A cocktail waitress from Los Angeles, Jaimee Grubbs has claimed that she and Tiger Woods had a 31-month affair, and also said she has pictures and many “racy” SMS’s to prove it.

Grubbs is best known as the girlfriend of Shawn Southern, one of the oafish contestants on VH1’s shows, “Tool Academy.”

Grubbs says she was just 21 when she first hooked up with Tiger Woods in April 2007.

Grubbs also said they had sex about 20 times and that Tiger Woods frequently complained that “his life is overwhelming.”

Grubbs, 24, said Woods told her to keep quiet before the National Enquirer broke the story about Uchitel.

“Hey, it’s Tiger,” Woods reportedly said in a Nov. 24 voice mail. “I need you to do me a huge favor.”

Golf star Tiger Woods has apologised to his family, amid continuing speculation about his private life following a car crash last week. Woods, engulfed in media speculation over his private life after a car accident in the middle of the night, apologized on Wednesday for "transgressions" while stating that he had "not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves".

"I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart," he said in a statement, without elaborating further.

"I have not been true to my values and the behaviour my family deserves."

Woods was found bleeding and semi-conscious after his car hit a tree and fire hydrant outside his Florida home.

He was found guilty of careless driving and fined $164 (£98).

The golfer denied rumours that physical violence played any role in the incident, saying they were "utterly false and malicious".

The time of the accident and Woods' refusal to meet with police to answer questions about it triggered a storm of media speculation, during which some outlets reported that he had extra-marital relationships with at least two women.

One of the world's most recognizable figures, Woods has lucrative endorsement deals with companies such as Nike and AT&T.

"I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone," Woods said in his statement.

The Virginia couple who breezed into last week’s Washington state dinner without an invitation said today that they were “shocked and devastated” at having been branded White House party crashers.

Looking more aggrieved than contrite, Michaele and Tareq Salahi broke a week’s public silence to insist that they were in fact invited to the dinner and that the American public would be “extremely surprised” when details to support the claim emerged.

Those details are thought to consist of an e-mail exchange between the Salahis and Michele Jones, a Pentagon liaison with the White House whom they approached to ask for an invitation to the event in honour of the Indian Prime Minister.

Ms Jones, the first woman sergeant major of the US Army Reserve, issued a statement through the White House saying that she was told specifically that the Salahis did not have tickets to any part of the evening’s activities and that in any case she “did not have the authority to authorise attendance, admittance or access”.

Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, said today that there was no misunderstanding that might have allowed the Salahis in without deception. “You don’t show up at the White House as a misunderstanding,” he said.

Mrs Salahi told the Today Show on NBC: “We were invited. Not crashers. There isn’t anyone who would have the audacity or the poor behaviour to do that.” Asked directly who invited them, Mr Salahi deferred to the investigation now under way into their actions.

“We’re working with the Secret Service. We’re respecting their timeline and everything they are doing,” he said.

The Salahis denied that they had been ejected from another exclusive Washington soiree last month. According to reports, they gained entrance to the Congressional Black Caucus dinner, also attended by Mr Obama, but were thrown out when a guest complained that they did not belong at his table.

Mrs Salahi is hoping for a role on a forthcoming reality TV series, Real Housewives of Washington DC, produced by a subsidiary of NBC, which broadcast today's interview. She and her husband denied receiving any payment for the interview and said of the past week: “Our lives have really been destroyed.”

Tiger Woods “friend” Joanna told to Britain’s Daily Mail that “Elin is exactly what Tiger needs to get stability in his life. She is mature for her age, humble, and has both feet on the ground.”

Woods’ wife Elin Nordegren, who reportedly lashed the golfer, is being called a stable, humble person and a perfect wife for a high-profile professional athlete.

In the mean time, Rachel Uchitel, director of VIP services for Pink Elephant has been in the news these days for her alleged relation with golfer Tiger Woods.

Rachel however has denied the matter strongly and was even ready to go for a polygraph test to prove it.

The lady is said to be a party animal and like to swing in different arms. She has worked at many places like Trendy Tao in Las Vegas and New York, Marquee and the Stanton Social in Manhattan.

She also has worked at the Meatpacking District club Griffin, but due to the less payment she had a clash with owner and then left the job.

Rachel Uchitel, the woman at the center of an alleged affair with golf great Tiger Woods has come out swinging in her own defense.

She told the New York Post, "There was no evidence. It's just their word against mine, and Tiger's. My statement is, I work in clubs and I am a businesswoman. I do not have sex with celebrities and I have not had an affair with Tiger Woods."

Uchitel first made headlines after the Sept. 11 attacks when she learned her fiancé Andy O'Grady died in the South Tower.

Uchitel told CBS News, "When I think of Andy I no longer cry. I smile and I laugh. I'm at that point now. I can go on everyday knowing that somebody like him chose me to love."

Uchitel eventually moved to Las Vegas and began her club career.

Lewis, of BlackBook magazine, said, "Rachel is one of the premier VIP service people in the industry. She brings big bucks to big clubs."

Uchitel has been seen with David Boreanaz, the married star of the Fox network drama "Bones." However, both Boreanaz and Uchitel have adamantly denied any romantic relationship.

Uchitel says the Enquirer is out to destroy her reputation.

Uchitel told the New York Post, "I knew they were going to slant it that I was this home wrecker, this club girl who was jetting round with Tiger Woods."

Uchitel says her reputation is now tainted and it will destroy any chance she has at love, adding she can't imagine what it must be like for Tiger Wood's wife to read these lies.

Amy Winehouse went to the hospital after a breast lift surgery left her in terrible pain. Winehouse went under the knife in an attempt to sexify her look while performing on British TV contest Strictly Come Dancing. Winehouse sang back-up vocals for her 13-year-old goddaughter Dionne Bromfield, whom she started a record label, Lioness Records, for. Winehouse was in pain during the taping and demanded to see a doctor after filming was over.

A source tells the Daily Mirror, "Amy started shouting, 'I need to see someone, my boobs are fucking killing me.'"

Amy Winehouse had a £35,000 boob job ahead of her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing this evening, it's been reported.

The 26-year-old singer apparently had the operation at London's exclusive Harley Street Clinic to restore her 'voluptuous curves' and is now up to a 32D.

A 'clinic insider' told The Sun: "She looks amazing, like a new woman. Amy told us she wanted a new look - it's all part of her fresh start for her big comeback.

"We all feared she'd fallen off the wagon when she came in. Then we saw her bouncing around with these huge boobs which stand out as she's so tiny and skinny."

The paper claims that Wino has missed rehearsals in recent weeks while she recovers from the op.

Wino will provide backing vocals to her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield on the BBC1 show tonight.

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean



Who is it -Michael Jackson Dangerous



Michael Jackson Dangerous



Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone



Michael Jackson-In the closet



Michael Jackson - Beat It



Michael Jackson - Scream



Michael Jackson - Earth

Michael Jackson's sudden death on Thursday was perhaps the most shocking celebrity demise since his friend Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997. Michael Jackson's death Thursday in Los Angeles prompted broadcasters from Sydney to Seoul - where the news came early Friday - to interrupt morning programs, while fans worldwide remembered a "tortured genius" whose squeals and moonwalks captivated a generation and sparked global trends in music, dance and fashion.

As unconfirmed reports of his fatal cardiac arrest spread on the Web, disbelieving fans kept hoping for several hours that it was some sort of mistake until his death was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Coroner about 4:30 p.m.

"Don't panic ppl! We don't know what happened! And there is not official news! These are just rumors so we can't know for sure what happened! Me or others will post as soon as I will find out anything," wrote the administrator of a Jackson fan Web site.

Some cynics initially thought that news of his hospitalization was a ploy to get out of his 50-show comeback concert series in London, scheduled to begin next month.

In a prelude to the mass gatherings that will likely happen around the world for the next few days -- recalling the outpouring of grief that greeted the passing of such icons as Princess Diana, John Lennon and Elvis Presley -- hundreds of fans gathered outside the UCLA Medical Center in west Los Angeles, where Jackson was rushed from his nearby rental home.

Some fans were crying and hugging each other, and others were climbing atop fences to get a better look at a microphone stand.

"I hope he's gone to God, and I hope that he's free of all the troubles he's been plagued with," Tonya Blazer, 50, who said she has been a fan going back to the Jackson 5.

"I just feel like I'm paying tribute to him," said Dawn Burgess, 42, a fan who said she had posters of Michael pinned to her bedroom wall when she was a child.

"To us he was a pop star. He was that to everyone. It's rude to make fun of him," said Jakquelyn Sullivan, 29, who works in the hospital's chemistry department.

Producer Quincy Jones, who worked with Jackson on his "Off The Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" albums, said he was "absolutely devastated" by the death. "I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him," Jones said.

"His passing will be grieved far beyond that of any other singer, composer, producer, dancer and choreographer, in the history of the world," added Don Cornelius, the creator of the "Soul Train" TV show.

"The Miss California USA Organization, in conjunction with the Miss Universe Organization and with the blessing of its owner, Mr. Donald J. Trump, announced today the termination of Carrie Prejean as Miss California USA 2009, citing continued breach of contract issues," the Miss California Organization said in a statement to Access Hollywood.

The group kicked the controversial beauty queen from her post due to "contract violations including Ms. Prejean's unwillingness to make appearances on behalf of the Miss California USA organization," the pageant's Executive Director, Keith Lewis, said in a statement.

Last month, Trump decided that Prejean would be allowed to keep her crown despite racy photos of the 22-year-old surfacing on the Internet. But Lewis claims that in the weeks that followed, the beauty queen did not step up to the plate.

An actress who works in Southern California's pornography industry has tested positive for HIV, renewing county and state health officials' concerns that the adult entertainment industry lacks sufficient safety measures to prevent the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The new case was confirmed to The Times and pornography industry websites Wednesday by the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, a San Fernando Valley-based clinic that serves adult-film stars in Sherman Oaks and Granada Hills. Public health officials, however, said no official report had been made at the state or county level.

The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation said Wednesday that initial HIV tests of the woman's partners have come up negative, but they are not being allowed to perform and are being encouraged to test again in two weeks.

The case is the first publicly confirmed HIV infection in the industry in Southern California since 2004 when an HIV outbreak shut down porn production for a month.

County Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding says his office received no reports about the incident by Wednesday afternoon but would launch an investigation.

David Carradine, the star of the 1970s television series “Kung Fu” and the title villain of the “Kill Bill” movies, has died in Thailand, The Associated Press reported. The United States Embassy in Bangkok told The A.P. that Mr. Carradine had been found dead in his hotel suite in Bangkok, where he was working on a movie. He was 72.

The BBC reports that Thai police are saying the 72-year-old was found by a hotel maid sitting in a wardrobe with a rope around his neck and body. Carradine was best known for starring in the '70s TV show Kung Fu and in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. He won a Best Actor award from the National Board of Review for his performance in the 1976 film Bound for Glory.

Mr. Carradine was part of an acting family that included his father, John; his brother, Bruce, and half-brothers Keith and Robert; and his nieces Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton.

After a short run as the title character in the 1966 television adaptation of the Western “Shane,” he found fame in the 1972 series “Kung Fu” as Kwai Chang Caine, a wanderer raised by Shaolin monks to be a martial arts master. He enjoyed a career resurgence in recent years when he was cast by Quentin Tarantino in the action movies “Kill Bill: Vol. 1″ and “Vol. 2.”

Leading Indian player Sania Mirza has become engaged to a business scholar from her hometown of Hyderabad but has no plans to retire from competitive tennis, domestic media reported on Friday.

The 22-year-old Mirza is a youth icon in a nation starved for sporting success after she became the first Indian to win a WTA tour title and break into the world's top 50 in 2005 but has struggled to live up to early expectations.

The pair were unlikely to tie the knot in the near future, however, as her 23-year-old fiance Sohrab Mirza planned to pursue higher studies, reports quoted family members as saying.

Mirza has been plagued by injuries over the last two seasons but has continued playing despite being frustrated by a series of court petitions attributed mostly to people trying to grab media attention.

She also had to fend off the ire of Muslim clerics opposed to her playing in normal tennis attire.

It was a dream come true for Kavya Shivashankar as she made history by lifting the Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy to bring a third back-to-back victory of the prestigious championship to an Indian American kid. In her fourth appearance at the annual spelling marathon, a supremely-confident Kavya Shivashankar, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, breezed through to win the 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee competition, after going toe-to-to with her pre-school friend Aishwarya Pastapur, 13, of Chatham, Illinois and Tim Ruitter of Centreville, Virginia.

Tears welled up in the eyes of Kavya, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, as she finally won the glittering gold trophy and a cash prize of $30,000, along with several other prizes worth $11,000.

The word that brought Kavya the coveted title and huge hugs from her father, mother and little sister at Thursday night's final telecast at prime time by ABC was 'Laodicean', indifferent or lukewarm especially in matters of religion or politics.

However, unlike last year when the second spot too was taken by an Indian American kid with Sameer Mishra emerging as the top speller, 12-year-old Tim Ruiter of Centreville, Virginia, the only non-teenager in the finals finished runner-up. He misspelled 'maecenas', which means a cultural benefactor.

Aishwarya Eshwar Pastapur, 13, from Springfield, Illinois, who loved to pump her arm and exclaim 'Yes!' after getting a word correct, finished third after flubbing 'menhir', a type of monolith found widely distributed across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Last year's runner up Siddarth Chand, 13, of Beverly Hills, Michigan the only boy among seven Indian American finalists, was the second to be eliminated as he slipped on 'apodyterium', the primary entry in the public baths in ancient Rome.

Before him Neetu Chandak of Seneca Falls, New York, was floored by 'derriengue', a disease of cattle in South America.

Then 'Herniorrhaphy', a surgical procedure for correcting hernia, felled Tussah Heera of Las Vegas, Nevada.

'Amorevole', Italian for loving, affectionate, fond, claimed Ramya Auropren of San Jose, California. Anamika Veeramni of Parma Heights, Ohio, had no clue about 'Fackeltanz', German for a 'Torch dance' at a wedding or similar celebration.

Earlier, seven Indian American kids coming from a community that is less than one percent of the total US population breezed into the finals making about two thirds of the 11 top spellers.

Way back in 1985, Balu Natarajan, today a physician specialising in sports medicine, was the first Indian American to win the title, and thereafter including last year's winner Mishra, eight Indian American have won the championship.

Among them, back-to-back title winners were Nupur Lala and George Abraham Thampy in 1999 and 2000 respectively and Pratyush Buddiga and Sai R. Gunturi in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Other winners were Ragashree Ramachandran in 1988 and Anurag Kashyap in 2005.

Mike Tyson's four-year-old daughter died May 26 of injuries sustained in a freak home accident. The champion boxer immediately flew to Arizona.

Exodus Tyson was found Monday morning hanged from a cord that was connected to a treadmill in the family’s activity room in their Phoenix, Arizona home. She was discovered when her mother, who was cleaning in another room, sent the girl’s seven-year-old brother in to check on her.

Police say Exodus was playing on the exercise machine at the time of the mishap. Her 7-year-old brother discovered her and called for his mother, who was cleaning in a separate room at the moment of the accident. She called 911, and the child was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital. (Police have not released the mother's name.)

Tyson, 42, was in Las Vegas at the time, but has since arrived in Phoenix to be by his daughter's side.

“Mike was very dedicated to that baby,'' said Sig Rogish, a longtime friend of Tyson and his former agent. “I think every parent's greatest fear is that they live beyond their children. I know Mike has had his troubles in his life, but he's always been a good father.”

Miss North Carolina USA crowned Miss USA 2009

Miss North Carolina USA Kristen Dalton was crowned Miss USA 2009 on Sunday, beating out 50 other beauty queens in the live pageant televised from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The 22-year-old aspiring motivational speaker and entertainer from Wilmington edged out first runner-up Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, of San Diego, and second runner-up Miss Arizona USA Alicia-Monique Blanco, of Phoenix.

The pageant featured musical performances; Kevin Rudolf performing his chart-topping single “Let It Rock” during the swimsuit competition and The Veronicas performing their hit single “Untouched” during the evening gown competition.

Miss USA 2009 Top 5 Swimsuits Kristen Dalton



Miss USA 2009 Swimsuit Photo Shoot



Miss USA 2009 - Crowning Moment

The father of the adorable child actress in "Slumdog Millionaire" denies a shocking report that he tried to sell his 9-year-old daughter for nearly $300,000.

The News of the World claims that Rafiq Qureshi and his second wife put young Rubina Ali, who starred as little Latika in the Oscar-winning film, on the shopping block. Qureshi reportedly said he "got nothing" from the film, which followed a Mumbai orphan’s rags-to-riches story. Staffers at the British tabloid posing as a wealthy Arab Sheikh couple said they wanted to adopt Rubina and take her to live in Dubai. Qureshi demanded 200,000 pounds, roughly $296,000 — which the dad’s brother said was a bargain because Ali is not an ordinary girl, but "an Oscar child."

Following the shocking News of the World report, Qureshi spoke with the BBC News website on Monday and said, "my daughter is not for sale."

Qureshi, in a lengthy interview, said he had been trapped into a situation of "great temptation," but he firmly denied accepting any deal to sell his daughter or give her up for adoption. Rubina and her father reportedly met three times with two people posing as a wealthy Arab couple from Thursday to Saturday.
After meeting with the couple twice at a Mumbai hotel, both parties met a final time in Qureshi’s hut. It was there when Qureshi says he denied their generous offer. "At this time they went to the memsaab and came back to us with an offer of 500,000 rupees as an advance. We refused, but they kept saying if we accepted the offer the money can be arranged in five minutes."

He also tells the BBC that he now feels deceived by the media.

"They played dirty with us, but we didn’t accept any money from them. My daughter is not for sale."

While Qureshi says he felt the couple pitied him and their poor situation, according to reports published in February, Rubina and her young co-star Azharuddin Ismail, 10, were both given homes by the Indian government for bringing "laurels to the country."

Ethiopia's Deriba Merga overcame the disappointment of his Olympic fade to win the Boston Marathon on Monday, and Kenya's Salina Kosgei won the closest women's race in the 113-year history of the event while Americans took third in both races for the best U.S. finish since 1985.

Merga, who was passed in the last quarter-mile and finished fourth in Beijing, pulled away before Heartbreak Hill and won in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 42 seconds — almost a full minute ahead of Kenya's Daniel Rono and American Ryan Hall.

Kosgei won a sprint with defending champion Dire Tune, trading the lead several times in the final blocks of Boylston Street before hitting the tape less than a stride ahead of the Ethiopian in 2:32:16. American Kara Goucher led the three as they crossed the MassPike into Kenmore Square with one mile to go, but she was outkicked down the stretch and finished 9 seconds back.

The winners will take home $150,000, but Merga had to wait for his traditional laurel wreath: The women's pace was so slow and the men finished so fast that he crossed the finish line before Kosgei had a chance to climb the champion's podium.

Kosgei said the weather conditions made for a difficult finish.

"The wind was a bit stronger. ... So, it was very hard," Kosgei said. "I decided I must try. So, I tried."

No American has won in Boston since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach in 1985, when the U.S. women swept the top three and the men came in second and third. The 2009 race was the slowest since then, a pace that had the men's leaders passing the female stragglers and approaching the final mile as the women were hitting the tape.

Goucher burst into tears and was consoled by her husband, and Tune fell to the pavement for several minutes after the final sprint. Race spokesman Jack Fleming said Tune would not be available because she was receiving medical attention; he did not elaborate.

Goucher's voice cracked repeatedly in the postrace news conference.

"I just wanted it for everybody that wanted it for me," she said. "I'm proud of how I did. I just wanted to be the one that won for everybody."

Kal Penn is leaving the show "House" to work in the White House (or at least, in the Old Executive Office building next door). The actor, best known for his role in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," tells Entertainment Weekly.

I understand it was your decision to leave House. True? KAL PENN: Yes. I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It's similar to what I was doing on the campaign.

Will you actually be working in the White House?
PENN: This particular office is in the executive building. The White House has two buildings: the actual White House and an old Navy building called the Old Executive Office.

Are you there as long as Obama's in office?
PENN: A lot of that stuff is up in the air. This is a relatively recent development.

Safe to say you're taking a huge pay cut?
PENN: Oh, yeah. There's not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. But, obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor.

How long has this been in the works?
PENN: I've been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while. I love what I do as an actor. I couldn't love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service. I went to a performing arts high school, but I still took a bunch of those dorky political science classes. It's probably because of the value system my grandparents instilled in me. They marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and that was always in the back of my head. So the past couple of years I thought about it a little more. And in '06 I started this international studies program at Stanford, where they actually let you do most of the course work online. So it was something I could do while I was acting. And I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else.

Penn's character on "House" committed suicide. Read the rest of the interview here.

Penn urged two undeclared college superdelegates to support Obama in an open letter published on The Huffington Post in May. He was a floor whip at the Democratic National Convention, and starred in a pro-Obama online ad:

A musical based on the Marvel comic book hero Spider-Man will open on Broadway in 2010.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will include the story of the superhero's origins and will feature music and lyrics by U2 members Bono and The Edge.

It will be directed by Julie Taymor, the creative force behind Disney's long-running Lion King.

The musical will open in February 2010 at the Hilton Theatre with preview performances beginning in January.

The show is reportedly the most expensive Broadway production ever, costing $40m (£27.6m).

The Hilton Theatre as it is the only venue big enough to allow the superhero room to spin his way around the sprawling skyscraper sets.

Details on casting, or which villains will appear, have yet to be announced.

Tobey Maguire has starred as Spider-Man in three big-screen versions of the comic book franchise. He is expected to return for a fourth instalment, to be released in 2011.

Vivid Entertainment has made a $1 million offer to Nadya Suleman to make a pornographic video.

In an offer letter obtained by TMZ.com, the president of the pornography studio and distributor Steven Hirsch says the company would release the film under their "Vivid-Celeb imprint, which has released titles starring such personalities as Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian, and most recently, former Miss USA Kelli MCarty."

The site also reports that the company is offering her family dental and health care if she agrees to star in a series of films.

Suleman, 33, known as "Octo-Mom" after giving birth to octuplets earlier this year, has reportedly not replied to the request.

All explicit references to sex and violence have been banned from the airwaves of Jamaica. The Jamaican government has cracked down on certain songs played on Radio there. According to the Associated Press via Google News, "The new rules from the island's broadcast commission ban any song or music video that depicts sexual acts or glorifies gun violence, murder, rape or arson."

The new rules come on the heels of a ban earlier in the month on "dancehall tunes" that depict "daggering" or dirty dancing. Dancehall is highly popular in Jamaica.

Jamaican regulators announced the ban this weekend, which targets largely songs or music videos that depict sexual acts or glorify gun violence, murder, rape or arson.

The airwaves ban comes on the heels of the Feb. 6th ban on dancehall dance style, `daggering,` which places emphasis on sexual simulation in dance. `Daggering,` was released last June by Mr Vegas and the video shows the Jamaican singer offering dance classes out of his home.

2009 Academy Awards Top Three Best Dressed Celebrities

#1 Best Dressed Celebrity at the 2009 Academy Awards - Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei looked great in her white Versace gown. Accentuated with a number of folds, the one shoulder of the gown helped show off her toned body and the pleats of the dress further complimented her red carpet look!

#2 Best Dressed Celebrity at the 2009 Academy Awards - Sara Jessica Parker

Sara Jessica Parker always leaves us waiting to see what she's going to wear down the red carpet at the Oscars and this year was no different! She brought in her 2009 Academy Award appearance wearing a Dior Haute Couture gown that showed off her toned body in only a way she could.

#3 Best Dressed Celebrity at the 2009 Academy Awards - Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep showed us that elegance still counts at the red carpet! She looked absolutely great in her taupe gown and overcome past year's that she made the worst dressed lists!

2009 Academy Awards Top Three Worst Dressed Celebrities

#1 Worst Dressed Star at the 2009 Academy Awards - Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman's purple and pink Rodarte dress with her criss-cross straps on the dress bodice just looked way too boring for this year's Oscars. The dress was definitely colorful, but just didn't fit her style or body.

#2 Worst Dressed Star at the 2009 Academy Awards - Marion Cotillard

Here's a look at the winners for the 81st Academy Awards, at a glance:

Best Motion Picture

• Slumdog Millionaire: Winner

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Milk

Best Director

• Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire: Winner

Stephen Daldry – The Reader
David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant – Milk

Best Performance by an Actor

Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon

• Sean Penn – Milk: Winner

Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actress

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt

• Kate Winslet - The Reader: Winner
  

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role

Amy Adams – Doubt

• Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Winner

Viola Davis – Doubt
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role

Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

• Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight: Winner
  

Best Foreign Language Film

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)

• Departures (Japan): Winner

Revanche (Austria)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Animated Feature Film Of The Year

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda

• Wall-E: Winner
  

Original Screenplay

Frozen River - Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh
In Bruges - Martin McDonagh

• Milk - Dustin Lance Black: Winner

Wall-E - Andrew Stanton

Adapted Screenplay

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth
Doubt -John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan

• Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy : Winner

The Reader - David Hare

Best Animated Short Film

• La Maison en Petits Cubes: Winner

Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

Best Art Director

Changeling - James J. Murakami

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Donald Graham Burt: Winner

The Dark Knight
The Duchess - Michael Carlin
Revolutionary Road - Kristi Zea

Best Costume Design

Australia - Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jacqueline West

• The Duchess - Michael O'Connor: Winner

Milk - Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road - Albert Wolsky

Best Makeup

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Greg Cannom: Winner

The Dark Knight - John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Best Cinematography

Changeling - Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister
The Reader - Chris Menges and Roger Deakins

• Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle: Winner
  

Best Film Editing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
The Dark Knight - Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Frost/Nixon - Wally Pfister
Milk - Elliot Graham

• Slumdog Millionaire - Chris Dickens: Winner
  

Best Live Action Short Film

Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt

• New Boy: Winner

The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Best Original Score

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
Defiance - James Newton Howard
Milk - Danny Elfman

• Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman: Winner

Wall-E - Thomas Newman

Best Original Song

Down to Earth - Wall-E - Music by Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman; Lyric by Peter Gabriel

• Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire - Music by AR Rahman; Lyric by Gulzar : Winner

O Saya - Slumdog Millionaire - Music and Lyric by AR Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam

Best Documentary Feature

• The Betrayal (Nerakhoon): Winner

Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short

The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch

• Smile Pinki: Winner

The Witness

Best Visual Effects

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron: Winner

The Dark Knight - Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin
Iron Man - John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan

Best Sound Editing

• The Dark Knight - Richard King: Winner

Iron Man - Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire - Glenn Freemantle, Tom Sayers
Wall-E - Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood
Wanted - Wylie Stateman

Best Sound Mixing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight - Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick

• Slumdog Millionaire - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty: Winner

Wall-E - Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt
Wanted - Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin, are “thrilled” to welcome the newest addition to their family – son Charlie Axel Woods.

Little Charlie now joins sister Sam, who was born in 2007.

A statement released on Woods’ website says that everyone is healthy and happy, and that the family will “introduce Charlie…at the appropriate time.”

The couple's first child, Sam Alexis, was born in July 2007.

Woods and his wife Elin, a former Swedish model, met in 2001. They were introduced during The Open Championship in 2001 by Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, who had employed her as an au pair.

Woods is currently the world’s #1 golfer and is arguably the best to have ever played the game. He has more career major wins, including 14 major golf championships, than any other active golfer.

Player Franchise Price (US $) Price (INR)

List A

Kevin Pietersen - Bangalore Royal Challengers - 1.55 million - 7.5 crore
Andrew Flintoff - Chennai Super Kings - 1.55 million - 7.5 crore
JP Duminy - Mumbai Indians - 950, 000 - 4.65 crore
Shaun Tait - Rajasthan Royals - 375, 000 - 1.83 crore

List B

Fidel Edwards - Deccan Chargers - 150, 000 - 75.3 lakh
Owais Shah - Delhi Daredevils - 275, 000 - 1.34 crore
Paul Collingwood - Delhi Daredevils - 275,000 - 1.34 crore
Stuart Clark - Unsold
Brad Haddin - Unsold
Chamara Kapugedera - Unsold

List C

Tyron Henderson - Rajasthan Royals - 650, 000 - 3.18 crore
Ravi Bopara - King's XI Punjab - 450, 000 - 2.20 crore
Thilan Thushara - Chennai Super Kings - 140, 000 - 68.6 lakh
Jesse Ryder - Bangalore Royal Challengers - 160, 000 - 78.4 lakh
Kyle Mills - Mumbai Indians - 150, 000 - 73.5 lakh
Nuwan Kulasekara - Unsold
Luke Wright - Unsold
Phil Jaques - Unsold
Ashwell Prince - Unsold
Andre Nel - Unsold

List D

Jerome Taylor - King's XI Punjab - 150,000 - 73.5 lakh
Dwayne Smith - Deccan Chargers - 100, 000 - 49 lakh
Mohammad Ashraful - 75,000
Shakib Al Hasan - Unsold
Morne van Wyk - Unsold
Steven Smith - Unsold
Ashley Noffke - Unsold
Gulam Bodi - Unsold
Samit Patel - Unsold
Darren Powell - Unsold

List E

Tamim Iqbal - Unsold
Jonathan Moss - Unsold
Bryce McGain - Unsold
James Franklin - Unsold
Aiden Blizzard - Unsold
R Sarwan - Unsold
Michael Klinger - Unsold
K Weeraratne - Unsold
Dominic Thornely - Unsold
P Jayawardene - Unsold

List F

M Mortaza - Kolkata Knight Riders - 600, 000 - 2.94 crore
George Bailey - Chennai Super Kings - 50, 000 - 24.5 lakh
Yusuf Abdullah - Unsold
Daniel Harris - Unsold
Kemar Roach - Unsold
Aaron Bird - Unsold
Michael Dighton - Unsold
Michael Hill - Unsold
Brett Geeves - Unsold

The England stars Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen added a dimension to that concept by making money in their sleep on Friday. Former England cricket captains Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff won record contracts of $1.55 million each in the second round of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 auction held in Goa today.

“I was prepared to pay up to $2 million for Kevin Pietersen,” Vijay Mallya, owner of the Bangalore team, said in Goa today. “It was a conscious decision and we wanted him.”

Australia paceman Shaun Tait was the first player auctioned, going to defending champions Rajasthan Royals for $US375,000 ($A574,448), where he will join former Australia teammate Shane Warne.

Teams will be allowed 10 overseas players this season, up from eight in the league’s first edition. The clubs could spend as much as $2 million and choose 17 from among the 43 available players. Australia’s Michael Clarke opted out, citing a busy schedule.

“With the inclusion of these new players, we are better equipped to be a match-winner,” N. Srinivasan, managing director of India Cements Ltd. and owner of the Chennai team. “Last year, we were plain unlucky.”

Kevin Pietersen, who has been valued at more than £1million, will be one of 20 English cricketers involved in the Indian Premier League's player auction on February 6.

Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff were confirmed as 'category A' players on Thursday and will fetch at least $1.35 million (£950,000) and $950,000 (£665,000) respectively when sold at a hotel in Goa on Feb 6.

Flintoff has a minimum price of £950,000, with Harmison and Collingwood priced at £250,000, Bell at £200,000 and Prior at £150,000.

"This [the price] is based upon the 14 league games and not including the semi-final or final," said Modi. "If they play 10 of the 14 games they get paid according to ratio. If they play seven they get half. Everybody is very much looking forward to having England players coming out here. The players are happy they are all able to participate. They are all very good players and I think it will be very good for the second edition of the IPL."

Modi added: "Everybody is very much looking forward to having England players coming out here. The players are happy they are all able to participate. They are all very good players and I think it will be very good for the second edition of the IPL."

Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction to see 112 Overseas Players

Australia
Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Brad Hogg, Beau Casson, Mark Cameron, Peter Forrest, Lee Carseldine, Doug Bollinger, Michael Dighton, Jason Krejza, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley, Shaun Tait, Ashley Noffke, Bryce McGain, George Bailey, Michael Hill, Travis Birt, Chris Swan, Michael Klinger, Ben Edmondson, Aiden Blizzard, Mark Cosgrove, Adam Voges, Shane Harwood.

Bangladesh
Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Rajin Saleh, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal Khan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Junaid Siddique, Ziaur Rahman, Mahumudullah Riyad, Nadif Chowdhury, Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Raqibul Hasan.

England
Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Robert Key, James Foster, Tyron Henderson, Sajid Mahmood, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah, Shaun Udal, Darren Gough, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swan, Luke Wright, Kevin Peterson, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Ed Joyce, Dominic Cork.

New Zealand
Mark Gillespie, Tim Southee, Jesse Ryder, Jeetan Patel, Kyle Mills, Chris Martin, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, James Franklin.

Pakistan
Asim Kamal, Yasir Hameed, Danish Kaneria, Mohd. Hafeez, Yasir Arafat.

South Africa
Gulam Bodi, Rory Kleinveld, Charles Langeveldt, Ashwell Prince, J P Duminy, Martin Van Jaarsveld, Roelof Van der Merwe, Andre Nel, Neil Mckanzee, Yusuf Abdullah, Paul Harris, Johan Botha, Morne Van Wyk.

Sri Lanka
Thilina Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Mahela Udawatte, Dammika Prasad, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushalya Weereratne, Jehan Mubarak, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Malinga Bandara, Malinda Warnapura, Michael Vandort, Prassanna Jayawardane, Upal Tharanga, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Kaushal Lokuarachchi

West Indies
Sylvester Joseph, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard, Andre Fletcher, Kieron Powell, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Smith, Kemar Roach.

Zimbabwe
Vusi Sibanda

A woman gave birth to eight babies in Southern California, the world’s second live-born set of octuplets. The mother, who was not identified, gave birth to six boys and two girls weighing 1 pound 8 ounces to 3 pounds 4 ounces, doctors at Kaiser Permanente hospital told KCAL-TV. “Eight newborns are in stable condition, and they’re doing quite well,” Dr. Karen Maples said. Myra Suarez, a Kaiser spokeswoman, said she could not release any information about the mother, including whether she used fertility drugs. The first live-born octuplets were born in Houston in 1998, and one baby died about a week later.



After she gave birth to seven babies, a California woman -- and the massive 46-person team of doctors that was assisting the birth -- thought she was done.

But one last baby, perhaps hiding behind the others, had other ideas.

When the baby popped out Monday at 10:48 a.m., the woman, whose name the hospital did not release, became the second ever to give birth to surviving octuplets -- six boys and two girls. The last baby came five minutes after the first was born, the LA Times reported.

"It was a shock, especially finding the eighth baby," Dr. Karen Maples of California's Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center said. "My eyes were wide."

The babies were born by Caesarean section nine weeks premature and ranged from 1 pound, 8 ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces. The woman was carrying 24 pounds of baby.

The hospital's delivery team, which was spread out in four delivery rooms, ran each baby from the mother into another room and then ran back for the next in a bizarre relay race that successfully brought eight new lives into the world.

BEST PICTURE

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR

• Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
• David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
• Stephen Daldry, The Reader
• Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR

• Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
• Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn, Milk
• Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

• Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie, Changeling
• Melissa Leo, Frozen River
• Meryl Streep, Doubt
• Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Josh Brolin, Milk
• Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
• Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Amy Adams, Doubt
• Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis, Doubt
• Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Frozen River , Courtney Hunt
• Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
• In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
• Milk, Dustin Lance Black
• WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
• Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
• Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
• The Reader, David Hare
• Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• Bolt
• Kung Fu Panda
• WALL-E

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Duchess
• Revolutionary Road

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Australia
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Duchess
• Milk
• Revolutionary Road

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
• Encounters at the End of the World
• The Garden
• Man on Wire
• Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

• The Conscience of Nhem En
• The Final Inch
• Smile Pinki
• The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306

BEST EDITING

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
• The Class (France)
• Departures (Japan)
• Revanche (Austria)
• Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

• Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
• Manon on the Asphalt
• New Boy
• The Pig
• Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST MAKEUP

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
• Defiance, James Newton Howard
• Milk, Danny Elfman
• Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
• WALL-E, Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• ''Down to Earth,'' (WALL-E)
• ''Jai Ho,'' (Slumdog Millionaire)
• ''O Saya,'' (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST SOUND EDITING

• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E
• Wanted

BEST SOUND MIXING

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E
• Wanted

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man

During her routine with partner Ivan Shefer, Rubleva's dress was inadvertently lowered, revealing her right breast and making life difficult for the rest of their performance.

Consummate professionals, the pair continued with their dance with 23-year-old Rubleva even managing to keep smiling throughout.

The extent to which it helped, or impaired, their score with the judges can't be known but with a score of 29.04 they skated away with 12th place.

Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th President of the US on Tuesday, but not before two stumbles on the way.

As Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. asked Obama if he was ready to take the oath, the president-elect replied in the affirmative.

But then he stumbled twice – beginning with the very first part of the oath, "I, Barak Hussein Obama, do swear…"

There was then a slightly longer pause, as Obama waited for Roberts to repeat the words, “I will faithfully executive the office of President of the United States….”

“Faithfully,” repeated Roberts helpfully.

And Obama then reeled off the line with the ease of the speaker that he is known to be.

Forty-six years after the late iconic civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King--who was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi-- delivered his 'I have a dream' speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Barack Hussain Obama, whose campaign theme was 'Yes, we can," was sworn in at 11.56 am on January 20 as the nation's 44th president.

Obama thus became the first-ever African-American chief executive on the steps of the west front of the Capitol in the presence of over an unprecedented crowd of over two million.

Placing his right hand on President Lincoln's Bible, Obama,47, was administered the oath of office by Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, 53, who was administering his first presidential oath of office after being appointed to the bench three years ago by outgoing President George W Bush [Images].

Interestingly, both Obama and Vice-President Joseph Biden, who was administered the oath of office at 11.46 arm by Justice John Paul Stevens, 88, had both voted against the confirmnation of Roberts while they were both US Senators.

Immediately, preceding the presidential swearing-in were performances by Yo Yo Ma, Anthony McGill, and Itzhak Perlman, and just before Obama began his inuaugural address, the US Marine Corps Ban played 'Hail to the Chief,' amidst a 21-gun salute.

By some stroke of luck this correspondent was assigned a great seat with the periodical press in the green section on the West Front on the Capitol, just at the base of the Capitol Hill steps where the oath was administered.

Looking down at the almost mile and a half down the National Mall were a sea of people the likes of which I had never since ever in my life in Washington,DC in my more than two decades of covering Washington and only three years ago during a pilgrimage of Hajj at Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia where the crowd was in excess of three million people.

Security was unprecedented and each person was methodically checked by going through the magnetometers but we journalists were permitted to carry our laptops, two bottles of water, a couple of energy bars, a note-book and a small camera if we needed to bring one. Also, our cell phones, but with the traffic being so happy with the throngs of people, talking to each other, taking pictures,etc. most often the signal would fade away or die altogether.

But save for the photographers of the major mainstream newspapers and agencies and the leading networks, who were assigned vantage spots, most photographers were assigned National Mall credentials and were amidst the sea of people and obviously constrained to shoot the West Front of the Capitol. And, among them were my two colleagues Paresh Gandhi and Jay Mandal and Paresh had called me to say that my request to him to also snap as many pictures of Indian Americans and South Asian who may be among the throngs were difficult, because everyone was covered from head to toe in layers of clothing to brave the freezing temperatures brought on by the wind chills.

All of us had to leave at about 4 am by the metro trains to make it to the National Mall and the Capitol by 8 a.m when the gates opened. And getting down to DC took more than three hours as the metro as well as the stations were packed and the lines several miles long and then the same story was repeated at the gates were security was stringent though surprisingly brisk.

But the euphoria was palpable and permeating and many of the people I spoke to while waiting in line both at the metro station and downtown clearly acknowledged that they may not even get a glimpse of Obama being sworn in but didn't care because they wanted to just place their feet on the grounds and be 'a part of living history.' Many of them even had their young kids in tow, even though they were aware they would have to be standing for hours and after the ceremony would probably have to walk back miles to a station and a train that could take them back home.

There was clearly a unprecedented number of African Americans and the numbers clearly outnumbered the Million Man March organized nearly a decade ago by Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan.

Many of them sported T-shirts that read 'The Dream Realized,' while there were also some unique one with the faces of 43 white men and the final face, an African American.

History is made, Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the

People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

The tricks skiers can do on the snow these days are amazing, but one who ended up upside down and pantless on a ski-lift had no intention of ending up that way.

The skier and a child tried to get on a high-speed lift at Vail's Blue Sky Basin in Colorado. But since the chairlift's seat wasn't in the right position, the man partially fell through the seat, and was left dangling upside down. Somehow his pants fell down. The lift was stopped, and the man was not hurt.

Vail Resorts says the guy was "suspended for approximately seven minutes," according to The Smoking Gun.

The guy's pride pride might be damaged a bit. Fellow skiers snapped shots of his bare butt.

"We all know what that means," Odom told the Vail Daily News. "I guess it embarrassed Vail Resorts, and they called (my) shop."

The incident happened about 10:30 a.m. on January 1, the man was suspended for seven minutes, then was rescued, said a statement from Vail Resorts. He suffered no injuries.

The FBI wants you. It's looking to hire agents, language specialists, computer experts, intelligence analysts and finance experts.

FBI Special Agent Scott Wilson of the Cleveland field office says the FBI needs to fill 2,100 professional staff vacancies and hire 850 additional special agents. The FBI said on Monday it had launched one of the largest hiring blitzes in its 100-year history involving 2,100 professional staff vacancies and 850 special agents aimed at filling its most critical vacancies.

Wanted by the FBI: agents, language specialists, computer experts, intelligence analysts and finance experts.

Wilson said the two FBI sites can tell you which jobs are available where. He noted that job requirements are listed for the specific jobs.

Special agents have a mandatory retirement age of 57 but there is no age limit for other job classifications. Wilson said special agents are hired between the ages of 23 and 36.

Wilson said the FBI hirings apply not only to the headquarters in Washington D.C. but to nearly all of the 56 field offices, like the one in Cleveland.

"We're also looking for professionals in a wide variety of fields who have a deep desire to help protect our nation from terrorists, spies, and others who wish us harm," Raucci said.

He said the FBI, which has been investigating corporate wrongdoing in connection with the current financial crisis, also needs finance and accounting experts, along with those skilled in physical surveillance and various other employees.

The hiring initiative for FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and for its field offices would replace departed staff and add some employees, officials said. (Reporting by James Vicini, Editing by Jackie Frank)

John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after falling ill and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, police said Friday. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from chief police superintendent Basil Rahming. The family of Oscar-nominated Hollywood superstar John Travolta took a devastating emotional blow when his teenage son died after a seizure while on a family vacation in the Bahamas, US media reported.

Jett Travolta, 16, had a history of seizures and suffered one on Friday "at around 10 am this morning," John Travolta's attorney, Michael Ossi, told CNN. "All attempts to revive him were unsuccessful." The teenager had last been seen going into the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, according to the statement. Police said they are planning an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Young Jett Travolta was the only son of the 54-year-old Hollywood star -- also a trained jet pilot -- and actress Kelly Preston, 46. They have a daughter, Ella, aged eight.

Jett's death "was completely out of the blue," Ossi said on the news network's website. "This is the worst day of John's life."

The precise cause of death was not known, Ossi said. After an autopsy the body will be buried in Ocala, Florida, he said. The family has a home in Ocala as well as in California.

According to past reports, Jett was autistic, a claim his actor father has denied, saying he suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome, a condition that can lead to heart disease, show business news site TMZ.com reported.

Kawasaki Syndrome, also known as lymph node syndrome, affects many organs, including the skin and mucous membranes, lymph nodes, blood vessel walls, and the heart. It was first described in 1967 by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki in Japan. The condition mostly affects children under the age of five.

A Bahamian police report cited by TMZ said Jett Travolta was last seen on Monday going into the family's residence. He was found lying unconscious on the bathroom floor by the caretaker around 10:00 am on Tuesday.

The report said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death.

The teen had a life complicated by health woes from a very young age.

"Preston, who also said Jett suffered from asthma, blamed household cleaners, fertilizers and pesticides for sparking (his health) condition and lobbied for more detailed labeling on chemical products," People magazine said in its online edition.

"She credited a detoxification program based on the writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard with helping to improve Jett's health," People reported.

Travolta, famous for roles on television and in films such as "Grease," "Pulp Fiction" (1994) and "True Colors" (1991), received Academy Award nominations for the gritty disco epic "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) and grittier "Pulp Fiction."

"The Travolta family has become like family to us at Old Bahama Bay and we extend our deepest sympathies to them," said Robert Gidel, president of Ginn Resorts, the property's owner.