Adam Lambert hit all the right notes on `Idol'

By ERIN CARLSON,AP Entertainment WriterAP - Thursday, March 26

NEW YORK - Adam Lambert showed his softer side on "American Idol," earning a standing ovation for his smooth performance of "The Tracks of My Tears."

Guest mentor Smokey Robinson, who originally performed the classic song with the Miracles, rose to his feet after watching the 26-year-old theater actor hit all the right notes during Wednesday's Motown-themed installment of the "Fox" singing competition.

Lambert, who's from Los Angeles, ditched his rocker duds for a sleek silver suit and smoothed his black hair back into an Elvis-style pompadour.

Judge Simon Cowell said Lambert delivered the night's best performance and became a star in his eyes. Fellow judge Kara Dioguardi agreed, saying Lambert showed "true artistry."

The four judges were also equally impressed by the vocal stylings of Allison Iraheta, Matt Giraud and Kris Allen. Cowell liked Allen's cover of "How Sweet It Is" but said the 23-year-old married heartthrob from Conway, Ark., needs to show more swagger and confidence.

Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey scored mixed reviews for their respective renditions of "Heat Wave" and "Get Ready." Cowell told Rounds, 24, of Memphis, Tenn., she'd missed a potential "Idol"-defining "moment" by picking the wrong song (he'd rather hear the soul singer belt "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"). But the cranky judge had harsher words for Gokey, deeming the 28-year-old crowd pleaser "clumsy and amateurish."

Michael Sarver and Megan Joy had a tougher time on stage. Judges slammed Sarver's cover of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg." Even sugary-sweet Paula Abdul chimed in, comparing the 27-year-old oil rig worker from Jasper, Texas, to an old-school Vegas lounge act.

Joy, 23, of Sandy, Utah, was targeted for her shaky take on "For Once in My Life." Cowell called Joy's performance "horrible" while Randy Jackson declared it a "train wreck" and "mad crazy."

One of the 10 finalists will be sent packing on Thursday's elimination show _ unless judges act on the new rule that allows them to save a favorite contestant they feel has been unfairly booted by voting viewers.

___

On the Net:

http://www.americanidol.com

Abu Sayyaf Beheading threat

By JIM GOMEZ,Associated Press WriterAP - Thursday, March 26

MANILA, Philippines - Militants holding three Red Cross workers threatened to behead one of the hostages if Philippines troops do not withdraw from the al-Qaida-linked group's southern stronghold, officials said Wednesday, but the military rejected the demand.

The latest threat was made by Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad to a government emissary on Jolo island, where the three International Committee of the Red Cross workers _ two Europeans and a Filipino _ have been held since Jan. 15, said Jolo Gov. Abdusakur Tan, who heads a task force dealing with the hostage crisis. The group said they would carry out the threat in a week.

The military said the Abu Sayyaf cannot be trusted and refused to honor the demand. The militants reneged on an earlier pledge to free a hostage last week after nearby troops complied with their initial demand to move back.

"We have eased the pressure for a short while, but they did not make good their promise to release one of the hostages," military chief Gen. Alexander Yano said. "We will not move further."

A government official who has been in touch with the Abu Sayyaf by phone told The Associated Press he was warned by Parad last Monday that one of the Red Cross workers would be beheaded after a week unless marines and government militiamen surrounding a militant stronghold near Jolo's Indanan township pull back farther.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not part of the task force dealing with the crisis.

Tan said a government emissary was separately told by the militants that the deadline for the troops to withdraw to Jolo town, near Indanan, is Tuesday. Tan said he will not give in to the demand, calling it "tantamount to surrendering" his predominantly Muslim province to "criminals."

The hostages _ Swiss Andreas Notter, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba and Italian Eugenio Vagni _ were abducted Jan. 15 while inspecting a Jolo prison water project.

Fears for the hostages' safety mounted after marine snipers last week fired at the militants trying to breach a loose military cordon, sparking two days of clashes that killed three marines and up to seven guerrillas.

The hostages were not harmed, but Parad later threatened to kill all of them if another clash erupted or if the military tried to rescue them.

"We're still keeping our eyes on the kidnappers. We have not moved back too far as to allow them to escape," military spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said. "We have not changed our objectives _ first to safely rescue the ICRC aid workers and secondly, to neutralize the kidnappers."

Aside from Parad, who has been blamed for past kidnappings and beheadings, marine officials believe government forces have surrounded other Abu Sayyaf commanders and Indonesian militants they have been hunting for years.

The Abu Sayyaf has about 400 gunmen and is on the U.S. list of terrorist groups for its links to al-Qaida and involvement in kidnappings, beheadings and deadly bomb attacks.

___

Associated Press writer Hrvoje Hranjski contributed to this report.

Rapper-actor Francis Magalona succumbs to cancer

Multi-awarded Filipino rap icon Francis Magalona has passed away at the Medical City in Mandaluyong around noon today. He was 44.

According to TV reports, this was announced by actor Vic Sotto in the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga, where Magalona used to be one of the hosts. Magalona, considered as a major pillar of rap music in the country, was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2008. He is survived by his wife Pia Arroyo and children Unna, Nicolo, Francis Jr., Elmo, Arkin, Clara, and actresses Maxene and Saab. - By Dino Maragay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Manny-Ricky Tix Info

By Boxing News January 28th, 2009

PACQUIAO and HATTON SET A DATE!

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT

TO TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, MAY 2 AT

MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS

TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, JANUARY 30

LAS VEGAS, (January 28, 2009) - Two of boxing’s biggest stars will meet in the ring in what could be the year’s biggest pay-per-view event. Five-division world champion MANNY “Pac Man” PACQUIAO and Ring Magazine and IBO World Junior Welterweight champion RICKY “The Hitman” HATTON will rumble for Hatton’s World Junior Welterweight Championships Saturday, May 2 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. These two boxing artists will have a 20 x 20 foot canvas to paint a black and blue masterpiece that the world has been waiting to see. Pacquiao and Hatton boast a combined record of 93-4-2 (68 KOs), a winning percentage of 94% and a victory by knockout ratio of 73%.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton, a 12-round bout for Hatton’s Ring Magazine and IBO World Junior Welterweight titles, is promoted by Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions in association with MP Promotions and Hatton Promotions.

Tickets priced at $1000, $750, $500, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Friday, Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

“When Manny Pacquiao goes into the ring he fights for his country, the Philippines, and tens of thousands of Filipinos worldwide. He is a tremendous athlete and unlike any other champion we have ever promoted. When Manny walks to the ring he carries the weight of his country on his shoulders and he fights with all of his heart, every second of every round.”

“We are very excited that this fight has been made, as it is the fight fans wanted and the one I look forward to seeing myself,” said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “This fight has all the makings of a “Fight of the Year” candidate and I think Hatton will de-throne Pacquiao and become boxing’s pound-for-pound king.”

“MGM Grand is thrilled to be hosting what we anticipate will be one of the biggest fights of 2009,” said Richard Sturm, president of Sports and Entertainment for MGM MIRAGE. “As we continue our tradition of hosting the top names in sports and entertainment, this spectacular boxing match will not only be a battle between two great champions but will offeran electric and international atmosphere for the fans.”

Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) secured his claim as the 2008 Fighter of the Year, a year reminiscent of what Hall of Fame fighter Henry Armstrong did in 1937-1938, winning three fights in three different weight divisions, two of which were world titles. Armstrong is the only man to hold three world championships simultaneously, capturing world titles at featherweight, welterweight and lightweight (in that order) during a nine-month span between November 1937 and August 1938. Pacquiao, officially proclaimed a National Treasure by the Philippines, captured the WBC World Super Featherweight title last March by defeating Juan Manuel Marquez and the WBC World Lightweight title in June by knocking out defending champion David Diaz. He completed his personal trifecta by stopping Oscar de la Hoya in a welterweight battle on December 6. Pacquiao’s last two victories were in his debut fight in each weight division with the latter fight being two full divisions above his previous fight. Pacquiao, 30, has won 24 of his last 25 bouts, blitzing through boxing’s best fighters since 2003 including Erik Morales (TKO 10, KO 3,), Marco Antonio Barrera (TKO 11, W 12), Marquez (D 12, W 12,), Diaz (TKO 9) and De La Hoya (KO . Pacquiao was previously named the 2006 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine.

“I always like new challenges which is the reason I am anxious to fight Ricky Hatton. My trainer Freddie Roach will put together a new game plan which will be much different than the one we used against Oscar (de la Hoya). There are concerns because Hatton is a very strong puncher so I must deal with that in the ring. I promise I will be completely prepared and will do my best for all of my fans in The Philippines.”

The storied career of Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs), an international superstar hailing from Manchester, England, began in 1997 and for the last 12 years he has been thrilling fight fans around the world with his aggressive style in the ring and down to earth attitude outside of the ring. Owner of victories over world champions Kostya Tszyu, Vince Phillips, Paulie Malignaggi, Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Urango and Carlos Maussa, Hatton is a two division world champion. He fell short of the pound-for-pound best fighter title and world welterweight championships in his 2007 super-fight against Floyd Mayweather. However, the 30-year-old bounced back impressively at his natural weight of 140 pounds last May when he scored a near shutout 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Lazcano. His most recent fight was a scintillating shutout performance against world champion Malignaggi last November, ending with an 11th round TKO for “The Hitman”. Hatton was honored as the 2005 Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

“I’m really excited to get back in the ring in Vegas after beating Malignaggi in November,” said Hatton. “I am confident that I am the fighter to take down the pound-for-pound champion and I believe I will be victorious on May 2.”

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Turkey plane crash in Amsterdam

A Turkish Airlines plane has crashed on landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol international airport, injuring at least 20 people.

The plane, with 135 passengers on board, crashed short of the runway near the A9 motorway and suffered significant damage.

It was Flight 1951 from Istanbul and was a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Witnesses have spoken of seeing at least 20 passengers walking from the wreckage, with luggage scattered about.

There were 127 passengers, including a baby, and seven crew on board.

Earlier reports said there was one dead, but Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim later clarified that no-one had died.

Dutch television reported that rescuers had been hampered in getting to the scene because the field was recently ploughed.

The BBC's Geraldine Coughlan in the Hague says television has been showing pictures of helicopters at the scene, with about 20 ambulances and fire engines.

All flights have been suspended.

The last crash involving a Turkish Airlines plane was in 2003 when 65 people died in an accident in Turkey.

Schiphol airport has six runways and one major passenger terminal. In 2007, it handled 47 million passengers, ranking fifth in Europe.

News link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7909683.stm

'Human error' hits Google search

Users were warned that all search results were dangero

Google's search service has been hit by technical problems, with users unable to access search results.

For a period on Saturday, all search results were flagged as potentially harmful, with users warned that the site "may harm your computer".

Users who clicked on their preferred search result were advised to pick another one.

Google attributed the fault to human error and said most users were affected for about 40 minutes.

"What happened? Very simply, human error," wrote Marissa Mayer, vice president, search products and user experience, on the Official Google Blog.

The internet search engine works with stopbadware.org to ascertain which sites install malicious software on people's computers and merit a warning.

Stopbadware.org investigates consumer complaints to decide which sites are dangerous.

The list of malevolent sites is regularly updated and handed to Google.

When Google updated the list on Saturday, it mistakenly flagged all sites as potentially dangerous.

"We will carefully investigate this incident and put more robust file checks in place to prevent it from happening again," Ms Mayer wrote.

How Michael Phelps Screwed-up His Google Reputation in Just 24 Hours

In case you missed the news, Olympic superstar Michael Phelps was caught on camera smoking cannabis from a bong.

Say it with me: IDIOT!

While Phelps has admitted the photo is legitimate–and apologized to his fans–there can be no doubt that for an athlete of Phelps’ caliber, any scandal that involves drugs is going to have a hugely negative effect on his reputation.

To prove just how quickly a squeaky clean Google reputation can come crashing down, here’s a look at Michael Phelps’ Google reputation after just 24 hours!

If the swimmer’s sponsors decide that they no longer wish to be associated with a drug-taking athlete, Phelps could lose as much as $100 million in endorsements.

Some observations:

1. It didn’t take very long for the negative news to hit Google’s search results.
2. Despite many, many positive web pages about Phelps, this proves that a scandal can easily infiltrate the first ten links.
3. Google is already suggesting “michael phelps smoking weed” as an alternative search suggestion. What’s interesting is that this is not showing up in Google Suggest for the search box, which indicates that the “searches related to” algorithm at the footer of search results may be based on very recent search queries–with Google Suggest using a larger timescale for its suggestions.

If anyone has the address for Phelps’ agent, please let me know so I can send them a copy of Radically Transparent.

By:

Author Archive for “Andy Beal”

Andy Beal is the founder and editor of Marketing Pilgrim. Considered one of the world's top experts in online reputation management, Andy is also the coauthor of Radically Transparent and founder of Trackur.com.