Two brand new Eminem singles will be relasing on iTunes before the release of Eminems highly anticipated album Relapse in the month of may. First up will be Old Times Sake featuring Dr. Dre which will be available May 5th. Second single that will be released will be titled Beautiful and will be available May 12th, 7 days before the release of Relapse. The information about these new singles became available through iTunes on the new Eminem: Countdown To Relapse iTunes store page.
Stay tuned to Thisis50.com before these dates as we will try to get our hands on them sooner.

Former Clipse manager and nightclub owner Anthony "Geezy Gonzalez has been charged in U.S. District Court with running a $10 million a year drug ring.



According to federal documents, Gonzalezs 6 year drug empire has allegedly moved 100 pounds of cocaine and over a ton of marijuana through Hampton Roads, Virginia since 2003.



Authorities suspect Gonzalez imported the drugs from Panama Florida, California, and Arizona.



The 82-count indictment states that Gonzalez laundered drug money through several front businesses, including the Clipses booking agency Soul Providers Management.



The federal document elaborates that the defendants painted themselves out as music producers, rappers, entrepreneurs, club owners, clothing designers and other legitimate occupations in order to conceal the true source of their income.



In addition, Gonzalez is accused of making several kingpin transactions, such as purchasing 10 kilos cocaine for $200,000, and 625 pounds of marijuana for $540,000 in 2007.



Gonzalezs Encore Lounge nightclub was allegedly purchased in 2007 for $80,000 and 40 pounds of marijuana.



Earlier this year, the Virginia Beach nightclub closed down after a reputed 100-plus incidents of violence and drug transactions in 2008.



Six other co-conspirators were named in the 60-page document, including a police officer who allegedly tipped Gonzalez off about the coming indictment.



To date, Anthony Geezy Gonzalez remains at large. At press time, the Clipse could not be reached for comment.

Representatives for Hot 97 have denied popular DJ Funkmaster Flexs claims that he would no longer be playing records released by Interscope Records, home to superstar rappers like Eminem, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre.



On his April 21 show, Funkmaster Flex blasted executive Nino Cuccinello at Interscope Records/A&M/Geffen, which also has artists like Soulja Boy, Lady Ga Ga and Akon on the roster.



New York I am talking to a person who makes decisions who does things up there, moving funny style, Funkmaster Flex fumed. Nino is moving so bad. If you are anywhere in the tri-state area, Im talking about people New York that control the music business and they control certain artists that they do not want you to see, but they want the pop stations to have. This is where I come in.



Thats when Flex apologized to Interscope executive Step Johnson and stated that he would not be playing any Eminem or Dr. Dre records.



In todays New York Daily News (April 28), Hot 97 Program Director E-Bro Darden said Flexs statements were entertaining radio that had simply gone too far.



"We've never held back on a whole label's music," Darden told The New York Daily News. "And we won't.



Darden stated that Hot 97 maintained good relationships with various labels and joked: we had to muzzle Flex, ... people know a lot of what he says is showmanship, but that went too far."



In related news, Funkmaster Flexs Custom Show and Bike Tour 2009 will stop in Louisville Kentucky this Sunday (May 3).



Miami rapper Rick Ross will make an appearance at Flexs car and bike show, which is taking place at the Louisville Water Tower from 12-8PM.

Eminem will be on the June cover of VIBE magazine

Just a question. What does love mean to u. How do u know wen ur in love. What do u feel. In ur answers u shuld give believable examples, quotations & facts plz... Thanx.


Nah but 4 real

A Jacksonville researcher has developed a way of sewing up patients after hysterectomies that stands to reduce the risk of complications and simplify the tricky procedure for less-seasoned surgeons.

Oh, and hes 14 years old.

Feel free to read that again.

Tony Hansberry II is a ninth-grader who, as it happens, will be presenting his findings today before an auditorium filled with doctors just like any of his board-certified - and decades older - colleagues would. He would say he was following in the footsteps of Doogie Howser, M.D. - if he werent too young to have heard of the television show.

Instead, he says that his remarkable accomplishments are merely steps toward his ultimate goal of becoming a University of Florida-trained neurosurgeon.

I just want to help people and be respected, knowing that I can save lives, said Tony, the son of a registered nurse mom and an African Methodist Episcopal church pastor dad.

To be sure, he had some help along the way, but, then again, most researchers do. The seeds of his project were planted last summer during his internship at the University of Floridas Center for Simulation Education and Safety Research, based at Shands Jacksonville.

-- Edited by Dj Quiva on Monday 27th of April 2009 07:32:27 PM

An x-ray showing the skull of a Chinese immigrant shot more than 30 times in the head and neck with a nail gun has been released by police in Australia.

They are appealing for help to solve the murder of Chen Liu, 27, whose body was found by two children last year in marshland in south Sydney.
Detectives say the weapon was a gas nail gun used in construction, firing nails up to 85mm (3.3in) long.

Mr Chen arrived in Melbourne in 2000 on a student visa, then moved to Sydney.
A post-mortem revealed he was shot 34 times in the head and neck with a high-powered nail gun.
The weapon has not yet been recovered.

Police have appealed for information from anyone who may have been in the area at the time of Mr Chen's death.

"In 36 years, I've never seen a murder of this nature," Homicide Squad superintendent Geoff Beresford told reporters.

"It's a particularly brutal and vicious murder and hence the reason we are seeking information from the public."

Mr Chen's badly decomposed body was found on 1 November 2008, wrapped in plastic, wire and an electrical cord.

"We believe the perpetrators had every intention of the body not being discovered," Supt Beresford said.

"Certainly there were efforts made to perhaps weigh it down if you like, and it was the force of nature, the tides, whereby the body has been discovered on the river bank."

People on the street panicked, starting yelling and running, with thoughts of 9/11 in the back of their minds.


A White House official tells ABC News that President Obama was "furious" to hear about the incident this morning when Air Force One and Air Force fighter jets appeared to be flying into the Manhattan skyline, scaring many New Yorkers into thinking they were about to face another terrorist attack.

Many buildings in lower Manhattan evacuated. Angry New York politicians lashed out at whoever was responsible for the incident -- which turned out to have been for a photo op.

An explanation was forthcoming in a mea culpa statement issued from the White House.

Last week, I approved a mission over New York," Louis Caldera, director of the White House military office, said. "I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, its clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused.

When President Obama was told about the incident, he was "furious," a White House official says.

Caldera was called into a meeting with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and deputy chief of staff Jim Messina.

"It didn't sound like a fun meeting," the White House official says.

-- Edited by Dee Dre on Monday 27th of April 2009 10:46:52 PM

A family in Montego Bay, St James, is today questioning the death of a 17-year-old relative after he died at the Cornwall Regional Hospital after being brought there with a broken leg on April 9.

THE STAR was told that the deceased, Odain Whittingham, an information technology student at the Montego Bay Community College, was along Gloucester Avenue at 4:45 a.m. when a car got out of control and hit him. He was taken to the hospital at 4:58 a.m.

within minutes

Narel Whittingham, mother of the deceased, said that while her son was taken to the hospital within minutes after the accident, he was not taken to the operating theatre until some 12 hours later.

"He got to the hospital at 4:58 a.m. and he was not put to sleep and taken to the theatre until 6:10 p.m.," she said. "Up until that time he was ok. He was talking and everything. He was even asking one of the doctors if he was going to lose his leg."

Whittingham recalled that at 8:45 a.m., hours before her son went in for surgery, he was given some medication but noted that shortly afterwards rashes came out on his hands and his face became slightly swollen.

"I told a doctor about the rashes and he said he would look at it but I don't remember if he did," Whittingham said.

Later, she said, after he was taken to the theatre, a doctor came out looking for Odaine's parents. After identifying herself, she said she was told that the youngster had died. "The doctor told me that his lungs had collapsed and that his heart had stopped beating," the mother of the deceased said.

"When I saw Odaine afterwards he was swollen and his chest looked puffed up, even his tongue was sticking out of his mouth."

Whittingham bemoaned, "Had the matter been treated like an emergency, then maybe Odaine would have still been here. I am not sure if the medication they gave him is connected to his death but there should not have been such a long delay before he received treatment."

Attempts to get in contact with two doctors who were said to have met with the family in a meeting following the incident were unsuccessful.

tight-lipped

The hospital's chief executive officer, Everton Anderson, said that he had no knowledge of the situation as nothing of that nature had been reported to him. However, he said that the matter would be looked into.

An independent pathologist acquired by the family was tight-lipped about the situation when contacted. The pathologist said that he would not be making any comments about the situation until the final results of the investigation are in.

He said that the post-mortem conducted by the hospital yesterday was inconclusive, but samples were removed from the body for further testing.

Add DMX to the list of troubled celebrities to star in VH1 reality series.

Perez Hilton reports that the Dark Man X is set to star in the third installment of the Dr. Drew-produced Celebrity Rehab series. Bob Forrest, CRs drug counselor, has confirmed Xs participation on the show. No other cast members have been revealed as of press time.

X has a long substance abuse history. The rapper is presently serving a 90-day jail sentence for drug possession, theft and animal cruelty.

Who is a better producer Doncorleon or Stephen"Di Genius"Mcregregor?


-- Edited by KEV on Friday 24th of April 2009 04:04:24 PM

-- Edited by KEV on Friday 24th of April 2009 04:08:59 PM

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=b7d0f2717a2a0d66d1014a7a667fa2b4e04e75f6e8ebb871

Barcelona

Lionel Messimay be the star of this Blaugrana team and he is likely to thrill and delight fans again as usual. But the key to this contest lies right in midfield engine room. Xavi will be supremely instrumental in dictating the rhythm and direction of the game. His team-mates will also be relying on him to retain possession as much and as long as possible to deprive Chelsea of the ball. In-form Andres Iniesta will be expected to carry the team should Messi be completely marked out of the game.

Chelsea

It will indeed be an enthralling contest to watch Frank Lampard square off with Xavi for midfield supremacy. Lamps ability to score goals from deep could have a significant impact, especially if the forward line is starved of service. While he will provide the attacking menace, Michael Essien will be vital in stifling Barcas various number of threats. It will also be up to him to bring the ball out of defence and distribute it forward as quickly as possible.

PREDICTION

Barcelonas secret weapon will be the intimidation factor. Many teams have come to the CampNou and they have shown Guardiolas men far too much respect. Hiddink would do well if he can prevent that from happening to his side.

For Barca, keeping a clean sheet will be more important than scoring an avalanche of goals. The Blues, meanwhile, are aware that they will more likely than not be overwhelmed in Catalunya. Their main aim will be to settle the tie back at StamfordBridge next week and as such away goals will be extremely vital, as they will feel confident of shutting out the Blaugrana in London.

The Spaniards have insisted that they will not change heir attacking style of play while Hiddink has promised not to sit back. This match looks delicately balanced and it could all come down to one tiny mistake either way. But for the first leg, the hosts should have enough firepower to nick a narrow win.

Barcelona 2-1 Chelsea

KS Leong, Goal.com

RACES

Grand Prix	Date	Winning Driver	Team	Laps	Time
Australia	29/03/2009	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	58	1:34:15.784
Malaysia	05/04/2009	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	31	55:30.622
China	19/04/2009	Sebastian Vettel	RBR-Renault	56	1:57:43.485
Bahrain	26/04/2009	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	57	1:31:48.182

DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

Pos	Driver	Nationality	Team	Points
1	Jenson Button	British	Brawn-Mercedes	31
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Brawn-Mercedes	19
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	RBR-Renault	18
4	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	14.5
5	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	12
6	Mark Webber	Australian	RBR-Renault	9.5
7	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren-Mercedes	9
8	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	5
9	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	4
10	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren-Mercedes	4

CONSTRUCTOR'S CHAMPIONSHIP

Pos	Team	Points
1	Brawn-Mercedes	50
2	RBR-Renault	27.5
3	Toyota	26.5
4	McLaren-Mercedes	13
5	Renault	5
6	BMW Sauber	4
7	STR-Ferrari	4
8	Williams-Toyota	3.5
9	Ferrari	3
10	Force India-Mercedes	0

DOES SOMETHING LOOK WRONG HERE?????????

WHERE ARE ALL THE BIG NAMES????? HAHAHAH





-- Edited by biggaman121 on Sunday 26th of April 2009 01:13:37 PM

Alfie Patten, the 13-year-old British Boy who made headlines last week by becoming the daddy of a baby girl, may have not fathered the child after all.

According to The Sun, two other teenagers have come forward claiming that they may be the father of one week old Maisie Roxanne.

16-year-old Richard Goodsell and 14-year-old Tyler Barker claim that they slept with the child's mother, 15-year-old Chantelle Steadman, around nine months ago.

Both teenagers claim that they shared a bed with Chantelle on seperate occasions with consent from her parents and they had unprotected sex with her.

"I know I could be the father. Everyone thinks I am," said Goodsell. "My friends all tell me that the baby has my eyes - even my mum thinks so."

Goodsell claims he had sex with Chantelle three times while Barker claims he only bedded her once.

It was routine for boys to stay over with Chantelle in her bed, said Barker.

Both boys and their parents have reportedly made sworn statements in front of a solicitor detailing their encounters with Chantelle.

Chantelle has denied their claims and says her only sexual encounter has been with Alfie.

I love Alfie. I lost my virginity to him," said Chantelle. "[Those] other stupid boys are lying.

Alfie, who was 12 when he first had sex with Chantelle, strongly believes the child is his and has vowed to take a DNA test.

I am the only boyfriend Chantelles had and weve been together for two years," said Alfie. "When she found out she was having a baby, I asked her, Am I the dad? She went, Yeah. So I believe her."

Dancehall's femme fatale Timberlee is all about entertaining the massive. Capitalizing on the success of her smash "Bubble Like Soup," which still has dancehall fans raving, the stunningly gorgeous Timberlee has embarked on a U.S. Tour to promote her new single "Sexy In My Heels" during the months of April and May. Timberlee recently kicked off her tour before standing room only crowds, rocking a college show in Buffalo and the landmark venue BB King's at a birthday bash for radio personality Bobby Konders.

In the weeks to come, Timberlee is pegged to grace the stage at high profile events through out New York, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Baltimore and Tampa -- just to name a few locales. In addition to promoting the red-hot new single "Heels," the tour has been designed to provide fans with an up-close-and-personal Timberlee experience, while familiarizing the rising artist with her growing fanbase. And of course, at every stop along the way, the ladies are encouraged to come out in their sexiest stilettos. Noted for her beauty and vibrant style, the "Heels" singer is also slated to work the runway during a special appearance on the tour at Caribbean Fashion Rocks in New York.

"This tour will serve as an ideal vehicle of introducing Timberlee to her U.S. dancehall fans," says Timberlee's manager Garfield "Chin" Bourne of Irish and Chin, Inc. "Moreover, Timberlee will get a proper feel for touring and what lies a head in her burgeoning career."

-- Edited by biggaman121 on Tuesday 28th of April 2009 07:54:03 AM

VIENNA, VA. The chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, one of the mortgage giants at the heart of the nation's financial meltdown, was found dead in his basement early Wednesday morning in what police said was an apparent suicide. David Kellermann, 41, apparently hanged himself in his suburban Washington home, said a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. He asked not to be identified because the investigation was ongoing.

Kellermann was promoted last September when the government seized the mortgage company and ousted its top two executives. Neighbors said Kellermann had lost a noticeable amount of weight under the strain of the new job. Some neighbors said they suggested to Kellermann should quit to avoid the stress, but Kellermann responded that he wanted to help the company through its problems. The neighbors did not want to be quoted by name because they didn't want to upset the family.

Kellermann oversaw a staff of about 500 at Freddie Mac's McLean, Va., headquarters and was working on the company's first-quarter financial report, due by the end of May. Federal regulators closely oversee the company's books and sign off on major decisions.

That relationship has been tense and stressful, with Kellermann working long hours, a colleague said. Freddie Mac executives recently battled with federal regulators over whether to disclose potential losses on mortgage securities tied to the Obama administration's housing plan, said a person familiar with the deliberations who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Freddie Mac, which owns or guarantees about 13 million mortgages, has been criticized for financing risky loans that fueled the real estate bubble and are now defaulting at a record pace. The company lost more than $50 billion last year, and the Treasury Department has pumped in $45 billion to keep the company afloat. Last month, David Moffett, the government-appointed chief executive, resigned in frustration over strict oversight.

Kellermann worked for Freddie Mac more than 16 years, starting out as a financial analyst and auditor.

Freddie Mac and sibling company Fannie Mae have both come under fire from lawmakers because they plan to pay more than $210 million in bonuses through next year to give workers the incentive to stay in their jobs. Kellermann got $170,000 and was to receive another $680,000 over the next year.

Federal prosecutors in Virginia have been investigating Freddie Mac's business practices. But two U.S. law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the Freddie Mac investigation, said Kellermann was neither a target nor a subject of the investigation and had not been under law enforcement scrutiny.

Police responded to a 911-call at 4:48 a.m. at the suburban Virginia home Kellermann shared with his wife Donna and 5-year-old daughter Grace.

Paul Unger, who lives across the street from the Kellermanns in the Hunter Mill Estates community in Fairfax County, called the family a "solid, salt-of-the-earth kind of family" that hosted the neighborhood's Halloween party. "He was just a nice guy ... You cannot imagine what kind of pressures he must have been under," Unger said.

Kellermann graduated from the University of Michigan and was such a fan of the school's sports teams that he named his boat the "Wolverine Dream 2." He later went to business school at George Washington University and started at Freddie Mac in 1992.

Jeffrey Martin, a lawyer and high school classmate from Bay City, Mich., recalled that Kellermann wanted to be "Alex P. Keaton," the television character played by Michael J. Fox on the 1980s sitcom "Family Ties."

Kellermann "knew he wanted to climb the corporate ladder, and he climbed the corporate ladder," Martin said.

This is at least the fifth high-profile executive suicide in as many months.

In January, German billionaire investor Adolf Merckle, who lost a fortune in shorted Volkswagen stock, threw himself under a commuter train. Patrick Rocca, an Irish property investor who lost millions when the real estate market bottomed out, waited until his wife took their children to school before he shot himself in the head. Outside Chicago, real estate mogul Steven Good was found dead in his Jaguar, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

And three days before Christmas, Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet killed himself in his 22nd-floor office in Manhattan. He'd lost his entire savings, and his clients' money, to Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme.

News of Kellermann's death came as a shock to employees of the McLean, Va.-based company, with those who knew Kellermann tearing up on Wednesday morning and a quiet mood prevailing. Senior executives at the company heard the news on local radio before going to work.

Freddie Mac canceled a bond offering on Wednesday and top executives visited the family's home to offer condolences. John Koskinen, the company's interim chief executive, spoke to workers at an 11 a.m. staff meeting mourning Kellermann's loss, telling employees that they could use the company's counseling services and take time off if necessary.

In statement e-mailed to employees and the media, Koskinen called Kellermann "a man of great talents .... His extraordinary work ethic and integrity inspired all who worked with him."

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a statement that "our deepest sympathies are with his family and his colleagues at Freddie Mac during this difficult time."

And Michael Ferrell, executive director of the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless, where Kellermann was a volunteer board member, described him as a "compassionate, dedicated and committed."

Con artists have devised yet another means to feed their criminal ways, this time scamming authorised retailers of Digicel Flex cards, particularly, those who sell them in voucher form, out of thousands of dollars.

The Star has learnt the scammers recently called at least one supermarket in St Andrew pretending to be employees of Digicel. They then told an employee that there was an error on the 'system' and that Digicel needed all the voucher numbers for the $1,000 Flex Cards in order to correct the problem.

After being told the voucher numbers, the crooks then ended the call. Reports suggest that the criminals then sold the phonecards at a bargain price by not charging the stipulated tax.

Attempts to ascertain the overall value of the vouchers swindled from the supermarket were unsuccessful. One Digicel employee, however, told The Star that scammers made off with more than $100,000 in Flex credit in a similar incident last year after they tricked employees at a popular restaurant into giving them the voucher numbers of the cards they were selling.

plaguing retailers

The phone company has also confirmed the theft, stating that scammers have indeed been plaguing retailers.

Digicel's head of Consumer Sales, Patrick King, told The Star that "from time to time, persons will attempt to acquire credit by this route. However, only on very few occasions is it ever successful".

He said the company had already been holding training sessions with resellers to c****at this and any other such situation. "These training programmes educate resellers on how best to manage their inventory to minimise losses as a result of theft or fraud," he said. "We also send out advisories to our dealers whenever we are made aware of any such incidents."

King said he was not sure if the matter had been reported to the police as it would be the reseller who would have taken that step and not necessarily Digicel. He also urged customers to purchase cards from only legitimate resellers.

Baby Shaker is an iPhone/iPod game that shows an image of a baby, coupled with audio of an infant crying. The user shakes the handset and red x's appear in place of the childs eyes. Click play again and you're presented with another, different image and more crying.

You can sorta see how such an application would strike a bum note with some folk. Shaken Baby Syndrome is a term used to describe the constellation of signs and symptoms resulting from the violent shaking of an infant or small child. According to the National Center On Shaken Baby Syndrome, research shows crying as the number one trigger leading caregivers to violently shake and injure babies. SBS affects thousands of babies and parents in the United States.

Aside from the National Center On Shaken Baby Syndrome being pretty upset by the application (along with countless other groups/people touched by SBS), many wondered how Apple would let an application like this slip through the approval process when other apps had been rejected for containing swear words. Apple responded to press inquiries yesterday with the following apology:

"This application was deeply offensive and should not have been approved for distribution on the App Store. When we learned of this mistake, the app was removed immediately. We sincerely apologize for this mistake and thank our customers for bringing this to our attention."

Joining the tradition of superstars whose fed up with carry a group (ie: Michael Jackson from the Jackson 5, Laryen Hill from the Fugees, Beyonce from Destiny Child etc.). Nicole Scherzinger has left the P**ycat Dolls.
Yahoo! Music News reports, the singer plans to launch a solo career and will officially leave when the girl band complete the promotion of new album "Doll Domination".

There has been no official comment on the news although celebrity blogger Perez Hilton recently drew attention to latest single "Jai Ho", which was credited to 'P**ycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger'.

"The big reason most people believe is that Nicole has actually now LEFT the P**ycat Dolls but is still remaining with them until the 'Doll Domination' era is over", he wrote.

Scherzinger is rumoured to be considering making a record with her boyfriend, Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton.

Lost in all the hoopla these past couple of days re: Fiddy, G-Unit, Dipset and what have you (you could say we were knee deep in it) was this story in Newsweek on the new most powerful man in Hollywood - who just so happens to be a member of the hip-hop community. Well, sort of.

Going on 20 years after the fact, its weird to think that Will Smith began his career as just a rapper, rather than an actor. Though hes put out albums at least as recently as 1999s god-awful Willenium, hes been in TV and film for most of the time hes been a public figure. And hes been ridonkulously successful at it - so much so, in fact, that hes now considered the most powerful actor in Hollywood.

As the story in Newsweek explains, it used to be the case that power lists in Hollywood were topped by either Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise. But recently, both of them have fallen off - Tom Cruise went all crazy on Oprah that time and hasnt been quite right since, and Tom Hanks has grown a bit too long in the tooth to play anything other than somebodys grandpa.

Will Smith, meanwhile? Not so much. At 38, hes not exactly a spring chicken, but you know how black people tend to age better than white people. Nullus. Shes not the mother of all of his kids, but there havent been any rumors of him creeping around on Jada Pinkett, especially with any young white chicks. And, perhaps most importantly, hes yet to be invited to any $cientology meetings.

Since 1996s Independence Day, which grossed over $800 million worldwide, hes been in a pretty steady string of hit movies, including the likes of Men in Black, Hitch, and I, Robot.. Even the relatively dark (by Will Smith standards) The Pursuit of Happyness, for which he was nominated for last years requisite Magical Negro Oscar, was one of last years highest grossing films.

The Newsweek story doesnt provide any clue as to his net worth, but you have to assume this jig is getting over like a fat rat. The best paid actors in Hollywood are making $25 million per film up front, not to mention whatever insane amount they make on the back end, provided the film becomes a big hit. And obviously thats been the case more often than not with Will Smith.

Is it any wonder, then, that so many rappers attempt to make the leap to a career in film? (The other day, when Miss Jones suggested Fiddy Cent was about to give up rap music for a career in film, he replied that she must have been reading his mind.) I mean, even shitty actors were making more money than rappers back when hip-hop was still worth a shit, let alone in a time like this.

Call it the stimulus package from God.

Manhattans Riverside Church - one of the countrys most illustrious religious institutions - is paying its new senior pastor, the Rev. Brad Braxton, more than $600,000 in annual compensation.

Thats twice what Braxtons predecessor, James Forbes, one of the countrys best-known preachers, was getting after running Riverside for more than 18 years.

It amounts to almost 10 times what William Sloane Coffin, the legendary anti-Vietnam War clergyman, was paid in his last year as senior minister at Riverside in 1987.

Braxton was selected in a vote of the congregation last fall and is to be officially installed Sunday.

A group of church dissidents claims the members were never told about the lavish package.

Church sources say it includes:
# $250,000 in salary.
# $11,500 monthly housing allowance.
# Private school tuition for his child.
# A full-time maid.
# Entertainment, travel and professional development allowances.
# Pension and life insurance benefits.
# An equity allowance for Braxton to save up to buy a home.

On top of that, Braxton immediately hired a new second in command at more than $300,000 a year.

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE NEW YORK DAILY STORY

 

Do you think its acceptable for a Reverend to make that kind of money in a recession?

Top 5 Most Dangerous Cities:

No. 1 Detroit, Mich.

(Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,951,186

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,220

No. 2 Memphis, Tenn.

(Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,295,670

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,218

No. 3. Miami, Fla.

(Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 2,401,971

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 988

No. 4 Las Vegas, Nev.

(Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,834,533

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 887

No. 5 Stockton, Calif.

(Stockton, Calif., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 684,406

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 885In March 2008, Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with eight felonies, including perjury and obstruction of justice. In August, he violated his bail agreement and was thrown in jail. His actions were deplorable for anybody, but Kilpatrick was no Average Joehe was the mayor of Detroit.

Unfortunately for the Motor City, Kilpatrick, 38, is just one ripple in the areas sea of crime. Detroit is the worst offender on our list of Americas most dangerous cities, thanks to a staggering rate of 1,220 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people.


Detroit has, historically, been one of the more violent cities in the U.S., says Megan Wolfram, an analyst at iJet Intelligent Risk Systems, a Maryland-based risk-assessment firm. They have a number of local crime syndicates therea number of small gangs who tend to compete over territory.

Detroit was followed closely on the list by the greater Memphis, Tenn., and Miami, Fla., metropolitan areas. Those three were the only large cities in America with more than 950 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people.

Behind the Numbers

To determine our list, we used violent crime statistics from the FBIs latest uniform crime report, issued in 2008. The violent crime category is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. We evaluated U.S. metropolitan statistical areasgeographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for use by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statisticswith more than 500,000 residents.

HAMILTON, Ohio A school spokesman said a southwest Ohio teacher has resigned after acknowledging she accompanied four female students to a male strip club. Butler Tech school district spokesman Bill Solazzo said the 47-year-old teacher resigned Thursday.

He said the teacher told Edgewood High School administrators that the students, all cheerleaders, asked her to take them to the bar in February.

The teacher told school officials in an e-mail that she got permission from the parents of the 17- and 18-year-olds to bring them to the club.

The teacher taught marketing at the school and previously served as a coach for the district's eighth-grade cheerleaders.

Read

 

 

A man, who reportedly held his girlfriend hostage inside their home and had sexual intercourse with her against her will, was taken before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

The 27-year-old man, who lives in England, but came here to live with his girlfriend, is facing charges of rape and abduction.

 

love interest

The court was told that both the complainant and the accused man lived in England. They, however, came to Jamaica and the complainant decided to stay after finding a job.

It is alleged that the accused came to the island to spend time with the complainant, but locked her inside the house and used a kitchen knife to threaten her and prevent her from leaving. The court was told that he forced himself on her on several occasions.

 

be intimate

A lawyer representing the accused told the court that the 25-year-old complainant had found another love interest in Jamaica. The lawyer said the complainant told the accused about this and they decided to try and work things out.

She said the accused was invited to the island by the complainant. The lawyer told the court that the complainant was never held against her will. She added that while the accused was staying with the complainant, he asked her to be intimate and she refused and he left it at that. She said the complainant was trying to frame the accused so he could be deported and she would be free to be with her Jamaican lover.

The accused was granted bail and his brother accepted as surety. The matter is to return to court on May 11.

At an advanced screening of X-Men Origins: Wolverine last night in Los Angeles, director Gavin Hood introduced the film by announcing that they've included multiple after-the-credits endings spread across several prints of the film, meaning folks will have to visit multiple theaters in order to watch them all. Hood did not reveal exactly how many endings there were; the one at last night's screening apparently included Deadpool, according to First Showing.

Some of you might remember a similar stunt taking place for the film adaptation of Clue, which seemed like a more obvious choice to include multiple endings since the board game plays out the same exact way. But this move by 20th Century Fox has not only become a signature of the new big-screen Marvel universe -- it's also a fairly smart way to entice folks to theaters after an almost-but-not-quite-there version of Wolverine leaked online last month. Last night's after-the-credits ending lasted roughly 25-30 seconds; the rest of them (however many there are -- I'm guessing 3-6) probably run about the same.

Even though all the different endings will most likely find their way onto YouTube the weekend this film hits theaters, do you think it's enough to win back at least some of the money lost to piracy? Was something like this even needed in the first place?

X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters on May 1.

A representative for imprisoned Hip-Hop star DMX has shot down reports that he will be starring in the upcoming season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew.

Reports hit the Internet that DMX, born Earl Simmons, would be starring in the third season of the series with addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinksy.

Several media outlets have reported that my client Earl Simmons, aka DMX has signed on to appear in VH1s Celebrity Rehab reality show, DMXs publicist Pam Pinnock told AllHipHop.com. These reports are false and Mr. Simmons has not greed to appear in any reality show. Mr. Simmons is currently serving a 90 day jail sentence at Tent City Jail in Arizona.

The rapper has a well known history of drug use, petty arrests and run-ins with the laws.

Currently, DMX, 38, is serving the 90-day jail term after he pleaded guilty to charges of theft, drug possession and animal cruelty.

He also ran into trouble in jail, when he allegedly refused to complete work assignments and medical treatment.

While incarcerated, he was also charged with suspicion of aggravated assault, after he reportedly through a dinner tray at a corrections officer.

DMX was scheduled to be released from prison on April 30, but that release date has been postponed.

He [DMX] has expressed great appreciation to the overwhelming amount of support he has received from his fans during this difficult time, Pinnock told AllHipHop.com. He would like his fans to know that he is taking this time to focus on his personal as well as spiritual growth, and is looking forward to being released soon.

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has insisted that facing Lionel Messi in the Champions League does not worry him.

The Blues take on Barcelona in the first leg of their semi-final in midweek and Hiddink admitted he is a huge fan of the Argentinean.

I love the way he plays. Nature gave him a lot of gifts. Players like him make football very attractive to see, he told the News of the World.

Of course, we want to stop him, but we will never use means that are outside the rules or that are violent.

Messi has been in sparkling form this season and is expected to have a major influence on the game, particularly as Chelsea will be without Ashley Cole for the first leg in the Camp Nou.

The job of marking Messi is therefore likely to fall to Jose Bosingwa, who played at left-back for the Blues against West Ham United yesterday, although Chelsea do have other options such as Michael Mancienne, Branislav Ivanovic and Juliano Belletti.

Whoever plays is likely to endure a difficult evening, yet Hiddink insisted that his side could stop Messi as a team, rather than relying on one player.

I know it will be difficult to stop him. He is world-class. But I am not waking up in the night worrying about it, he explained.

I just know that everybody in my team must be ready to mark and tackle, because Messi and Barcelona interchange positions so much.

We will stop him as a team, not through any individual.

Yo i know us women do dramtic things to get a attention but what the f**k.Pardon my french, i just have one word ...it's britney bitches puff must not be paying her enough attention lol. Then again knowing puff he probably told to do it to get some publicity attention cuz her music is garbage. pretty girl gone wrong. I'm singning out your truly shorty

About Proof's death ...

When I say I went into a dark place, it feels like I literally crawled into a hole. There where days I'd sit around all day and take pills and try to numb myself. It was almost an excuse for me to take more pills, like I just lost Proof, so it's ok for me to take a couple of pills. I was spiralling out of control with my thoughts, with the drugs, with everything. When I would go into the studio, I kept trying to write songs about him. I think I might have wrote and recorded at least 5 or 6 songs about him. None of them came out the way I wanted them to, and all of them made me depressed. All of them made me go deeper into that hole... Nothing I wrote was good enough for him. Everything was like, self loathing.
Did you ever take any personal responsibility for what happened to him?
Yeah, I went through that kind of thing as well. I felt like "Well maybe if I would have been with him at the club that night... He knows I was trying to get him to chill out and stop going to the club so much".

How much did you react to all the conflicting information that came out immediately following the incident?

I got a bunch of conflicting stories, a bunch of conflicting things and none of them ever made sense to me. There were things that I"d heard that they were saying that Proof shot the dude first. It's so not his character to do that. There were other stories that matched what I knew Proof would have did. I had to go through the process in my head of like, regardless of what happened, it happened. It's not gonna bring him back. I don't know if I've accepted it is the right word but I'm dealing with it. Life for me will never be the same.

With all the hype surrounding your comeback and with the terrible state of the record business, the hip hop business in particular, do you feel like you're coming back to save your label, or hip hop as a genre, or even the music industry as a whole?

I don't know if I feel like I'm coming back to save anything like that. I mean obviously,if I can you know save the label and help generate more money for that, that's great too. But the truth is, i get bored just sitting around. I'm ready to be back out there. I love to be respected for the music that I make and that's what I'm in it for.
The beautiful thing about this record is, I don't expect it to do anything... Money is not necessarily something that I need anymore, so I'm doing it because I want to do it. I'm doing it because I want people to hear the music and like the music.. if people like it, cool. If they don't they, don't. I certainly would like the benefits of what would come with it. If it could help generate more money for the label then that's good. But at the end of the day, it's just about the music.

Pictures of you came out last year where it looked like you'd gained a lot of weight. You're back looking real chiseled now. What happened?

I gained a bunch of weight in my time off. I got lazy. I was eating a lot, just because the pills make you feel hungry. Then just this past year, I got clean, I got sober, and I started running. I had a knee surgery last year but as soon as I could, I hit the treadmill. So I run every day. The last couple of weeks, I've been up to 10 miles a day. I've been trying to really push myself. Just to see how much I could actually run, but I don't know what the f**k I'm doing. At the end of the day, I'm an addict. So I have addictive behavior. So I'm obsessive compulsive about a lot of things. I'm obsessive compulsive about my music. I'm obsessive compulsive about working out. I can't do nothing in moderation. You'd think that the the signs like all the addiction runs in my family, I would have been a little more hip to that. But I just... I guess I wasn't.

When did you know that it was time for you to go to rehab?

There were a bunch of moments where I felt like, I want to do it, I want to do it. Ah, maybe now is not the time. Maybe I'll just do this for a little longer. I started realizing like I took a break from the spotlight and I felt like I wanted to be with my family and spend more time with my kids and stuff like that. But the whole time, I'm walking around the house high most of the time. So I'm missing out on the best parts of their lives. There were several moments. And it got to the point where the guilt that I started feeling inside for doing the s**t... I wasn't fooling anybody but myself. I had to come to that realization. At the time, I'm 35 years old, how long am I going to keep doing this? I felt like I needed to grow up, and if I didn't grow up, it was like now or never.

Besides Dre, you've been working with 50 Cent again too. How is your relationship with 50? He's going through this whole battle with Rick Ross, with this Pimpin' Curly stuff. how do you view all of it?

Mine and 50's relationship has always been the same. It's always been good. If anything, we've gotten closer in the last few years. 50 will just come to my house and stay the night. Stay the weekend in one of the bedrooms and just hang out. And we talk about s**t. I mean a lot of our talk is about music you know. But we just - we talk about s**t and we just make jokes and hang out. It doesn't always have to be about business. You know, he's going through this Rick Ross thing which is kinda his thing. I guess, you know, at the moment, it's just let 50 do 50. I think that the Pimpin' Curly s**t is f**kin' hilarious though. I'm sorry, to me that's when 50's at his best. When he's doing the funny s**t. In real life, 50's a f**kin' clown man. He's actually a really funny dude.

The Government of Grenada has denied performance work permits to popular Jamaican Dancehall Artist Adija Palmer aka Vybz Kartel, and his band. The red-hot entertainer, whose controversial lyrics have brought him lots of media attention both in and out of Jamaica, was scheduled to perform a rap-it-up concert in Grenville St. Andrews on Sat. May 2nd 2009, where his popular Daggering condom was to be officially launched. Vybz Kartel, who is well known for his hard hitting ghetto lyrics and rival showdowns with popular Artist Marvado, has been leaning towards more positive messages in his songs, with emphasis on respecting Women and Mothers and hints of Rasta-fari teachings. His recent condom campaigns for saving lives have also been well received. Vybz Kartels recent release Mama has taken the charts by storm, and the Artist will be doing several performances in the Caribbean, to include neighboring Trinidad and Tobago on May 8th 2009. No reason was given by the Ministry of Labour in Grenada for the refusal of the work permits, but the sensitive issue of censorship or freedom of expression may have been at the forefront. The promoter of the event is claiming thousand of dollars in losses and is now seeking legal advice, since neither himself nor the Artists were aware of the Governments blacklisting. Vybz Kartel last performed in Grenada Dec. 5th 2008 to a sold out audience. The promoter will like to apologize to the public for the Cancellation of the event, which was beyond his control and looks forward to their continued support

The Lions officially unveiled their (sort of) new logo yesterday, and it is indeed the same one that was accidentally leaked via a toy truck about a month ago. But it's official now, so you can go ahead and get those new Lions tattoos.

It might even be a little bit of a stretch to call this a "new" logo. It is, after all, still a blue silhouette of a Lion. This one just has a little more of a mane, a snarling grill, an eyeball, separated front legs, and some definition between his back legs.

I think the idea is that if the old lion and the new lion were in the same advertisement in the back of a 1982 comic book, the new lion would be kicking sand in the face of the old lion. But let's be honest here. With the meek and gentle reputation that became attached to the old P**ycat through years and years of losing, the Sacramento Monarchs logo looks fierce by comparison.

What do the fans think? Actually, all they did throughout the whole press conference was to continually shout for Aaron Curry. And I don't blame them. When you're coming off an 0-16 season, rarely is the logo at the top of anyone's list of concerns. For example, no one in Detroit had this conversation last year:

Fan 1: Man, we went 0-16. We are awful. This franchise is in terrible shape.
Fan 2: I know. And you know what's worse? Our lion logo doesn't even have a discernible mouth!

You'll get a better look at the new logo on Saturday at the draft, when the Lions present a hat and jersey to a new player, and from the sounds of things, one that the fans don't want.

 

While the secret service contemplated his pleas, the President was allowed to use his Blackberry for personal use provided he used a Sectera Edge for work. The Sectera was basically a monster that had been deemed secure enough to transmit secret data.

A report in the Washington Post today claims Obama's new, souped up Blackberry is on the way and its nearly finished. The WP says the top-secret BlackBerry 8830 is in the final stages of development by the NSA, which will check to make sure its encryption software meets federal standards. If all goes according to plan, Obama will have the device in the next few months.

The NSA are using SecureVoice, a type of software developed by Genesis Key Inc. According to the WP, SecureVoice turns 8830s or Curves into a device designed to defeat hackers, eavesdroppers and spies.

So Obama is replacing his Sectera with a Blackberry, but apparently, the President isnt the only one wholl be getting one of these super-secure RIM devices. Others expected to bag a tweaked 8830 include top aides as well as the first lady herself.

TOLD U HE WAS GONNA FLOP THIS 9:AM




THIS IS 1:PM



2PM: This report came in from the street:

There is a guy outside the Best Buy cajoling/begging people to go to the signing. No joke.

2:15PM: A flyer is handed out:


THERE'S MORE AT www.thisis50.com

RnB singer Bobby Valentino and the Gully God Mavado have been lacing each other's songs recently.

Big fans of each other's music, the link was made by Mavado's management and resulted in Bobby inviting Mavado to jump on the remix for his "Hands on Me" single.

In turn, Bobby has also sung on Mavado's ladies anthem "Never Believe You," which will drop in time for Summer.

Atlanta native Bobby Valentino's last single "Beep" was a certified smash and he has also been enjoying huge airplay with the hook on Lil Wayne's platinum monster "Mrs. Officer."

G-Unit was performing last night in Columbia, MD as part of a tour with FallOutBoys. Pics of them performing in front of 10,000 people..The show was crazy!
video coming soon.

Pictures off Twitter


Follow 50 Cent

Lloyd Banks

Tony Yayo

Hot Rod

Thisis50

 Manchester United players dominate the list of nominees for the PFA player of the year awards, with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard the only non-United player out of the six contenders.

 

 

Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand,Ryan Giggs and last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldoare all in the hunt for the prize, which was voted for before the recent dip in form of United's quintuple-chasers.

Veteran midfielder Giggs has won the Premier League a record 10 times and at 35-years-old this could represent his last chance to add the senior players' award to the two Young Player of the Year accolades he collected in the early 1990s.

Although his somewhat sentimental inclusion could look a little strange if Liverpool or Chelsea, who have no-one in the list for either the senior or young player prize, go on to win the league title.

Gerrard could benefit from a split vote for United players as David Ginola did during the 1999 treble-winning season, a fact which still irritates Sir Alex Ferguson.

Van der Sar is included after he kept a record 14 consecutive clean sheets earlier in the season and Ronaldo could become the first player to win the gong three times in succession.

However, the favourite to lift the trophy at Grosvenor House on April 26 remains Vidic, another ever-present during United's record run of clean sheets.

Apart from a dismal performance in the home defeat by Liverpool last month which culminated in a sending off and a two-match ban, Vidic has hardly put a foot wrong all season.

United also have two contenders to be crowned young player of the year in Jonny Evans andRafael Da Silva.

Evans has enjoyed an outstanding season, stepping in for Ferdinand on a regular basis but arguably Rafael, an 18-year-old Brazilian, has made an even more startling impact.

There is plenty of competition though, with Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young both making the final six in recognition of Aston Villa's brilliant first half of the campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur's Aaron Lennon also caught the eye of his fellow professionals, although it could be argued Manchester City's Stephen Ireland has enjoyed the most consistent season and is most likely to succeed Cesc Fabregas.

Ireland might have courted controversy earlier in his career but the youngster has put all that behind him this term with some stellar performances that have outshone Brazilian duo Robinho and Elano.

Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has reacted to the nominations by suggesting some of his squad would be in the frame if voting was at the end of the season.

"What I believe is that the PFA players of the year decisions are all made in February," the Frenchman said. "But February is not a really important time and that means the players who are rewarded are those who played well until February.

"Now is the most important time of the season - April, May - so I believe these awards just reward the players of the first six months of the season.

"A player who has been out until January has no chance to be voted but he can still be very influential for the rest of the season.

"If they vote in May I hope some of my players would be in there because that would mean we have done well tomorrow and later."

 
Cristiano Ronaldo's astounding early goal left Sir Alex Ferguson to go head-to-head with old rival Arsene Wenger for a place in the Champions League Final as they beat Porto 1-0 in the Dragao Stadium to win 3-2 on aggregate.

The emergence of Chelsea and Liverpool may have taken the edge off battles between Manchester United and Arsenal over the past few years.

But the renewal of hostilities promises to be almost as spectacular as the Ronaldo strike that created it.

The sixth-minute effort was his 20th goal of the season and only his second in the Champions League since completing that astonishing haul of 42 in last year's final in Moscow.

There was certainly no doubting it was worthy of winning any game, and earning United the accolade of becoming the first English team to beat Porto on their own ground.

As almost a side issue, it also keeps the Red Devils on track to win the quintuple in a season they have brought back to life at just the right time.

In calling for the spirit of Turin `99, Ferguson also knew if that momentous evening was to be repeated, he would have to go through the agony of being two goals down before a famous victory could be achieved.

Ronaldo however, has his own history book to fill.

A repeat of last season's 42-goal tally was never likely to be repeated in a campaign delayed because of ankle surgery.

But the 24-year-old has still make a significant contribution to United's attempt to land an unprecedented quintuple, even if, like so many of his team-mates, he has looked a little off the pace in recent weeks.

There could have been no better stage to signal his renewed intent.

Apart from his beloved Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo is roundly jeered when he returns to one of the major clubs in his homeland, Porto being no exception.

They recognise his talent, though, even if no-one expected what followed when Ronaldo collected Anderson's short pass closer to the halfway line than the opposition goal.

Sensing a little trepidation in home ranks, Ronaldo let rip with a shot as brutally powerful as it was audacious in its intent.

Porto keeper Helton did not have a chance of keeping the ball out as it flashed past him to give United the start Ferguson could not have dreamed.

Had Nemanja Vidic been able to keep his close-range effort under the crossbar after John O'Shea had got the faintest of touches to a Ryan Giggs corner just before the interval, the Red Devils would surely have completed their task in half the time allotted.

Unfortunately, the Serbian missed, allowing Porto to nurse plenty of hope during a half-time team-talk delivered by Jose Gomes as banned coach Jesualdo Ferreira apparently watched on TV at a secret location outside the stadium.

After his major blunder last week, Bruno Alves was determined to make amends and threatened Edwin van der Sar's goal on three separate occasions during that opening period.

But this was United at their belligerent best. Their intent showed in the reaction of a normally phlegmatic Dimitar Berbatov to losing possession and, after a public rebuke from his manager last weekend for not doing enough for the team, an apologetic wave of regret from Ronaldo after a misplaced pass.

Just as Vidic spurred the chance of a second immediately before the break, so Berbatov did the same just afterwards when he wriggled his way into the Porto penalty area.

Porto took it as their cue to mount another offensive.

But with Rio Ferdinand back alongside Vidic after his recent groin strain there was an authority about United's defending that had not been in evidence since before they were dismantled by Liverpool five games ago.

There was experience too, with Ryan Giggs and Van der Sar taking just long enough over their set pieces not to incur the wrath of Swiss referee Massimo Busacca while eating up vital seconds.

The introduction of Nani for Berbatov midway through the second period hinted at a strategy of counter-attacking at pace.

It was certainly Porto carrying any threat that did exist and Rolando was too close for comfort with a far post header.

Yet this United were different to what has been almost the shadow side that has existed before now.

And while they did not exactly coast home, the visiting supporters were celebrating victory long before the final whistle confirmed it.

 European champions Manchester United will probably have to rely on more than another winning goal from teenager Federico Macheda to eliminate Porto from the Champions League on Wednesday.

 

Macheda, 17, came on as a substitute in the last two Premier League matches to score crucial winners against Aston Villa and Sunderland.

 

But United will have to tighten up in defence, be more creative in midfield and overcome mental tiredness to eliminate Porto, who surprised many people with their pace and fighting spirit in last week's 2-2 draw in Manchester.

 

United recovered from going behind to an early Cristian Rodriguez goal and led 2-1 with five minutes left following goals by Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

 

But a lack of defensive concentration allowed Mariano to equalise in the dying minutes.

 

"We only have ourselves to blame. It just exemplified the fragile nature of our defending at the moment," United manager Alex Ferguson said.

 

Ferguson's main concern is the sudden fragility of his defence which looked all but impregnable this season until Liverpool thrashed them 4-1 at Old Trafford a month ago.

 

United have since conceded seven goals in four matches and Ferguson will hope England defender Rio Ferdinand recovers from a groin injury.

 

Ferguson should be able to field striker Dimitar Berbatov who has recovered from an ankle which ruled him out of the first leg.

 

"It's a difficult job now," Ferguson said of his team's bid to become the first English team to win at Porto's Dragao Stadium.

 

Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira said the quality of his side's display at Old Trafford was even more important than the two away goals.

 

"I highlight the performance which gives us confidence and optimism. There were periods in which we were brilliant," he said.

 

Plaudits for the team's fearless show have left the club brimming with confidence that they can eliminate United again, just as they did on route to winning the trophy under Jose Mourinho in 2004 but no one is getting too carried away.

 

"The 2-2 result is very positive but there are still 90 minutes left. If we want to reach the semi-finals, we have to be humble as Manchester United have a lot of quality," captain Lucho Gonzalez said.

 

Possible teams:

 

Porto: 1-Helton; 2-Bruno Alves, 14-Rolando, 21-Sapunaru, 28-Cissokho; 8-Lucho Gonzalez, 16-Raul Meireles, 25-Fernando; 9-Lisandro Lopez, 10-Cristian Rodriguez, 12-Hulk

 

Manchester United: 1-Edwin van der Sar; 22-John O'Shea, 5-Rio Ferdinand or 23-Jonny Evans, 15-Nemanja Vidic, 3-Patrice Evra; 24-Darren Fletcher, 16-Michael Carrick, 1aul Scholes; 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 10-Wayne Rooney, 9-Dimitar Berbato

LONDON (AFP) Guus Hiddink has vowed to carry the fight to Barcelona in this week's Champions League semi-finals as he steels himself for his biggest test as Chelsea's interim manager.

The Dutchman believes it would be suicidal to sit back and try to contain the La Liga side's vast array of attacking talents, even though the Blues have the advantage of playing the second leg at Stamford Bridge eight days later.

Instead, he has urged them to pose their own problems against a side whose defence is far from watertight.

"It is a huge clash against the best team in Europe, possibly the world," said Hiddink, after Chelsea's 1-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday.

"But we should not go there and drop back, wait and wait until the storm is coming.

"We must take what is in our team and do some harm as well. That is always our intention in big games. If we wait, we will have problems."

Hiddink didn't learn much from his team's scrappy win at Upton Park on Saturday, although it did underline a few well-known facts.

They are that few sides are more adept than Chelsea at churning out victories, while significantly short of their best, that Frank Lampard is the undisputed heartbeat of the team; and Petr Cech, whose second-half penalty save from Mark Noble preserved the lead, has rebuilt his confidence.

Hiddink refused to even read much into the steady performance delivered by Jose Bosingwa at left-back.

The Portuguese had been redeployed from his favoured right flank to prepare him for the task of subduing Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp, where Ashley Cole is suspended, but West Ham winger Luis Boa Morte hardly stretched him before he was taken off mid-way through the second half.

"It's hard to compare West Ham and Barcelona," Hiddink said, not unreasonably.

"It's hard as Messi is one of the best players in terms of efficiency and the beautiful football he plays. It's a big challenge for Jose but it will be good if he can neutralise him. He's confident."

The same applies to Lampard. The England midfielder has been Chelsea's best performer this season and he was quietly impressive again at West Ham, where he graduated from the academy only to commit the cardinal sin of quitting for Stamford Bridge in 2001.

He was baited with tedious predictability by the home fans but, once again, shrugged off the insults to deliver a stand-out performance.

He also set up the winning goal, charging to the by-line and chipping to the back post, where Salomon Kalou poked home, and then seemed to be the target of objects thrown by the crowd during his celebrations.

"I rested some players but I didn't suggest that to Frank, I didn't even talk to him," Hiddink said. "He would have looked at me as if to say: 'Why are you doing that?'

"These guys with big personalities, they want to play every game. Maybe some time in the near future I will have to tell him he's not going to play, but I will not be able to look at him if I do."

Victory kept alive Chelsea's faint English Premier League title hopes - they are four points behind leaders Manchester United who have a game in hand - while delivering a serious dent to West Ham's chances of earning the seventh-place finish that will deliver Europa League football next season.

It also provided a sour ending to an otherwise fulfilling day for manager Gianfranco Zola, who signed a new four-year contract immediately after the final whistle.

"We have a project here that we are taking forward, with the coaching staff, (director of football) Gianluca Nani and (chief executive) Scott Duxbury," said Zola.

"We are working together, we believe in the project and we will do everything we can to make it happen."

On Magnum Kings & Queens who is the baddest DJ?????

                       
                                    POOR&BOASTY vs R.C
                                              
                                               OR

                                       TIKI vs DESTINY


                                       

                          

Tallest 14 -y-o in Jamaica?

-- Edited by Crazypickney at 19:21, 2008-04-16