Facebooks Next Big Move? - - > COMMENTS <--- (BLOG)

Facebook is planning to launch a third-party commenting system in a matter of weeks, according to multiple sources familiar with the new product. This new technology could see Facebook as the engine behind the comments system on many high-profile blogs and other digital publications very soon.
The company is actively seeking major media companies and blogs to partner with it for its launch, part of a bigger media industry move spearheaded in part by the recent hires of Nick Grudin and Andy Mitchell, media business development executives with respective track records at Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

Representatives from Facebook were not immediately available for comment.
Facebook, of course, is already very present in blog comments. Currently, a digital publishing outlet--say, a blog or a newspaper's Web site--can integrate Facebook's developer API and allow users to "connect" to their Facebook accounts, or can build in "Social Comments" in a widget of related messages. Often, users can post alerts on their Facebook walls announcing that they've commented, or can have a "Social Comment" turned into a status message. The new commenting product is a significantly deeper expansion of this, according to sources. Facebook will be able to power the entire commenting system--handling the log-in and publishing, cross-promoting comments on individuals' Facebook walls, and possibly even promoting them as well on media outlets' own "fan" pages. Undoubtedly, the Facebook "like" button will be deeply integrated as well.


CNET has not seen mockups, but it's conceivable that the whole thing could look quite a bit like TimesPeople, a commenting and social news system that The New York Times launched several years ago for its own publication.

One source hinted that the Facebook commenting product may also permit users to log in with Google, Yahoo, or Twitter IDs if a publisher chooses to incorporate them. That's a surprising move considering Facebook's curious relationship with the developer arms of both Google and Twitter--Facebook blocked a Google data-portability product called Friend Connect several years ago, and last summer it blocked a Twitter friend-finder that trawled Facebook contact lists.

It's also not clear how--if at all--Facebook commenting will deal with the tension between Facebook's insistence that members use their real identities, and the fact that much of the commenting that takes place on blogs and other media outlets is still done behind a veil of anonymity.

Whatever the specifics are, this new comments product could have serious reverberations in the start-up community. One source who has seen the new Facebook commenting technology remarked that it's an obvious and direct competitor to start-ups that provide commenting technology, like Disqus and Echo. With Facebook Places adopting much of the "check-in" methodology that smaller competitors Foursquare and Loopt offer, and Facebook Questions operating in the same space as Quora (though Facebook has insisted it's not trying to "kill" it), the social network has shown that it's very willing to move into spaces dominated by start-ups and instantly give them a huge new competitor.

But considering the frequency with which Facebook launches new features, it's inevitable. In the past six months, Facebook has launched the Places geolocation service, a revamped Facebook Messages, and new upgrades to Facebook Photos and Groups--to name a few.

Update 2:13 p.m. PT: Peter Kafka of AllThingsD points out that celebrity news magazine People's Web site has been relying exclusively on Facebook for its commenting technology for a few months now. Some other sites--though few major publishers--have as well, through the Comments Box code.


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20030106-36.html#ixzz1CfZ1Q28m

Philadelphia will Place their Franchise TAG on Michael Vick in FEB (BLOG)

The Philadelphia Eagles will make it official next month and place their franchise tag on quarterback Michael Vick, a league source has confirmed.

The move will prevent Vick from leaving Philadelphia this offseason and ensure he's tied to the Eagles for the 2011 season.

Vick was selected to start the Pro Bowl, his fourth trip to Hawaii in eight seasons. He set career highs in yards passing (3,018), touchdowns passing (21), touchdowns rushing (9), completion percentage (62.6) and passer rating (100.2). The Eagles (10-7) were 8-3 in games he started and finished.

What's just as significant about the move is that, by tagging Vick, the Eagles then will entertain offers for backup Kevin Kolb, who is sure to generate more interest this offseason than any other available quarterback once there is a new collective bargaining agreement.

Franchising Vick will give the Eagles contractual control of two quality quarterbacks, one of whom they will be able to shop. Kolb still is under contract for 2011 at the cap-friendly price of $1.4 million, making him an even more desirable commodity.

Multiple teams coveted Kolb last offseason. Kolb started the 2011 season as the Eagles' starting quarterback but was replaced by Vick after suffering a concussion in the season opener.

Kolb said after the season that he wants "to be starting somewhere" in 2011.

Vick made $5.25 million in 2010 but would make an estimated $20 million -- the average salary for the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the league -- if he is designated the Eagles' franchise player.

As a "reorganized debtor," Vick's income will be distributed to his family and his creditors in accordance with a court-approved schedule. As his income increases, he will pay more of it to the creditors.

My Reflections: How Much Faith Is Enough

Hey Guys~

Watching the movie Joshua always the same affect on me; thrilling me and making me cry at the same time. Why? Because I believe one day my Lord will come again and take me home to be with Him. Not only that but I will be no longer limited by my disability. As entertainment worthy as the movie is, it always leaves me wondering.. How much faith is enough?


Don't get me wrong, struggling is a part of life; it builds character and a deeper sense of what's really important in life. But it also has the ability to make you question who you are and what you believe. That's always the case when I view the scene of the woman at the revival.

Basically in the tent sits two women along with a crowd of witnesses. The so-called faith healer says: "Who wants to be healed today?" The woman in the front row answers saying "I do"; unbeknownst to the audience she is not really unable to walk but instead is working with him to get money. On the sidelines, a blind woman just sits back and "watches" the situation unfold until Joshua walks in.


He sees the injustice being done and desires to set things right in God's name. Not only so that the healer would recognize his wrongdoing and come to Him instead, but also so the young blind woman with the "true faith" would be rewarded.


"I know what's in your heart," Joshua says and with that she is healed. (I have included the YouTube clip here because it is a very powerful scene in itself and I don't think I did it justice. I was unable to embed it because it was not allowed by the user of the clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNWrvG3GMEw&feature=related )

Now, I'm not perfect; in fact I feel far from the lately. In fact, I let the littlest things frustrate me and it usually results in a lot of negative thoughts and I end up blaming myself for and afterwards. I'm a sinner and I always will be, but somehow watching this movie makes me feel closer to him. It's hard to believe but God does in fact know our hearts during our bad days and good days. He loves us no matter what always, but we have a choice to do our best and to love him back.

I just wish I could feel God like this every day.

Until next time,
Debbie

Friends of Onkalo

(Scenes from the entombment.)

Over at Friends of the Pleistocene, they have an interview with Michael Madsen, director of Into Eternity. That film is a feature documentary on the world's first permanent nuclear waste repository, Onkalo.

“At the core of Into Eternity,” write Elizabeth Ellsworth and Jamie Kruse, “is an attempt to imagine communicating to humans hundreds of thousands of years into the future (the film is structured as an address to the future). We talked with Michael about why he chose this mode of address and how he hoped audiences of today would respond to it. We also discussed how the circumstances that necessitate the building of facilities such as Onkalo demarcate a fundamentally new chapter in human history.”

Friends of the Pleistocene: Over the course of working on this project, did you sense your own ability to project your imagination into long spans of time increase?

Michael Madsen: Well, I have to say that there is an element of the scientific disease.

While in the tunnel, I was of course looking at notes written on the walls. There are these different tracings measuring cracks and how much water is dripping in. I remember looking at it and thinking if this place is ever opened, which I think it will be, these notes will be the cave paintings of our times. But what will it mean to the persons looking at it? This was strange to think about.

Even if the cave is never marked in any sense, it will be a sign itself. The very construction will be a sign. Deep into time, even the canisters will be gone, but there will still be the scars in the bedrock. The bedrock will still have this hollow, spiral, triangular entry. There will be these symmetrical deposits of high-level or radioactive material. So, any intelligent entity in the future will be able to discern that there is symmetry in this area. Symmetry, I think, does not appear in nature as a natural phenomenon except perhaps in crystals, which are different. So any creature in the future will understand that this has been made. In this sense it will always be a sign.

To see if it's showing in a city near you, check out the schedule here.


(The first tick mark on the left indicate the year the pyramids were built; the second, Year 0 AD; the third, Year 2010. The span between the third and fourth tick marks represents the time span that Onkalo must last, many times more than how long the oldest structures built by humanity have ever existed.)

While at Friends of the Pleistocene, also check out the first report from their recently initiated long-term project to create a typology of debris basins. Not many can arouse us more than landslide mitigation structures.

New Newspaper Publisher and New Classifieds

Non Sequitur

The Austin American-Statesman has a new publisher. Cox Media Group announced that Jane Williams is the new publisher of the local newspaper and the Statesman Company’s various ventures. Her previous position with Cox was Vice President of Sales, notably not news.

Even so, Ms. Williams will responsible for all news content. “As Publisher, Williams will be responsible for all business and editorial operations of the Statesman and its affiliated publications, including statesman.com, austin360.com, and 10 weekly community newspapers,” a Cox news release says.

It isn’t unusual, in fact it is prevalent to see media executives rise from the sales side of the business, but I always like it when the new boss began in production or as a cub reporter. Executives who start at the bottom dealing with the day-to-day grind of journalism, know what the business is all about most of the time.

By no means am I intimating that Ms. Williams does not know the newspaper/communications business. I am confident that she does. Her media career spans 27 years in the business. She wouldn’t be where she is and where she was if she were not.

“Jane is among Cox Media Group’s best and brightest, and we’re thrilled to be able to promote such a true professional from within our company for this senior role,” said CMG Group Vice President Ben Reed. “Combining her years of media industry experience and unique talents with our exceptional Austin team ensures continued success at one of America's premier newspaper brands.”

Interestingly, Ms. Williams does not have newspaper roots. She began her career in broadcast sales.

“Williams launched her media career at WATL-TV and WAGA in Atlanta and joined Cox Television’s WSB-TV in 1988 as an Account Executive and became a Sales Manager in 1997. Seven years later, she assumed the Director of Sales position at that station. In 2007, Williams was promoted to Vice President of Sales for Cox Television and in 2009 assumed the position of Vice President of Sales for Cox Media Group. As VP of Sales, she has been working with all CMG newspapers along with CMG television and radio properties.

“She is a past President of the Atlanta Broadcast Advertising Club, is a member of the Television Bureau of Advertising’s Board of Directors, and is a past member of the University of Georgia’s Marketing Executive Advisory Board. Williams was awarded the ABAC (Atlanta Broadcast Advertising Club) lifetime achievement award in 2009,” the Cox news release says.

Another mold-breaker is found in her education vitae: She holds a BS in Psychology and Behavioral Science from Berry College, not business, marketing, broadcasting, or journalism. She is a native of Atlanta, the Cox Media home base.

She succeeds Michael Vivio who developed and grew numerous new revenue streams keeping the paper profitable during difficult times. Vivio also staved off would-be suitors and kept the Statesman in the Cox family when it was for sale. Also, he’s a good guy.

Interestingly, the announcement of Williams’ appointment comes on the same day that the Statesman unveils a new classified ad section. “Wooooooo-whooooooooooo!!!” you say.

“Tales & Sales combines engaging content with sales information. It’s classifieds but with Austin attitude and fun. Tales & Sales also features The Stuffologist — a savvy raconteur spinning the tales behind the myriad things Austinites do and don’t do (Work) or love and don’t love (Pets). The daily themes include Wheels on Monday, Work on Tuesday, Homes on Wednesday, Pets on Thursday and Stuff on Friday,” a separate news release says.

With Craig’s List and E-Bay sucking the life out of newspaper classified ads, I have to admit that the Statesman has come is an interesting way of changing the classifieds appeal. You might want to check it out. Future, it will be interesting to see if it attracts new business.

© Jim McNabb, 2011

Ciara and 50 Cent Throw 'Subliminal' Shots on Twitter?! (Blog)

SMH. You would think that the both of them would have something better to do, like, make some albums or something? Check what Ciara had to say about 50 using the b-word and what 50 had to say about Ciara calling him out on twitter:

Ciara sent out the Queen Latifah classic, U.N.I.T.Y. as a peace offering but 50 wasn't having it. So we think its safe to say that these two WERE seeing each other at some point. Because people don't bicker like this unless they've got some underlying issues... Your thoughts?

ESPN Research Means Fans Get What They Want

Television sports legend Don Ohlmeyer ended his stint as ESPN's ombudsman last week, and somehow some observers seem to be missing the major point of his farewell column.

Sure, he argued (as he did in columns throughout his brief 18-month tenure that was limited and ultimately shortened by health issues) that ESPN should listen to its readers and viewers.

More importantly, though, he pointed out how much the four-letter network invests in research -- and that information seemed to indicate that ESPN already listens and reacts to its customers.

According to the Ohlmeyer column, research is a multimillion dollar commitment for ESPN. That includes 50 staff members in five offices across the world (in Buenos Aires and London as well as three U.S. cities) who analyze data, conduct interviews and gauge reaction on an almost daily basis. There are "conflict groups" (of those who dislike and like ESPN), focus groups, in-person interviews and studies -- all part of an effort to pin down what consumers read, watch and want in their sports coverage.

Along with those studies of people, ESPN also invests in technology research, including investigating the effects of watching 3-D coverage of events.

What's most interesting about what Ohlmeyer related, if you step back and think about it, is that sports fans are getting exactly what they want from ESPN.

Too much Brett Favre or some other personality for you? That's interesting, because the ratings (on almost every platform -- Internet, radio, TV) invariably prove people consume information about mega-star personalities.

Too little women's sports for your taste? Too bad, because those same ratings show that a majority of sports fans have other interests.

Because ESPN conducts so much research and because it's in business to succeed, it's not a matter of what you see is what you get. No, that would be poor business and simply shortsighted.

Instead, what you see (or read online or in ESPN the Magazine) is what you want. So it's not the all-powerful, four-letter monolith to blame when your conference is not on TV or your sport of choice gets ignored during "SportsCenter."

There are no plots afoot against people or types of sports, either.

Nope, it's just a matter of business. Reasonable people might agree or disagree about the business practices but ultimately it's the people in charge -- in this case the consumers that ESPN regularly studies and questions -- that determine what happens.

Texas Will Look To Change the Fortune From Last Year's Fall

Last season, the University of Texas was rated #1 in the country for Men's college basketball.  They were considered one of the favorites for the title.  All of a sudden, the team had spiralled downward and lost 8 games down the stretch.  They were granted the #8 seed and lost to #9 seed Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  They started 17-0 and finished 24-10.  They went 7-10 after being named #1.  So, as they climb up the rankings, can they change last season's misfortunates of the lofty ranking?  Let's hope so.

Texas Longhorns Climbing Up Rankings

The University of Texas's Men's Basketball team is climbing up the rankings.  The 18-3 Texas Longhorns are now #3 in the country, in both the Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.  They only trail #1 Ohio State and #2 Kansas, although they beat Kansas last week.  They are on quite a roll and they can play with anyone in the country.  It was a weird week in college basketball, as 17 of the 25 teams in the Poll last week suffered a loss.  Keep it Goin Texas!

Black Rob - Ventilation

Black Rob has came through with a Heater in "Ventilation" at the End he says he is just warming up. Well if thats the case the Mixtape, or CD is on our radar. Check this Video Out:

WOW: What Kind of "Pro Bowl" Excuse is that?! CBS reporter goes in on the PRO BOWL (BLOG)

Sunday was a good day for the Urban Dictionary, if not for anyone else. Sunday, it got a new entry with lots of uses.

Pro Bowl, n., adj., v. -- A fake, a sham, fraud, a waste of time, as in, "God, you are such a Pro Bowl," or "The boss just gave me some Pro Bowl job, and I have no idea what he expects me to do about it," or "What kind of Pro Bowl excuse is that, you nimrod?"


• An insoluble mess, as in, "What kind of Pro Bowl did you just hand me there?" or "This garage looks like the Pro Bowl, for God's sake."

• To be accused of perpetrating a fraud, or giving an unacceptably poor effort, or warned against same, as in, "Don't Pro Bowl that quarterly report, Perkins," or "Did you just Pro Bowl me? Do I have to get out of this chair and kick your ass?" Or, "You'd kick my ass if you weren't such a Pro Bowl."

• A tired old person, place or thing that produces waves of condemnation while being impervious to criticism, change or improvement, as in, "I'd talk to him about it, but he's a total Pro Bowl, so why bother?" or, "You have a date? Where are you taking her, the Pro Bowl?"

• And finally, a cheap and easy column, as in, "I'm not feeling good. Maybe I'll just send 'em a Pro Bowl and call it a day."

Sunday's effort in Hawaii was even more contemptible than usual, where the level of DGAD (don't give a damn) was slightly more evident from the start. Players looking at a lockout and wondering to themselves, "Maybe I should run hard for that ... ahh, never mind."

But since the Pro Bowl can't be fixed, unlike the NHL All-Star Game, which gets fixed every year, this is to be expected. Put it another way -- when Pro Football Talk, which is to the NFL as L'Osservatore Romano is to the Vatican, mocks it, you have a bad product that will never get better. Put it yet another way –- if you let Jay Glazer call a play because the game's on Fox, you really don't care, as in, "Digging this ditch is so pointless that I might as well let Jay Glazer finish it."

And we don't even have a problem with Jay Glazer.

It can't be fixed, either. Putting it after the Super Bowl doesn't work. Putting it before it doesn't work. Putting it anywhere doesn't work. This is not a scheduling problem. This is a "Why the hell do we do this?" problem, with the only answer being, "We still get sponsors." Which, I guess makes the Pro Bowl an unattractive streetwalker, as in, "Well, the bars are closed and the women have gone home, and I don't want to be alone tonight, and I've got $20 in my pocket ... oh, what the hell. I'll get shots tomorrow, just in case."

Paying the players enough to play hard is fiscally unfeasible. Making it winner-take-all-loser-pays-the-hotel-and-incidentals makes it too much risk and not enough reward, as is putting remote controlled tasters in the shoulder pads to insure lack of effort is a felony, even in Hawaii.
It just stinks, pure and simple, and it's never going to do anything else. Sunday was merely the latest example of the final proof, because we say this every year.

If there was a way to kill it in CBA negotiations, we'd say, "Okay, it serves a purpose." Lopping off two exhibitions and the Pro Bowl takes three weeks off the season, which is its own reward. But it's the only game all year in which nobody gets hurt, so the union doesn't really hate it that much, as in, "Well, the bars are closing, most of the girls are gone or hooked up, but that one's kind of a Pro Bowl. I'll make a run at her."

If there was a way to convince people not to watch it at all, thereby driving the ratings down to damaging, we'd organize a campaign, but there is a segment of the population that would watch football in NFL uniforms even if it were played by platypuses.

But no, all we can take from Sunday's performance, and all the performances before it, is a new slang term, one which has many valuable uses, as in, "I've been here for a half-hour just Pro Bowling it, and the movie hasn't started yet. I told you we got here too early."
Maybe there is something, though. Maybe we will never see the word "snub" used in a Pro Bowl selection story ever again, as in, "So-and-so was not chosen for the Pro Bowl, the lucky bastard." Or "withdrew because of some injury he didn't really have," as in, "He Pro Bowled his way out of the Pro Bowl."

So if nothing else, Sunday made the language a little more vivid. And all you had to endure was this Pro Bowl of a column. In the immortal words of Johnny Rotten at the final Sex Pistols concert, "Do you feel like you've been cheated?"

Of course not. You just got Pro Bowled, is all.

By Ray Ratto
CBS Sports 
Jan. 31, 2011

Midwest Braces itself For Massive Winter Storm on Tuesday! (BLOG)

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Transportation officials lined up snow plows and utilities prepared for the worst as a blizzard crept towards the Midwest Monday. 


Forecasters said the storm could drop up to an inch of freezing rain and warned of high winds, whiteout conditions and snow drifts that might reach 10 feet in parts of the region.The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to march from the Rockies through much of the Plains and Midwest, hitting the area particularly hard on Tuesday and Wednesday, before making its way to the East Coast.


 Bitterly cold temperatures are forecast in the wake of the storm.Early Monday, freezing drizzle made roads slick in northwest Missouri, causing cars to slide off highways in Buchanan County and prompting authorities to cancel classes at public and private schools in the area. Freezing rain and fog led to some flight delays Sunday at the airport in Rapid City, South Dakota.At Edele and Mertz Hardware just a few blocks from the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, patrons were lined up at 7 a.m. waiting for the store to open. Snow shovels were big sellers, but worker Steve Edele said ice melt and salt were flying out the door."'Freaking out' is a great way of putting it," Edele said. "The icing — that's what scares people.


"Chicago and Milwaukee are expected to be particularly hard-hit as the week progresses. The weather service issued a blizzard watch for Tuesday and Wednesday for southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and northwest Indiana and forecasters said snowfall totals could reach up to 2 feet in some areas.The weather service said the heavy snowfall combined with high winds could create whiteout conditions, particularly on Tuesday night into Wednesday, making driving extremely dangerous in some areas. 


Snow drifts of 5 feet to 10 feet are possible. The service said winds on Tuesday could reach up to 60 mph in open areas and near Lake Michigan.Once the storm has moved through, the weather service said wind chills as cold as 40 degrees below zero could hit parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and other parts of the Midwest.In St. Louis and throughout Missouri, residents were bracing for the worst, with forecasters calling for a particularly hazardous and potentially deadly mix: The storm was expected to hit in full force Tuesday with up to an inch of ice, followed by 3-4 inches of sleet, then perhaps a half-foot of snow or more.If that wasn't bad enough, low temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday night were expected to reach zero or worse, and winds could howl at up to 40 mph.After burying the Midwest, the storm was expected to sweep into the Northeast, parts of which are already on track for record snowfall this winter.


 In New Hampshire, where pedestrians have been forced to walk in the street in some places because of piled-up snow, crews rushed to remove it before a new foot or so fell on the state.By Monday morning, much of the Midwest was still mostly dry with some scattered reports of freezing drizzle and relatively light snowfall. Nevertheless, several schools closed or were shutting down early based on the forecast.The St. Louis-based utility company Ameren opened its emergency operations center amid worries that the weight of the ice and snow could duplicate a severe crisis in 2006, when an ice storm downed thousands of trees and power lines.


 Parts of southeast Missouri were left without electricity for more than a week.Ameren officials say they're not waiting for the storm to hit. The utility has six 53-foot "Storm Trailers" that can be dispatched to trouble spots. The 53-foot trailers are stocked with wire, poles, and hardware to repair damaged lines and facilities.The Missouri Department of Transportation had 400 workers and 200 vehicles at the ready in the St. Louis area, with plans to get the interstates and major thoroughfares cleared first.

NBA: Kevin Durant Calls out Chris Bosh "He's a Fake Tough Guy" (BLOG)

As we all learned during the Team USA media onslaught at this summer's World Championships,Kevin Durant(notes) is the nicest young superstar the league has seen in ages. In addition to scoring tons of points and leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the postseason, he is courteous to reporters, kind to teammates, and generally seems more grounded than other players who get voted to be All-Star starters. You wouldn't mind seeing your son be his friend, or your daughter bringing him home. Unless you're racist, I guess.

It turns out he is capable of getting very angry, though. During the first quarter of yesterday's loss to theMiami Heat in OKC, Durant and Chris Bosh(notes) got in a bit of a verbal argument that earned both technicals. After the game, the NBA's nicest boy was asked about it, and he responded with the kind of comments not typically associated with him. From Art Garcia on NBA.com:

"I was talking to my teammate and [Bosh]  decided he wanted to put his two cents into it," Durant explained after the 108-103 setback. "I am a quiet guy, laid-back guy, but I'm not going to let nobody talk trash to me. He's on a good team now so he thinks he can talk a little bit. There are a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he's one of them."

Whoa, but Durant wasn't finished.

"I'm no punk," he continued. "I wasn't even talking to him first off. He decided to butt in and I'm not going to just let that slide. Especially in our house. Like I said, he's not one of those guys I look at and say he has a rep for talking back to guys or getting into it. He's a nice guy. I'm not going to let that type of person say something to me like that."

Could Durant's reputation all be a sham? Is he actually a big meanie who picks fights with lizard-looking forwards and then talks smack about them to the press? Is up now down?

Um, no, unless you bought into the hyperbole surrounding Durant's nice guy image and forgot that he plays a sport in which all the best players are pathologically competitive. Like most All-NBA talents, KD plays to win, and he sometimes gets mad in the wake of a loss when he feels like he was treated improperly by another player. He's a basketball player, not a saint, so this is basically par for the course.

Let this incident be a reminder that there is no such thing as a purely good or evil athlete, but merely people who play a sport and react to the events that happen around. Some are better at controlling their tempers than others, but all are capable of getting angry -- and sometimes more than is necessary -- when provoked. In this case, Durant went in on Bosh and did everything short of calling him a nancy boy, but that's just what happens sometimes in professional basketball. Move on and realize that he's a person capable of displaying many emotions, just like you and me.

Celebs Get Glam at The Screen Actors Guild Awards! (Pics)

The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were last night and, we have pics of the stars looking glam:

Kim Kardashian was in the building

Actress Mila Kunis was there too!

Curvy "Glee" star Amber Riley hit the carpet in this beautiful black one shoulder gown

Sophia Vergara looked stunning in royal blue

Taye Diggs and that million dollar smile was there!

Lookin' good Mr. Diggs.

Rosario Dawsonhit the carpet in this flowy and simple yet pretty pale yellow gown by J. Mendel.

Tracy Morgan and his date,hit the carpet looking like they were having more fun than everyone else.

The "30 Rock" star has been on a winning team all award season as his cast and show have been winning several awards.

LL Cool J, the star of "NCIS: Los Angeles," hit the carpet in head to toe all black Giorgio Armani. And looked good doing so.

Eva Longoria looked understated sexy in this flowing and revealing off-white white Grecian-style Georges Hobeika gown. The open back and open sides, extremely deep V and upswept hair make this look perfect.

FDA Sees Possible Cancer Risk With Breast Implants!! (Blog)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal health officials said Wednesday they are investigating a possible link between breast implants and a very rare form of cancer, raising new questions about the safety of devices which have been scrutinized for decades.

The cancer, known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma, attacks lymph nodes and the skin and has been reported in the scar tissue which grows around an implant. The Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors to report all cases of the cancer so the agency can better understand the association.

The agency has learned of just 60 cases of the disease worldwide, among the estimated 5 million to 10 million women with breast implants. The agency reviewed the scientific literature going back to 1997 along with information provided by international governments and manufacturers.

Most of the cases were reported after patients sought medical care for pain, lumps, swelling and other problems around the surgical site.

"We are very interested in trying to understand more specifically which patients may be at more risk and which breast implants may present a higher risk," said Dr. William Maisel, FDA's chief scientist for devices, on a call with reporters. The agency saw no difference in cancer rates between patients with saline versus silicone implants. There was also no difference between patients who got the implants for cosmetic reasons versus those who underwent reconstructive surgery after breast cancer.

Because the disease is so rare, FDA researchers suggested the issue may never be completely resolved.

"A definitive study would need to collect data on hundreds of thousands of women for more than 10 years. Even then, causality may not be conclusively established," the agency said.

Still, the FDA said it is working with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to register patients with the cancer and track them over time.

Breast implants are marketed in the U.S. by Allergan Inc. and Johnson & Johnson's Mentor Corp. Those companies will be required to update the labeling for their products to reflect the cancer reports.

A handful of researchers have published papers on instances of the lymphoma in breast implant patients over the last three years, prompting FDA's review. Some research suggests bits of silicone can leak into cells around the implant, triggering the cancer. Even saline implants include trace amounts of silicone to help them maintain their shape.

The lymphoma is an aggressive form of cancer though it is often curable, according to experts. Treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, if the disease returns.

Reports of the cancer among women with breast implants have been reported anecdotally for years, according to Dr. Jasmine Zain, a lymphoma specialist at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

"We've seen it from time to time over the years, but this is the first time the FDA actually looked at all the case reports and made a statement," Zain said.

The FDA pulled silicone breast implants off the market in 1992, saying manufacturers had not provided medical data showing their safety and effectiveness. At the time, there were worries about a connection to a variety of diseases, including cancer and lupus. Alarming cases of ruptures added to the concern.

But in 2006 the agency returned the implants to the market after most studies failed to find a link between silicone breast implants and disease.

The approval came with conditions, including a requirement that the companies complete 10-year studies on women who have already received the implants to study leaks, as well conduct new decade-long studies of the safety of the devices in 40,000 women.

The FDA said the companies have continued to pursue those studies, though several of them have enrolled less than half of the patients needed to make them statistically significant.

Dr. Diana Zuckerman said the studies "will be completely useless unless the FDA can convince the companies to do more to keep women in their studies." Zuckerman's group, National Research Center for Women & Families, opposed the FDA's decision to re-approve silicone implants.

Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen, who covers the medical device industry, said the negative media coverage over the issue could hurt implant sales.

"At this point, we do not expect breast implants to be removed from the market, but sales growth could be negatively impacted by the media coverage," Biegelsen wrote in a note to investors.

Brandy - I don't Want to Throw it All Away (AUDIO)

Brandy is back with a new single called, 'I Don't Want To Throw It all Away'. Speaking about love and relationships, we wonder if Brandy can ever top her Never Say Never Days. Check out the audio here:

The Game Used 'Heartbreaker' Without RZA's Permission!? (Blog)

Game released his double mixtape,Purp & Patron, earlier in the week and shortly afterwards blogs that posted the project were hit with cease-and-desist orders from Universal Music Publishing Group in regards to the “unauthorized use” of the song Heartbreaker, which features production from RZA.

While talking with HipHopDX, the West Coast rapper confirmed that he too received a letter but denied intentionally stealing anything. According to him, he and the Wu-Tang producer made the track together in the studio, however, after finding out that the sample used in the beat couldn’t be cleared he decided to put it on his mixtape.

“I think RZA [is] tryin’ to sue about [Heartbreaker] or somethin,” said Game. “That’s f*ckin’ crazy. Like, I don’t even know how RZA sues the Game. He came to the studio and brought the track to me. He’s like, ‘Yo Game, this is for you. You can have that.’  Those are his words.”

“We found out that the sample was un-clearable,” he added. “For anybody. So I threw it out [on the mixtape]. The next thing I know RZA is suing the Game. That sh*t’s crazy. I didn’t even know Wu-Tang sued n*ggas.”

Despite the incident though, Game says that he still has nothing but love for RZA and the rest of the Wu-Tang family.

“I still got nothin’ but respect for RZA [and] the whole Wu, and all of that,” he said.  “I’m good. I’m good friends withGhostface [Killah] and Raekwon and Method [Man].”

In other news, Game’s long-delayed project,. The R.E.D. Album, still doesn’t have a release date but it is expected to be released later this year.