Friday, March 23, 2012

Kim Kardashian flour-bombed at perfume launch

Kim Kardashian is covered in flour during arrivals at the launch party for her True Reflectionperfume at The London West Hollywood on March 22, 2012. (Credit: Getty) (CBS/AP) Kim Kardashian faced more than photographers' flashbulbs when she walked the red carpet Thursday night to launch her new fragrance, True Reflection.

Sheriff's deputies say a woman threw white powder on the 31-year-old reality TV star in the lobby of a hotel in West Hollywood, Calif., where the television personality was hosting the launch event.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

A costly win: Marshall injured as UNC rolls past Creighton

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Top seed North Carolina welcomed back one key player but may have lost another during its 87-73 victory over No. 8 Creighton on Sunday that sent the Tar Heels on to the Sweet 16 for an NCAA-record 25th time.

Two-time Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year John Henson returned after missing three games with a sprained left wrist and contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. But Tar Heels point guard Kendall Marshall, who had 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting with 11 assists, broke his right wrist midway through the second half.

Marshall was injured when he was fouled by Ethan Wragge on a drive to the basket with 10:56 remaining. Marshall jumped up after being knocked to the floor and made one of two free throws. But those were his final points of the game. He missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 7:09 remaining and did not shoot again, although he had two assists before coming out of the game to stay with 1:54 to play.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Plenty of corned beef and cabbage at Meriden AOH

MERIDEN — The Meriden division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians prepared well for its 88th annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner Saturday. It had ordered 285 pounds of corned beef and 100 pounds each of carrots, cabbage and potatoes from Thurston Foods, of Wallingford.

People came to enjoy the dinner and a performance by dancers from the Horgan Academy of Irish Dance.

“I think St. Patrick’s Day is a good Catholic day where we honor St. Patrick,” said Wayne Sweeney, the vice president of Meriden AOH.

The only event bigger for the organization is the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, Sweeney said. The parade will take place next Saturday.

Wallingford resident Darlene Behr-Farrell said she comes to the dinner every year for the authentic Irish at-mosphere.

“The reason I do come here is because it is true Irish spirit,” she said with a brogue. “Irish spirit is good music, good food and good people.”

State Rep. Emil “Buddy” Altobello, D-Meriden, came to the dinner wearing green pants and a green hat. He has been involved with the Meriden AOH for about 25 years, he said.

Many of the volunteers at the dinner said it and the parade are their favorite events of the year.

AOH member Geraldine Cosgrove-Reynolds served the cabbage. “I always serve the cabbage,” she said, and then laughed.

She will be driving the “shamrock-mobile” in the parade this year. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is important to her because some of her family is from Ireland, she said.

“My mother was born and raised in Ireland,” she said. “It’s tradition.”

The proceeds go toward other AOH activities and help fund its $3,000 college scholarships for one Platt and one Maloney High School student.

Corned beef and cabbage: Ireland says, no, thank you

By Amy Hubbard

March 17, 2012, 5:26 p.m.

It's St. Patrick's Day, so naturally we think of corned beef and cabbage. It's a dish that's as Irish as pepperoni pizza is Italian and chop suey is Chinese.

In other words, not very Irish at all.

The Irish writing duo of Belfast-born Peter Morwood and former New Yorker Diane Duane tackle this subject at their European Cuisines website. People "here," meaning Ireland, "sometimes eat corned beef and cabbage," they say. But "they don't eat it all that much" -- and almost never for St. Patrick's Day.

PHOTOS: St. Patrick's Day fare

Some restaurants in Ireland will serve corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day -- but "almost without exception" those eating it will be tourists.

Corned beef and cabbage, the pair say, is far from the Irish national dish. It's not that corned beef doesn't have a history in Ireland; it's just that Irish people weren't the ones eating it.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the cattle raised in the country were often used for corned beef -- which then went primarily into the mouths of British civilians and the British and U.S. military, according to Serious Eats. The Irish people were too poor to afford their own corned beef. They dined mainly on pork and lamb.

But these days, most native Irish people, say residents Morwood and Duane, find corned beef and cabbage to be "too poor, plain, old-fashioned or boring ... or just too much trouble to go to."

Although corned beef is not difficult to make, it can be time consuming. An L.A. Times recipe for some delicious-sounding New England-style corned beef, cabbage and vegetables with horseradish mustard cream takes about 3 1/2 hours of total preparation time.

Worth it? That's for the cook to decide.

You could just order a pepperoni pizza. Pizza has its roots in Italy but it's Americans who love the pepperoni. In fact, if you were to order pepperoni pizza at an Italian pizzeria (that wasn't a tourist spot), you'd probably get red-bell-pepper pizza. As About.com says, pepperoni means "pepper" in Italian. If you wanted pepperoni, you'd have to ask for salame piccante.

Still, notes the PizzaMaking.com forum, "salami still isn't pepperoni, and in this case it appears the Italians are copying us and not the other way around."

What about chop suey? According to one tale, the dish was first tossed together from kitchen scraps in a San Francisco restaurant in the late 19th century. Other sources debunk that story and say that chop suey springs from the basic mixed stir fry that originated in the Pearl River Delta of southern Guangdong, China.

But chop suey, like pepperoni pizza and corned beef and cabbage, was thoroughly Americanized.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Vincent Jackson, Pierre Garcon find new teams

(CBS/AP) Wide receivers grabbed the big money as NFL free agency began Tuesday.

Vincent Jackson is headed to Tampa Bay, Pierre Garcon to Washington and Marques Colston will stay in New Orleans, all getting huge deals.

Josh Morgan also caught a hefty contract from the Redskins, while Miami dealt its top receiver, Brandon Marshall, to Chicago for two third-round draft choices.

Bears acquire Brandon Marshall from Miami

Jackson got a five-year, $55.55 million contract with the Buccaneers. He will be paid $13 million in each of his first two years, then $10 million for the third year. Jackson will provide a deep threat for Josh Freeman, whose other receivers, Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn, are more short-range targets.

Garcon gets $42.5 million over five years from the Redskins, with $20.5 million in guaranteed money, including an $11 million signing bonus.

Garcon had 188 catches for 16 touchdowns and a 13.4-yard average in four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Last year he had 70 receptions for 947 yards and six TDs as Indianapolis finished 2-14.

Washington, which is losing $36 million in salary cap space over the next two seasons for excessive spending in the uncapped 2010 season, also grabbed Morgan for $12 million over the first two years of a five-year deal, with $7.5 million guaranteed. And the Redskins re-signed defensive end Adam Carriker for four years and $20 million, with $7 million guaranteed.

Late Tuesday night, the Chargers agreed to a four-year deal with former New Orleans Saints wideout Robert Meachem.

Hours before free agency began, Colston agreed to a five-year contract worth about $40 million to remain in the Big Easy.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Will NCAA bracket play out true to form?

Even if you don't care about college basketball and don't know who any of these guys are, you are now fully engaged. The lure of completing your tournament bracket is too great to ignore. We know this: Kentucky is the best team in the country, and Kansas will disappoint us again. Here is an NCAA Tournament primer:

Who can beat Kentucky?

Kentucky: Vanderbilt, which beat UK in the SEC title game Sunday, does not count. Kentucky is still the best team in the country by a wide margin. But it is a young team, and young teams can go brain-dead and beat themselves when playing in a tight game against teams that have been around.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels have pro players, but their pace plays directly into Kentucky's hands. They would have to play a near perfect game, but could do it.

Syracuse: The Orange's zone is just enough of an irritant that Kentucky freshman center Anthony Davis could be harassed into an average game.

Kansas: Forward Thomas Robinson is going to get his 18 and 12; the question is whether guard Tyshawn Taylor can play smart. If he does, Kansas has a shot.

Playing the Butler

Wichita State: The best team from arguably the best mid-major conference.

Murray State: It's unfair to call the Racers a sleeper because they are 30-1. This is a veteran team that does not beat itself, and Isaiah Canaan shoots nearly 50 percent from 3-point range.

Creighton: Another Missouri Valley team. Point guard Antoine Young is going to embarrass a big name soon.

Long Beach State: Coach Dan Monson was a regular at this when he was the head coach at Gonzaga. Lots of seniors.

South

The NCAA set up a region final "rematch" of the 1992 Christian Laettner game against Kentucky. Kentucky has a hard road before it would meet Duke in the region final, but the team that should scare the Wildcats is No. 5 Wichita State.

The class: Kentucky. Not even close.

Worst draw: No. 9 UConn. The defending national champions have to get by a very tough Iowa State team and then would have to play Kentucky.

Best draw: You have to ask? Duke.

Top NBA player: F Anthony Davis, Kentucky. The likely No. 1 overall pick in the June draft.

Top player you don't know: G Tu Holloway, Xavier. You should know him, but the Musketeers' brawl against Cincinnati a few months ago changed everything.

What are you doing here? Colorado. The Buffaloes are 23-11, but won the Pac-12 tournament title against an average field. The Buffs can beat No. 6 UNLV in the first round.

First-round upset: No. 10 Xavier over No. 7 Notre Dame

Region champion: Kentucky

West

The last time Michigan State won the Big Ten tournament title, it won the national championship in 2000. The Spartans are not a lock to reach the Final Four, but an Elite Eight appearance feels very good.

The class: No. 2 Missouri. The Tigers are a four-guard team, but provided center/forward Ricardo Ratliffe stays out of foul trouble, they can win this region and make their first Final Four appearance.

Worst draw: No. 6 Murray State. The Racers deserved much better than a six seed and a potential second-round game against Marquette.

Best draw: No. 4 Louisville. The Cardinals are not that good, but they can win a Sweet 16 game against Michigan State.

What are you doing here? Iona. It's a shock to see two schools out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference make it.

Top NBA player: F Drew Gordon, New Mexico. The most difficult matchup in the Mountain West Conference this season.

Top player you don't know: G Casper Ware, Long Beach State. He's only 5-11, but is such a good penetrator and ballhandler that NBA teams are looking at him for the draft.

First-round upset: No. 12 Long Beach State over No. 5 New Mexico

Region champion: Missouri

Midwest

Keeping in the spirit of storylines, the NCAA put No. 1 North Carolina in the same bracket as No. 2 Kansas. The region final is in St. Louis, so if these traditional powers make it through, expect a very pro-KU crowd.

The class: North Carolina. With Harrison Barnes, this is a pro team that could beat Kentucky.

Worst draw: No. 8 Creighton. The Bluejays are good, but a potential game against North Carolina is a bad, bad draw.

Best draw: North Carolina. It should be a prohibitive favorite through the region final.

What are you doing here? No. 15 Detroit. The Horizon League has produced the national runner-up in each of the past two seasons: Butler. That's a high standard to hit.

Top NBA player: F Harrison Barnes, North Carolina. He surprised everyone by electing to remain in college for his sophomore season. He's a top-three pick.

Top player you don't know: F Doug McDermott, Creighton. He averages 23 points and eight rebounds a game. He could really make a name for himself against Carolina.

First-round upset: No. 11 N.C. State over No. 6 San Diego State

Region champion: North Carolina

East

Of the four brackets, this one has the look that could hold closest to form. Aside from an early-round upset from Harvard, the East has the look of a region that will feature No. 1 vs. No. 2 at the end.

The class: Syracuse. Despite some very serious off-the-court drama, the Orange lost two games all season.

Worst draw: No. 5 Vanderbilt. Winning the SEC tournament title did the Commodores no favors. An opening game against Harvard is not an easy win.

Best draw: No. 3 Florida State. The Seminoles are good and should outmuscle every opponent until Ohio State.

What are you doing here? No. 11 Texas. The Longhorns barely made it in, but actually have a winnable opener against Cincinnati.

Top NBA player: G Dion Waiters, Syracuse. Another quick guard that coach Jim Boeheim has unearthed, he should be a first-round pick.

Top player you don't know: F Andrew Nicholson, Saint Bonaventure. The Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, who is from Canada, actually has drawn some comparisons to Tim Duncan.

First-round upset: No. 12 Harvard over No. 5 Vanderbilt

Region champion: Florida State

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/11/3801869/will-ncaa-bracket-play-out-true.html#storylink=cpy

NIT snub final insult for Illinois

After a cataclysmic collapse, a first-round exit from the Big Ten tournament and the firing of coach Bruce Weber, Illinois basketball received one final kick in the gut.

A snub from the NIT.

"Any time the University of Illinois is not involved in postseason play it hurts, so we're disappointed," interim coach Jerrance Howard said in a news release. "For our returning players, this should serve as motivation heading into the offseason so we don't feel this way next year on Selection Sunday."

It's hard to imagine what next season's team will look like.

Illini fans will turn their attention to the coaching search athletic director Mike Thomas is conducting and also wait to hear whether sophomore center Meyers Leonard will leave to enter the NBA draft.

The Illini once looked NCAA tournament-bound when they started the season 15-3 and recorded wins over the Big Ten's top two teams in Ohio State and Michigan State. But nothing could stop the unraveling that ensued.

Illinois lost 12 of its final 14 games, including an embarrassing 23-point loss at last-place Nebraska on Feb. 18, to finish 17-15 and ninth in the Big Ten. They lost 64-61 on Thursday to Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten tournament and Weber was fired after nine seasons the following morning.

It was the third time in four seasons that the Illini did not receive an NCAA tournament invitation. They advanced to the NIT quarterfinals in 2010 and did not participate in a postseason tournament in 2008.

The Illini's pitiful ending this season even sparked some Twitter rumors, begun by former player Mike Davis who said the team would not accept an NIT bid. Illinois officials and Thomas said Illinois would have played in the tournament if invited.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Solar flare may make auroras visible in Washington tonight

With a little luck, Western Washingtonians could get a good view of the aurora borealis tonight and Thursday night.

A big solar flare and possibly clear skies over Western Washington could give residents an eyeful of northern lights after midnight tonight and again Thursday evening. The eruption on the sun is the largest since December 2006, said Joe Kunches, a spokesman and space scientist at NOAA’s Space Weather Predication Center.

A similar eruption in late January also gave Washingtonians a shot at seeing the aurora, which is normally only visible closer to the Earth’s poles. During that solar eruption, however, cloudy weather blocked our view. Scandinavia got a great show, though.

The uptick in big eruptions is thanks to a new solar activity cycle with more frequent eruptions. Prior to about a year ago, the sun was in a pretty dull cycle. Now, the surface is lighting up.

"The sun’s done its part," Kunches said. "It had a big eruption. The local weather conditions are gonna be the issue: You live in Seattle."

Fortunately, Dennis D’Amico, a meteorologist for Seattle’s National Weather Service, said Western Washingtonians have a decent chance of getting clear skies both nights. There may be some clouds late tonight and into early Thursday morning, but early Thursday evening could be clear in the region.

Tonight, people south of Seattle have a greater chance of getting a clear look, D’Amico said. However, the moon may limit the show.

Kunches said weather-worn Washingtonians might get rewarded for braving the spring evening.

"You’ve got a tough breed up there," he said. "Standing out there in the cold in the dark for a while, you might get lucky."