weaving shyness: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

`The Help,' Dujardin win at lively SAG Awards (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Finally, an awards show with some surprises and spontaneity.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards featured some unexpected winners, including "The Help" for best overall cast performance and Jean Dujardin for best actor in "The Artist" alongside some of the longtime favorites in movies and television.

But there was a looseness and a playfulness that permeated the Shrine Exposition Center Sunday night ? maybe because it was a room full of people who love to perform, without the rigidity of one single host to lead them.

Unlike the great expectations that came with the sharp-tongued Ricky Gervais' reprisal at the Golden Globes a couple weeks ago or the much-anticipated return of Billy Crystal to the Academy Awards next month, there was no master of ceremonies at the SAG Awards. The presenters and winners seemed to have more room to improvise and put their own spin on the evening ? but mercifully, the show itself still managed to wrap up on time after just two hours.

And so we had three of the stars of best-cast nominee "Bridesmaids" ? Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy ? introducing their comedy with a joke about turning the name "Scorsese" into a drinking game, which became a running gag throughout the night. When HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" won the award for best drama series cast, among the first words star Steve Buscemi uttered in accepting the prize were "Martin Scorsese" ? he just happens to be one of the show's executive producers.

One of the more exciting moments of the night was the announcement of Dujardin's name in the best-actor category for his performance in the silent, black-and-white homage "The Artist." In winning the award for his portrayal of a silent-film star who finds his career in decline with the arrival of talkies, Dujardin definitely boosts his chances at the Oscars on Feb. 26. Little-known in the United States before this, the French comic bested bigger names like George Clooney ("The Descendants"), Brad Pitt ("Moneyball") and Leonardo DiCaprio ("J. Edgar").

If he follows this up with an Academy Award, Dujardin would become the first French actor ever to take the prize. Asked backstage how it would feel, Dujardin launched into a jaunty rendition of "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem.

"Pressure, big pressure," Dujardin then added in his halting English. "It's unbelievable. It's amazing already. Too early to tell."

Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer continued to cement their front-runner status in the actress and supporting actress categories, respectively, for their formidable work in "The Help." Both women play black maids in 1960s Mississippi who dare to go public about the bigotry they've endured.

"I just have to say that the stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It's all of our burden, all of us," Davis said, accepting the ensemble prize on behalf of her "The Help" co-stars.

Backstage, Davis said of her own victory: "A few more people checked my name in the box for whatever reason. This time I kind of fooled them."

Meanwhile, Christopher Plummer picked up yet another supporting-actor prize for his lovely turn as an elderly widower who finally comes out as gay in "Beginners." Plummer won at the Golden Globes and is nominated for an Oscar. He would become the oldest actor ever to win an Academy Award at age 82, two years older than Jessica Tandy was when she won best actress for "Driving Miss Daisy."

Backstage, Plummer joked when asked if he would like to win an Oscar, an honor so elusive during his esteemed 60-year career that he did not even receive his first Academy Award nomination until two years ago, for "The Last Station."

"No, I think it's frightfully boring," Plummer said. "That's an awful question. Listen, we don't go into this business preoccupied by awards. If we did, we wouldn't last five minutes."

The win for overall cast for "The Help," when "The Artist" and "The Descendants" have been the favorites all along, makes the conversation more interesting but it isn't necessarily an indicator of how the film will do come Oscar time.

The guild's ensemble prize, considered its equivalent of a best-picture honor, has a spotty record at predicting what will win the top award at the Oscars. While "The King's Speech" won both honors a year ago, the SAG ensemble recipient has gone on to claim the top Oscar only eight times in the 16 years since the guild added the category.

The winners at the SAG ceremony often do go on to earn Oscars, however. All four acting recipients at SAG last year later took home Oscars ? Colin Firth for "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for "The Fighter."

On the television side, comedy series awards went to "Modern Family" for best ensemble; Alec Baldwin as best actor for "30 Rock"; and Betty White as best actress for "Hot in Cleveland."

"You can't name me, without naming those other wonderful women on `Hot in Cleveland,'" the 90-year-old White said. "This nomination belongs to four of us. Please, please know that I'm dealing them right in with this. I'm not going to let them keep this, but I'll let them see it."

The TV drama show winners were: Jessica Lange as best actress for "American Horror Story"; and Buscemi as best actor for "Boardwalk Empire."

For TV movie or miniseries, Kate Winslet won as best actress for "Mildred Pierce," while Paul Giamatti was named best actor for "Too Big to Fail."

The guild gave its lifetime achievement award to Mary Tyler Moore, presented by Dick Van Dyke, her co-star on the 1960s sit-com "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Moore recalled that when she entered show business at age 18 in 1955, there were already six others Mary Moores in the Screen Actors Guild. Told to change her name, she quickly added Tyler, the middle name she shares with her father, George.

"I was Mary Tyler Moore. I spoke it out loud. Mary Tyler Moore. It sounded right so I wrote it down on the form, and it looked right," she said. "It was right. SAG was happy, my father was happy, and tonight, after having the privilege of working in this business among the most creative and talented people imaginable, I too am happy, after all."

___

AP writers David Germain and Beth Harris contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://www.sagawards.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_en_tv/us_sag_awards

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Mad Catz Cyborg M.M.O.7 gaming mouse now on sale, F.R.E.Q 5 headset hits pre-order

Gamers looking for some hardware assistance can breathe a sigh of relief; Mad Catz's latest eye-catching forays into gaming mice and headsets are almost, if not already, upon us. The Cyborg M.M.O.7 mouse (£130) manages to offer up 78 definable commands beneath those eye-catching metallic hues and is available to buy now, while its F.R.E.Q 5 headset ($150) has hit pre-order on the manufacturer's site. Acronym-loving thrill-seekers can check out both at the source below.

Mad Catz Cyborg M.M.O.7 gaming mouse now on sale, F.R.E.Q 5 headset hits pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/mad-catz-cyborg-m-m-o-7-gaming-mouse-now-on-sale-f-r-e-q-5-head/

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Driving America: Exhibit explores car culture

Courtesy The Henry Ford

The automobile gave rise to new roadside industries in America, such as the motor inn.

By Dan Carney, msnbc.com contributor

Industrial cities such as?Detroit may not be typical vacation destinations, but that doesn?t mean there aren?t worthwhile places to visit.?Think of Cleveland?s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

So, quick: What do you know about Detroit??They make cars, right??That?s why the city?s nickname is Motown and the basketball team is called the Pistons. It turns out that you don?t have to go on a tour of a car factory or watch a car-themed sports team for entertainment when in Detroit.?You can always go to a museum.? About cars.

Actually The Henry Ford?museum is about Americana, but considering the museum?s namesake founder and its location in Dearborn, Mich., the Detroit suburb where Ford?s world headquarters is located, it is no surprise that the museum?s signature exhibit is of cars.

A freshly revamped 80,000-square-foot exhibit, ?Driving America? opened to the public Sunday. While the museum?s previous automotive exhibits were presented from the perspective of the people in Detroit who designed and built cars, (they show other things too, including an upcoming visit by the touring ?Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit,? which arrives March 31), this exhibit is designed from the perspective of the general population, explained Bob Casey, automotive curator.

That means looking at the car?s impact on society, with the rise of previously non-existent traffic laws, taxes on gasoline, roadside industries to support drivers and a rise in consumer interest in safety.

The Henry Ford

The "Driving America" exhibit features a 1949 Airstream Trailwind travel trailer and a 1959 Volkswagen Westfalia camper.

Courtesy The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford integrated 18 touchscreen kiosks into the "Driving America" exhibit

Of course there is plenty of Detroit iron to see, along with cars from other places. The car on display that probably summarizes the change in public attitudes toward personal mechanized transportation is the locomotive-like Roper, of 1865.

When Sylvester Roper built a series of steam-powered, self-propelled carriages and motorcycles in the middle of the 19th century, the cars were regarded as curiosities, which people would pay to see drive around at the fair but had no interest in owning.

But near the turn of the century, opinion had changed, so when the Duryea car appeared in 1896, there was a public frenzy of interest in buying cars that launched the industry.? ?By 1896 there was a huge change in the public?s attitude,? Casey said.

This change drove the car?s influence on society through the 20th century, as illustrated by the roadside diner and Texaco gas station exhibits.? Some of these influences have waxed and waned, as shown by a ?talk like a trucker? demonstration.? No, it's not a lesson in cursing cars that cut you off in traffic, but a primer on citizens band, or CB radio, slang of the 1970s.

But the cars themselves are the real reason people go to a car museum.? Casey said that visitors most often ask the whereabouts of the ?65 Mustang.? His personal favorite is the 1906 Locomobile that won the famous Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island in 1908, because he recalls reading about that car in a book when he was in junior high school, he said.

I was irresistibly attracted to the 1935 Miller Indy Car, for its amazing technology from eight decades ago.? But the best part is that with 130 vehicles and 60 display cases, ?Driving America? is likely to have your favorite, too.

If that isn?t enough, the museum has an Imax theater and is co-located with Greenfield Village, Ford?s re-creation of an American town in the 19th century.? And if you are really hoping to get a little grease under your fingernails, there is the option of going on a tour of Ford?s Rouge factory, which once made the Model T and now makes Ford F-150 pickups.

If you go
Admission: adults, $17; seniors, $15; children 5-12, $12.50; children 4 and under, free.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., seven days a week, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

More on Itineraries

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10252895-driving-america-museum-exhibit-explores-cars-impact

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Researchers find cancer in ancient Egyptian mummy (AP)

CAIRO ? A professor from American University in Cairo says discovery of prostate cancer in a 2,200-year-old mummy indicates the disease was caused by genetics, not environment.

The genetics-environment question is key to understanding cancer.

AUC professor Salima Ikram, a member of the team that studied the mummy in Portugal for two years, said Sunday the mummy was of a man who died in his forties.

She said this was the second oldest known case of prostate cancer.

"Living conditions in ancient times were very different; there were no pollutants or modified foods, which leads us to believe that the disease is not necessarily only linked to industrial factors," she said.

A statement from AUC says the oldest known case came from a 2,700 year-old skeleton of a king in Russia.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_sc/ml_egypt_ancient_cancer

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Dates set for elections to replace Giffords (AP)

PHOENIX ? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has picked dates in April and June for the special elections to choose a replacement for Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Brewer on Friday set the primary election for Tuesday, April 17. The general election will be held on Tuesday, June 12.

Several Democrats are considering running for the seat representing District 8, which includes parts of Tucson and Santa Cruz County and all of Cochise County.

One Republican is formally in the race, and two others have assembled exploratory committees.

Giffords resigned Wednesday, a little over a year after she was severely wounded while meeting with constituents at a Tucson supermarket. Six people were killed and 12 others wounded.

She said she needed more time to recover from the traumatic brain injury she suffered.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_el_ho/us_giffords_seat

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Campaigning Mitt Romney seldom notes Mexican roots (AP)

COLONIA JUAREZ, Mexico ? White House hopeful Mitt Romney rarely mentions a key fact as he works to woo Hispanics ahead of Tuesday's Republican presidential nominating contest in Florida ? his own Mexican heritage.

"I would love to be able to convince people of that, particularly in a Florida primary," he said Wednesday in an interview with Univision, a Spanish-language television network. "But I think that might be disingenuous on my part."

His father, George Romney, was born in Mexico, and his extended relatives still live in that same community, the border state of Chihuahua. The younger Romney's second cousins, tall men with light hair who speak American-accented English, share the family's last name and Mormon faith. They support his White House candidacy, but not his tough stance on immigration.

They've also never met him, though Romney's siblings have been to the house where their father was born on July 8, 1907, among a colony of Mormon pioneers in a stunning agricultural valley at the foot of the Sierra Madre. George Romney's family left Mexico when he was 5, returning to the U.S. to escape the violence of the Mexican Revolution.

"A lot of people ask why hasn't Mitt come back to see where his roots are. His father left here at such a young age and I don't think that he has that culture embedded like we do," said Leighton Romney, 52, who was born in the United States and is registered to vote in Arizona. "I live here because I love my country," he added. "That's Mexico."

He manages the fruit growers cooperative Grupo Paquime in nearby Nuevo Casas Grandes, and readily showed off his elaborately researched family tree to an Associated Press reporter who visited the office where he sells fruit to Walmart de Mexico and other large chains.

A two-term Michigan governor, George Romney faced questions about his eligibility to run for president in 1968 because he wasn't born in the United States. Yet, George was born a U.S. citizen, not Mexican, because his parents were U.S. citizens. And in those days, Mexico didn't grant dual citizenship so the parents had to choose one country or the other. Mitt Romney has said neither his father nor his grandparents spoke Spanish.

Like all U.S. politicians today, Romney walks a fine line between courting voter rage against illegal immigration, mostly from Mexico, and seeking the support of Hispanics, the fastest-growing voting group in America. In the rare cases where Romney has noted that his father was born in Mexico, he has done so to illustrate how the now-wealthy family came from humble beginnings rather than using the fact as a way to discuss immigration.

He departed from that, though, during a debate in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday night, as he looked to counter a challenge by rival Newt Gingrich.

"I'm not anti-immigrant," Romney said. As proof, he added: "My father was born in Mexico."

The Romneys can trace the family history to 1555, where they have records of a Mr. Romney, no first name, born in 1555 in the town of Tonbridge, England. The Mexican roots are intertwined with their Mormon faith.

The candidate's great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney, was born in 1843 in Nauvoo, Ill., where Joseph Smith founded the Mormon church. Miles Park Romney had five wives and 30 children, and fled to Mexico after passage of the 1882 Edmunson Act that barred polygamy. Among the first Mormons to settle in to the rolling Mexican valley bordering Texas, Miles Park Romney married his fifth wife after the church banned the practice in 1890.

Among the 11 children borne by Miles Park Romney's first wife were brothers Gaskell and Miles Archibold Romney.

The family fled back to the U.S. in 1912, when the Mexican Revolution struck Chihuahua and revolutionary forces invaded the English-speaking communities.

Gaskell Romney stayed in the U.S., with his five children, including Mitt's father, George.

But Gaskell's brother, Miles Archibold Romney, returned to Mexico.

The Mexican Romneys, who number about 40, live in solid brick homes with gingerbread accents and green lawns. They count themselves among the most prosperous ranchers and farmers in an area just 190 miles from the border city of El Paso, Texas. They ranch cattle and grow peaches, apples and chili peppers. They also run businesses, a prestigious school with an American football team and basketball program where the students emerge speaking flawless English.

"It is a very open community, where we have been progressive, and we have shaped a life for ourselves, our children, that we think is a healthy life," said Leighton Romney. "We have been here for generations."

Colonia Juarez and its surroundings have not escaped the drug violence that first terrorized the Mexican border and has now migrated to other parts. Meredith Romney, Leighton's brother, was kidnapped in 2009 and held hostage for two days in a cave until his family paid an undisclosed ransom.

The family says the area has gotten safer in the last year and that kidnappings have decreased. They credit Chihuahua's new governor, Cesar Duarte, who took office in 2010.

The town of 1,035 people has another emblematic symbol of the community's success: a white marble temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a golden statue of Moroni, the angel said to have visited Joseph Smith. Next to it is the LDS-affiliated Academia Juarez, with three-story brick buildings and large lawns more reminiscent of Utah than Mexico.

Leighton's nephew, Brandon Romney, 33, grows chili peppers and helps with the school's sports teams. During a recent basketball game, he ran around giving instructions in both English and Spanish to teenagers playing on the court and stopped to talk about his famous relative.

"He's just another guy to me," Brandon Romney said. "Some people get kind of a sense of pride about it. I've never known him, never talked to him."

Brandon Romney and his other relatives who are eligible to vote in America plan to support their distant cousin. Some say they will donate to him if he wins the nomination.

The family generally sees him as a smart businessman who can lead America out of its economic turmoil. They only part ways on immigration, sharing the Mexican view that migrants seeking work in the U.S. should be given a legal means to do so.

The candidate has taken a hardline against illegal immigration. He favors a U.S.-Mexico border fence and opposes education benefits for illegal immigrants. He would support legislation that seeks to award legal status to some young illegal immigrants who serve in the armed forces, but not for those who attend college.

This week, Romney said he favors policies that encourage "self-deportation," where illegal immigrants decide on their own to leave the U.S., over those that would require the government to return the immigrants to their home countries.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_romney_relatives

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Robert Hegyes, played Epstein on 'Kotter,' dies (AP)

METUCHEN, N.J. ? Robert Hegyes, the actor best known for playing Jewish Puerto Rican student Juan Epstein on the 1970s TV show "Welcome Back Kotter" has died. He was 60.

The Flynn & Son Funeral Home in Fords, N.J., said it was informed of Hegyes' death Thursday by the actor's family.

A spokesman at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J., told the Star-Ledger newspaper that Hegyes, of Metuchen, arrived at the hospital Thursday morning in full cardiac arrest and died.

Hegyes was appearing on Broadway in 1975 when he auditioned for "Kotter," a TV series about a teacher who returns to the inner-city New York school of his youth to teach a group of irreverent remedial students nicknamed the "Sweathogs." They included the character Vinnie Barbarino, played by John Travolta.

The show's theme song, performed by John Sebastian, became a pop hit.

Hegyes also appeared on many other TV series, including "Cagney & Lacey."

He was born in Perth Amboy and grew up in Metuchen, the eldest child of a Hungarian father and Italian mother.

He attended Rowan University, formerly Glassboro State College, in southern New Jersey, before heading to New York City after graduation. He returned to Rowan on several occasions to teach master classes in acting, a university spokesman said Thursday.

"He was a good friend to the university," spokesman Joe Cardona said.

Hegyes continued to act after "Kotter" and was a regular on "Cagney & Lacey." He also guest-starred in shows including "Diagnosis Murder" and "The Drew Carey Show."

On his website, Hegyes wrote that he was inspired by Chico Marx, whom he had played in a touring production of a show about the Marx Bros. He also recalled how his mother encouraged him to get involved in theater as a teen.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_en_tv/us_obit_robert_hegyes

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Will Beyonce Join The Ranks Of Celebrity Mommy Moguls?

Celebrity mom Kimora Lee Simmons and other experts discuss balancing motherhood and business.
By Jocelyn Vena

Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Now that Beyoncé has added a new job to her résumé — mom — there's a slew of potential new projects the pop-star mogul might add to her ever-growing empire. Gwen Stefani, Madonna and Victoria Beckham are just a sampling of pop stars who have managed to write a whole new chapter into their careers thanks to motherhood.

These celebs have expanded their personal brands to include children's clothing lines, books, songs and movies and have even revitalized themselves in their image as super-glam supermoms. As Beyoncé looks to the future and her role as Blue Ivy's mama, mommy mogul Kimora Lee Simmons and Christopher Gavigan, who works with Jessica Alba on her Honest brand, talked to MTV News about the balance between parenthood and the business world.

"I always tell people I'm not the glamorous Hollywood mom," said Simmons, who continues to expand her own fashion brand to include the Shinto Clinical skin-care line. "I'm not the kind of celebrity that lives in the spotlight. I'm famous from work that I do. I've always been in the business and raised my family in the business so it's like a second nature for me. I think that's the key is striking a balance. For me it's always about prioritizing."

What's Simmons' advice for new celeb moms looking to follow her lead? "I think it's about choosing what you want and going after that. Do the best you can, but you don't have to be Superwoman."

And Simmons isn't the only Hollywood A-lister trying to do it all. Alba launched Honest with Gavigan to give moms a place to find eco-friendly products for their babies. "Jessica is like every other mom. Every other mom is a major multi-tasker," Gavigan said of working with the star. "Jessica was very in line with everyone, the average mom and dad out there."

"Find what you're passionate about and go do that," he advised to any future mom moguls. "You articulate that in a brand or in a way you feel from a business perspective that you feel you get your focus articulated in some meaningful or special way. A lot of it is partnerships and leveraging the greatest assets of each other."

With all that advice in mind, some celebrity experts weighed in on what B just might do now that she is a mom. "I think it's going to come very naturally for Beyoncé to emerge as this celebrity mom, just given all the current existing brand extensions she has," said David Caplan, who has worked at Star and People magazines. "Having a child will give her legitimacy, obviously, to the moms, and clearly there's lots and lots of money to be had there. So, I think you will see her lend her hand in the baby arena, whether it's her brand extensions intentionally or just emerging as some sort of Hollywood celebrity mom icon, which happens sometimes with these celebrity mothers.

"Whether it's intentional or not, I think she's definitely going to emerge as a celebrity mother icon," he continued. "And I'm sure she'll take advantage of that and invest in her brand."

A suggestion from another expert fits right in line with the first move her hubby, Jay-Z, made when he dropped his track "Glory" just says after Blue's birth, which features his baby girl. "I think that this is a woman that has tried terribly hard to keep her private life private," HuffPost celebrity columnist Rob Shuter said. "I think it'll be the same with her baby. I can't imagine her doing a Bethenny Frankel move."

How do you think motherhood will affect Beyoncé's career? Share your thoughts below!

Related Videos

All About Beyonce And Jay-Z's New Arrival

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Twitter Changes The ?Contours? Of Censorship With Country-By-Country Blocking

Twitter has announced in a blog post a glorious new ability: "the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country ? while keeping it available in the rest of the world." At last! There are two ways of looking at this new "ability," one optimistic and one pessimistic. One is that Twitter is now more able to effectively tailor itself to the needs of certain countries. The other is that Twitter is now more able to effectively tailor itself to the needs of certain countries.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/mjLWRL8adH8/

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Easy answers to kids' most burning questions

Why is the moon sometimes out during the day? Why is the sky blue? Will we ever discover aliens? How much does the Earth weigh? How do airplanes stay up?

Those are the five questions kids most often ask their parents, and in that order, according to a new survey conducted in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, they're tough nuts to crack ? probably why kids find them so universally puzzling in the first place. Of the 2,000 parents of children ages 5 to 16 who were surveyed about their kid's queries, two-thirds said they struggled with the questions. One-fifth of the parents admitted that if they don't know an answer, they sometimes make up an explanation or pretend that no one knows.

To help prove to your kids that you're no dummy, here are the easy-to-understand answers to their most burning questions.

Why is the moon sometimes out during the day?
The moon is just as likely to be visible during the day as it is at night ? it orbits Earth independently of the sun. When its orbit brings it to your part of the sky during daylight hours, it is illuminated by the sun, and we can see it.

More science news from msnbc.com
1. Strange new species found in Suriname
  Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Scientists catalog the biodiversity of one of the world's last pristine tropical forests ? and come upon some strange-looking new species.
2. Black adorned feathers of winged dinosaurs
3. 'UFO video' from L.A. throws up red flags
4. Magnetic soap created, could cleanup oil spills

Why is the sky blue?
The light coming from the sun is made of many colors; light travels as a wave, and each color has a unique wavelength. Violet and blue light has shorter wavelengths, while red light has a longer wavelength, and the other colors have wavelengths in between.

When the different colors of light pass through the atmosphere, they run into molecules, water droplets and bits of dust. Because all these particles are closer in size to shorter wavelengths of light, they tend to scatter violet and blue light much more than red, and so they send rays of violet and blue ricocheting toward the ground ? and your eyes. More violet light actually gets scattered by atmospheric particles than blue light, but your eyes are more sensitive to blue, so the sky appears blue.

Sunsets are orange-red because in the evening, with the sun low on the horizon, sunlight must pass through more atmosphere to get to your eyes, and only the red light can make it all the way through. The shorter wavelengths have all been scattered toward the ground in the part of Earth where it is still daytime.

Will we ever discover aliens?
No one knows how rare alien life is in the universe, so there's no telling whether humanity will ever manage to discover it. However, scientists at the SETI Institute in California, who are engaged in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, are hopeful that they'll detect alien signals within the next 20 years. The scientists scan the night sky looking for unnatural radio or light beams ? ones that could only emanate from an intelligent civilization.

Their 20-year estimate is based on the rapid pace with which astronomers are discovering planets beyond our solar system, including planets that seem suitable for life; it is also based on the assumption that, if there are intelligent beings out there, they, too, will seek contact with others, and will make their presence known by sending signals into space.

How much does the Earth weigh?
The first approach to answering this question is to get technical about it. Because the Earth is in free fall around the sun, it actually weighs nothing. The same goes for astronauts in orbit; because they are technically falling around the Earth ? and if they stood on a scale, it, too, would be falling ? the scale would read zero. There's no net force of gravity acting on them.

Alternatively, you could discuss the Earth's mass ? a property that is independent of where an object is in the universe, or what it is doing. Earth has a mass of 5.97 ? 10^24 kilograms ? the equivalent of 100 million billion Titanics.

How do airplanes stay up?
To overcome the forces of drag and gravity, an airplane must generate two forces of its own: thrust and lift.

Thrust is the force that propels an airplane forward on the runway. By Newton's third law ? every action has an equal and opposite reaction ? the plane's engine generates forward thrust by spewing fuel backward. Next, as the plane hurtles down the runway, each of its wings slices the air into two streams, one that flows above it and the other, below. The wings are shaped in such a way that the air flowing over them is ultimately deflected downward, and, again because of Newton's third law, the downward motion of the air causes an equal and opposite upward motion of the plane. This is lift.

Every airplane has a specific takeoff speed ? the point at which lift overcomes gravity. That critical speed changes based on how much a particular plane weighs. The plane's engine, meanwhile, has to work to provide enough thrust to overcome drag ? friction with the air.

Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @ nattyover. Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @ llmysteries, then join us on Facebook.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46132474/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Seal: "never say never" on reunion with Heidi Klum (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? British singer Seal said in a television interview set to air this Friday that a reunion with his estranged wife, supermodel and "Project Runway" host Heidi Klum, could still be in the cards.

In an appearance on CNN program "Piers Morgan Tonight," Seal also said he still loves Klum. A video of a portion of the interview was posted online by CNN on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, the two stars announced that they were separating, but Seal has continued to be seen in public wearing his wedding ring. In response to questions from Morgan, he left open the possibility of a reconciliation with Klum.

"You can never say never, obviously I can't speak for my wife," Seal told Morgan.

Morgan later asked Seal, who has been married to the German-born Klum since 2005 and has four children with her, if he would like to salvage the relationship.

"I don't know, I don't know at this point to be honest, Piers," Seal said. "I think, again, if it were that easy, if there weren't problems, we would still be together, that is the reality."

In another TV appearance earlier this week on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Seal explained the break-up by saying "you just grow apart after awhile." But he also called Klum "the most wonderful woman in the world."

Seal and Klum at one time renewed their marriage vows every year and he titled his sixth album "Commitment" which came out in 2010.

(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/en_nm/us_heidiklum_seal

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Must See HDTV (January 23rd - 29th)

The new year is well underway and there's plenty to watch, including more Blu-ray discs with accompanying iPad apps like Real Steel and the season premiere of House. While we pause before the Super Bowl our normal football schedule finally comes to an end, with only the Pro Bowl available for viewing by the most diehard fans Sunday night. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Touch
Kiefer Sutherland is coming back to broadcast TV after a brief foray into the online realm with Touch, the story of a widower who suddenly discovers his mute 11-year old son is apparently capable of predicting the future. Whatever. We're not really pulled in by the plot, but when you combine Jack Bauer and Tim Kring, the creator of Heroes (we choose to remember it as a show that only lasted one season), we'll give it a shot. Also, our international readers should have a shot at viewing this one eventually, since the show is apparently scheduled to debut in over 100 countries starting in March -- this week's episode is a one-off special preview.
(January 25th, Fox, 9PM)

Chuck
The adventures of our favorite Buy More employee come to a close this week with a double episode of Chuck Friday night. After five seasons it's about time things got wrapped up and we'll finally see if Chuck and Sarah ride off into the sunset together, or if he ends up back on the couch playing videogames with Morgan. Check out a quick preview trailer embedded after the break, and get your Subway subs, Jefster CDs and other related memorabilia ready.
(January 27th, NBC, 8PM)

NBA
A compressed lockout-shortened schedule means all the stars are playing all the time, and that's as obvious as ever this week. 2003 draftees LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony will all share the court (pending returns from injury) Friday night on ESPN, while the Lob City Clippers are all over national broadcasts, facing the Lakers Wednesday and the Grizzlies Thursday night.

Continue reading Must See HDTV (January 23rd - 29th)

Must See HDTV (January 23rd - 29th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/must-see-hdtv-january-23rd-29th/

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Kentucky back at No. 1 in AP poll (AP)

Kentucky, the only team in last week's top four not to lose over the weekend, is back on top of The Associated Press' college basketball poll.

The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 1 for two weeks earlier this season, moved up one place Monday after receiving 61 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.

Missouri, which got two No. 1 votes, jumped from fifth to second, while Syracuse, which was in first place for the last six weeks, dropped to third after losing at Notre Dame, its first loss this season. The Orange were No. 1 on two ballots.

Ohio State and Kansas moved up two places to fourth and fifth and were followed by Baylor, which fell three places after losing two games last week, North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown and Michigan State. Duke dropped four places after losing to Florida State at home.

Murray State, the lone remaining unbeaten team in Division I, is 11th.

Florida State, which beat North Carolina and Duke in its four-game winning streak, moves back into the poll at No. 23. Wisconsin, which has won four straight after losing three in a row, is back at No. 25.

Illinois, which lost to Penn State and Wisconsin last week, dropped out from 22nd. Louisville, which reached as high as No. 4 this season but has lost five of eight, fell out from 23rd.

North Carolina is the only other team to be ranked No. 1 this season, holding the spot in the preseason Top 25 and the first poll of the regular season.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_sp_co_ap_po/bkc_t25_college_bkb_poll

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Russian Scientist Claims Signs of Life Spotted On Venus

The ancient astronomers have seen a hunter, a scorpion, a bull, a big bear, a small bear, a girl, a lion etc etc for a long time in the skys with nothing more than a few pin pricks of light. When you have the imagination, you can see anything.

Your puny human vision requires to to have imagination, and when your sleep cycle scrubs your short term memory, committing important thoughts to longer term storage by way of randomized synapse firing & strengthening you DO "see anything". When conscious what you see as pins' prickings I see as enormous gravity furnaces that warp the very essence of the Universe and forge new stable configurations of energy (matter). Reality is stranger than fiction.

You don't even want to know what's going on insi

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/BAzZ9cnR3gQ/russian-scientist-claims-signs-of-life-spotted-on-venus

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Rep. Giffords to resign Monday from Congress, focus on recovering from shooting injuries (Star Tribune)

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Video: Romney evades tax questions

Cruise ship captain: I was told to perform fatal maneuver

The operators of the Costa Concordia faced questions over their share of the blame for the shipwreck, as divers recovered another body from the stricken liner Sunday, bringing the known death toll to 13.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46076802#46076802

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Florence Welch Wears Retro Bikini, Red Swimming Cap (omg!)

Florence Welch rarely strays from her love of vintage clothes -- even when she's frolicking on the beaches of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

PHOTOS: Winter's sexiest beach bodies

The 25-year-old Florence and the Machine frontwoman donned a '50s-inspired black bikini and a red swimming cap while vacationing in the South American country Tuesday. The "What the Water Gave Me" singer, who split with literary editor Stuart Hammond in 2011, was also photographed kissing a new mystery man on the beach.

PHOTOS: Guess the star abs!

Despite her modest swimwear, Welch -- who counts Gossip Girl star Blake Lively as a BFF -- isn't ashamed of her svelte figure.

"I was a really chubby kid! Really awkward until the age of 16, then I just got tall and leveled out," she told The Daily Mail in 2009. "I was even skinnier than I am now when I was 17."

PHOTOS: Florence and other stars who love Givenchy

"I have a tendency to lose weight -- everyone in my family has it, my dad's really skinny," Welch explained. "We get too distracted and forget about eating. People are always encouraging me to eat more."

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_florence_welch_wears_retro_bikini_red_swimming_cap234544430/44237498/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/florence-welch-wears-retro-bikini-red-swimming-cap-234544430.html

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Russia Eyes Possible Moon Base with NASA: Reports (SPACE.com)

Russia is talking to NASA and the European Space Agency about building manned research colonies on the moon, according to Russian news reports.

Russia's Federal Space Agency, known as Roscosmos, is also consulting with NASA and ESA about the possibility of placing manned space stations in lunar orbit, Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported Thursday (Jan. 19).

A growing body of research supports the supposition that humanity can live for extended periods of time on or around the moon, Russian space agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said.

"Today, we know enough about it, we know that there is water in its polar areas," Popovkin told the Vesti FM radio station Thursday, according to Ria Novosti. Popovkin added that "we are now discussing how to begin [the moon?s] exploration with NASA and the European Space Agency."

Russian space officials have already begun investigating a "prospective manned transportation system" to the moon, Popovkin said.

An effort to put boots on the lunar ground would complement Russia's existing robotic moon exploration plans. The nation hopes to send two unmanned missions, called Luna-Glob and Luna-Resource, to the moon by 2020, according to the reports.

Spaceflight cooperation

A partnership between Russia, NASA and ESA on a big human spaceflight project is not unprecedented; the three agencies have been working together for more than a decade to build and operate the International Space Station. And they're in active discussions ? along with a handful of other space agencies ? about how humanity should best explore outer space.

In his latest comments about moon bases, Popovkin may be referencing these broad, overarching conversations, NASA officials said.

"We believe Popovkin may be referring to the work of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) and its Global Exploration Roadmap," NASA spokesman J.D. Harrington told SPACE.com in an email. "NASA has been meeting with senior managers from Russia and nine other space agencies to advance coordinated space exploration. The ISECG, as this group is called, has developed a long-range human exploration strategy over the past year."

The Global Exploration Roadmap begins with the space station and then expands human presence out into the solar system, leading ultimately to human exploration of the Martian surface, Harrington added. The roadmap identifies two possible pathways to Mars ? going to an asteroid first, or going to the moon first.

"Both pathways were deemed practical approaches addressing common high-level exploration goals developed by the participating agencies, recognizing that individual preferences among participating space agencies may vary regarding these pathways," Harrington said.

A tough year for Russian spaceflight

Russia may have caused some strain in its international partnerships in the wake of the failure of the country's Phobos-Grunt Mars probe, which crashed to Earth Sunday (Jan. 15). [Photos: The Phobos-Grunt Mission]

The $165 million spacecraft got stuck in Earth orbit shortly after its Nov. 8 launch, when Phobos-Grunt's thrusters failed to fire as planned to send it toward the Red Planet. Roscosmos officials still aren't sure what caused the malfunction, but they speculated last week that some sort of sabotage may be responsible.

Then, this week, some Russian space officials said that strong emissions from a United States radar station in the Marshall Islands may have accidentally brought Phobos-Grunt down. Outside experts regard that scenario as highly unlikely.

Phobos-Grunt was just one of five high-profile failures for the Russian space program in 2011. The country also suffered three botched satellite launches and the crash of the unmanned Progress 44 supply ship, which was delivering cargo to the space station.

The Progress 44 mishap was caused by a problem in the third-stage engine of its Soyuz rocket. Russia uses a similar version of the Soyuz to launch astronauts to the space station, so flights to the orbiting outpost were grounded temporarily this autumn until the problem was identified and fixed.

You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120119/sc_space/russiaeyespossiblemoonbasewithnasareports

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Ratings king 'American Idol' ready for 11th season (AP)

LAS VEGAS ? "American Idol" is having a bit of a Goldilocks moment. When the nation's favorite TV addiction debuted 10 years ago, critics complained the judges were too mean to the hordes of would-be singers seeking celebrity.

But after pop icons Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler became judges last year, some fans complained the show had lost its bite. "American Idol," critics complained, had become too nice.

Now in its 11th season, the Fox show that spawned a dozen pop stars and copycat talent competitions is hoping to get it just right.

With the second post-Simon Cowell season under way, Lopez and Tyler said they are striking a balance between showing compassion and respect for their fellow artists, while also not mincing their words.

"Last year was kind of our first year and we were kind of finding our way and figuring out how we were going to do things," Lopez said during a press conference in between filming the show in Las Vegas on Wednesday, hours before the Season 11 premiere. "But I just think we are more to the point now. We understand how to do it."

Tyler joked that he was peppering his encouragement with "well-rounded, slanderous attacks."

Tyler and Lopez's still-evolving shtick will likely determine whether "Idol" can match its previous successes. In an era of social networking, where YouTube videos result in record contracts, does America still want pop stars invented by a TV show?

All signs say yes.

It's been a decade since Texas native Kelly Clarkson was plucked from obscurity and turned into the nation's first American Idol in 2002 and by all accounts the show has retained its dominance over the nation's TV viewers.

Lopez and Tyler's debut year saw the show maintain its spot as the nation's most-watched TV show, making it No. 1 for the eighth-straight season. Scotty McCreery, last season's winner, became the first "Idol" to start his post-show career with a No. 1 album since Ruben Studdard in 2003.

No major changes have been announced for the show's 11th season. The season is opening with taped audition episodes before it shifts to live shows in Los Angeles that include audience voting. The show's season premier Wednesday was to focus on Savannah, Ga., before continuing in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Veteran music producer Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M, is returning as the in-house mentor for the contestants. Finalists will once again compete midway through the competition on the Las Vegas Strip, where 42 contestants practiced singing Wednesday morning.

Tyler said soul music has emerged has this season's genre of choice, with many of the contestants looking to channel chart-topper and British soul diva Adele.

The season could mark Ryan Seacrest's last year hosting the show. He has said he would like to stay on as the show's host past 2012, but his contract ends this year. There have been several reports that Seacrest could replace Matt Lauer, should he decide to leave the "Today" show on NBC.

Season 11 opens in a different era from when the show launched in 2002. Then, former judge Cowell helped turn the competition into a national phenomenon with his harsh feedback for the show's less-than-stellar contestants. It was the only singing competition of its kind at the time.

But last year Lopez, Tyler and lone original judge Randy Jackson seemed reluctant to point out contestants' shortcomings in the same blunt manner that helped make "Idol" must-see entertainment.

The TV landscape has also changed. "Idol" now faces challenges from NBC's competition "The Voice," and Fox's "The X Factor," which stars Cowell.

The show has helped launched the careers of pop stars Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_en_tv/us_american_idol

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Friday, January 20, 2012

Silva: Breaking down the AFC and NFC title games

The strengths, weaknesses and X-factors for Pats-Ravens, 49ers-Giants

Jim Rogash / Getty Images

Can Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pick apart the Ravens' defense?

ANALYSIS

updated 12:41 a.m. ET Jan. 19, 2012

Evan Silva

The NFL's crucial weekend has arrived. Four teams, two title games and the winners advance to Super Bowl XLVI.

Here's a breakdown of the divisional games this weekend, which focuses on each team's strengths, weaknesses, X-factors and the keys to winning.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
When: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (CBS)

Ravens must: Get big-time throws from Joe Flacco.

In terms of physical skills, Flacco is plenty capable of shouldering an offensive load and pouring points on an opponent with the pass game. Flacco's stumbling blocks have been deliberate in-pocket decision making and a receiver corps that struggles to create separation.

No defense this season has shown the ability to stop New England's passing attack; double teaming Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker has resulted in monster games for Aaron Hernandez. The Ravens will have to rack up yards and points to keep pace, and the best way to do it against New England's porous secondary will be via Flacco's arm.

Patriots must: Take away Ray Rice.

The Ravens make it no secret that the rushing attack is their offensive foundation, and that Flacco is most effective managing games. Including the playoffs, Flacco has averaged just 26 pass attempts in his last eight contests while Rice has been Baltimore's offensive centerpiece.

New England's run defense has stiffened lately, holding a Broncos rushing offense that ranked first in the league during the regular season to 144 yards on 40 divisional-round carries (3.6 YPC). The Pats were stuffing the run late in the game, even up by several touchdowns. Stopping Rice would effectively remove the Ravens from their comfort zone.

X-Factor: Patriots defensive tackle Kyle Love.

A 310-pound fire hydrant, Love has emerged as arguably New England's top run defender a year removed from going undrafted out of Mississippi State. Teaming with more well-known Vince Wilfork, Love gives the Patriots two immovable big-bellied pluggers on the interior. Generating push against Ravens linemen Marshal Yanda, Matt Birk, and Ben Grubbs will be vital for New England's chances of containing Rice. When Rice gets to the perimeter, weak-side 'backer Jerod Mayo and safety Pat Chung must be there to clean up.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Ravens 23

N.Y. Giants at San Francisco 49ers
When: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX)

Giants must: Make Alex Smith beat them without Vernon Davis.

Assigning safety Kenny Phillips to Davis may be coordinator Perry Fewell's best bet. While they've gotten better in the playoffs, it's worth noting that New York struggled mightily in tight end coverage to end the regular season. In their final nine games, the Giants allowed league highs in receptions (63) and touchdowns (8) to opponents at position, along with a weekly average of over 76 yards and seven catches.

The stats suggest Davis will have a very big night if the Giants defend as they did for much of 2011, and loudmouthed Antrel Rolle did team no service by lashing out at Davis in the media this week.

49ers must: Continue to create takeaways.

The Niners set the tone in last week's divisional-round upset, as safety Donte Whitner delivered a fumble-causing blow to tailback Pierre Thomas to kill a promising Saints first drive. All told, San Francisco created five turnovers against New Orleans.

The 49ers can't count on Smith to repeat his career-best performance, but they can control the game with their physical, aggressive defense. Individual matchups to watch include Tarell Brown on Hakeem Nicks, Carlos Rogers versus Victor Cruz in the slot, and Mario Manningham against rookie Chris Culliver. As a unit, the Niners' secondary played its best game of the year last week.

X-Factor: Giants center David Baas.

49ers defensive end Justin Smith was a one-man wrecking crew throughout the regular season, and finally caught national attention with a dominant showing against the Saints. Credited with a sack, tackle for loss, and five hurries, Smith was the most ferocious lineman of the divisional round.

On passing downs, Smith often rushes from the interior, where he'll attempt to split double teams from Baas and left guard Kevin Boothe. A former 49er, Baas lined up against Smith in practice for three seasons before defecting to New York in 2011. More so than any center in the league, Baas is familiar with Smith's moves and bull rush.

Prediction: Giants 20, 49ers 17

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46046699/ns/sports-nfl/

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Insects, not ankle, bug Serena in Aussie comeback (AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia ? If anything, it was the insects buzzing around Rod Laver Arena that bugged Serena Williams the most.

The injured left ankle held up fine in her opening match Tuesday at the Australian Open, and even the near-midnight start time was OK. But the bugs?

"I hate bugs more than you can imagine," Williams said after reaching the second round by beating Tamira Paszek 6-3, 6-2. "Like, they kept jumping on me. Yuck!"

The match started at 11:32 p.m., and Williams hit a service winner 79 minutes later to finish it off. Between points, though, she picked up and moved or shooed away bugs that landed on court, and two that landed on her back. A big one gave her a fright, making her hop as she tried to stifle a screech.

"I'm going to request not to play at night anymore because I hate bugs, except for the final. I heard it's at night," Williams said. "I'll try to get used to them."

Two years after she won her last Australian Open title, Williams extended her winning streak to 15 matches at Melbourne Park in the season's first major tournament. She won titles in 2009 and 2010 but missed the chance to defend her title last year amid a prolonged injury layoff.

The match started late start because Williams and Paszek had to wait until the conclusion of a 4-hour men's night match won by Leyton Hewitt. And it was her first match since badly spraining her ankle two weeks ago at the Brisbane International, an injury that jeopardized her participation in Melbourne. Monday was the first time she was able to practice pain free, but she still had her lower left leg and ankles heavily taped.

"I don't let anything bother me," she said. "It's definitely different to have the ladies play so late, you know, so we'll see."

Williams was playing only her third match since losing the U.S. Open final to Sam Stosur last September, so she admitted being "a wee bit tight."

She maintained her run of never losing in the first round of a major, overcoming a low-key start to get the decisive first-set break in the eighth game. She broke Paszek in the fifth game of the second set, then served four aces in the next game that lasted less than a minute as she hurried to the finish.

"Physically I felt fine. I was definitely moving better than I suspected," Williams said. "I still think I can move better, though, and just get that confidence.

"I definitely think it was good because I moved a lot and I challenged myself a lot. She made a few drop shots. She really pushed me physically. I think that's really something I needed to kind of feel and assess my ankle."

Williams conceded it wasn't easy to get herself ready.

"I'm doing everything possible that I can, things I've never done, just to get it better," she said, declining to elaborate on her therapy except to say it involved a lot of ice and experience from recovering from other injuries. "But it is a very, very, very bad sprain. So I'm just playing it by ear."

Stosur, the last woman to beat Williams, didn't make the second round. The U.S. Open champion lost 7-6 (2), 6-3 to No. 59-ranked Sorana Cirstea.

"Certainly not the way that I wanted, not just this tournament, but the whole summer," to play out, Stosur said. "There's not any other word for it but a total disappointment."

Stosur's first-round loss mirrors that of Petra Kvitova, who went out in the first round of last year's U.S. Open after winning Wimbledon.

The second-ranked Kvitova advanced this time. After surrendering her opening service game with a double-fault, Kvitova won 12 consecutive games in a 6-2, 6-0 romp over Vera Dushevina of Russia.

No. 4-ranked Maria Sharapova won the first eight games of a 6-0, 6-1 rout of Gisela Dulko of Argentina in her first match since returning from a left ankle injury.

Stosur is gone, but fans hung around to watch another Aussie hope. Hewitt, a two-time major winner and former Australian Open finalist, gave the night session crowd something to cheer when he beat Cedrik-Marcel Stebe of Germany 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, winning the last six games to overcome two service breaks in the last set.

The Australian veteran is famous for playing the latest finishing Grand Slam match, a win over Marcos Baghdatis in 2008 that ended at 4:34 a.m. That match started after a late-finishing women's match, so he wasn't unhappy about switching places in the program this time.

"I don't really want to have too many of the Baghdatis matches again," Hewitt said. "Go home and McDonald's is already open on the way home for breakfast. Yeah, it's nice. The girls can do that for a change."

His win put him into a second-round match against old rival Andy Roddick, who easily defeated Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.

Defending champion and top-ranked Novak Djokovic dropped an early service game before winning the last 17 games to beat Paolo Lorenzi of Italy 6-2, 6-0, 6-0.

He wore pair of red, white and blue shoes with images of his three major trophies he won in 2011 on the sides and a Serbian flag on the heels.

"I just have more confidence that I'm playing on right now," Djokovic said. "I just believe that I can win, especially against the biggest rivals in the major events."

Both the men he has beaten in Australian finals also advanced. Andy Murray, runner-up the last two years, defeated American teenager Ryan Harrison 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, beaten by Djokovic in the 2008 final, eliminated Denis Istomin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Rafael Nadal, the 2009 Australian Open champion, and four-time winner Roger Federer play Wednesday.

Federer makes a rare departure from Rod Laver Arena, playing his second-round match against Andreas Beck in the last match on Hisense Arena, the second show court at Melbourne Park, immediately after top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki faces Anna Tatishvili of Georgia.

It will be the first time since a second-round win over American qualifier Jeff Morrison in 2004 that Federer hasn't played an Australian Open singles match on Rod Laver Arena. He won his first Australian title that year and has played 52 consecutive matches on Rod Laver since.

French Open champion Li Na opens the program on Rod Laver on Wednesday against Oliva Rogowska of Australia in the second round. Kim Clijsters, who beat Li to win the last Australian Open title, is next on center court against Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_sp_te_ga_su/ten_australian_open

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