Help Save-A-Pet!

I've mentioned this before, but my mom volunteers at Save-A-Pet, a no-kill animal shelter in Illinois. Like many charities, they're currently having financial difficulties and might have to close their doors unless they receive more donations. Here's a link to a message regarding their financial situation.

If you can donate anything—even just one dollar—it would be greatly appreciated. They've been around for almost 40 years and are currently home to almost 300 animals. Here are some photos I took last time I was there:

He was my favorite, Jax. I would take him home if I could, but he needs to be the only animal in the house.

All the cats stay in the same room and have "kitty condos."

"Meow! I like to cuddle!"

"Woof! I'm cute!"

"I also only have three legs, but I'm doing fine!"

Every dog gets to go outside and play every day.

Please help if you can! Thank you!

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Report: Jenn Sterger to Meet With NFL Regarding Brett Favre Investigation

Filed under: Vikings, NFL Media Watch

On the same day that Brett Favre said his injured ankle is feeling good enough that he expects to play against the Patriots, Favre got some bad news about the investigation the NFL is conducting into whether the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback broke league rules on workplace conduct.

Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting Sterger's attorney, Joe Conway, said his client is expected to meet with the NFL about the league's investigation into explicit text messages that Favre has been accused of sending to Sterger.

"There is a very strong likelihood that Ms. Sterger will agree to meet with the NFL in their ongoing investigation," Conway told Schefter on Saturday. "I expect that such a meeting will take place late next week at an undisclosed location."

The NFL was expected to wrap up its investigation soon, and it seemed that Favre was in the clear because no one had come forward to publicly accuse him of anything that would constitute a violation of the league's personal-conduct policy.

But Favre may not be in the clear anymore: Sterger's long silence is apparently close to ending.

 

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WEC roster added to the UFC: Top 10 fighters to watch

The little guys from WEC are on the way to the UFC. It gives Zuffa more ready-made stars to plug into the lineup on pay-per-view cards. With the influx of 135-155 pounders, there are a ton of action fights on the horizon. If you haven’t watched much Versus and WEC, here are the top 10 players moving over to the big show.

1. Jose Aldo, featherweight - The 24-year-old, the 145-pound champ has already exploded into the top 10 pound-for-pound. He’s 8-0 with the promotion and has won 11 straight overall. With Aldo on board with the UFC, he also has the flexibility to move up to 155 pounds. The only question on Aldo remains his ability to defend the takedown against top level wrestlers. He hasn’t met that type of fighter yet.

2. Urijah Faber, bantamweight - The guy who carried the WEC for years finally gets the exposure he deserves. The 5-foot-5 Faber is down where he belongs at 135 and with a media savvy/friendly personality plus matinee idol looks he could become a star on the same level as Georges St, Pierre or Brock Lesnar. 

3. Miguel Torres, bantamweight - Truly the most well-rounded fighter in the WEC, the timing is perfect for Torres. Casual MMA fans will love his personality and his warrior style in the cage. He’s also working toward becoming a smarter fighter and playing more to his strengths on the ground.

4. Anthony Pettis, lightweight - His title shot on Dec. 16 against Ben Henderson just went from big to enormous. If Pettis pulls the mild upset and takes the title, he’ll get an immediate shot at the UFC lightweight title against Frank Edgar or Gray Maynard. Pettis, 23, is a big 155-pounder and can do it all.

5. Dominick Cruz, bantamweight - He’s a riddle yet to be solved down at 135. Another young fighter at 25-years-old, Cruz’s herky, jerky striking style is reminiscent of great defensive boxers of the past. The list of contenders and big fights at bantamweight in the UFC could easily headline PPV cards for a few years before any new fighters move into the mix.   

6. Joe Benavidez, bantamweight - Benavidez may be the best action fighter in the sport and should be a candidate for the much bigger fight of the night bonuses available on UFC cards. He had match up issues against Cruz’s style but he’ll be a candidate for the 135 title again in the future. He may also provide some headaches for UFC matchmakers. If Faber can get the bantamweight title and is dominant, his teammate Benavidez still won’t take the fight.

7. Brian Bowles, bantamweight - The former 135 champ is the forgotten man but that’s a mistake. He brings one thing the rest of the bigger names in the weight class don’t - one punch knockout power. Bowles could be in line for some nice paydays as he works his way back from issues with his hands.

8. Ben Henderson, lightweight - Overrated or underrated, now Henderson, 26, will be put to the test. He has some of the best cardio in the division but now he’s stepping into the world of guys like Edgar, Maynard, Sean Sherk, Evan Dunham, Kenny Florian, George Sotiropolous and possibly Diego Sanchez. The USA Today/Bloody Elbow rankings only has Henderson ranked No. 14 in the world. That’s some serious motivation. 

9. Josh Grispi, featherweight - The New Englander is on the verge of breaking out. The 22-year-old just needs to be a little more active. At just over 6-foot tall, he's a rangy guy for the weight class.  

10. Donald Cerrone, lightweight - Think of him as the 155-pound Chris Lytle. Cerrone may be no better than a .500 fighter in the UFC but he’ll bring it every time out. If he cuts down on his willingness to fight from his back, Cerrone has a chance to pull some big upsets. He’s also adds another crazy guy to the UFC roster when it comes to hyping a fight.

Who else are you excited to see on the big shows? 

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Lakers vs Suns: Pau Gasol Leads LA in Phoenix

Filed under: Lakers, Suns

PHOENIX -- In a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals, the Lakers faced the Suns in the champs' first road contest of the season. This was the third time in the last five meetings between the teams that the Suns were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Lakers were coming off of at least a day's rest -- or in this case, two days.

Phoenix hung around all game long, thanks to never letting L.A. go on a huge run of more than seven or eight points. And, they held their own in the rebound battle, an area that Suns coach Alvin Gentry specifically pointed to before the game as an area of concern. But in the end, the depth of the Lakers -- as it's likely to be against the majority of their opponents this season -- was simply too much, and L.A. pulled away for a 114-106 victory to improve to 2-0 on the young season.

 

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Bobby Voelker TKOs Roger Bowling at Strikeforce Challengers

by Michael David SmithRoger Bowling was supposed to be one of the young up-and-coming stars of the Strikeforce Challengers Series, but Bobby Voelker had other ideas.

Voelker brutalized Bowling with ground and pound in the second round of their fight on Friday night, forcing the referee to step in and hand Voelker a technical knockout victory.

Bowling put on a great show in beating Voelker by technical decision in May, but that fight ended in controversy when Voelker accidentally poked Bowling in the eye, and Strikeforce wanted to pair the two up again and get a more decisive ending. As it turned out, it was Voelker who got the decisive victory.

 

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 'New Year's Eve' A Bit Early

New single from Doggystyle 2 is "about celebrating the anticipation of 2011," says MC.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Matt Elias

Snoop Dogg
Photo: MTV News

Halloween may still be around the corner, but Snoop Dogg is already thinking about flipping the calendar to 2011.

The Los Angeles lyricist recently released the first number from his forthcoming album Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary. And you can probably figure out its topic, given that it's called "New Year's Eve."

"It's about celebrating the anticipation of 2011, 'New Year's Eve,'" Snoop told MTV News while on the set of the video for Play-N-Skillz' "Things We'd Do," which features the rapper. "You know how everyone looks at the clock at 11:59 and counts it down? You want to be in a celebratory mode and this is the song that puts you in the right mode for that.

"I'm just jumping the gun," he continued. "I'm making it ahead of time instead of waiting until the last day of. 'Cause there's a spirit of waiting until you get to New Year's Eve, so I want to make people feel real good about a new year coming. it's a great situation and that's what the song represents. "

Last month, Snoop revealed Katy Perry would appear on Doggystyle 2.

In a Bubble Tweet message with Swizz Beatz, Snoop said that the forthcoming album will serve as a sequel to his seminal debut Doggystyle, and that he and Swizz had worked on 18 tracks together already.

"Man, this is big Snoop Dogg coming to you live from the studio somewhere," Snoop said in the clip. "With Swizzle, and he just laced my boots up for my new record. He gave me some gangster sh--, some Crip sh--, some R&B sh--, some hip-hop sh--, some hard sh--, some mean sh--."

What do you think of Snoop's new song? Let us know in the comments!

Related Artists

• Snoop Dogg

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Dwyane Wade, Not LeBron James, Emerging As Miami Heat Leader

Filed under: Heat, Magic, NBA Last Night, Chris Bosh

MIAMI -- It's hard to imagine two-time Most Valuable Player LeBron James -- once the center of the basketball universe -- being anyone's sidekick or set-up man.

It just might be happening here.

This is still Dwyane Wade's town. This is still his team.

Wade, who coaxed both James and Chris Bosh to Miami as free agents this summer, has wasted no time asserting himself as the dominant player on what is expected to be the league's most dominant team.

After missing all but three minutes of the exhibition schedule with a hamstring injury, Wade (shown above in pregame introductions of Friday's contest) has used the first week of the regular season to step confidently into his role as The leader -- not A leader -- of the Miami Heat.

Three games into the season, it's starting to look clear.

 

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'The Reem' needs more respect, this song will help

Brock Lesnar can have his beard. And Fedor Emelianenko, you keep the sweaters. Those guys may have the biggest names amongst MMA heavyweights, but neither has an awesome tribute song like Alistair Overeem.

Excellent job on the vocals The Garv, we think. Whoever it is can certainly give the Bud Light mullet guy a run for his money.

If you're not into horses defecating, the end is NSFY.

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DeskMetrics Wants To Be A Google Analytics For Desktop Software

There's a lot of talk about how web apps and the cloud are heralding a new age of computing, but for the forseeable future many people are still going to be relying heavily on desktop software ? especially as operating systems start to bake in their own App Stores. �And while desktop apps may offer advantages in terms of performance and user experience, in some ways web apps are actually better for developers ? it's much easier to track how people are using your application and iterate accordingly. That's where DeskMetrics comes in. The Brazilian startup, which launches today to the public, offers developers a set of components that will allow them to analyze how their desktop applications are being used, down to each click. This means developers can analyze which buttons users are clicking, how far along in various sign-up flows they're getting, and more ?�just like web developers have been doing for years.

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UFC 121 Post-Fight Press Conference Video

by Michael David SmithWhen the action in the Octagon at UFC 121 has ended, the action will move to the press room for the UFC 121 post-fight press conference, and we'll have the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.

Among those who will address the press are UFC President Dana White, main event fighters Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, and select fighters from the undercard, likely including Jake Shields, Martin Kampmann and Tito Ortiz.

The press conference will start about 20 minutes after the main event ends, likely around 1:15 AM ET, and the video is below.

 

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Heat Tickets for Home Opener vs. Magic Still Available

Filed under: Heat, Sports Business and Media

Want to watch the Big Three's debut in Miami on Friday night? Surprise, surprise. There are still tickets available. With all the buzz regarding the Heat, the AmericanAirlines Arena is still not sold out for the team's home opener against the Orlando Magic.

Individual tickets are still available, according to the Heat's website.

There is also a surplus of tickets available on stubhub.com in the range of $70-$105 per ticket -- and all these seats are not nosebleeds either.

Still, the hype of the Heat got the better of one buyer.

Even with tickets available, a pair of courtside seats reportedly sold for $25,884 on stubhub.com, company spokesman Glen Lehrman told The Associated Press. Lehrman also said that the site has an average price for any seat at $325, much higher when compared to last year's Heat home-opener against the Knicks at $50.

 

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Jake Shields grapples his way to a split decision at UFC 121

Jake Shields debut in the UFC was not flashy, but it got the job done as he won the split decision over Martin Kampmann at UFC 121. The judges saw the fight 28-29, 30-27, 29-28 for Shields in Anaheim on Saturday.

As expected, Shields took Kampmann down quickly to start the fight, and worked diligently there until the final minute of the round. Shields used leg kicks to keep Kampmann from closing the distance, and tried for another takedown as the round ended.

Shields continued to show his grappling game in the second round, controlling Kampmann on the ground. Kampmann was able to inflict some damage, twice hitting Shields in the face with knees while the two were clinched up. But when on the ground, Shields ruled the round, passing Kampmann's guard with ease. Shields slowed his pace in this round.

A gassed Shields had trouble getting Kampmann to the ground in the final round. When it finally happened, Shields continued to outgrapple Kampmann, but the pace of the fight was slow. Kampmann never really was able to take control of the fight away from Shields, and didn't unload in stand-up as he is able to do.

Though Shields, the Strikeforce middleweight champ who vacated his belt to sign with the UFC, had fought at welterweight in the past, his last fights for Strikeforce were at middleweight with last welterweight bout was in 2008 against Paul Daley. The cut down to welterweight appeared to be a bad one, because he had no problem fighting for five rounds in his April title defense with Dan Henderson.

Shields was supposed to be guaranteed a title shot with a win over Kampmann, but this bout raises two questions. One, was the win good enough to earn the title shot, and two, can Shields fight at 170 lbs.?

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Aaron Goodwin Plans Action Against Arn Tellem for Poaching Al Horford

by Sam Amick

Filed under: Hawks, Sports Business and Media

Poaching has long been a part of the agent industry, with some considering the practice of stealing clients a necessary evil to survive in the business and others deeming it deplorable.

But three months after agent Keith Glass won his courtroom bout with agent Andy Miller in a landmark decision, the case is serving as a segue into a contentious faceoff between two industry heavyweights and might spark change at the institutional level as well.

Aaron Goodwin, 2009

Agent Aaron Goodwin told FanHouse that he plans to file a formal complaint against top agent Arn Tellem with the NBA Players Association in the coming weeks because of how his colleague came to represent Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford. Horford was represented by Goodwin from the time he was picked third overall out of Florida in 2007 until late June, when he changed agents days before he was eligible to begin discussing a possible extension. The union will rule on whether the case goes to arbitration.

Adding to the mix that Goodwin finds mysterious, the agent who is listed as Horford's representative by the union is B.J. Armstrong, the former player who works for Tellem and has decidedly less experience than Goodwin in dealing with such negotiations. Tellem, however, is nothing short of a top dog in their dog-eat-dog world -- listed by Hoopshype.com as the top grossing agent in the game with 38 players in all (nine All-Stars) and a combined salary total of $181,526,949 among his players.

 

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In Preparation For Sale To Rubicon Project, Fox Audience Network Fires Half Its Staff

News Corp is on the verge of unloading another one of its digital businesses under Fox Interactive Media, the Fox Audience Network (FAN), to Los Angeles-based ad-optimization startup The Rubicon Project. The deal has not been signed yet and may still fall apart, but the two companies are in the final stages of negotiation, according to sources with direct knowledge of the deal. (Talks have been heating up over the past month). In preparation for the sale, or continuation as a standalone business, about half of its 300 employees were let go yesterday, most of them sales people. Rubicon is more interested in the ad technology. If the proposed deal with Rubicon goes through, it will get certain assets including FAN's ad server technology, its self-serve banner advertising platform called MyAds, and about 100 employees to help run those parts of the business. In return, News Corp will get about 20 percent of Rubicon's shares. (When Fox Interactive Media disposed of Rotten Tomatoes, it structured a similar asset-for-equity swap with Flixster). The fact that the ad server technology is one of the key assets here is particularly noteworthy, given that Rubicon's public posturing in the past was that the ad server is dead.

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UFC 121: Court McGee Comes Back to Submit Ryan Jensen

by Michael David SmithIn his first fight since winning Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, Court McGee looked like he wasn't ready for prime time in the early going against Ryan Jensen, only to come back and win a hard-earned third-round submission victory at UFC 121.

It was a great comeback for McGee, who improves to 13-1 in his pro MMA career. Jensen falls to 15-7.

 

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ACC Report: Wolfpack, Seminoles Featured on Thursday Night Lights

Filed under: Florida State, NC State, ACC

Sometimes, Thursday night games turn out to be lopsided, nationally televised clunkers.

Just ask UCLA, which might have given up another touchdown to Oregon since you clicked on this story.

But there are occasions the matchup has meaning and intrigue. Florida State and N.C. State could provide that Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.

Granted, the Wolfpack (5-2, 2-1 ACC) are unranked and No. 16 Florida State (6-1, 4-0) is coming off an underwhelming home defeat of Boston College. But both teams remain in the chase for an Atlantic Division title.

That's new territory for N.C. State, which hasn't secured bowl eligibility before the end of October since 2003 but could do so Thursday. The Wolfpack made bowl trips in 2005 and 2008, but needed victories in the regular-season finale to lock up both postseason appearances.

"I think everyone here is aware it's a very big football game if we want to be the team that represents our side of the conference in Charlotte (in the ACC title game)," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said. "So with that being said in the past that every game is important, but certain games, because of the significance of them, take on a different life in itself and this is certainly one of those games."

Meanwhile, the Seminoles are readjusting to playing significant games deep into the season as well. Florida State won its only Atlantic Division title in 2005, which happened to be the last time before this fall it escaped September without an ACC loss.

Should Florida State snag a victory at Carter-Finley Stadium, it would assure it at least a two-game cushion in the loss column over everyone in the division besides Maryland (5-2, 2-1) with three league games to play.

That scenario, however, doesn't seem particularly important to coach Jimbo Fisher.

"We can't worry about our standings or where we're at," Fisher said. "What we have to do is control what we can control and that is trying to play well in this football game. That is the only focus we have. We're not caught up in all of the other things."

 

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Mariah confirms ? "Yes, we are pregnant!"

After months of speculation, Mariah Carey is finally sharing her good news with fans ? she and husband Nick Cannon are expecting their first child this spring. "We are pregnant! This is true!" a glowing Mariah told Access Hollywood's Billy Bush in a special segment on the Today show this morning. "The greatest gift on earth is a child," Nick, sitting next to his wife on a couch in their New York home, added. Despite their current joy, Mariah admits it has been ?a long journey" for the couple ? two years ago, she suffered a miscarriage. "During the day, she was so festive and smiley, and at night, crying herself to sleep," Nick said of Mariah's dark time. Though they remained mum on the "is she or isn't she" question, Nick could hardly contain his desire to be a dad when speaking with In Touch recently. "I?m a loving person, and I?d put that same type of energy toward my child as a father."

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Nicki Minaj 'In Shock' Over Eminem Collaboration 'Roman's Revenge'

After rejecting one beat, Em 'picked up the phone' for a Swizz Beatz track, Nicki says on 'RapFix Live.'
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Nicki Minaj
Photo: Rachel Goldner/MTV News

Nicki Minaj has quite a few alter egos; Eminem has just one. And on the upcoming Pink Friday track "Roman's Revenge," Nicki's Roman Zolanski goes toe-to-toe with Em's Slim Shady.

"It was Roman ... and it was Slim Shady," she told MTV News' Sway while speaking in a British accent during her appearance on "RapFix Live."

The real Slim Shady? "The real Slim Shady," she confirmed. "It was the most fun song on Pink Friday. It gave me life. Absolutely, darling."

The track had long been in the works, she revealed. Swizz Beatz produced the number, and she held onto the track for months. The Queens femcee sent Eminem another record first in hopes of soliciting a collaboration with the Detroit superstar.

"We went out on a whim and put it in the air like, 'It'd be great if he would collaborate with us,' " Nicki Minaj said. "I remember I kept talking about it, and I thought, 'It can't hurt.' I sent him one record, and he didn't love it. He didn't say, 'I don't love it'; he just said, 'Can you send me something that's a little more me?' I sent him an e-mail and thanked him for that, just having enough respect. Sometimes people don't respond. He had the respect, at least, to treat me like a peer."

Eventually, Nicki revisited the Swizz track and completed the song. She wasn't sure if she wanted a feature on the track, because she thought the song was so good as it stood. After thinking it over, however, she decided to reach out to Em.

"He picked up the phone for that one," she said.

According to Nicki, the Recovery MC was extremely detailed about his plans. The two worked out a new chorus after clearance issues killed the first one. Then they wrapped the number, which features MTV News' 2010 Hottest MC in the Game and #6 on the list.

"Even right now, I'm in shock," she said of the collaboration.

What do you think about Em and Nick working together? Let us know in the comments!

Related Videos

• 'RapFix Live' With Nicki Minaj

Related Photos

• Nicki Minaj On The 'Hottest MCs' Edition Of 'RapFix Live'

Related Artists

• Nicki Minaj
• Eminem

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Carolina Panther RB DeAngelo Williams Misses Practice

Filed under: Panthers, NFC South

DeAngelo Williams, the Carolina Panthers running back, missed practice again Thursday with a sprained foot. The Panthers are coming off their first win of the season, so the loss of momentum with an injury to their leading ball carrier is not the best step forward.

But if there is a team that might be able to absorb the loss it is the Panthers. Waiting in the wings trying to get his season in gear is Jonathan Stewart, a 1,000-yard running back from 2009.

Stewart dealt with a foot injury in the offseason, but Head Coach John Fox insists Stewart is healthy and ready. Stewart also says he is healthy on both wheels.

 

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WEC is coming to the UFC: Top 10 fighters to watch

The little guys from WEC are on the way to the UFC. It gives Zuffa more ready-made stars to plug into the lineup on pay-per-view cards. With the influx of 135-155 pounders, there are a ton of action fights on the horizon. If you haven’t watched much Versus and WEC, here are the top 10 players moving over to the big show.

1. Jose Aldo, featherweight - The 24-year-old, the 145-pound champ has already exploded into the top 10 pound-for-pound. He’s 8-0 with the promotion and has won 11 straight overall. With Aldo on board with the UFC, he also has the flexibility to move up to 155 pounds. The only question on Aldo remains his ability to defend the takedown against top level wrestlers. He hasn’t met that type of fighter yet.

2. Urijah Faber, bantamweight - The guy who carried the WEC for years finally gets the exposure he deserves. The 5-foot-5 Faber is down where he belongs at 135 and with a media savvy/friendly personality plus matinee idol looks he could become a star on the same level as Georges St, Pierre or Brock Lesnar. 

3. Miguel Torres, bantamweight - Truly the most well-rounded fighter in the WEC, the timing is perfect for Torres. Casual MMA fans will love his personality and his warrior style in the cage. He’s also working toward becoming a smarter fighter and playing more to his strengths on the ground.

4. Anthony Pettis, lightweight - His title shot on Dec. 16 against Ben Henderson just went from big to enormous. If Pettis pulls the mild upset and takes the title, he’ll get an immediate shot at the UFC lightweight title against Frank Edgar or Gray Maynard. Pettis, 22, is a big 155-pounder and can do it all.

5. Dominick Cruz, bantamweight - He’s a riddle yet to be solved down at 135. Another young fighter at 25-years-old, Cruz’s herky, jerky striking style is reminiscent of great defensive boxers of the past. The list of contenders and big fights at bantamweight in the UFC could easily headline PPV cards for a few years before any new fighters move into the mix.   

6. Joe Benavidez, bantamweight - Benavidez may be the best action fighter in the sport and should be a candidate for the much bigger fight of the night bonuses available on UFC cards. He had match up issues against Cruz’s style but he’ll be a candidate for the 135 title again in the future. He may also provide some headaches for UFC matchmakers. If Faber can get the bantamweight title and is dominant, his teammate Benavidez still won’t take the fight.

7. Brian Bowles, bantamweight - The former 135 champ is the forgotten man but that’s a mistake. He brings one thing the rest of the bigger names in the weight class don’t - one punch knockout power. Bowles could be in line for some nice paydays as he works his way back from issues with his hands.

8. Ben Henderson, lightweight - Overrated or underrated, now Henderson will be put to the test. He has some of the best cardio in the division but now he’s stepping into the world of guys like Edgar, Maynard, Sean Sherk, Evan Dunham, Kenny Florian, George Sotiropolous and possibly Diego Sanchez. The USA Today/Bloody Elbow rankings only has Henderson ranked No. 14 in the world. That’s some serious motivation. 

9. Josh Grispi, featherweight - The New Englander is on the verge of breaking out. The 22-year-old just needs to be a little more active. At just over 6-foot tall, he's a rangy guy for the weight class.  

10. Donald Cerrone, lightweight - Think of him as the 155-pound Chris Lytle. Cerrone may be no better than a .500 fighter in the UFC but he’ll bring it every time out. If he cuts down on his willingness to fight from his back, Cerrone has a chance to pull some big upsets. He’s also adds another crazy guy to the UFC roster when it comes to hyping a fight.

Who else are you excited to see on the big shows? 

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Caroline Wozniacki Clinches Year-End No. 1 Ranking

Filed under: WTA, WTA Rankings

Caroline Wozniacki clinched the WTA's year-end No. 1 ranking on Thursday by defeating Francesca Schiavone, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, in their round-robin match at the WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar.

She is the youngest player to end the year at No. 1 since Martina Hingis accomplished the feat in 2000. "That's something I've dreamed about since I was a little girl," Wozniacki said after the match. "I'm really happy, really proud about what I've achieved this year."

Wozniacki, who lost the first set, rallied back and strengthened as the match progressed. She earned three vital breaks in the third set to seal the win. The match was a microcosm of Wozniacki's year. She wore down her opponent, and was stronger -- both mentally and physically -- than Schiavone was by the contest's end.

"Francesca was playing really good in the first set," Wozniacki said. "I just hang in there, and I kept my focus, and I tried to stay a little bit more aggressive and not let her dictate the game in the second and third, and that helped me through."

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Shane Carwin out of UFC 125 bout with injury

UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin announced via his own website today that he has pulled out of his UFC 125 bout with Roy Nelson.

I am going to pull out of the fight with Roy Nelson. As many of you know I have been having some back pain. I had an MRI yesterday and I have some damage that may really require surgery. If the doctors do not have to perform surgery then I will be out 8-12 weeks. If they do have to perform surgery I do not know how long I will be out of action.

Carwin said that he will be able continue training cardio while healing from surgery, which was clearly his Achilles heel in his UFC 116 loss to Brock Lesnar. If Cain Velasquez's win over Lesnar this past weekend said anything about the UFC's heavyweight division, it was that all fighters need a more complete game to be the champ, and that includes cardio. If Carwin wants to return to the title fight, it's smart for him to both get healthy and not ignore his endurance.

Losing this fight is a blow to UFC 125, a New Year's Day card in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by the lightweight championship bout between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Carwin is disappointed about having to pull off the card, tweeting, "Roy and my boss are the only ones happy about this."

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This might sound crazy but...

I blew off my shrink appointment this morning because it was raining outside and I didn't want to get out bed, so I'm just going to show up tomorrow at the same time and pretend they got the day wrong.

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Ellenberger uses the power of Twitter to call out 'hated' Shields

UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger wants a piece of Jake Shields, and he's using his mouth to try to make it happen. Never mind that Shields has already cemented his title shot with a win over Martin Kampmann, and that Ellenberger is in line behind Jon Fitch and Carlos Condit, a fighter who has beaten Ellenberger. He wants Shields, and he is using the power of Twitter to try to sway the powers-that-be in the UFC.

Ellenberger -- who has recent TKO wins over John Howard and Mike Pyle -- has called out Shields several times on Twitter in the last few days, questioning Shields' title shot immediately after the fight, then going on to say:

Ellenberger isn't the first fighter to use a strategy of asking for fights to move up for a bout. Dan Hardy, "King Mo" Lawal and Ben Saunders have all gotten a shot at top fights by simply asking for them. Ellenberger would have to clear a lot of hurdles to get a shot at Shields before Shields fights either Georges St. Pierre or Josh Koscheck for the UFC welterweight title, but stranger things have happened in MMA.

UPDATE: Cagewriter spoke with Ellenberger via text, and he said that both Jake Shields and the UFC have not responded to his tweets. "But it's only a matter of time. Fake Shields is a fraud. Excuse me, Miss Piggy is a fraud," Ellenberger said. Why Miss Piggy?

"When he fights, he reminds me of Miss Piggy, with hs softness and feminine charm."

Ellenberger's beef with Shields comes from before both fighters were with the UFC. He says that he had a signed contract to fight Shields, but Shields' father (and manager) pulled him out of the bout because it was a bad match-up. Ellenberger admits that Condit and Fitch also have a claim on a bout with Shields, but, "I hate him more."

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Derek Dooley Invokes Nazis at D-Day to Describe Tennessee

Filed under: Tennessee, SEC, Coaching

Sometimes having a restless mind is a good thing. People with restless minds see connections that others miss, found companies like Google, profit off their ability to see trends coming that no one else believes will ever arise. Our country in particular rewards restless minds, it's the lifeblood of the creative destruction capitalism demands. It's why we settled the West and keep settling new frontiers. But sometimes having a restless mind means you see a connection between your football team and Nazi soldiers defending the beaches on D-Day. And when you point out that connection to others, well, they tend to focus on the Nazi part and not really anything else.

Monday, Derek Dooley said, "Right now we're like the Germans in World War II. Here comes the boats, they're coming. You have the binoculars, and it's like, 'Oh, my God, the invasion is coming.' That's what they did, they were in the bunkers. It's coming, they call Rommel -- they can't find Rommel. (Pretending to speak into a radio.) 'What do we do? I'm not doing anything until I get orders.' (Pretends to look through binoculars.) 'Have you gotten Rommel yet?'"

He continued: "I don't want the German people to get upset at me. I'm not attacking them, but that's what happened. You had one group, they weren't worried about what the plan was and orders and all that. When the war hits, things change. You've got to go. "

 

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Clemson Overcomes Adversity to Snap Georgia Tech Hex

Filed under: Clemson, Georgia Tech

CLEMSON, S.C. -- For Dabo Swinney, adversity and Georgia Tech are practically synonymous.

Five days after Swinney took the reins of a reeling Clemson program following Tommy Bowden's forced resignation in October 2008, his Tigers battled the Yellow Jackets tooth-and-nail before falling 21-17, largely due to six turnovers.

Last fall, his team suffered a pair of disheartening defeats to Tech. First came a 30-27 loss in Atlanta in a game that saw Clemson spot the Yellow Jackets a 21-0 first quarter lead, rally to take a 27-24 lead and fall following two Scott Blair field goals.

Then came the ACC title game; the Tigers rode C.J. Spiller's 301-yard all-purpose effort for a 34-33 lead with 6:11 left, close enough to smell an Orange Bowl bid. Instead, Tech put together a 13-play, 86-yard touchdown drive for a 39-34 win.

So Saturday, by any measure, didn't get off to a real super start.

Early Saturday morning, the fire alarm went off at the team's hotel, rousing everyone.

When the pregame meal began at 11:30 a.m., Swinney noticed about 12 players were missing.

Turns out, they were stuck in an elevator between the second and first floors. And it wasn't as if these were kickers, cornerbacks or skinny wide receivers. They were offensive linemen and tight ends, some of the biggest players on the roster -- offensive linemen Antoine McClain, Chris Hairston and David Smith and tight ends Dwayne Allen, Chad Diehl and Drew Traylor, among others.

The group was trapped inside the elevator for almost 50 minutes, and the Anderson (S.C.) Fire Department was called to break the door open and hold it open so players could crawl to safety.

 

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Knowshon Moreno to See Role Among Broncos Running Backs Quickly Increase

Filed under: Broncos, AFC West

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Looking to boost productivity in Denver's running game, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said Wednesday that running back Knowshon Moreno's role is being targeted for expansion.

"Knowshon is going to play a bunch," McDaniels said. "He's not a two-down player. I think the more he plays, the better he's going to be. That's what we're hopeful for."

Moreno accounted for the Broncos' only scoring highlights in last Sunday's 59-14 loss to the Raiders, turning two of his three receptions into touchdowns. He also ran 14 times for 53 yards, improving his season yards rushing to 212 in four games. Moreno missed three games earlier this season because of a strained hamstring.

McDaniels said the Broncos were keenly interested in giving Moreno more opportunities in the passing game, an interest that grew after his strong showing against the Raiders.

"He made an impact in the passing game with some of the opportunities that he had," said McDaniels. "That's something that we felt strongly since the spring. We just haven't been able to get him out there and stay with that."

Injuries from time to time have cut down on the availability for Moreno and increased playing opportunities for backups Correll Buckhalter and Laurence Maroney. But that figures to change with a bigger role for Moreno.

"We feel like he's a guy that makes plays when he has the ball in his hands," McDaniels saisd "'Buck and Laurence can do things too and they'll be there to certainly rest him and give him an opportunity to catch his breath and substitute in some different packages. Knowshon is going to play a bunch."

 

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Yahoo Hires Ross Levinsohn To Run Americas Business

Yahoo has hired Ross Levinsohn, the former President of Fox Interactive Media, as EVP America's Region, we've confirmed. AllThingsD first broke the news that he was close to taking the job. Levinsohn will replace Hillary Schneider. Yahoo announced Schneider's departure last month. Levinsohn will take control of Yahoo's Americas business, including content, advertising and partnerships. Some 2,000 employees will report into his organization. This is also the first high profile executive hire at Yahoo since bringing in Chief Product Officer Blake Irving earlier this year.

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For Taylor Swift, Are Any Topics Off Limits?

'The more the intense ... the more I know I need to write a song about it,' Speak Now singer explains.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Jim Cantiello

Taylor Swift
Photo: MTV News

Taylor Swift writes songs about everything that happens to her: the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. So, when she sat down to write her just-released Speak Now, she admits that while some of her experiences were difficult, she used the album as catharsis for the past two years of her event-filled life.

"Those things are not things that I stop myself and don't write songs about, those are things that take a while to figure out how to write," she revealed to MTV News. "I write about everything that intensely affects me. The more intense, the more painful, the more of a shudder it is to think about, the more I know I need to write a song about it to get past it."

For Swift, that's no different than what she's been doing her whole songwriting existence, even long before she became a chart-topping, award-winning megastar.

"It's been like this since I was a little kid, and I would go to school, and I would think to myself, 'Man, I'm really lonely, and I don't know who to talk to today, but it's OK 'cause I can write a song about it later.' It's the same process; I'm just 20 now."

As for any songs that are just too hard to release right now, she says she's not sitting on any painful material. The songs that are the most emotional for her didn't get early Speak Now releases. She waited until the official release to share them.

"Well, those are on the album, and those are the ones that haven't been released early," she said. "Those are the ones that are little surprises ... so I'm on the edge of my seat."

Have you heard Speak Now? Give us your review in the comments!

Related Videos

• MTV News Extended Play: Taylor Swift

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• Taylor Swift

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Jennifer?s ex: She'll be a "constructive criticizer" on Idol

American Idol fans are divided over next season?s big name addition to the judge?s table, Jennifer Lopez, but the superstar has a supporter in her ex-husband Cris Judd. ?The show is very fortunate [to have Jennifer]. I wish everyone the best,? Cris, an associate choreographer on America?s Got Talent, who was married to Jennifer from 2001-2003, told In Touch at the 3rd Annual Ryan Sheckler Celebrity Skins Classic in LA. What kind of judge does he think the diva will be? ?I definitely think that she will be more of the constructive criticizer. She comes from a very humble background, where you have to work hard,? he said of Bronx-born Jennifer. The seasoned songstress will join rock legend Steven Tyler and longtime judge Randy Jackson for the Fox hit?s 10th season, premiering in January.

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The Works: Miami Heat and L.A. Lakers Previews; NBA Contraction Ideas

by Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Filed under: Heat, Lakers, NBA Rumors, NBA Previews, Sports Business and Media, The Works

Today in The Works: we preview the Los Angeles Lakers, review Pro Basketball Prospectus 2010-11 and suggest an alternative to contraction.

But first, all hail the Miami Heat.

The Works Previews the Miami Heat

The Heat enter this season with more hype than Barack Obama and Stephen Strasburg combined. So good are the Heat on paper that just about everyone in the televised media has revolted against the franchise, unwilling to hitch their apple wagons to this star for fear of careening out of orbit. Yes, a team that has struck the fear of God in even Charles Barkley. A week in the clink couldn't even do that!

Resumé: LeBron James has won two straight MVP awards by landslide margins. He, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have 17 All-Star appearances between them, despite having only played seven seasons apiece. Bosh has averaged 20-10 in three seasons, including the past two. James has one scoring title and a career average of 27.8 points per game, and has not averaged fewer than 27 points a game since his rookie season. Wade has a scoring title and a career scoring average over 25. According to career PER, Wade is the sixth best player of all-time. LeBron is No. 2.

 

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Goodbye, MacBook Pro. The New MacBook Air Is That Good.

Last Wednesday, I got my hands on one of the new MacBook Airs. I haven't touched my MacBook Pro since. It's six months old. RIP. I know that sounds outrageous. Or like hyperbole. But it's not. When I wrote up my initial thoughts, it was after only a few hours of usage. I hadn't even used it outside the house yet. But now I have. I've used it almost everywhere I've been for just about a week now. There's no question in my mind that this has replaced my MacBook Pro as my go-to machine.

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On The Road Again: Taylor Martinez, Nebraska Crush Cowboys

Filed under: Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Big 12

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Finally, with less than a minute remaining, Oklahoma State's defense discovered a play from Nebraska's offense it could stop as quarterback Taylor Martinez simply took the snap and went down to a knee.

It was one of the few times that Martinez didn't either blow past the Cowboys, bounce off a couple of tacklers or drop back and zip in one of his career-high 23 completions.

Coming off one of its most devastating losses in school history, Nebraska bounced back nicely thanks to its Magic Man -- Taylor "T-Magic" Martinez -- in the Cornhuskers' 51-41 dismantling of the Cowboys on Saturday afternoon.

Last week, Martinez watched the final seconds of Nebraska's 20-13 loss to Texas from the bench. He was pulled in the second half, a move NU coach Bo Pelini says he now regrets. However, Martinez spent the final seconds of Saturday's game at Boone Pickens Stadium on the field, taking two snaps and kneeling down as the clock ran out on the Cowboys.

Martinez, known more for his running than his throwing, was Kellen Moore-esque. Martinez completed 23 of 35 for 323 yards and five touchdowns. The five TD passes were the most by a Nebraska freshman and second only to Eric Crouch's school record.

Before Saturday, Martinez had never thrown for more than 150 yards in a game, but he passed that mark early in the third quarter.

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EyeSecrets - Eye Secrets Eyelid lifter!

Eyesecrets Eyelid Lifter is a brand new product that is proven to dramatically counteract the appearance of drooping, saggy and hooded eye lids. They generally are associated with ageing although some people can be born with excess skin on the lids resulting in a very heavy appearance. Others are born with very deep set eyes which can give an overall very hard look to the face which can make certain people look quite unapproachable. There is nothing more youthful and attractive than open, friendly, young and healthy looking eyes and now it can be easily achieved – without surgery.

Eye secrets Eyelid Lifter is simply adhesive strips (hypoallergenically tested) that stick to your eyelids to gently and naturally lift them up into a more natural position and opening up your eyes making you look reinvigorated and well rested, instead of the sleepy appearance you had before.