a 1-1 draw.That final could be repeated in Rome and Barcelona is out to prevent it happening again.Chelsea's players didn't win many friends by shackling the Barcelona players at Camp Nou but they were only doing their job. Hiddink's team has talented forwards such as Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka but he is likely to tell his stars not to take any risks on Wednesday.Now it's up to Barca to show the millions watching worldwide on TV that it has the ability to overcome a solid Chelsea lineup and reach the final.Hiddink won't fall into the same trap as Madrid's Juande Ramos who pushed his defensive midfielders high up and repeatedly got caught out on the break.It means Barca will have to pull Chelsea's midfielders out of position and give Messi and Henry chances to run at the defenders from the flanks, opening up space inside the area.Guardiola, who was a talented midfielder for the club as a player, has proved himself as a top quality coach too and appears to be guiding Barcelona back to greatness.It is amazing that one of soccer's greatest clubs has only won Europe's top prize twice, in 1992 and 2006, while Madrid has the record of nine titles.Victories over two English teams will bring the title back to Camp Nou and that could be just the start of a spell of dominance for Guardiola and his stars.English teams may be filling most of the Champions League spots, but there's a good chance that best of all will be Spanish.

HIGH School Musical hunk Zac Efron has been named one of the world's most influential people - alongside Barack Obama.
The 21-year-old actor appears on Time magazine's list, which alsot features Bono, George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey Claire Danes - Efron's co-star in new film Me And Orson Welles - said he deserved his slot.
She said: "He is going to make us swoon for many years to come." British rapper M.I.A., whose song Paper Planes featured in Slumdog Millionaire, also made the list..

London (PTI) The lead singer of British band 'N-Dubz', Tulisa Contostavlos has been diagnosed with suspected swine flu, reported Sun online.
The 20-year-old singer who is currently on top of the UK charts with her single 'Number One' has been admitted to a hospital in Greece after coming down with an affliction which has all the symptoms of the deadly viral disease, reported the newspaper.
The singer had flown to Athens for a holiday with family and friends but she fainted mid flight. She was then admitted to an isolation ward in a hospital in Pendeli, Greece.
"Tulisa is very poorly indeed. She has gone from a huge high of chart success and the tour to panicking about her health. Her family have been forced to wear masks and have only been allowed minimal contact. It is a terrifying time," a source close to the singer told the newspaper.
The report was also confirmed by the band's spokesperson who said, "We are hopeful Tulisa will be given the all-clear and will be well enough to leave hospital in the next couple of days."
Meanwhile Contostavlos is undergoing tests to affirm whether it is swine flu or a similar disease which has been contracted by her.

Burglars stole a laptop containing photos of Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy, a digital camera and video material from the home of Julien Enthoven, the brother of the first lady's former lover, Raphael.
The photos reportedly show her and Raphael with their nine-year-old son, Aurélien, while others show the pair at family occasions
The intruders broke into the flat in rue Dauphine, in Paris' chic 6th arrondissement, via a window.
This is the third time this year that those linked to President Nicolas Sarkozy have been burgled in Paris.
In February the home of the Mr Sarkozy's brother, François was raided, and a week earlier half-a-million pounds worth of designer jewellery was taken from the apartment of Cecilia Attias, the President's second wife.
But police said that they did not believe the robbers had any idea about the contents of their booty.
"It was a banal burglary. Everything that was digital was stolen as is often the case," said a spokesman.
The then Miss Bruni met Raphael, a philosopher who was married at the time, while going out with his father, Jean-Paul Enthoven in 2001.
But they separated six years later, with Raphael complaining that she was not sufficiently committed. His ex-wife, Justine Levy – the daughter of Bernard-Henri Levy, the media philosopher – later wrote a revenge novel about a former supermodel who seduces another women's husband. The character is described as a "praying mantis" and a "leech of a woman with a Terminator smile".
Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy's ex-lovers include British rock stars Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, as well as Donald Trump, the US tycoon, and a number of other public figures.
A nude picture taken during her supermodel days, was released on the eve of a state visit to Britain last year. Since then, she has sought to portray a more demure image. It is not thought any of the stolen photos were compromising.
Their theft occurred on the night before the presidential couple arrived in Spain, where Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy has hit the headlines as a fashion rival to Princess Letizia.
src:telegraph.co.uk