Justin Beiber has a new girlfriend

Some of the most interesting things on reality shows happen when the cameras aren't running.

Here's the best of what you didn't see on "The Voice" on Tuesday (April 17).

OMG Part 1 - When The Wanted took the stage, it was pandemonium. Max, Siva, Jay, Tom and Nathan set the place on fire when they played "Chasing The Sun." OK, maybe it wasn't on fire, but it was awfully hot as they had to turn off the A/C in order for all the pyrotechnics and other special effects to work.

OMG Part 2 - If The Wanted wasn't enough to make a teenage girl's heart flutter, it got even better when Justin Bieber came to promote his new album and play a clip from the video for "Boyfriend." When he left the stage The Coiffed One even gave a female fan a kiss on the cheek. When asked later what she thought of the moment, she says "I'm making Selena [Gomez] jealous."

OMG Part 3 - After Bieber announced that his new album is coming out June 19 and that he's also coming back to perform at "The Voice" finale, he quickly left. Was there something wrong? Hardly. He had to scurry off to meet up with his girlfriend Selena Gomez at the Lakers game. It is here that the two ended up on the famed "Kiss Cam" and obliged. Looks like Gomez got her man after all.

OMG Part 4 - After running the uncensored version Cee Lo's famed song "F*** You" during audience warm up last week, producers must have decided to make things more family friendly. So they swapped it out with the decidedly G-rated "Forget You."

Metta World Peace in 2012,April

LOS ANGELES – Metta World Peace was subdued and contrite in the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room, apologizing to Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden for throwing the elbow that sent them both to the locker room in the second quarter of the Lakers' 114-106 double-overtime victory.

World Peace had just dunked over Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka on a fast break and was headed back upcourt when he ran into Harden. While pounding his chest with his right arm, World Peace raised his left elbow over Harden's shoulder and cleanly hit Harden in the back of the skull.

Harden dropped to the court and stayed down for about a minute before heading to the locker room. Ibaka and other Thunder players challenged World Peace but were kept apart, and World Peace was ejected on a flagrant foul-2 after the referees reviewed the tape.

MORE: Lakers rally to top Thunder in double OT PHOTOS: Top shots from the week in NBA action PHOTOS: Cheerleaders from the NBA hardwood The NBA will review the play, and if Harden is out for any length of time, that could affect the length of what in all likelihood will be a suspension for World Peace.

"I got real emotional and excited, and it was unfortunate that James had to get hit with the unintentional elbow,"

said World Peace, who had scored 12 points and played solid defense on Durant. "I hope he's OK. Oklahoma, they're playing for a championship this year. I apologize to the Thunder and James Harden. It was just unfortunate."

Bryant and other Lakers acknowledged World Peace is likely to face a multi-game suspension with one game left in their regular season.

world book day 2012

             Dressing up or dressing down has always been a popular fundraising activity that schools have done for us on World Book Day – so that’s why this year we’d like you to do just that and get changed to change lives! With a suggested donation of £1 to take part, why not dress up as your favourite book character or organise a non-school uniform day and help raise money to send brand new books to school libraries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hundreds of schools across the country fundraised for us on World Book Day and we’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone for your amazing support!

From dressing up as your favourite book characters to holding non school uniform days and giant book sales – every penny you raised will enable us to send brand new books to libraries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Thank you to everyone for sending in your photographs of your handmade creative book character costumes  – we love them! You can find out more about what schools got up to this World Book Day

Deccan Chargers Move on Charge

Deccan Chargers

In a format where fortune shifts loyalty in a matter of moments, Deccan Chargers would want to turn the tables, and put their IPL-5 campaign on track when they face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Barabati Stadium here on Sunday. Chargers, who are looking for their first win in the tournament, boast of a 100 per cent win record at this venue (having won both their matches here in IPL-3) and will not want to alter it. While their batting have delivered the goods, the bowling (barring Dale Steyn) and ground fielding have been nothing short of ordinary.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Shikhar Dhawan have been in fine form, while Parthiv Patel, J.P. Duminy and Daniel Christian have the ability to clear the boundary ropes. Steyn will continue to charge in, and look for support from the other end in order to trouble the opposition.

The Knights, on the other hand, have three wins from six games in the competition. The Gautam Gambhir-led unit boasts of a lethal bowling line-up comprising Brett Lee, Jacques Kallis, L. Balaji, Sunil Narine and Rajat Bhatia. All eyes will be on Narine as the Caribbean import has foxed the batsmen with his variations, scalping eight wickets from four outings.

Gauti has been fluent with the willow, and is the leading run-getter for the side (179 from six games). Brendon McCullum and Manvinder Bisla lend sturdiness at the top, while the ever-dependant Kallis and Manoj Tiwary add aggression to the middle-order.

The biggest worry for the Knights will be the form of Yusuf Pathan. With just 27 runs from five innings, Yusuf will be eyeing a longer stint in the middle.

The wounded Bulls will have to script a turnaround on Sunday if they nurse hopes of qualifying for the subsequent stages of the tournament.

Key player : Kolkata Knight riders Gautam Gambhir Gauti has led from the front, scoring runs and marshalling his troops smartly. Being the sixth highest run-getter (179 runs from six games), the left-hander will be expected to fire at the top, and give his team a good start against Dale Steyn & Co. When fielding, Gauti will want to make all the right moves.

Key player : Deccan Chargers Dale Steyn The premier fast bowler has been Deccan Chargers’ go-to man in this competition. With seven wickets from four games at an impressive average of 14.28 in IPL-5, the South African pacer will be expected to put the opposition under pressure right from the word go. Source - Deccan Chronicle

Think Like a Man

Movie Poster

Think like a Man Trailer Release Date: April 20, 2012 
Studio: Screen Gems (Sony) 
Director: Tim Story 
Screenwriter: Keith Merryman, David A. Newman 
Starring: Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence J, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union 
Genre: Comedy, Romance 
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sexual content, some crude humor, and brief drug use) 
Official Website: ThinkLikeaMan-movie.com 
Review: 5/10 rating 
DVD Review: Not Available 
DVD: Not Available 

Ipl live cricket Striming

Michael McDonald Knocks Out Miguel

Michael McDonald was bouncing on his toes, grinning, soaking in the moment. Surrounded by reporters and cameras, he breezed through a workout as if nothing he could be doing would be more fun.

Soaked in sweat, facing the biggest fight of his life Saturday when he takes on former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion Miguel Torres in the pay-per-view opener at UFC 145, McDonald glanced at the reporters crowded around him and beamed.

Torres is a dangerous opponent and, by far, the biggest name he's faced to date, but McDonald shrugged. His countenance remains the same. At 21, nothing bothers him much. McDonald is the second-youngest fighter in the UFC and is on an express run toward a title shot. He's 14-1 overall,

3-0 in the UFC and looking like a burgeoning star. The UFC, though, isn't making accommodations to his age. In Torres, McDonald will face an elite opponent who turned professional when McDonald was just 9. Torres is 39-4 overall and has more than twice as many finishes (32) as McDonald has fights (15).

Jon Jones' length crucial in haJon Jones celebrates after beating Rashad Evans at UFC 145.Jon Jones celebrates after beating Rashad Evans at UFC 145.ndling Rashad Evans for decision win

The student taught the mentor a thing or two about fighting in the main event of UFC 145 on Saturday. Jon Jones kept his light heavyweight title with a one-sided victory over Rashad Evans, his former training partner and close friend, before a loud sellout crowd at Philips Arena.

Jones' 84 1/2-inch reach was the biggest difference in the grudge match that was 14 months in the making. The two split after Jones said he'd consider fighting Evans, the man who brought him into the highly regarded Jackson's MMA camp in Albuquerque, N.M., and helped develop him into one of the most dominant forces in the sport.

Jones landed a series of kicks, punches and elbows that kept Evans on the outside and didn't allow him to generate any sustained offense. The champion had a 112-56 edge in strikes, including a 52-12 advantage in power shots, according to CompuStrike.

Jon Jones celebrates after beating Rashad Evans at UFC 145.

"It felt completely different fighting him," Jones said in the cage after the bout, which he won by scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46. "I threw a lot of elbows, which is something you don't do to a training partner. My wrestling, I'm a better, stronger wrestler."

This fight, though, was fought primarily on the feet, with Jones controlling the bout with his 10-inch reach advantage. He stunned Evans several times with elbows whenever they got close, which created another issue for Evans.

Unable to compete on the outside and getting elbowed on the inside, Evans had nothing left to try. His wrestling was ineffective against Jones. "He had those sneaky elbows that kept getting in there," Evans said. "I played the wrong game tonight. He came out with those tricky elbows." Jones will likely face veteran Dan Henderson for the title in his next defense, but no fight will be more emotional than the one Saturday against Evans.

Dance India Dance Season 3

participents of dids 3

Rajasmita Kar

Dance India Dance Season 3 Winner Rajasmita kar could not believe it when she was announced as highest voted contestant during the Dance India Dance Grand Finale. We here at Dance India Dance Fanclub would like to congratulate you on your winning the ‘Dance India Dance Season 3′ for the year 2012 for your relentless and selfless performance this year. ...

The search for India`s best dancer finally came to an end when 21-year-old Rajasmita Kar was declared the winner at the grand finale of third season of Zee TV`s dance reality show ‘Dance India Dance’ here Saturday night.

The Odisha girl beat Pradeep Gurung, 24, from Assam, Raghav Juyal, 20, from Dehradun, Sanam Johar, 20, of Delhi and Mohena Singh, 23, from Madhya Pradesh`s Rewa to walk away with the winner`s trophy and Maruti Ertiga car. The show had started off with 18 contestants.

However, Mohena got a cash prize of Rs.3 lakh for the best desired performance of the season.

The finale was hosted by Saumya Tandon and Jay Bhanushali, who opened the show with their dance performances. Judges and mentors Geeta Kapoor, Remo D`Souza and Terence Lewis also created magic with their spectacular acts, while grand master Mithun Chakraborty was seen applauding the performances.

Actor Anil Kapoor came to promote his forthcoming release ‘Tezz’ and support the finalists. The winners of first two seasons of the show were Salman Khan, from Bangalore and Shakti Mohan, from Mumbai.

ganguly in IPl Season 5

Ganguly in good formate

             A blistering knock from Jesse Ryder and an all-round performance by Sourav Ganguly gave Pune Warriors a convincing 20-run win over Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Saturday night. Ryder (86) and skipper Sourav Ganguly (41) were involved in a 93-run stand for the second wicket that helped the Pune Warriors pile up a huge 192 for three in 20 overs.

Ganguly led from the front, scoring 41 runs with the bat before scalping two crucial wickets in the form of dangerman Kevin Pietersen and Irfan Pathan to guide Pune to the win over a star-studded Delhi Daredevils at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground last night. Put into bat, the former India captain and Jesse Ryder (86) stitched vital 93 runs for the second wicket to set the foundation for Pune's 192 for three.

APPSC - (Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission)

APPSC - (Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission) Whole information Recomended blog so

click Hear

official site Click Hear

world earth day

". . . on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was held, one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy. . . " -American Heritage Magazine, October 1993

For Earth Day 2012 we are mobilizing the planet simply to say one thing: the Earth won't wait. It seems that environmental issues have been put on the back burner as we are in the midst of a global recession. It is time for us to Mobilize the Earth™ and speak with one voice, one message.

On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part. Attend a local Earth Day event and join one of our Earth Day campaigns as we collect A Billion Acts of Green® and elevate the importance of environmental issues around the world.

Philip Humber HOLD Perfect Game Against Mariners?

White Sox pitcher Philip Humber delivers to the Mariners' Jesus Montero in the eighth inning of what would turn out to be the 21st perfect game in MLB history, a 4-0 blanking of the M's on Saturday in Seattle.

    Of all the likely candidates to throw a perfect game in the majors this season, Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox would have been a long way down the list.

Last year, the Mariners scored 556 runs. I know that last year offense was down league-wide, but it wasn't down to a sufficient degree to explain 556 runs. In my head, 600 runs is the lower threshold. Not even the lower threshold of acceptability - the lower threshold of reality. In my head, it's difficult to conceive of a team that doesn't score 600 runs over an entire baseball season. In 2011, the Mariners scored 556 runs.

(But is he any more unlikely than say, Danny Duffy, Kyle Drabek or Brian Matusz? More on them later.)

Fate has a way of smiling on the unexpected and Humber is now the 21st member of MLB's exclusive fraternity of perfect game pitchers.

Meanwhile, video gamers are also competing to get into a Perfect Club of their own. (Certainly, you've seen the commercials with Kate Upton.) For the third straight season, the makers of the MLB 2K12 game will award a $1 million prize to someone who throws a perfect game this month.

Jobs: Upsc.gov.in job vacancy Accounts Officer recruitment on 2012 hold By Indian Government

 

Employer Name:	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Employer Address:	Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi – 110 069
Email:	NA
URL:	http://upsc.gov.in/
Phone:	011-23098552
Required Skills:	good accounting skills
Required Experience:	0 years
Required Education:	Subordinate accounts service or equivalent exam/ complete training in cash and accounts work conducted by Institute of Secretarial Training and Management or equivalent
Job Location:	New Delhi   (View Jobs in New Delhi)

Pay Scale: PB-2 Rs. 9300- 34800 GP Rs. 4800/-
 
                    To apply online for 2012 job recruitment in UPSC, send your applications in prescribed format to the address mentioned here.
  
                                                    "Sh Neeraj Sachdeva Under Secretary (admn), 
                                                             Room – 216/AB, Union Public Service Commission, 
                                                             Dholpur House, 
                                                              Shahjahan Road, New Delhi – 110 069"

Bucks County Man Stabs Pregnant Girlfriend: Cops

Glenn Witherspoon

Police say a Bucks County man asked his girlfriend to watch the sunrise and then brutally attacked her with a knife.

A Bristol Township man is accused of stabbing his pregnant girlfriend several times with a large knife early Thursday.

According to an Affidavit of Probable Cause obtained by NBC10, Glenn Witherspoon, 24, told Jessica Field "I'm sorry I have to do this," before attacking her as they sat in a car.

Field, 22, told police Witherspoon called her several times early Thursday morning and asked her to come to his home on Airacobra Street.

Investigators say When Field arrived, Witherspoon got into her car and wanted to go to the Lennox Parking Lot to watch the sunrise. When they arrived at the lot, Witherspoon pulled a knife and stabbed Field in the chest, just above her heart.

Field and Witherspoon struggled and Field was stabbed several more times according to officers who say Field suffered a three inch laceration on the side of her neck.

Field was able to lock the car doors when Witherspoon got out to get something from the trunk, as Field drove away, Witherspoon jumped on the hood of the car to try to stop her, said police.

She made it to her home on Jackson Street and relatives called 911. At about the same time police received a call about a man walking along Monroe Street who appeared to be bleeding from the head. When officers arrived on Jackson Street, investigators say they approached the man, later identified as Witherspoon, and he told them, "I didn't want to do it, is she alright?" Witherspoon is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of a weapon.

He was arraigned Thursday before Bristol District Judge Frank Peranteau and sent to Bucks County Prison in lieu of $1 million cash bail.

How Twitter Covered Bhoja Air Crash

People of Pakistan came out strongly against the vulture like behaviour of main stream media, their reporters sniffing the debris of Bhoja Air plane like hounds out for hunt, throwing stupidly harsh questions at the grieving .

Apparently, the media followed no code of conduct, broadcasted intensely physical graphics without warning the audience and left no stone unturned to put more salt on the wounds of bereaved families.

Here is how Twitter covered the crash of Bhoja Air:

A passenger plane carrying 127 people has crashed into a residential area on its approach to Islamabad International Airport in Pakistan.

The Bhoja Air Boeing 737, flight BHO-213, was descending for landing when the incident happened as it flew from Karachi.

Pakistan's Defence Minister said that the plane burst into flames a few miles from the airport near Chaklala, Rawalpindi, at around 18:40 local time.

There were 118 passengers and nine crew on-board.

Pakistani Police have said there is 'no chance' of any survivors. Karachi and Islamabad airports have been besieged with distraught relatives of those on board.

Anupama chopra review of vicky donor 3.5/5

Vicky Donor

Vicky Donor Direction: Shoojit Sircar Actors: Yami Gautam, Annu Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana Rating: ***1/2

Vicky Donor is one of those rare Hindi films that work purely on the strength of writing and performances. There are no crutches here of stars, sets, styling or foreign locations. But director Shoojit Sircar and writer Juhi Chaturvedi create a heart-felt, keenly observed comic-drama. Sadly, Vicky Donor derails in the second half – the climax is flat-out foolish – but until then, it’s great fun.

The milieu is ‘Dilli,’ that is Lajpat Nagar and Daryaganj (think Band Baaja Baaraat on a lower budget). Vicky Arora, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, is the charming, loutish Punjabi boy-next-door who aspires to a better life. “Mummy, I want respect,’ he says. ‘I want class.’ Mummy, played by Dolly Ahluwalia, runs a beauty parlour. She’s a fierce widow but the magic in this house comes from Biji, the feisty grandmother played by Kamlesh Gill, who knocks back a few drinks every evening and wants a 32 GB iPhone. At one point, Vicky tells her: ‘Dilli mein do cheezen modern hai, ek metro aur ek aap.’

Vicky doesn’t have a job or much focus but he becomes a prize catch for Dr Baldev Chaddha, an infertility specialist. Because, as Chaddha, says, ‘By God, kamaal da sperm count hai.’ Chaddha convinces Vicky to become a sperm donor, which works well for both of them until Vicky falls in love.

There isn’t enough of a plot here but what keeps Vicky Donor humming along is Sircar’s and Chaturvedi’s ability to find humour in the commonplace. They have a real affection for these characters. There’s a lovely scene in which Biji and Mummy are drinking and gently berating each other. The tragicomic Chaddha, played terrifically by Annu Kapoor, is also a knock-out; this is a man who has a plastic sperm as a car ornament.

What doesn’t work as well is the love story (though the Bengali-Punjabi parental clash is laugh-out-loud funny) and the resolution of Vicky’s thorny problem. Sircar wants to make a case for sperm donation but the film falters when it moves into preachy melodrama. Still, there is much to like here, including Khurrana’s performance though I’m still figuring out what was going on with the pink lips!

Check out Vicky Donor. It’s a nice surprise.

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Paoli Dam: Sunny and Poonam are no competition

Paoli Dam

Paoli Dam, the bong bombshell, is in a surprisingly relaxed mood as she chats with TOI about her B-wood film, "Hate Story", for the promotion of which she was in Kanpur on Monday.

Relaxed, because even the news of the Censor Board wielding its scissors on the film's lovemaking scenes fails to ruffle her feather.

"I don't know much about it, honestly, as I am busy promoting the film," she shrugs apologetically before moving on to other topics.

The other topics being her B-wood entry. Be it her wish to be painted nude by the late MF Hussain, or even rumours of the film's maker Vivek Agnihotri asking her to strip bare - have been the stuff of gossip mills for long now.

Hawaii: 33 pct drop in Ewa homes sold last month

The Oahu community where the most single-family homes closed last month was in the Ewa Plain area, while the most condos were sold in Waikiki.

That's according to data from the Honolulu Board of Realtors.

Thirty-two single-family homes sold in the Ewa Plain, a decrease of 33 percent compared to March 2011. Sixty-eight condos sold in Waikiki, the same amount sold during the same month last year.

The Waialae-Kahala area had the highest median price for a single-family home at $1.4 million, a 23 percent increase. The area's median condo price was $650,000, a 77 percent increase.

The Makaha-Nanakuli neighborhood had the lowest median sales prices in March. A single family home median price was $295,000, an 11 percent increase. The median condo price was $97,750, a 10 percent increase.

Infiniti working on 530-HP twin-turbo IPL model for G

Infiniti

We certainly like the idea behind the Infiniti Performance Line, but execution has left us largely underwhelmed. Instead of an M or AMG fighter, buyers are left with little more than fancy paint and a stiffer suspension. But according to Motor Trend, Infiniti may have something more impressive brewing.

An unnamed source spilled the goods on the future of the G line, including a juicy detail about a hyper performance coupe. The next-generation G is set to hit the market during the summer of 2014, bringing with it a rash of changes.

One of those is the introduction of an IPL-specific 3.7-liter V6. The source claims the engine is all-new and features direct-injection and two turbos to help it produce a whopping 530 horsepower. This time, it seems Infiniti has its heart set on stepping up to the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and BMW M3. The engine will be built in Japan alongside the powerplant for the Nissan GT-R.

Now for the bad news. The shadowy source says the high-performance IPL will be priced in line with the GT-R, at least in Japan. On this side of the globe, the brawny Nissan commands a price well north of the $58,930 MSRP on the C63 AMG, which leads us to believe there's still some pricing to be sorted out on that front.

celibrity, sportsperson in ipl5

IPL SEASON 5

Sania Mirza, Saif & other celebs spotted at IPL 5

Cricketers Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uttappa, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Sahara Force India driver Paul di Resta, owner of Sahara Group of companies and Pune Warriors owner Subrata Roy Sahara, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, UB Group Chairman and owner of RCB team Vijay Mallya, Sahara Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg and cricketer Muttiah Muralidaran pose for a photograph prior to the IPL Twenty20 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. (AFP Photo)

No IPL impact on theatre occupancy: PVR Cinemas

ipl SEASON 5

New Delhi: Movie occupancy has been stronger in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2012-13 than earlier years despite the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pramod Arora, PVR Cinemas president and CEO told NDTV Profit.

According to him, the World Cup last year affected occupancy as movie producers were doubtful about releasing films during a major cricket event. However, this is not the trend this year, he said.

"An IPL cannot compete with a world cup, which had an impact on occupancy," Arora said.

In the first few seasons of IPL, movie producers avoided to release movies during cricket season, which saw great popularity among masses. "Only small films came through last year," Arora said.

But, IPL viewership seems to be on a wane. According to Tam Media Research, Television Viewer Ratings (TVR) were down 18.7 per in the first six games, an average TVR of 3.76, as compared to 4.63 last season.

The trend has not gone unnoticed with the film industry which is releasing a lot more big-ticket films this year.Moreover, with BCCI not releasing rights for screening matches live in movie halls, IPL is not taking up screen time. "Now IPL impact has stabilized," Arora said.

According to PVR, the movie pipeline is also strong this year. "Most of the Hollywood franchisees are going to be released like Batman, and there are some good Hindi movies too," he said. However, analysts expect that occupancy rate is likely to be slower in the January-March quarter on account of exams.
Shares of PVR are trading over 2 per cent higher in early morning trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange while the BSE Sensex index is down 0.08 per cent.

In the last three months, it share price rose 10.5 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange. In comparison, the broader BSE Sensex gained 4.5 per cent for the same period.

Colton Dixon voted off of ''American Idol''

TV singing contest "American Idol"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Colton Dixon, the young singer from Tennessee known for his flamboyant hairstyle, became the fifth person voted off top-rated TV singing contest "American Idol" on Thursday night.

"I wasn't myself last night," said Dixon, whose Wednesday performance of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" was roundly criticized by the show's judges. Dixon thanked them for their honest feedback, and assured them he would incorporate it into a future album.

Host Ryan Seacrest described the singer as "a class act" as he left the stage, and judge Jennifer Lopez shook her head when Dixon's dismissal was announced.

Though Lopez described Dixon's performance as "exciting," she questioned whether he chose the right song for his voice, and mentor Jimmy Iovine said he sounded "completely wrong."

Thursday was Dixon's first - and last - time in the show's bottom three, where he was accompanied by contestants Hollie Cavanagh and Elise Testone, both of whom had found themselves in danger of elimination in previous weeks.

Contestant Jessica Sanchez, who was saved by judges last week after audiences voted her off the show, received enough votes to stay out of the bottom three.

Thursday night's show featured a tribute to Dick Clark, who Seacrest cited as an inspiration and a boon to the music industry. Pop band LMFAO performed its dance hit "Sorry for Party Rockin,'" and "Idol" alum Kris Allen took the stage to sing his song "The Vision of Love."

Five contestants remain on "Idol," which is half of the original number of finalists.

"Idol", which first aired in on Fox in 2002, has launched the careers of singers Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Husdon.

Now in its eleventh season, the show continues to be the most watched reality show in America, though it has received stiff competition from "The Voice" this year.

Audiences vote for their favorite performers by phone and text message each week as contestants are challenged by a variety of musical styles. The winning contestant receives a recording contract. This season's winner will be decided in May.

Review: "Lucky One" has Sparks, but no charm

LOS ANGELES - Nicholas Sparks is a brand name. He's the author of mawkish, bestselling romantic novels that Hollywood keeps turning into even worse mawkish, romantic films, several of which have scored at the box office.

The list includes "The Notebook," by far the best and most successful of the lot, as well as "Message in a Bottle," "Nights at Rodanthe," "A Walk to Remember," "Dear John" and "The Last Song."

The latest novel of his to arrive on the big screen is "The Lucky One." A slack and predictable love story, which takes place mostly in rural Louisiana, it is the filmic equivalent of trudging through syrupy sorghum.

Zach Efron, continuing his attempt to transition into grownup roles, plays Logan, who is a typically sensitive but hurting Sparks hero. An ex-Marine left feeling psychologically shaky after three tours of duty in Iraq, Logan is determined to track down the young blonde woman whose picture he found in the rubble, lost by another American soldier, after a deadly explosion in Iraq.

He manages to locate her-she's Beth (Taylor Schilling, of TV's "Mercy"), a divorced mom with a seven-year-old son (Riley Thomas Stewart)-but before he can tell her about the photo, she hires him to be a handyman at the dog kennel she runs in partnership with her grandmother (Blythe Danner).

These two preternaturally attractive folk fall for each other though Logan, of course, still hasn't told her about the picture. Meanwhile, her possessive ex-husband (J.R. Ferguson, of TV's "Mad Men"), a law man with a father who is a powerful local judge, keeps coming round and threatening to cause trouble.

Director Scott Hicks ("Shine") moves the story along in a deliberate, count-out-the-beats kind of way. It doesn't help that the film's characters are no more fully drawn or distinctive than those found in a generic made-for-TV movie.

Efron mostly plays a gentle nice guy here; if there are deep wells of post-war psychological torment and anguish to Logan, the actor barely communicates them. Schilling occasionally suggests that Beth might have a little steel in her but is called upon to spend most of the movie simply gazing at Efron either longingly or lustfully-sometimes both.

Teen girls and young women, the primary intended audience for this film, will doubtless find it moving. That's the great advantage to being young. Movies like "Lucky One" can seem original and heartfelt-it's manifestly neither-when you haven't already seen similar tripe way too many times.

Dennis Leary's Dick Clark tweets raise eyebrows

Dennis Leary's Dick Clark

LOS ANGELES - Everyone from Ryan Seacrest to the often acerbic Joan Rivers paid tribute to Dick Clark on Wednesday, but "Rescue Me" star Denis Leary decided to go another way.

"With Dick Clark dead, Casey Kasem now reveling in his status as last and reigning king of leather faced syrup voiced lizard people," the comedian Leary tweeted.

Leary's other Clark-related tweets included references to Tupac Shakur's hologram.

"I'm gonna package a Dick Clark Hologram mc'ing a Tupac Hologram summer tour," he tweeted, followed by, "I wanna see Hologram Tupac tour with Hologram Biggie and then both get shot by the actual Suge Knight."

Colton Dixon voted off of ''American Idol''

TV singing contest "American Idol"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Colton Dixon, the young singer from Tennessee known for his flamboyant hairstyle, became the fifth person voted off top-rated TV singing contest "American Idol" on Thursday night.

"I wasn't myself last night," said Dixon, whose Wednesday performance of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" was roundly criticized by the show's judges. Dixon thanked them for their honest feedback, and assured them he would incorporate it into a future album.

Host Ryan Seacrest described the singer as "a class act" as he left the stage, and judge Jennifer Lopez shook her head when Dixon's dismissal was announced.

Though Lopez described Dixon's performance as "exciting," she questioned whether he chose the right song for his voice, and mentor Jimmy Iovine said he sounded "completely wrong."

Thursday was Dixon's first - and last - time in the show's bottom three, where he was accompanied by contestants Hollie Cavanagh and Elise Testone, both of whom had found themselves in danger of elimination in previous weeks.

Contestant Jessica Sanchez, who was saved by judges last week after audiences voted her off the show, received enough votes to stay out of the bottom three.

Thursday night's show featured a tribute to Dick Clark, who Seacrest cited as an inspiration and a boon to the music industry. Pop band LMFAO performed its dance hit "Sorry for Party Rockin,'" and "Idol" alum Kris Allen took the stage to sing his song "The Vision of Love."

Five contestants remain on "Idol," which is half of the original number of finalists.

"Idol", which first aired in on Fox in 2002, has launched the careers of singers Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Husdon.

Now in its eleventh season, the show continues to be the most watched reality show in America, though it has received stiff competition from "The Voice" this year.

Audiences vote for their favorite performers by phone and text message each week as contestants are challenged by a variety of musical styles. The winning contestant receives a recording contract. This season's winner will be decided in May.

Police, protesters face off as Bahrain Grand Prix

MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One cars took to the track in Bahrain on Friday, while the government, hoping for a successful Grand Prix, squared off against activists determined to mark it with "days of rage" after more than a year of Arab Spring protests.

On the eve of Friday's practice session, protests had flared in villages surrounding the capital, far from the circuit where the race will be held. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in clashes that have been building in the week leading to Sunday's round of the World Championship.

Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy movement erupted last year following uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Protests were initially crushed with the loss of dozens of lives, but youths still clash daily with riot police in Shi'ite Muslim districts, and thousands take part in opposition rallies.

Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa family, a Sunni Muslim dynasty ruling a majority Shi'ite population caught between neighbours Saudi Arabia and Iran with opposite sympathies in its internal strife, hopes the race will offer an opportunity to tell the world that life is returning to normal.

Unrest forced the cancellation of last year's Grand Prix, and the 2012 race has been in doubt as Bahrain's human rights record has come under fire from abroad.

Two members of the British-based Force India team, travelling between Bahrain International Circuit and their hotel in Manama, asked to go home after seeing burning petrol bombs in what the government described as an isolated incident.

"A number of rioters and vandals had been arrested for taking part in illegal rallies and gatherings, blocking roads and endangering people's lives by attacking them with petrol bombs, iron rods and stones," the Information Affairs Authority said in a statement, citing Major-General Tariq Al Hassan.

The Force India team said it would conduct only limited practice on Friday because of security fears. Only small crowds were seen in the grandstand on Friday for an event that has cost Bahrain an estimated $40 million to stage . The Grand Prix drew 100,000 visitors to the nation of just 1.3 million and generated half a billion dollars in spending when it was last held two years ago.

Opposition parties led by Shi'ite group Wefaq planned to stage a march in a mainly Shi'ite residential district outside Manama later on Friday to demand democratic reforms in a country where the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa family dominates government.

Activists are taking the chance to press their case while the world is watching. The leading Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim attacked the government in a sermon on Friday for ignoring popular demands.

"This is the crisis of a government that does not want to acknowledge the right of people to rule by themselves and choose their representatives," he said. POLICE LOCKDOWN

Manama is under tight security, with dozens of armoured vehicles stationed around the capital and the road to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

Though life in Manama's main commercial, residential and tourist districts appears detached from the nightly battles, tear gas often floats in from conflict zones around the capital.

The death toll from the year of turmoil has risen to around 70, activists say, with many due to heavy use of tear gas. The government disputes the causes of death and accuses protesters in Shi'ite villages of being saboteurs out to harm the police.

Activists say riot police are trying to lock Shi'ites down in their villages to stop them gathering on main highways.

They say around 95 protest organisers have been arrested in night raids in the past week and 54 people wounded in clashes, with heavy use of birdshot. Police have declined to give figures on arrests and injuries.

While sports journalists poured in to cover the race, non-sports reporters from Reuters and some other news organisations have not been granted visas to visit the Gulf island.

"Bahrain wants the international attention brought by hosting a Grand Prix but doesn't want foreign journalists to wander from the race track where they might see political protests," said Robert Mahoney, deputy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York. "Bahrain tells the outside world it has nothing to hide. If that's the case, then it must allow journalists entry visas and let them report freely," he added.

Bahrain is the base for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, among whose tasks is deterring Iran from making good on recent threats to disrupt Gulf oil tanker routes to the West. Washington has only gently prodded Bahrain's rulers to improve their human rights record and push forward political reforms, and does not want to jeopardise ties with a ruling family it views as an ally in the region. "The F1 media spotlight will only highlight the ongoing troubles Bahrain faces in the absence of any serious attempts at political compromise," wrote Chatham House analyst Jane Kinninmont in online magazine Foreign Policy.

Police, protesters face off as Bahrain Grand Prix

F1

MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One cars took to the track in Bahrain on Friday, while the government, hoping for a successful Grand Prix, squared off against activists determined to mark it with "days of rage" after more than a year of Arab Spring protests.

On the eve of Friday's practice session, protests had flared in villages surrounding the capital, far from the circuit where the race will be held. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in clashes that have been building in the week leading to Sunday's round of the World Championship.

On the eve of Friday's practice session, protests had flared in villages surrounding the capital, far from the circuit where the race will be held. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in clashes that have been building in the week leading to Sunday's round of the World Championship.

Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy movement erupted last year following uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Protests were initially crushed with the loss of dozens of lives, but youths still clash daily with riot police in Shi'ite Muslim districts, and thousands take part in opposition rallies.

Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa family, a Sunni Muslim dynasty ruling a majority Shi'ite population caught between neighbours Saudi Arabia and Iran with opposite sympathies in its internal strife, hopes the race will offer an opportunity to tell the world that life is returning to normal.

Unrest forced the cancellation of last year's Grand Prix, and the 2012 race has been in doubt as Bahrain's human rights record has come under fire from abroad. Two members of the British-based Force India team, travelling between Bahrain International Circuit and their hotel in Manama, asked to go home after seeing burning petrol bombs in what the government described as an isolated incident.

"A number of rioters and vandals had been arrested for taking part in illegal rallies and gatherings, blocking roads and endangering people's lives by attacking them with petrol bombs, iron rods and stones," the Information Affairs Authority said in a statement, citing Major-General Tariq Al Hassan.

The Force India team said it would conduct only limited practice on Friday because of security fears. Only small crowds were seen in the grandstand on Friday for an event that has cost Bahrain an estimated $40 million to stage . The Grand Prix drew 100,000 visitors to the nation of just 1.3 million and generated half a billion dollars in spending when it was last held two years ago.

Opposition parties led by Shi'ite group Wefaq planned to stage a march in a mainly Shi'ite residential district outside Manama later on Friday to demand democratic reforms in a country where the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa family dominates government.

Activists are taking the chance to press their case while the world is watching. The leading Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim attacked the government in a sermon on Friday for ignoring popular demands.

"This is the crisis of a government that does not want to acknowledge the right of people to rule by themselves and choose their representatives," he said.

POLICE LOCKDOWN

Manama is under tight security, with dozens of armoured vehicles stationed around the capital and the road to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

Though life in Manama's main commercial, residential and tourist districts appears detached from the nightly battles, tear gas often floats in from conflict zones around the capital.

The death toll from the year of turmoil has risen to around 70, activists say, with many due to heavy use of tear gas. The government disputes the causes of death and accuses protesters in Shi'ite villages of being saboteurs out to harm the police.

Activists say riot police are trying to lock Shi'ites down in their villages to stop them gathering on main highways. They say around 95 protest organisers have been arrested in night raids in the past week and 54 people wounded in clashes, with heavy use of birdshot. Police have declined to give figures on arrests and injuries.

While sports journalists poured in to cover the race, non-sports reporters from Reuters and some other news organisations have not been granted visas to visit the Gulf island. "Bahrain wants the international attention brought by hosting a Grand Prix but doesn't want foreign journalists to wander from the race track where they might see political protests," said Robert Mahoney, deputy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York.

"Bahrain tells the outside world it has nothing to hide. If that's the case, then it must allow journalists entry visas and let them report freely," he added. Bahrain is the base for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, among whose tasks is deterring Iran from making good on recent threats to disrupt Gulf oil tanker routes to the West.

Washington has only gently prodded Bahrain's rulers to improve their human rights record and push forward political reforms, and does not want to jeopardise ties with a ruling family it views as an ally in the region. "The F1 media spotlight will only highlight the ongoing troubles Bahrain faces in the absence of any serious attempts at political compromise," wrote Chatham House analyst Jane Kinninmont in online magazine Foreign Policy.

India tests nuke-capable missile able to hit China

indian Missile

NEW DELHI (AP) — India announced the successful test launch Thursday of a new nuclear-capable missile that would give it the ability to strike the major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai for the first time, a significant step forward in its aspirations to become a regional and world power.

The Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), still requires a battery of tests and must clear other bureaucratic hurdles before it can be inducted into India's arsenal in a few years. But officials hailed the launch as proof the country has taken its place among the world's most powerful and scientifically advanced nations.

"The nation stands tall today," Defense Minister A.K. Antony said, according to the Press Trust of India.

The test came just days after North Korea's failed rocket launch, but sparked none of the same global condemnation aimed at Pyongyang, an internationally isolated regime that has been banned by the U.N. from testing missile technology.

China is far ahead of India in the missile race, with intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching anywhere in India. Currently, the longest-range Indian missile, the Agni-III, has a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) and falls short of many major Chinese cities.

"At the moment there is a huge asymmetry in China's favor," said C. Uday Bhaskar, the former head of the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses. After it adds the missile to its arsenal, however, "India's deterrent profile in the region would be appropriately burnished."

Video released by the government showed the Agni-V taking off from a small launcher on what appeared to be railroad tracks at 8:07 a.m. from Wheeler Island off India's east coast. It rose on a pillar of flame, trailing billows of smoke behind, before arcing through the sky.

The missile hit an altitude of more than 600 kilometers (370 miles), its three stages worked properly and its payload was deployed as planned, the head of India's Defense Research and Development Organization, Vijay Saraswat, told Times Now news channel.

"India has emerged from this launch as a major missile power," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin declined to discuss the launch at a regular news conference Thursday, saying only that India and China should work together as strategic partners.

But a state TV report on the launch enumerated the missile's shortcomings and a Chinese newspaper warned India not to get arrogant and overestimate its strength.

"India should be clear that China's nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China," said an editorial in the Global Times, which is published by the Communist Party's official mouthpiece the People's Daily.

It also warned India not to work with Western allies to try to contain China. "If it equates long range strategic missiles with deterrence of China, and stirs up further hostility, it could be sorely mistaken," it said.

The Agni-V is a solid-fuel, three-stage missile designed to carry a 1.5-ton nuclear warhead. It stands 17.5 meters (57 feet) tall, has a launch weight of 50 tons and was built mainly with Indian-made technology at a reported cost of 25 billion rupees ($486 million). It can be moved across the country by road or rail and can be used to carry multiple warheads or to launch satellites into orbit.

The missile will need four or five more trials before it can be inducted into India's arsenal at some point in 2014 or 2015, Indian officials said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed the launch as "another milestone in our quest to add to the credibility of our security and preparedness and to continuously explore the frontiers of science."

Others called the test a major step in India's fight to be seen as a world power. "India has today become a nation with the capability to develop, produce, build long-range ballistic missiles and today we are among the six countries who have this capability," Saraswat said.

Analysts say France, Russia, China and the United States also have this technology, while Israel is believed to have developed such missiles. Others were more cautious.

Defense analyst Rahul Bedi said much needed to be done, noting that a government that is notoriously slow with defense decisions now needs to push forward with more tests, work out strategic doctrines, define targets, figure out manufacturing issues and how many missiles to build among a host of other issues.

"We need to build on today's success ... to build in a very capable dissausive deterrence capability," he said. "But going back to past records I don't know if we can sustain it." India and China fought a war in 1962 and continue to nurse a border dispute. India has also been suspicious of Beijing's efforts to increase its influence in the Indian Ocean in recent years. India already has the capability of hitting anywhere inside archrival Pakistan, but has engaged in a splurge of defense spending in recent years to counter the perceived Chinese threat. The Indian navy took command of a Russian nuclear submarine earlier this year, and India is expected to take delivery of a retrofitted Soviet-built aircraft carrier soon. The new Agni, named for the Hindi word for fire, is part of this military buildup and was designed to hit deep inside China, Bedi said. Government officials said the missile should not be seen as a threat because India had a no-first-use policy and its missiles were used only for deterrence. The test came days after North Korea's failed long-range rocket launch. North Korea said the rocket was launched to put a satellite into space, but the U.S. and other countries said it was a cover for testing long-range missile technology. In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States urges all nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint regarding nuclear capabilities. "That said, India has a solid non-proliferation record," he told a news briefing. "They're engaged with the international community on non-proliferation issues."