Michael Bradley says USMNT has a chance to make Azteca crowd turn against Mexico

The Mexican national team is winless in the World Cup qualifying Hexagonal. And they're reminded about it every single day.

The pressure from the media and fans has been relentless on El Tri and US midfielder Michael Bradley feels that the USMNT can use it to their advantage in Tuesday night's qualifier at the Estadio Azteca (10:30 pm ET, ESPN and Univision, Live chat on MLSsoccer.com). 

"Let's be honest, the pressure is on them," Bradley said during a Monday roundtable session with media. "The pressure for them at home, at Azteca to come out and not only play a good game but to win is huge."

Continued Bradley: "I think if we can start well and if we can show them early on that now we're going to close them down and we're going to make the game difficult for them and not just going to sit so deep and let them have the ball the whole time. I think that will start to put them under pressure and at a certain point there's a chance that the crowd can turn on them."

There is already a precedent for that. In Mexico's first Hexagonal home game on Feb. 6 against Jamaica, which shockingly finished 0-0, the Estadio Azteca fans began jeering their own team and serenaded the Jamaicans with "olé" chants.

But in order for the USMNT to even think about playing well enough to win over the 100,000-plus crowd on the road Tuesday night, they'll need to make sure they play with a lot more energy and fight than they did in their last Hexagonal away match in Honduras. That ended in a 2-1 loss.

Bradley says the team had a frank, internal discussion about what has been missing in their more lackluster displays.

"We talked as a team last week about feeling like in this past stretch we had let a few of the things that are so important to us come down a few notches," he said. "The commitment, the determination, that heart, winning mentality. The willingness of every guy who steps on the field to run and to fight for every other guy on the field.

"So when you talk about winning big games and winning hard games and winning games on the road and qualifiers on the road, those things have to be there," Bradley continued. "Maybe for me, if I'm looking closely, I look back and feel like at times in those games that those qualities didn't shine through as much as they normally do and as much as they have to to win big games … that part is not negotiable. Those qualities, that commitment, that determination and that mentality has to be there and it can't ever come down at all."

The AS Roma midfielder was not in the squad for the USMNT's first-ever win at the Estadio Azteca last August. But he has a good feeling about what could take place on Tuesday night.

"It's a game where we feel like it's come at a good time. We're confident. We're excited," Bradley said. "If you look at the development of our team, we're ready to come here and play them on even terms."

Fergie Debuts Baby Bump At Kids' Choice Awards

After weeks of hiding her growing belly beneath baggy clothes, mom-to-be Fergie proudly debuted her baby bump on Saturday.

Stepping out at The Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, the pregnant singer wore a short, form-fitting, brightly-colored Mary Katrantzou dress that showed off her tiny tummy.

The Black Eyed Peas singer, 37, paired the dress with a pair of yellow Roxane heels and wore her blond hair down in loose waves.


Fergie - whose husband, Josh Duhamel, hosted the notoriously slimy award show - made an appearance in the show's opening number and was later photographed in the audience, flanked by fellow singers Selena Gomez and Katy Perry.

Josh and Fergie, who tied the knot in 2009, announced they were expecting their first child via Twitter in February, using a twist on a line from the BEP's hit, "My Humps."

PHOTOS: Hollywood's Hottest Moms & Their Little Ones

"Fergie and Me and BABY makes three. #MyLovelyBabyBump," Josh Tweeted at the time, while Fergie wrote, "Josh & Me & BABY makes three!!! #mylovelybabybump."

Jay Leno Out? NBC Picks Jimmy Fallon as 'Tonight Show' Successor

It appears that Jimmy Fallon is a go to replace Jay Leno as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" -- and that the long-running late-night offering will be packing its bags for a cross-country move.



According to the New York Times, NBC has "made a commitment" to Fallon, who currently hosts the network's "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," airing after Leno. (The TImes says, however, that a deal has not yet been struck.)

The Times says that NBC is also building a studio in the network's New York headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to accommodate the switch in hosts. (Fallon currently tapes "Late Night" in New York; "Tonight" was originally filmed in New York, before moving to Burbank, Calif., in 1972.)

As for when Fallon would assume Leno's duties, the Times reports that the transition is slated for a fall 2014 timetable, when Leno's contract expires.

A spokeswoman for NBC has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment.

Leno took a couple of pointed jabs at NBC brass on his show this week, after a report that he and NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt had an argument over Leno's previous "Tonight Show" digs about the network's ratings.

"Well you know the whole legend of St. Patrick, right?" Leno cracked during his monolog on Monday night's show. "St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland, and then they came here to the United States and became NBC executives. It's a fascinating, fascinating story."

Tuesday night found Leno landing another shot at NBC's expense, over -- uh-huh -- the network's ratings.

"Did you hear about this? A 28-year-old woman from Serbia has a rare brain condition where she sees everything upside down," Leno joked. "The good news? She's now been given a job at the White House as President Obama's economic adviser. Isn't that crazy? It's unbelievable. She sees everything upside down. In fact, she thinks NBC is at the top of the ratings."

Indian actor Sanjay Dutt sentenced in weapons case

India's Supreme Court sentenced Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt to five years in jail Thursday for illegal weapons possession in a case linked to a 1993 bombing that killed 257 people in Mumbai.

The court ordered Dutt to surrender to police within four weeks on the charge of possessing three automatic rifles and a pistol that were supplied to him by men subsequently convicted in the bombing.

The actor's case was part of a sprawling Mumbai bombing trial that has dragged on for 18 years. Dutt maintains that he knew nothing about the bombing plot and that he asked for the guns to protect his family — his mother was Muslim and his father Hindu — after receiving threats during sectarian riots in Mumbai.

The Supreme Court had earlier sentenced Dutt to six years in prison. He served 18 months in jail before he was released on bail in November 2007 pending an appeal in the top court.

The court had earlier acquitted Dutt of the more serious charges of terrorism and conspiracy.

Dutt's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said the 53-year-old actor would take some time before deciding on his next step.

Despite his brush with the law and his stints in jail, Dutt's Bollywood career flourished over the past two decades. He gained enormous popularity for a series of Hindi films in which he played the role of a reformed thug who follows the teachings of nonviolence advocate and Indian independence hero Mohandas Gandhi.

Rosario Dawson and Danny Boyle Split, Ignore Each Other at Trance Press Junket

Rosario Dawson and Danny Boyle's May-December romance is over, Us Weekly has confirmed. The actress, 33, and the Oscar-winning director, 56 began dating after production wrapped on their upcoming film Trance.

"From the outside it looks like there's a lot of dissimilarities, but we actually have a lot in common. We're really similar people. He's a very kind man," said Dawson, who told Access Hollywood she made the first move during an October 2012 interview. "It was just one of those things where we were going to just go our separate ways had someone not said something."

Dawson described her then-love as a "really brilliant human being" and a "very, very lovely, kind man." British filmmaker Boyle -- known for helming hits like Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Trainspotting -- declined to talk about their courtship during an interview with The Mail on Sunday's Live magazine March 2, though he did praise his ex for her lack of vanity.

Despite their kind words for each other, there was palpable tension when the two reunited for the Trance press junket in L.A. over the weekend, a source tells Us. "Rosario and Danny didn't interact during interviews," the source says. "It was pretty obvious they're no longer a couple."

The source adds, "He was talking to a group of people when she arrived and it was awkward -- like a cold greeting, no hug, and they got through it as quickly as possible."

Prior to romancing Boyle, Dawson dated Sex and the City star Jason Lewis for two years. Though they shared a pad in L.A., the actors separated in November 2006. Dawson also dated French DJ Mathieu Schreyer from 2008 to 2011.

EA’s Full Spectrum Takes A Step Forward For LGBT Gamers

The video game industry walks a social tightrope. Games are held to a ridiculous amount of scrutiny from both sides of the political spectrum, with controversies erupting over issues like race, gender, violence and sex. Electronic Arts has taken a beating over many of its games, especially titles like Mass Effect and Dragon Age where players have the option of engaging in same-sex romances. Even small steps like creating a gay-friendly planet for the online RPG Star Wars: The Old Republic resulted in anti-gay groups being outraged, while gay rights activists claimed it wasn’t a big enough step. EA took an even bigger step forward to address LGBT matters this week with their “Full Spectrum” event.

Held at the Ford Foundation New York this week, Full Spectrum gathered together lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender personnel from the press and gaming industry to discuss how video game publishers can further the interest of the LGBT community. Far from a dry seminar on workplace diversity, the event involved several lively panels where designers, activists and journalists debated issues like how publishers can prevent in-game harassment of gay players, and ways to include gay characters in storylines.

In a panel moderated by Hilary Rosen, former CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, Rosen reminded those present that video games have grown from “A subculture in the basement” to a major business and that it is time for the industry to define itself, socially.

On Rosen’s panel, members debated whether publishers should make it easier to report inappropriate behavior in online games, or if it the consumer’s duty to “Change the channel” when a particular game develops a reputation for an intolerant player base. The ESA’s Dan Hewitt pointed out that hostile “Trash talk” is an integral part of the competitive nature of online gaming, while others suggested that community managers should crack down on common epithets.

Also present for Full Spectrum was Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Raven. He became embroiled in controversy for supporting same-sex marriage. Although he fielded questions about his EA sports in-game character, Ayanbadejo focused on the lack of openly gay athletes in major sports, and the need for a “Gay Jackie Robinson” to break the new barrier.

Unfortunately, as often happens with LGBT events, the “B” and “T” were not fully addressed with most of the discussion focusing on gay issues. A few panelists spoke on the need to distinguish between the needs of the gay community, and the transgender and bisexual communities, so hopefully the next Full Spectrum will more closely examine the differences of these intersecting, yet distinct groups.

In his introduction to the Full Spectrum event the president of the Ford Foundation, Luis A. Ubinas, pointed out that positive television portrayals of gay characters in the show Will and Grace did more to further gay rights than preachy social programs.

Video games haven’t had their Will and Grace yet, although great strides have been made in recent years with games like EA’s own Mass Effect 3 which lets players choose the option of a gay protagonist, while Saints Row The Third let players create a transgender hero through sex change operations and crossdressing. Hopefully the game industry will get the interactive equivalent of Will and Grace soon, and gamers will find themselves controlling a canonical gay or transgender protagonist.

SimCity Servers 40 Times Faster After Latest Patch

The SimCity server issue are starting to die down now, and after a pretty disastrous launch, EA and Maxis are finally getting things back up and running for more players. ”Maxis continues to make huge progress in addressing the lag and server-capacity issues we experienced at launch,” Lucy Bradshaw wrote in her second open letter to the SimCity community. “We’ve improved our server response time by 40x, we’ve doubled the number of players in the game at the same time and reduced server down times.” It’s still pretty shocking to see this happen to one of the biggest releases this year. You can check out Bradshaw’s official update to fans below.

“I’ll keep this short since almost everyone who cares is busy building cities and making friends in SimCity.

Maxis continues to make huge progress in addressing the lag and server-capacity issues we experienced at launch. We’ve improved our server response time by 40x, we’ve doubled the number of players in the game at the same time and reduced server down times.

The situation is good, but not good enough. And since my boss is one of the negatively affected (!) – we’re still driving hard to get everyone online, playing together, and no hitches.

Tens of thousands of new players are logging in every day. For that support – that commitment from our fans — we are deeply grateful. More than anything, we know that information is important to our players. Our Twitter chat today made that especially clear, and I want to say thank you sharing your ideas, your issues and for being, well, nicer than I thought you would be, given everything you’ve been through. Thank you.

The new servers we rolled out have a new faster set up. We are now dedicated to updating our original servers so that those of you who have been playing these past few days can get the benefits on servers where your cities are played. To do this, we will have to take the original servers down one by one to upgrade them.The improvements will be worth the downtime, and thanks for hanging with us as we do this. We’ll also be adding more tonight as well. We’ll be sending out detailed info shortly through our community forums and launcher.

That’s it for today. We’ll keep you updated on what’s to come. Expect the first of our server upgrades to start this evening.”

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII: 5 Ways To Make It Memorable

Final Fantasy XIII is a very polarising series within the Final Fantasy series. Critical reviews haven’t been awful, and compared to earlier games in the FF series, it’s hard to proclaim that FFXIII and its sequel are the worst games of the series. Nevertheless, the games don’t live up to Final Fantasy’s lofty heights set in recent years. It’s hard to imagine that the third game in the FFXIII series will garner much support. Many (including myself) question why we needed a third game (well, aside from the the cliffhanger ending in FFXIII-2), but since we are, here a list of requirements to make the game memorable and lift the FF name again.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII: 5 Ways To Make It Memorable
5) Weapon And Armor Customization

Seeing as how we’ll be primarily (if not only) controlling Lightning throughout the game. Thus some mechanism of variety needs to be inputted in place of traditional character variety on the battlefield. One way to make up for this approach is to provide a lot of customization options. These options need to be versatile, not just improved specs over time but, customizations that allows freedom of playstyle and also varies in usefulness dependent on enemy.
4) Optional Dungeons With Bosses

Optional side-quests aren’t FFXIII’s strongest suite. Part of that is due to lack of variety, but another part is also due to having no real optional dungeons to explore and loot. Lightning Returns: FFXIII should incorporate optional dungeons back into the game’s world and also supply challenging bosses to face in these dungeons. Treasure and loot obtained should also be worthwhile.
3) Close The FFXIII Story

The story in the FFXIII universe is all over the place. The concept story was probably too big to be incorporated into a single series, let alone game. But enough is enough. FFXIII suffered from over-reliance on the datalog, whilst FFXIII-2 suffered typical time-travel plot problems. Neither really provided a full story either. Lightning Returns needs to end the saga. I know it has been mentioned that this will be the final game in the series, but Square-Enix still need to make sure they provide a competent ending.
2) Keep Funny Dialogue Options

Weirdly, one of the best things to come out of FFXIII-2 was the dialogue choices incorporated into the game. An added bonus being that there was a consistently ‘funny’ dialogue option to choose where the characters would poke fun at each other or say weird and random things. Oddly enough, this brought colour to the game and the characters. It was also a decent reason to replay the game, just for those dialogue options. It would be nice to see this feature return in Lightning Returns.
1) Battle System Variety & Harder Difficulties

The battle system in the FFXIII series has its share of fans and haters. I personally like the system, and I’d rather have variety in the battle system of the Final Fantasy series than re-hash the old. The one thing I will say though, is that there needs to be more variety in battle appraoch. For the most part, the system has you build up the stagger meter and then go all out attack. This happens too many times though, and there should be more variety in this approach. In FFXIII, there were a handful of battles where you couldn’t stagger the enemy, and these were a lot of fun to fight. There should be more approach to battles. In addition, there should be harder difficulty levels (if incorporated) compared to what was in FFXIII-2.

Future “Atelier” Games May Be Getting A Japanese Voice Option

A lot of Japanese role playing game fans prefer to play their games with the original japanese dub: while this was understandable a few years ago, when English dubs were quite mediocre, with the current localization quality for a lot of Japanese games, it’s not so understandable anymore. Still it’s better to have a dual language option than not to have an option at all.

Yoshito Okamura, Gust Game Director for Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist Of Dusk, recently released in the West, has stated in a recent interview that he was quite surprised to know that a lot of Western fans prefer to play the game with the Japanese voice overs and that there was high demand for it.

While Okamura san couldn’t go further in details, he stated that Gust is seriously considering reintroducing the option in future Gust games: the team wants to be in touch with fans and give them exactly what they want. With their recent partnership with Tecmo Koei they fell like they can achieve something like this in an easier way than before.

It’s good to know that Gust is willing to include Japanese voices again, considering it’s not so easy to do as many could think: most of the times developers have to pay extra royalties to voice actors to include the Japanese dub in the Western versions of their games, something that not many are willing to do due to rising costs.

Ireland Baldwin Signs With Modeling Agency, Says She Feels "Blessed, Happy"

Things are definitely looking up for lanky Ireland Baldwin these days! The 6'2" daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger has officially signed with IMG Models and Two Management, she shared with fans on Twitter earlier this week.

"Officially working for @TwoManagement and @IMGmodels!" the 17-year-old blonde beauty tweeted on Tuesday, March 5. "I'm blessed, happy, and ready to WEEEEERK.

Baldwin will be joining the likes of such household names as Kate Moss, Tyra Banks, and Chanel Iman in signing with the agencies. Her own mother, 59-year-old Basinger, signed with the Ford modeling agency at age 16.

In December, the mother-daughter duo enjoyed some quality time together in Hawaii, and Baldwin revealed just how much she admired her mother.

"Happy birthday to the most beautiful woman in the entire world," she captioned a gorgeous vintage photo of the actress. "You are the most influential and inspirational figure in my life, and I've always looked up to you and no one else."

"Mom, you still look like you're 17 and it's kind of embarrassing standing next to you," she continued. "Hopefully someday I will adopt your cheekbones and your overall beauty…Inside and out."

Baldwin will soon have a little mini-me half-sister to mentor herself -- dad Alec and his new wife Hilaria announced earlier this week that they are expecting a baby girl.

"Alec and I are overjoyed that we are going to be welcoming a little girl into our lives," the 28-year-old yoga instructor told Extra on Thursday.

Producers pay tribute to TV gun-show host shot dead in Montana

Producers of a popular cable program about hunting and guns said on Saturday they were saddened by the "sudden untimely death" of the show's host, Gregory Rodriguez, who police said was shot to death in Montana by a man who later apparently killed himself.

Authorities in the resort town of Whitefish in northwestern Montana said Rodriguez, 43, host of "A Rifleman's Journal" on the Sportsman Channel and contributing editor at Guns & Ammo magazine, was killed by the husband of a woman with whom Rodriguez was meeting on Thursday night.

The unidentified woman told police that her husband, Wayne Bengston, entered the house where she and Rodriguez were visiting and shot and killed him before brutally beating her, Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial said in a statement.

Bengston, 41, fled to a relative's house with the couple's 2-year-old son, who was later found unharmed. Authorities tracked Bengston to the couple's home in nearby West Glacier, where he was found dead early on Friday of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Dial said.

At a news conference on Friday, Dial said he did not believe Rodriguez was involved with Bengston's wife but that Bengston may have acted in a jealous rage.

The producers of Rodriguez's show said they were saddened by his "sudden untimely death."

"He truly epitomized Sportsman Channel's position of being a leader in the outdoors," Sportsman Channel spokeswoman Michelle Scheuermann said in a statement.

Rodriguez of Sugar Land, Texas, was an authority on firearms and hunting and owned an outfitting business that booked hunting trips to Africa.

He was a former vice president of the Houston Safari Club, a nonprofit group that advocates for wildlife conservation and sporting rights.

"A Rifleman's Journal" chronicled Rodriguez's global pursuit of big-game animals in Africa, Asia and Europe, according to the Sportsman Channel.

Rodriguez and his wife had two children, said the website of his Global Adventure Outfitters business.

NBA playoff picture: Lakers catch Jazz, but lack tiebreaker

If the NBA Playoffs started today ... the Los Angeles Lakers still wouldn't be in them. But they're getting closer.

After the Utah Jazz lost to the New York Knicks on Saturday, the Lakers and Jazz are now tied with identical 32-31 records for eighth place in the Western Conference. The Jazz would still be in the playoffs if their records stay tied until the season ends, though, because the Jazz have won two of three games against the Lakers head-to-head, giving them the tiebreaker.

The Jazz are idle on Sunday while the Lakers host the Chicago Bulls at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Utah plays 11 of its final 19 games at home this season. The Jazz face 10 teams in that stretch with .500 or better records. The Lakers play nine of their final 19 at home and also face 10 teams that are currently better than .500.

Western Standings

	GP	W-L	PCT
San Antonio Spurs	63	48-15	.762
Oklahoma City Thunder	62	46-16	.742
Memphis Grizzlies	61	42-19	.689
Los Angeles Clippers	64	44-20	.688
Denver Nuggets	64	42-22	.656
Golden State Warriors	64	35-29	.547
Houston Rockets	64	34-30	.531
Utah Jazz	63	32-31	.508
Los Angeles Lakers	63	32-31	.508
Portland Trail Blazers	61	29-32	.475
Dallas Mavericks	61	28-33	.459
Minnesota Timberwolves	59	21-38	.356
Phoenix Suns	63	22-41	.349
Sacramento Kings	64	22-42	.344
New Orleans Hornets	63	21-42	.333

Here's Why American Airlines Chose Samsung Over Apple When It Bought 17,000 Tablets

American Airlines owns 33,000 tablets and that's one of the largest corporate deployments, period. 23,000 of them are from Samsung, not Apple.

American bought 17,000 Galaxy Notes last fall. The Note is sometimes called a "phablet" because it's part smartphone and part tablet.

The idea is to equip each flight attendant with a device that gives them ready access to the latest flight information and other customer service info.

The Note was an interesting choice because American already had iPads on its planes. American's pilots use some 10,000 iPads in the cockpit. American considered using iPads for its flight attendants, too.

One reason Samsung won is because it has been pushing hard to lure enterprise customers with programs like "Samsung For Enterprise (SAFE)." SAFE adds security and management features to all Samsung Galaxy devices.

Business Insider talked to Lisa Canada, AA's Managing Director of Operations Technology, to get the details.

BI: Why did you buy so many tablets and what are you doing with them?

Lisa Canada: We’ve started rolling out the Samsung Galaxy Note tablets this year to our flight attendants, who use the device to access customer information like preferences and gate connections to better serve travelers.

Our aircraft maintenance technicians also use a Samsung device – the Galaxy Tab, giving them a modern tool to better troubleshoot and address any aircraft issues. We also offer Samsung Galaxy Tabs to our Business Class customers on certain routes for a premium inflight entertainment experience.

BI: Why Samsung?

Lisa Canada: We chose Samsung devices for select workgroups after months of testing different devices and gathering employee feedback. We felt that Samsung’s tablets were best suited to our enterprise environment, plus we were able to make customizations to fit our needs.

BI: How important was SAFE to you?

Lisa Canada: SAFE provides additional administrative features which facilitates our development and device management.”

BI: Why is this initiative important to AA?

Lisa Canada: Our priority is to make serving our customers easy and as intuitive as possible. This includes efforts such as rolling out tablets that simplify and modernize the American experience.

For instance, because of the applications we were using, we have also provided pilots with Apple iPads containing information and navigational charts. The iPads replaced the paper-based documents they used to carry around in cumbersome 35-pound pilot kitbags. Regardless of mobile platform, we are committed to providing employees with the best technology tools for their specific roles and responsibilities.

Stay tuned for BI Intelligence's in-depth report on how Samsung is winning tablet business over Apple in the enterprise.

Danielle Fishel poses for Maxim: 'Hello, it's Topanga'

Topanga never looked like this on 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World.

But Danielle Fishel is 31 now and posing on the cover of Maxim magazine.

In the interview, Fishel talks about the show, which was part of a TGIF block of programming on ABC, as she prepares to co-star again with Ben Savage, who played Cory on the show, for an updated version, Girl Meets World.

She recalls one story of flying on a plane with Bob Saget, who at the time was starring on Full House.

"One time we were all on a private jet going to Disney World, and my mom, dad, and brother were also with me. We had these four seats facing each other with curtains, so we had our own little private family area. Anyway, we were trying to take a nap, and all of a sudden Bob Saget walks down the aisle, rips open our curtain, and shouts, 'Do you guys have any coke?!' Then he looks my dad in the eye, laughs, and closes the curtain. My mom was like, 'What was that all about?' "

And Fishel, who is engaged, explains how her character came to be called Topanga. Answer: Yes, she was named after the canyon in L.A.

"Michael Jacobs, who created Boy Meets World, says he was driving down the highway when production called and said, 'We need a name for this character!' He happened to be driving past Topanga Canyon, so he said, 'Topanga.' He says that if they had called him two miles later, I would've been named Canoga, which is the next exit."

She's also inspired parents to name their kids Topanga. "I've met five little girls named Topanga, all after me, and I've heard about many more. People will tweet me, and I've had family members who have met other Topangas. It's crazy and it's flattering, but I never know what to say when they're showing me their beautiful little girls. I'm like, 'Really? Topanga!?' "

And did she and Ben Savage ever date in real life?

"No! That rumor was entirely my fault because I once said, on The Tyra Banks Show, that Ben and I went on a date, and that turned into 'Danielle and Ben dated.' We went on one date, when I was about 15, and by the time the dinner was over we realized mutually that we were more like family than lovers."

Dwight Howard: I changed at break

It was four days in a season that at times has felt four years long. But amid the festivities of All-Star weekend in Houston last month, Dwight Howard says he found time to make some very important changes.

"I'm a big thinker," Howard said during a wide-ranging, candid interview after the Los Angeles Lakers practiced Saturday afternoon. "So I just stayed in the hotel and thought about the first half of the season and how I could do better for our team.
"And I just told myself, 'I'm going to commit myself to being better for the second half of the season.' "

That meant cutting sugar completely out of his diet so he could get into the kind of shape he needed to be in to be the Lakers' defensive anchor and run coach Mike D'Antoni's pick-and-roll sets.

That meant acknowledging that he was trying to be somebody he wasn't the first half of the season.

And, yes, it meant admitting to himself that playing alongside the hard-driving Kobe Bryant was something that he needed both personally and professionally.

"It's going to make me a better man and a better player from watching Kobe," Howard said.

Playing in Los Angeles, for a franchise with expectations as high as the Lakers, is "a lot different," Howard said.

"Besides just the expectations," he said. "In games, I mess up and there's somebody in the crowd saying something and I'm ready to snap at 'em. That's not what we're supposed to do.

"But you look at a guy like Kobe and he doesn't care about nothing but going out there and playing hard. That's a lesson a lot of us have to learn -- especially young guys."

Howard said he and Bryant always have had a good relationship, but it's deepened this season, particularly since the All-Star break.

"I told him [Bryant]: 'I'm afraid to miss. When I get out there, I don't want to miss, and I end up missing.' And he was like: 'You know what? Shoot 1,000 jumpshots a day. You're going to miss a lot of those shots. But that's OK. Because you're teaching yourself it's OK to miss.'

"Now I see it. He gets out there and he might miss a couple 3s, but then he'll make nine in a row. You see that and it just kind of gives you more inspiration."

Howard and Bryant are coming off their best two games as Lakers, with the latter becoming the first Laker since Jerry West in 1970 to post back-to-back 40-point, 10-assist games in wins against New Orleans and Toronto, respectively. Howard has dominated defensively while averaging 22 points, 14 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.

In nine games since the All-Star break, Howard is averaging 15.4 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a game. Moreover, his energy and attitude seem markedly different. "He jumped three or four times after one ball," D'Antoni said of Howard's defensive performance Friday night, when he blocked five shots and intimidated several Raptors. "His conditioning didn't allow him to do that [before].

"I think he was harshly judged because he wasn't 100 percent. There's all kind of little factors, but the further away he gets away from the [back] operation, the better he will be."

Whatever the case, Los Angeles (32-31) will take it. With Utah's loss Saturday night to the Knicks, the Lakers are now tied with the Jazz for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.

"When I first [came to L.A.], I wanted to come here and not talk to anybody and act completely different," Howard said. "But that's not who I am. I've never been that way. I shouldn't ever shut myself off to the world. I don't think that's good for the team or for me and what I want to accomplish in life.

"I thought about it and said, 'No, I can't change. I've got to mature in certain areas,' and I think I have. But I can't change who I am."

When did that change take place?

"At the All-Star break," Howard said. "I just thought about what we're trying to accomplish as a team and I really want to win a championship. That's the reason why I'm in LA."

Hurts So Bad': Exclusive Song Premiere

One of Jenni Rivera's last projects wasn't a solo. It was a duet with Edward James Olmos. They recorded the pop ballad "Hurts So Bad" for their film "Filly Brown," which is scheduled for release on April 19.

The track is premiering exclusively on Billboard (listen below). The song was written by Olmos, Rivera, Arthur Dominguez, Mico Olmos, Chris Perez, Edward "E-Dub" Rios and David Salas, who performs background vocals.

"That session was like Chicano heaven," says Lisa "Khool Aid" Rios, one of the producers of the film. "We feel honored to have been part of history that will live on forever."

Produced independently by Silent Giant Entertainment, which was founded by husband and wife team Lisa and Edward Rios, the film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. The soundtrack goes on sale April 16.

The California-born Rivera, who died in a plane crash on Dec. 9 while working in Mexico, was on the cusp of a career breakthrough, going from a leading singer in the regional Mexican genre to recording music in English and venturing into other projects such as a sitcom loosely based on her life.

"Filly Brown," which was co-directed by Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos, features Gina Rodriguez in the leading role as Majo, an aspiring Latina rapper in Los Angeles whose mother (played by Rivera) is in prison and struggling with drug-addiction. Rodriguez learned to rap for the role and Rivera's performance, too, is receiving strong reviews worthy of awards.

"Hurts So Bad" was made in the tradition of an "oldies" song. The film also features other recording artists: Chingo Bling, Baby Bash, Dominator, Braxton Millz, MC Magic, Chrissie Fit, Ese Daz, Nikki Diaz, DamonReel, Jae Black, Fade Dogg, Carolyn Rodriguez, Malik and a spoken dedication to Rivera by Khool Aid:

"Dear Jenni -- You've left us with an empty place in our heart. It's not just an ordinary empty place. It's an empty place that needs to be filled in all we do moving forward... know that you'll live on."

'American Idol' Top 10 Chosen, With Few Surprises From Voters

Leaving the futures of 20 different singers in the hands of the American voting public can be an overwhelming thought, but America pulled few surprises Thursday night as it voted in the top 10 finalists on "American Idol" 2013.

In a setup that involved a long hallway, humongous doors and a tense waiting room, contestants got the news one by one, the finalists emerging to find screaming, adoring fans on the "Idol" stage before being allowed a "victory song" to sing for the audience.

The first contestant to make it through to the top 10 was arguably one of the night's bigger surprises. Paul Jolley, whose good looks and on-pitch vocal had gotten him to that point, improved even more so with the previous night's performance, though he hadn't been universally lauded by the judges in the way that, say, Curtis Finch Jr. had. And yet, through he went, his victory number a relaxed, pleasant "Alone" by Heart.

From there, the voted-in men lined up with judge acclaim. Finch was a shoo-in after some major performances in weeks prior, and once he was through, his version of John Legend's "So High" was just that, with the falsetto for which he's come to be known. Another early favorite, Burnell Taylor, gave arguably the night's top performance with "Ready for Love" after he was sent through, with shades of 2012's Joshua Ledet, though he put his own Burnell spin on it, particularly with the phrasing.

Filling out the top 10 for the guys were Devin Velez and Lazaro Arbos. Both were fan favorites after their turns at the stage Wednesday night, and Arbos was particularly excited, launching into a soaring "Bridge Over Troubled Water," while Velez's "The Power of One" continued to solidify him as a dark horse in the competition, especially after doing a more upbeat number.

But the night wasn't over just yet; the girls still had to be added to the top 10 tally. First up was Janelle Arthur, whose down-on-the-farm country demeanor, looks and vocal has impressed the judges despite two weeks of so-so performances. For her victory song, she chose Dierks Bentley's "Home," fitting quite snugly into the song vocally, perhaps providing a glimpse at what's to come. It was her third time auditioning for "Idol"; looks like third time's the charm.

Candice Glover and Angie Miller, two of the show's most raved about, sailed through, as was expected barring a strange results show. Glover took the moment to do a happy dance and sing Mary J. Blige's "Goin' Down," continuing to assert her dominance in the R&B genre on the show with a commanding performance that did Blige proud. Miller took on "I Was Here," and while it wasn't up to her usual standard, with a few pitch issues, it mattered not -- she was in.

Filling out the rest of the lineup were Kree Harrison and Amber Holcomb, Holcomb with a nice, up-tempo "I'm Every Woman," showing she can, indeed, do more than the ballads.

Eliminations meant the show would say goodbye to the 'Zoanette Era' of "Idol," as Zoanette Johnson was sent packing even after her knockout "Circle of Life" the week before. Joining her was fellow one-time favorite Vincent Powell, as well as Charlie Askew, Cortez Shaw, Elijah Liu, Nick Boddington, Tenna Torres, Breanna Steer, Adriana Latonio and Aubrey Cleland.

But "Idol" wasn't done just yet. Though the rumors of a wild card eventually subsided, Ryan Seacrest announced that next week, the No. 6 boy and girl in voting will sing for a spot on the "American Idol" tour, giving two singers one last chance to secure a little relevancy.

Next week, the top 10 take the Hollywood stage. Will the girls continue to stand out over the guys, or will the tide finally turn? Tune in to find out.

Hot 100 March Madness 2013: Vote Now in Round 1!

Last year's Billboard.com Hot 100 March Madness put a twist on the ever-popular college basketball tournament and asked pop fans to vote for their favorite recent No. 1 song on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast, and Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" eventually emerged victorious from the field of 32 songs!

At long last, Hot 100 March Madness is back -- with some updated rules for 2013. Instead of pitting the last 32 No. 1 Hot 100 tracks against each other, we've gathered every smash single to grace the Top 5 of the chart over the past year, and placed them in head-to-head match-ups. Over the next month, it'll up to you to vote in the bracket-style tournament and determine which song is the absolute best of these 32 hits!

Check out the full Hot 100 March Madness bracket below, and then support your individual favorites in the first round of voting.


From April 1, 2012 through the most recent charts on Mar. 9, 2013, there have been exactly 32 songs that appeared in the Top 5 of the Hot 100 chart. The match-ups within the bracket were decided arbitrarily, so don't worry about NCAA-style rankings -- any song has a great chance of following "Hold It Against Me" and tasting Hot 100 March Madness glory.

Speaking of Britney Spears, the pop superstar and Will.i.am face a tough Round 1 opponent, as their hit "Scream & Shout" is matched up against One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful." Other enticing Round 1 battles include Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven" facing off against Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"; Nicki Minaj's ubiquitous 2012 hit "Starships" pitted against the recent viral smash (and No. 1 single) "Harlem Shake" by Baauer; PSY trying to topple Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" with "Gangnam Style"; and P!nk's attempt to blow one last kiss to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, of "Thrift Shop" fame. Some artists, like Justin Bieber, Flo Rida, fun. and Rihanna, have more than one song in play, further increasing their chances of taking home a tournament win!

On Monday (Mar. 11), we'll reveal the 16 songs that won their match-ups and survived the round of 32, and another round of voting will begin. On Thursday, Mar. 28, a new Hot 100 March Madness champion -- the Top 5 song that you think was the No. 1 single of the past year -- will be crowned. Will Britney repeat as champ? Can Carly Rae Jepsen repeat her "Call Me Maybe" magic? And which Justin -- Bieber or Timberlake -- will advance further? It's up to you to decide!

Vote now for your favorite tracks below, and be sure to discuss this year's bracket in the comments section!

Justin Timberlake on 'SNL': Reprises Old Roles

The "Saturday Night Live" Five-Timers Club is an exclusive affair, consisting of some of the show's best hosts and guests, including Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and Tom Hanks.

Saturday night, Justin Timberlake joined the club, and those three -- plus many more -- were on hand to celebrate as "SNL" pulled out the celebrity guest star stops to support Timberlake in what was one of the show's best episodes this season.

Timberlake's opening monologue, an entrance into the exclusive club that recalled the original 1990 sketch introducing it , featured Baldwin, Martin, Hanks, Candice Bergen, Paul Simon, Martin Short and Chevy Chase, as well as original cast member Dan Aykroyd as a bartender. Talk about a star-studded start -- if you're into the legends, of course.

As a recurring host, JT has his share of characters, and he wasted no time in showing them off. "It's a Date," a game show with Bill Hader as host, featured Timberlake and former cast member Andy Samberg as the too-'90s-R&B-for-words friends who created musical poetry with "Dick in a Box," "Motherlover" and more during past seasons. But wait -- there's more! The duo was flanked by Martin and Aykroyd, reprising their roles as the Festrunk Brothers, who are, of course, two wild and crazy guys in search of "big American breasts." Props for the "DuckTales" drop, too.

One sketch later, Timberlake returned as the overly enthusiastic, walking/dancing/singing/rapping billboard for whatever 'ville' is in these days. This year? Veganville, going up against the fine Bobby Moynihan of Sausage Depot. Sure, there were the parodies of "Ice Ice Baby" ("Brown rice, baby"), "We Found Love" ("...in a meatless place) and more, but the "Harlem Shake" bit ("Drink a vegan shake") takes the (egg-free!) cake.

The episode's cold open featured a rare appearance by the show host, Timberlake, playing Elton John performing at a rememberance of fallen Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Draped in a flashy blue sequined coat, JT did a parody of John's hit "Candle in the Wind." It's not the first time he's portrayed the legendary singer, either; Timberlake played the singer in his 2002 video for "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore," and has been linked to a possible Elton John biopic.

Also of note on the Timberlake side: a bit as the court officer in the recurring "Maine Justice" skit, featuring Samberg as the straight man in a Maine courtroom that doesn't seem to know where Maine actually is. Also, also: as Roman emperor Caligula (he'd have sex with a pig) and porn star Ricky V.I.Penis.

And of course, the songs. Accompanied by backing band the Tennessee Kids, JT rolled through lead "The 20/20 Experience" single "Suit and Tie," a surprisingly filled-out rendition (at least, compared to its studio version) that featured Jay-Z on the rap, surprising no one. It was, understandably, a suit-and-tie affair from Timberlake to the backing dancers, and JT is a master showman, strutting about the stage with Hova in tow. By the way: the lyric "shit so sick / Got a hit and picked up a habit" was changed slightly to "My hits so sick / Got rappers acting dramatic." Kanye diss, mayhaps? You be the judge.

He followed it up with a curtailed version of the eight-minute "Mirrors," introduced by Chase, Short and Martin as the Three Amigos (but seriously, why was this the only way they reprised this role?).

But Timberlake wasn't the only star of the show. After months away from the Weekend Update desk, Stefon made a gallant return to inform incoming Spring Breakers of the hottest clubs in the city, including the always-classy Your Mother and I Are Separating. Tears.

Justin Timberlake Hosts Star-Studded SNL Feat. Jay-Z, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, More

The multi-hyphenate entertainer returned to host the sketch comedy TV program for the fifth time—his third as both host and musical performer—and was joined by some very special guests.

The 32-year-old singer-cum-actor’s opening monologue was a sketch introducing him into the ‘Five-Timers Club,’ an exclusive club of hosts. After being serenaded by an acoustic guitar-strumming Paul Simon, Timberlake was greeted by a coterie of other five-time hosts, including Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Chevy Chase, and Candice Bergen—all clad in velvet robes with a ‘5’ emblazoned on them. One-time host and original SNL cast member Dan Aykroyd, meanwhile, served as the club’s bartender, while Martin Short handed out hors d'oeuvres. The sketch was a reimagining of a similar one that Tom Hanks did back in 1990 when he reached the five-time host milestone.

Timberlake, who won Emmy Awards for hosting the show in 2009 and 2011, and has had a hand in crafting classic SNL sketches like “Dick in a Box” and “Motherlover,” brought back many familiar characters. He was joined by his frequent SNL Digital Short co-conspirator, former cast member Andy Samberg—in their bearded, bespectacled “Dick in a Box” garb—for the game show “It’s A Date,” hosted by Bill Hader. But in a surprise twist, the duo was flanked by Aykroyd and Martin reprising their roles as the Festrunk Brothers—you know, the two “wild and crazy” guys.

Later on, Timberlake brought back his hyper-enthusiastic billboard character. This time, he was touting ‘Veganville,’ and butted heads with Bobby Moynihan, who was pimping ‘Sausage Depot.’ Timberlake sang parodies of Rihanna’s “We Found Love” (…in a meatless place), as well as a twist on the “Harlem Shake” (“Drink a vegan shake!”).

Earlier on during the show’s cold open, Timberlake took a few polite jabs at the recently deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Dressed as Elton John, Timberlake performed a rendition of his “Candle in the Wind” at a mock-memorial for the former socialist leader, which included lines like “You said the U.S. causes earthquakes and you outlawed Coke Zero, and on your shoulder sat your parrot with a matching red beret,” as well as another dig at how Chavez helped make Venezuela the “kidnapping capital” of the world.

For his musical performance, the crooner was joined by backing band the Tennessee Kids, and started off with his single “Suit and Tie” off his upcoming album The 20/20 Experience. He was joined by rapper Jay-Z, who raps on the tune. But Timberlake may have taken a slight dig at Kanye West, who recently dissed the song in a rant during a show in London, saying, “And I got love for Hov but I ain't f--king with that 'Suit & Tie'.” As payback, Timberlake changed the line “s--t so sick / Got a hit and picked up a habit” to “My hits so sick / Got rappers acting dramatic.” Your move, ‘Ye.

He returned later to perform his song “Mirrors,” and was introduced by Chase, Martin, and Short as the Three Amigos—which was amazing.

It was, without question, the best SNL episode of the season.

Even Alec Baldwin, arguably the greatest host in the program’s history, was won over, tweeting: “Justin was good, wasn’t he? @JTimberlake #hesgotitall.”

Selena Gomez works the front row at Neo show

Selena Gomez sat front and center at the fashion show to preview the first collection in her collaboration with Adidas' streetwear Neo label.

But the runway at Wednesday evening's show was a next-gen catwalk: Teenager bloggers were charged with styling the outfits instead of industry professionals.

Gomez thanked them as she stood on stage at the end of the show. She was flanked by models in denim shorts, Bermudas, slouchy sweats and T-shirts that read "Pirate Love." There were a few graffiti prints sprinkled in, and some varsity jackets.

The clothes, mostly in sunny yellow, bright pink and navy, were more surf than sport, which is Adidas' normal niche.

The show was very briefly interrupted by a protester
trying to hand out leaflets about sweatshops.

Beckham back in skimpy bodywear ads for H&M

David Beckham has a knack for keeping his name in the news, and his face — and well-sculpted body — in front of the cameras. The newest ad campaign for his bodywear collection for global retailer H&M is being released on the heels of the announcement that he's joining the French Paris-Saint Germain soccer club.

The ad campaign, directed by Guy Ritchie, is more like a film short. Beckham stars as an action hero, saving the day in Los Angeles in his boxer briefs and bedroom slippers. (Beckham, who was born in London, left Europe to join the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.)

Beckham launched a line of undergarments and loungewear in partnership with H&M a year ago, debuting in a Super Bowl ad that featured Beckham in a tank top, boxers and his many tattoos. Over the summer came the next wave of ads, with Beckham in his boxers and a different view of the tattoos.

The 37-year-old Beckham said he's committed to this for the long haul, but is still a little startled looking up at a billboard and seeing a giant version of himself.

"No matter how many campaigns I do with H&M, I will never get used to seeing myself on billboards," he said. "It's always a surprise to me when I see them. I'm lucky to work with such great photographers and stylists, so the images are always the best they can be."

Beckham responded to questions via email to The Associated Press:

AP: Working with Ritchie seems like a little bit of a leap into acting. Is that where you are heading?

Beckham: It's been great working with Guy. He's one of my favorite directors, and also a friend, so it was amazing to work with him on my new Bodywear commercial for H&M. It was good fun playing anaction hero for the day, getting to do all the stunts and ending up in unexpected situations, but acting full-time is not something I see myself doing in the near future.

AP: Is there a movie you wish you could have starred in?

Beckham: I love Guy's film Lock, Stock ('Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'). It came out in 1998, which was such an exciting time to be British. I remember the attitude and energy of the film as if it were yesterday, and it went on to define so much about how British men saw themselves for years to come. But I wouldn't want to actually appear in the movie — I have too much fun watching it.

AP: What changes have you made to the collection?

Beckham: When we launched the collection, we wanted it to be a range of new classics that men could rely on. We spent 18 months developing the range and working on the product, focusing on fit, comfort and the design details that make for a great piece of bodywear. The core range stays exactly the same, and we add to it only when we feel there's a need for a new piece, like the lounge jerseys and long johns or the morning gown that we added last year. This is a long-term collection, and I'm proud to put my name to it.

AP: With one of your three sons modeling for Burberry (10-year-old Romeo) and at least one seemingly interested in soccer (13-year-old Brooklyn reportedly had a tryout with London club Chelsea), would you encourage them to follow in your footsteps?

Beckham: Like any parent, I just want the best for my kids, whatever they decide to do. They will choose what path they want to follow, and we will always be there to encourage them.

AP: What's the biggest challenge in sticking to your fitness routine?

Beckham: Keeping fit is really important as playing football is all I've ever wanted to do. I'm training a lot at the moment so fitness is an integral part of my day. I think I'd find it more of a challenge if I wasn't able to keep in shape!

AP: New York Fashion Week starts Thursday, and you are often at your wife's shows. (His wife, Victoria, is a former Spice Girl turned fashion designer.) What's it like for you in the front row?

Beckham: Victoria works so hard on her collections, it's just nice to be able to go to the shows and see all that hard work come to life. I'm really proud of her, she gets nervous but it's always a great

Hulk in Space? The possible future of Marvel’s green goliath

Now that the Hulk has smashed alien invaders, puny gods and about half of New York City, is it time for him to take his incredible-ness to another planet?

Mark Ruffalo's nervously nonchalant Bruce Banner (the best Banner since Bill Bixby, hands down) and his suddenly heroic Hulk were two of the best things about "The Avengers," the film that finally got the gamma-rayed behemoth right after Ang Lee's noble failure, "Hulk" (2003), and the film that Marvel Studios really seems to want you to forget, "The Incredible Hulk" (2008). His scene-stealing performance had everyone wondering if we'd be seeing another stand-alone "Hulk" movie -- one that both Marvel and its fans could be proud of.

Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige stated in an interview with MTV last September that there won't be a stand-alone Hulk movie until after "The Avengers 2" (May 2015). He also said that he was a fan of both the "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" comic book storylines and that future film adaptations of those epic yarns certainly aren't out of the question.

"I don't think there's a lot that we couldn't do some day, as the cinematic universe continues to grow and expand and get as big as the comic book universe," Feige said. "'Planet Hulk' is a cool story. 'World War Hulk' is a cool story."

Feige has some reservations about "Planet Hulk," though, as, like its hero, it might just be too big for its own good.

"I think there's pitfalls of continuity-overload, and mythology getting so dense that it almost collapses in on itself," he said. "It happens every few decades or so in the comics. Apart from that, I'd say everything is on the table."

Now, thanks to some detective work by Latino Review, we have news of that material possibly being taken off the table and put in front of cameras sooner rather than later.

As summarized by Collider, the Hulk could be a big star in Marvel's Phase Three, with the third act or at least post-credits scene of "The Avengers 2" setting up the stand-alone Hulk movie. It looks like that film could indeed be an adaptation of Greg Pak's "Planet Hulk," which involves the green one being banished to outer space by the Illuminati, a secret organization of powerful heroes including Tony Stark and Doctor Strange (who's set to be introduced in Phase Three with his own film). Hulk ends up being enslaved on the planet Sakaar, where he's forced to participate in gladiatorial games and eventually becomes a hero of the people and a leader in the rebellion against the corrupt Red King.

Now backed up by an army, the Hulk prepares to return to Earth and exact his revenge. This leads us to "The Avengers 3," which could be an adaptation of "World War Hulk" (also by Greg Pak), in which Hulk and his minions beat the holy hell out of almost every superhero on Earth and force them to fight each other for their own gladiatorial amusement.

Who knows if any of this is true, and either way of course expect Marvel to deny everything. But if any of this is even in just the "discussion" stages, Mark Ruffalo -- who's apparently signed a six-picture deal with Marvel -- must be jumping up and down with joy at the prospect of taking center stage with these (literally) kick-ass plots.

No matter what ends up coming to pass, we're just happy that there will be more Hulk smashing. For now, let's take it one movie at a time, starting with "Iron Man 3" setting off Phase Two on May 3.

Sean Bean in orbit for “Jupiter Ascending”

Sean Bean, the British actor who played Boromir in Peter Jackson's "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, is going to be working with some filmmakers who have a three-part epic of their own to their credit.

Bean has been announced to join the cast of "Jupiter Ascending," the upcoming project from the sibling writing and directing team of Andy and Lana Wachowski. The Wachowskis previously brought us the "Matrix" franchise (as well as several related video games and online spin-offs), in addition to the more recent "Speed Racer" and "Cloud Atlas."

Bean will be starring alongside Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, and Eddie Redmayne in the futuristic tale, in which humans are at the foot of the evolutionary ladder, and a menial laborer with the potential to elevate the species finds herself a target of assassination by one of the most powerful women in the Universe.

There's no definitive word yet on Bean's place in the story, but it has been speculated he'll be playing Stinger, a charming rogue with a mercenary streak, much in the manner of Han Solo.

In addition to playing Boromir, the versatile Bean also appears on the series "Game Of Thrones" as Eddard Stark, as well as starring as Paul Winstone on "Missing." Bean rose to fame in the UK with a series of made for television films based on Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe novels, which followed the adventures of a 19th Century rifleman. With Bean on board, "Jupiter Ascending" moves closer to its start date, with an anticipated release date in 2014.

'Star Wars' reboot director Abrams speaks in Vegas

If the force is with die-hard fans, J.J. Abrams will give away a few clues to his vision for the seventh live-action "Star Wars" film.

The acclaimed science-fiction filmmaker is expected to give an opening talk Wednesday at an annual video game industry conference in Las Vegas.

Abrams has become a trusted steward of beloved fantasy universes after his well-received additions to the "Star Trek" and "Mission: Impossible" franchises.

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas facilitated the latest round of "Star Wars" spin-offs when he sold his Lucasfilm empire to The Walt Disney Co. for $4.05 billion last fall.

"Episode VII" is due out in the summer of 2015.

Abrams is expected to discuss multiplatform storytelling with Valve president Gabe Newell at the Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain Summit at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Have Mercy! Jennifer Lawrence Reveals Hollywood Crush

Like many little girls growing up in the 90’s, Jennifer Lawrence had a massive crush on Uncle Jesse from “Full House.” And it sounds like John Stamos still makes the 22-year-old Oscar nominee weak in the knees!

J-Law spilled all the deets on her obsession with the TV hunk on “Conan” Tuesday night, saying, "He was at a party, and I turned into a perverted guy, I was like following him into rooms.” The “Silver Linings Playbook” bombshell added that she started “freaking out” when she was forced to introduce herself. It got pretty awkward! But, thankfully, that’s all the past for the charming actress.

Check out the vid to find out more about the odd encounter and to hear John Stamos’ response to her shout-out on “Conan!”

Laurie Holden On The Return Of The Walking Dead: 'Something's About To Get Ugly!'

"The Walking Dead" left viewers with an incredible cliffhanger at the end of 2012, when the first half of Season 3 ended with The Governor revealing the Dixon brothers will face off in the zombie boxing ring in Woodbury.

It was pretty shocking for both Merle (Michael Rooker) and Daryl (Norman Reedus), who were also seeing each other for the first time in many, many months (only to find out it could be the last time!). But, equally mortified in that moment was the woman who had developed feelings for Woodbury's leader The Governor - Andrea.

According to actress Laurie Holden, who plays the strong female character (with bad taste in men), Andrea is going to be shaken as the season picks up this Sunday with the midseason premiere, kicking off at 9 PM on AMC.

On the red carpet at "An Evening with The Walking Dead" event, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood on Tuesday, Laurie told AccessHollywood.com what's to come on the show. She also tackled the question her super fans have been curious about, ever since they saw her get dressed, following one of Andrea's bedroom romps with The Governor in the first half of the season.

AccessHollywood.com: The big question, Laurie, is - and you had to answer this on Twitter - where did Andrea get the [lacey] underwear from?

Laurie Holden: (Laughs) OK, here's the deal. You can't win, because if I had granny panties, everybody would just be like, 'Oh my God, she's got granny panties!' or if I had holes in them, they'd be like 'Oh my God, she has no hygiene.' You can't win.... That was not my decision -- there is a costume designer and that is her area of expertise, but part of the allure of Woodbury is that it's like a town where the apocalypse never happened. So, they still have access to things that we didn't. And The Governor and his men, they probably raided stores. 'Cause [there are] still shopping malls. The zombies didn't take thongs! So, there was, maybe a little welcome package for me in my apartment.

Access: How does Andrea feel now that she's seen a different side of The Governor - Philip?

Laurie: (Takes a deep breath.)

Access: He's cute, but he's a little psycho.

Laurie: Well, you know, psycho's not cute. I think her world's exploding. I think this is the worst nightmare ever... second to the apocalypse. All she wanted was a community and a sense of normalcy and, another thing with the whole Andrea-Michonne thing, a lot of people think that Andrea deserted Michonne. They both were strong women that made choices, and Michonne wanted to go out, I wanted to stay, but nobody abandoned the other person. And, it wasn't about choosing a guy over Michonne, Andrea just wanted a normal life and she didn't want to be on the road any more. There's that expression, 'If it's too good to be true, it is,' and I think that's the case. I think she's beginning to realize that everything she thought was a miracle and a nirvana and heaven is actually a sliver of hell.

Access: Your character is there when Merle and Daryl are in the ring together - what can you hint at about that closing scene [from] when we last saw 'The Walking Dead'?

Laurie: Well, it's gonna pick up from there and she's absolutely mortified because she's spoken to The Governor about her friends on the farm and he knows their names and I've told them all about them, so the very fact that he has taken Merle's brother -- and I can't give anything away -- but something's about to get ugly, obviously. It's more than a betrayal, it's like, 'This is my friend! You know this is my friend!' like, 'Why are you doing this?' which is a whole other side of his craziness that she's opening her eyes to.

Test-driving the world’s smallest car

If you’ve ever wondered how much further auto manufacturers could go with small economy vehicles like the Smart car, we may have your answer.
On the new season of "Top Gear," host Jeremy Clarkson pokes fun at the microcar craze by test-driving what he calls the “world’s smallest car,” the P45 (British slang for a “pink slip”), which he also sarcastically refers to as the “hybrid death trap.”
Through most of the video clip, Clarkson, while screaming in fear, is clearly having a laugh with the tiny vehicle. At one point a long line of cars is behind him, unable to pass the slow-moving vehicle, and he says, looking ahead at the empty road, “I can’t believe how quiet these roads are this morning. I’m hardly seeing any traffic at all.”
Still, there are a few moments when it seems like a good idea to cruise around in a 100cc “car." For example, when Clarkson finds himself caught in a traffic jam, he simply weaves around the idle vehicles and carries on, much like with motorcycle “lane-splitting” laws in California. The P45 may top out at around 21 mph, but that’s still a lot faster than not moving at all.
Another advantage: When Clarkson pulls the P45 into a gas station to fill its 1.7-liter tank, he doesn’t have to exit the vehicle. Of course, he dryly notes, the station has a minimum 2-liter refill policy.

Giggling woman flips judge the bird, judge not amused

Never mess with people who have the power to make your life miserable. That includes DMV employees, waiters and baggage handlers. And judges. Especially them.
A Miami woman facing drug charges made her situation much worse when she laughed at and then flipped off the man with the gavel. File this case under: Ill advised.
According to NBC Miami, 18-year-old Penelope Soto was in court for charges relating to possession of Xanax, a prescription drug. Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat was in the process of setting her bond. He asked Soto about the value of her jewelry. Soto laughed. That was strike one.
"It's not a joke, you know, we're not in a club now," Rodriguez-Chomat said. "We are not in a club. Be serious about it."
Soto replied: "I'm serious about it, you just made me laugh. You just made me laugh, I apologize. It's worth a lot of money."
The judge said, "Like what?" Soto compared the jewelry to a wealthy rapper. She replied that the jewelry is "like Rick Ross. It's worth money."
The perplexed judge asked if Soto had taken drugs within the past 24 hours, to which she answer, "Actually, no." The judge then set Soto's bond at $5,000 and said, "Bye-bye." Soto chuckled and said, "Adios." Strike two. The judge summoned her back and raised the bond to $10,000, eliciting gasps from those in the courtroom.
Soto asked if the judge was serious. Judges are not known for their humor, and Rodriguez-Chomat is no exception. "I am serious," he said. "Adios."
But Soto wasn't done. Instead of leaving the courtroom she flipped Rodriguez-Chomat the bird and said "F*** you." And that was strike three. Soto was again called back and then sentenced to thirty days in the big house for contempt of court.

Zimmerman Loses Bid to Delay Trial

On what would have been Trayvon Martin's 18th birthday, lawyers for his accused killer George Zimmerman were denied a request to delay this summer's murder trial.
Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara claimed during an often heated one-hour hearing that he needed more time to prepare, and that the state was not being cooperative with key evidence.
"Its February and the trial's set for June," countered prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.
He argued that O'Mara did not deserve more time to prepare and that many of the delays were his own fault. The state has argued that the Zimmerman legal team is moving slowly because of a dwindling defense fund. Zimmerman's attorneys have acknowledged that the fund is just about empty.
"The spirit of Trayvon Martin was definitely in the courtroom today on what would have been his 18th birthday. The judge ruled that the trial would not be delayed," Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said today.
Martin, 17, was shot and killed while walking home unarmed on Feb. 26, 2012, from a deli near his father's fiancee's house. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, has claimed the unarmed teen was acting suspicious and that he shot the teenager during a fight when the boy tried to get Zimmerman's gun.
The case had inflamed emotions in Sanford, Fla., where it occurred and the trial is also expected to be emotional.
A heavier Zimmerman looked on as Circuit Judge Debra Nelson noted that both sides had agreed earlier that they would be ready by June 10 when the trial is slated to start and that O'Mara's issues can be fixed in time.
Besides the motion to delay the trial, most of the remaining proceedings centered around a teenage girl identified so far only as witness 8. Phone records show she was on the phone with Martin moments before the unarmed teen crossed paths with Zimmerman. Her testimony may prove crucial as a jury tries to determine who was the aggressor in the deadly altercation.
O'Mara argued that the state is withholding information related to the teen's phone and how data on it was downloaded. The judge ordered the state to pass on all information concerning how the phone was tested and handled.
Zimmerman's defense was also seeking to depose Crump later today. Crump was the first person to find and interview the teen, who says she told Martin to run after he complained about Zimmerman watching him as he walked to his father's girlfriends home on the night of his death. However, Crump's attorney argued that a deposition was improper because Crump was not a witness in the case, and that he had already filed a 15-page affidavit detailing how he found her and that should be enough. The judge asked for time to review the affidavit before determining if he would have to give a deposition.
The summer trial start will leave both sides scurrying to finish depositions, scrub social media for more information into who the key players may have been, as well as plan for an all-important stand your ground hearing. Zimmerman's team will argue that he shot and killed Martin in self defense after the teen lashed out at him and pummeled his head on the ground. If the judge finds that there is enough evidence indicating that Zimmerman felt threatened than the entire case will be thrown out under Florida's stand your ground law.
Outside of the Seminole County courthouse, about 20 supporters of Trayvon Martin gathered around a framed photo of the Miami teen with black balloons to sing, pray, and commemorate the 18th birthday. His parents did not attend today's hearing. O'Mara made note of the solemn occasion saying, "No matter what, a tragedy occurred."
Remembrances are planned today throughout the town of Sanford, Miami where the teen grew up and throughout the country. In a possible sign of healing of the events planned, an anti-gun rally in a historically black Sanford neighborhood, is being sponsored by both the Sanford Police Department and the NAACP. The joining of both sides behind one common bond would have seemed almost unthinkable in the early spring of 2012 as thousands descended upon the city claiming that the Sanford PD was embroiled in a cover-up and alleging misconduct because Zimmerman had yet to be arrested.

NFL: Beyonce's explosive show didn’t blow Super power

Everyone from football fans to a former NFL great had pinned the Super Bowl blackout on the “Single Ladies” star’s fierce halftime performance.

“Beyoncé literally killed it at the Super Bowl,” tweeted late-night host Jimmy Fallon.

Even her husband, rap mogul Jay-Z, couldn’t deny that Beyoncé’s show — which involved a sparkler-spewing guitar, actual fire, and plenty of special effects — may have been too hot to handle for the grid.

“Lights out!!! Any questions??” he tweeted once half of the New Orleans Superdome went dark.
But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and local utility officials insisted the outage wasn’t her fault.

And an Oct. 15 memo prepared for the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District says tests on Superdome electrical feeders showed they had “some decay and a chance of failure.”

Entergy New Orleans, which supplies the stadium with power, and the structure's engineering staff “had concerns regarding the reliability of the Dome service from Entergy’s connection point to the Dome,” the memo says.

Plus, stadium brass noted, the halftime show was powered by generators, not the in-house system.

That didn’t stop the rumor mill.

“Beyoncé blew the electric in the Superdome twice, I’m told, during her rehearsals during the week,” ex-NFL QB Boomer Esiason said on his WFAN radio show yesterday.

The controversy over the 34-minute outage did nothing to dim Beyoncé’s star power, evident in a dynamic performance that helped erase memories of her lip-syncing at President Obama’s inauguration.

After the show, Beyoncé’s makeup artist snapped a tender shot of her hugging Jay-Z backstage, and posted it on Instagram.

And she was just relieved that the show itself went off without a glitch.

“All the hard work, five months of preparation and it was really great,” Beyoncé told “Extra.”

“So beautiful, it really was a magnificent night for me and the girls.”

The diva also released dates for her “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour”: It begins on April 15 in Belgrade, Serbia, and ends on Aug. 3 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Tactics for Getting the I.R.S. on the Phone

If you need help with a federal tax question, the Internal Revenue Service offers free, live assistance by telephone. But you’ll probably need to be patient when you call.

Wait times when calling the agency have been growing, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office.

Millions of people call the IRS each year. Last tax season, the average wait time to speak to a live representative was 17 minutes, up from 12 minutes in 2011, the G.A.O. found.

And the percentage of callers seeking live assistance who actually received it was 68 percent, down from 72 percent the year before. The number of abandoned calls, which means the caller hangs up before speaking to someone, rose 20 percent.

The agency also has been slower to respond to mail. Of the 21 million pieces of paper correspondence the agency received in 2012, about 40 percent were considered “overage,” meaning that the I.R.S. did not respond within 45 days of receipt.

The dwindling service is the result of inadequate funding, according to a report by the National Taxpayer Advocate, the office charged with representing the interest of tax payers in dealing with the I.R.S. “The decline in these key measures is deeply disturbing,” the advocate’s annual report said, noting that telephone calls and correspondence are the two main ways taxpayers communicate with the I.R.S..

“Few government agencies or businesses would be satisfied if their customer service departments were unable to answer three out of every 10 calls,” the report added, “nor would they be content if nearly half of all correspondence took more than 6 1/2 weeks to answer.”

I called the toll-free number on Wednesday afternoon, on the first official tax filing day of the year, to see how long it would take to talk to someone. An operator answered the call quickly, but transferred me to another line, where a recorded voice told me my estimated wait time would be 10 to 15 minutes. I waited 14 minutes, according to the clock on my computer, before I was connected to a representative. That’s better than average, but still a fair bit of time spent on hold.

It’s not clear if there’s any best day of the week, or time of day, to call the toll-free number. The line, (800) 829-1040, is staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in all time zones in the United States.

Before I ended the call, I asked the I.R.S. representative if she could recommend the best time of day to telephone the agency, to get the shortest wait time. She suggested calling early in the morning.

An I.R.S. media spokesman didn’t respond to requests for suggestions about the best time to call, although he e-mailed some links to the agency’s Web site that provided a list of walk-in offices where you can go in person to get help.

Bonnie Speedy, vice president of the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide and a former member of the I.R.S. Advisory Council, suggests avoiding Mondays, particularly first thing in the morning, when call volumes are typically heavy. Calls are routed depending on the complexity of the question, so a call seeking help with a technical tax matter will likely take longer than a simple inquiry about, say, when you can expect your refund check. (The foundation offers free tax preparation for low-to moderate-income taxpayers, especially those 60 and older, at nearly 6,000 locations.)

The tax-filing Web site Taxbrain advises that people call the I.R.S. Tuesday through Thursday and suggests avoiding 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., in all time zones. It also helps to be polite and have any relevant documents handy when you call.

@nytimes.com

Justice Dept. document justifies killing Americans overseas if they pose ‘imminent threat’

The United States can lawfully kill a U.S. citizen overseas if it determines the target is a “senior, operational leader” of al-Qaeda or an associated group and poses an imminent threat to the United States, according to a Justice Department document published late Monday by NBC News.

The document defines “imminent threat” expansively, saying it does not have to be based on intelligence about a specific attack since such actions are being “continually” planned by al-Qaeda. “In this context,” it says, “imminence must incorporate considerations of the relevant window of opportunity” as well as possible collateral damage to civilians.
It says that such determinations can be made by an “informed, high-level official of the U.S. government.”

NBC said the document was provided by the Obama administration last summer to members of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees as a summary of a classified memo on targeted killings of U.S. citizens prepared by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.

The memo was written months prior to a September 2011 drone strike in Yemen that killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born Muslim cleric accused of helping al-Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate plan attacks against the United States. Three other Americans, including Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, have also been killed in U.S. strikes in Yemen.

The Obama administration, in decisions upheld in federal court rulings, has repeatedly denied demands by lawmakers, civil rights groups and the media to release the memo and other information on targeted killings — or even to acknowledge their existence. Senators are expected to closely question John O. Brennan, President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, on drone strikes, the memo and the Awlaki killing during Brennan’s confirmation hearing Thursday on his nomination to become Obama’s new CIA director.

Justice officials could not be reached for comment on the document, which NBC posted on its Web site. The 16-page document is titled “Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Directed Against a U.S. Citizen Who Is a Senior Operational Leader of al-Qaeda or An Associated Force.”

In announcing Awlaki’s death, Obama described him as the leader of “external affairs” of Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday night called the document a “profoundly disturbing” summary of “a stunning overreach of executive authority — the claimed power to declare Americans a threat and kill them far from a recognized battlefield and without any judicial involvement before or after the fact.”

The ACLU sought the original Justice Department memo as part of a case dismissed last month by a federal judge in New York. Last Friday, the ACLU filed a notice of appeal in that case.

“Needless to say, the white paper is not a substitute for the legal memo. But it’s a pretty remarkable document,” ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer said.

‘Beyond reasonable doubt,’ bones are the remains of England’s King Richard III

A team of archaeologists confirmed Monday that ancient remains found under a parking lot belong to long-lost King Richard III, successfully ending a search that sparked a modern-day debate about the legacy of the reputed tyrant.

Details of the findings were released hours after DNA tests came in late Sunday. The 500-year-old remains were discovered five months ago, using ancient maps and records to uncover the ruins of the old friary where Richard III was laid to rest.
“It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that beyond reasonable doubt, the individual exhumed at Greyfriars in September 2012 is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England,” Richard Buckley, lead archaeologist of the University of Leicester, said at the announcement Monday in the city 90 miles northwest of London.

The verification came after scientific tests were used to match DNA samples taken from Canadian-born Michael Ibsen, a direct descendent of Anne of York, Richard’s elder sister.

“For me it’s an absolute privilege to be a part, even in a small way, of such a historically significant series of events,” said Ibsen, a furniture-maker in London.

The debate that has risen out of this finding has provoked the nation to rethink the legacy of Richard III, cast in British history by Shakespeare as a deformed villain, who locked his young nephews — rivals to the throne — in the Tower of London, where they are thought to have met their demise.

Richard III’s grave, which was found underneath the Leicester site in the remains of Greyfriars friary, had been lost during the religious reforms of Henry VIII. Richard, the last king of England to fall on the battlefield, was slain in the 1485 Battle of Bosworth Field while defending his crown against the raiding upstart, Henry VII. He was famously depicted in Shakespeare’s “Richard III” crying out before his death: “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!”

Richard III supporters such as Philippa Langley, a screenwriter and member of the Richard III Society, were driven to find the lost king’s remains by a desire to reopen the debate over his place in history. Experts say that most of what is known today about the medieval king is largely “propaganda” of the Tudor monarchs who followed him.

“I think the discovery brought the real Richard into sharp focus,” Langley said. “People are realizing that a lot of what they thought they knew about Richard III was pretty much propaganda and myth building.”

Langley, who helped pull together $52,000 to fund the project, worked with a team of archaeologists at Leicester University who were able to locate the hidden monastery and Richard’s remains.

When archaeologists uncovered the skeleton of a man in what was once the choir of the Greyfriars Church — exactly where texts said the monarch was buried — the evidence was so compelling that Langley believed the remains were those of King Richard.

From the time the bones were found, there was strong evidence to suggest the remains belonged to the monarch. The skeleton indicated a personage who was well nourished, who had suffered cranial trauma during battle and who exhibited spine damage from scoliosis, a type of curvature of the spine — all signs that pointed to Richard III. @ washingtonpost.com

'Abnormality' caused Super Bowl power outage

The Super Bowl turned into Blackout Sunday.

The biggest game of the year was halted for 34 minutes because of a power outage, plunging parts of the Superdome into darkness and leaving TV viewers with no football and no explanation why.

The Baltimore Ravens were leading the San Francisco 49ers 28-6 when most of the lights in the 73,000-seat building went out with 13:22 left in the third quarter Sunday night.

About two hours after the game, won by the Ravens in a 34-31 thriller, officials revealed that an “abnormality” in the power system triggered an automatic shutdown, forcing backup systems to kick in. But they weren’t sure what caused the initial problem.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu called the power outage “an unfortunate moment in what has been an otherwise shining Super Bowl week for the city of New Orleans.”

“In the coming days, I expect a full after-action report from all parties involved,” he said.

Auxiliary power kept the playing field from going totally dark, but escalators stopped working, credit-card machines shut down, and the concourses were only illuminated by small banks of lights tied in to emergency service.

Most fans seemed to take the outage in stride, even starting up the wave to pass the time.

“So we had to spend 30 minutes in the dark? That was just more time for fans to refill their drinks,” said Amanda Black of Columbus, Miss.

A joint statement from Entergy New Orleans, which provides power to the stadium, and Superdome operator SMG shed some light on the chain of events, which apparently started at the spot where Entergy feeds power into the stadium’s lines. The problem occurred shortly after Beyonce put on a halftime show that featured extravagant lighting and video effects.

“A piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load sensed an abnormality in the system,” the statement said. “Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue. ... Entergy and SMG will continue to investigate the root cause of the abnormality.”

The FBI quickly ruled out terrorism, and the New Orleans Fire Department dismissed reports that a fire might have been the cause.

Auxiliary power kept the playing field and concourses from going totally dark.

On the CBS broadcast, play-by-play announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms went silent. Sideline reporter Steve Tasker announced to viewers a “click of the lights” as the problem. Later, the halftime crew anchored by host James Brown returned to fill the time with football analysis. Brown said a power surge caused the outage.

“We lost all power up here at the press box level,” Nantz said after power was restored. He and Simms were off the air for most of the outage.

The failure occurred shortly after Jacoby Jones returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a 108-yard touchdown, the longest play in Super Bowl history and pushing the Ravens to a commanding lead. But when play resumed, the momentum totally changed.

The Niners scored two straight touchdowns and nearly pulled off a game-winning drive in the closing minutes. They had first down inside the Ravens 10, but Baltimore kept them out of the end zone to preserve the victory.

The blackout, it turned out, became more of a footnote than a spark to what would have been the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

“It just took us longer to lose,” moaned San Francisco linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

No one could remember anything like this happening in the title game, but it wasn’t unprecedented.

Just last season, the Niners endured two power outages during a Monday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Candlestick Park.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” San Francisco safety Dashon Goldson said. “I just tried to keep my legs warmed up.”

The Ravens felt the delay turned what looked like a blowout into a close game.

“It really hurt us. We had lot of momentum,” fullback Vonta Leach said. “We were rolling. That 35- or 40-minute wait, whatever it was, hurt our momentum as far as what we were trying to do. But we came out on top and that’s all that matters.”

Safety Ed Reed said some of his teammates were worried that the game would turn when the lights came back on.

“The bad part is we started talking about it,” he said. “Some of the guys were saying, ’They’re trying to kill our momentum.’ I was like, ’There’s two teams on the field.’ But once we started talking about it, it happened. We talked it up.”

The public address announcer said the Superdome was experiencing an interruption of electrical service and encouraged fans to stay in their seats. Players milled around on the sidelines, some took a seat on the bench, others on the field. A few of the Ravens threw footballs around.

Officials gathered on the field and appeared to be talking to stadium personnel. Finally, the lights came back on throughout the dome and the game resumed.

“Let’s go!” referee Jerome Boger said to the teams.

The NFL said stadium officials were investigating the cause.

“We sincerely apologize for the incident,” Superdome spokesman Eric Eagan said.

Once the game resumed, CBS said all commercial commitments for the broadcast were being honored. The network sold out its allotment of advertising at $3.8 million per 30-second spot.

“We lost numerous cameras and some audio powered by sources in the Superdome,” said Jennifer Sabatelle, vice president of communications for CBS Sports. “We utilized CBS’ backup power and at no time did we leave the air.”

The outage provided a major glitch to what has largely been viewed as a smooth week for New Orleans, which was hosting its first Super Bowl since 2002 and was eager to show off how the city has rebuilt since Hurricane Katrina.

Monique Richard, who is from the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, had tickets in the upper deck.

“My exact words on the way over here were, ’I hope this goes off without a hitch,’ because the city just looked so good, they were doing so well, the weather so good everything was kind of falling into place,” she said.

New Orleans was once a regular in the Super Bowl rotation and hopes to regain that status. Earlier in the week, the host committee announced it will bid on the 2018 Super Bowl, which would coincide with the 300th anniversary of the city’s founding.

The 38-year-old Superdome has undergone $336 million in renovations since Katrina ripped its roof in 2005. Billions have been spent sprucing up downtown, the airport, French Quarter and other areas of the city in the past seven years.

“Everything shut down,” said Carl Trinchero, a 49ers fan from Napa, Calif., who was in the Superdome. “No credit cards, vending machines shut down, everything shut down.”

Trinchero said it may have affected the momentum of the game but, given that the Ravens survived the 49ers comeback, “it didn’t affect the outcome.”

Joked Doug Cook, a Ravens fan from New Orleans: “They didn’t pay the light bill.”

Still, he admitted to a fleeting fear when the lights went out.

“I started thinking it was a terrorist attack. I was a little nervous,” he said.

In the French Quarter, fans didn’t appear much concerned with the power outage or delay in play.

“If we can blame Beyonce for lip syncing, we can blame her for the power outage,” said Gary Cimperman of Slidell, La., with a laugh as he watched the second half of the game from a bar. “Or maybe Sean Payton called in the outage, bountygate part two.”