Nate Marquardt Stands Between GSP-Silva Dream Fight

by Michael David SmithIf you're one of the many UFC fans who's been clamoring for a fight between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and middleweight champion Anderson Silva, you can blame Nate Marquardt's friendship with St. Pierre for the fact that it hasn't happened yet, and likely won't happen any time soon.

In a live chat with MMAFighting.com readers, Marquardt said that he believes GSP -- a longtime teammate and training partner -- is avoiding moving up to middleweight to challenge Silva in large part because GSP wants Marquardt to get another chance at the middleweight title.

 

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DWTS? Kurt: ?We all think it?s unfair when we get kicked off?

With the semifinals just a week away, there was no denying former NFL star Kurt Warner and his partner Anna Trebunskaya had their sights set on that elusive Dancing With the Stars mirror ball trophy. The couple even had one of their best nights of the competition with Monday?s performance show and were awarded 24 out of 30 for their waltz and 24 for their instant cha cha cha.

But with frontrunners Brandy and Jennifer Grey tying for top place on the leaderboard, and Kurt?s closest scoring couple being Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas, it was Bristol?s fans who rallied to vote her through another week, leaving Kurt and Anna the last couple standing as their elimination was announced, continuing the theme of this season: dance well and you are eliminated. ?Gosh it was unfair,? joked Kurt after the show. ?We all think it?s unfair when we get kicked off.?

Given Kurt had zero dance training when he joined the show, he and Anna could not be prouder of how long he lasted. ?I am so proud of Kurt and what he achieved,? Anna tells In Touch. ?He was an amazing student and did everything I wanted him to do.?

?We felt for a long time we should have gotten better scores than we did,? adds Kurt. ?So you are disappointed and a little biased, but there are so many things that go into this and at this point I am just glad it?s me and not one of these other guys.?

While everyone on the show will miss Kurt, he and Anna will dance again at the finale in two weeks. But in the meantime, Kurt is looking forward to whatever new ventures come his way and couldn?t be more thankful for his DWTS experience. ?This show is all about jumping into new challenges and proving to yourself you can accomplish the unexpected. And for me that is what life is going to be from here on out,? he smiles.

For more with Kurt and Anna, click here.

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Tatto Media Continues To Push Free Poster Scam

Last month I wrote about a new scam that's performing extremely well among the Scamville crowd - a free poster that's tied to a $30/month ongoing credit card subscription. There's no disclosure of the ongoing credit card subscription anywhere on any of the checkout pages except in the terms and conditions via a link. People think they are just getting a poster for free, with a $.99 shipping charge. If you call the customer service phone number to cancel you are put on hold indefinitely (I was on hold 20 minutes before hanging up). And just to really put a cherry on top, you never even get the free poster (I didn't, and a lot of people complain about that).

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DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin Face Round 2 vs. DeAngelo Hall, Carlos Rogers

Filed under: Eagles, Redskins, NFC East

With the New York Giants' Steve Smith sidelined at least this week with a partially torn pectoral muscle suffered during Thursday's practice, it's a cinch that come Monday, Philadelphia will have the NFC's top tandem of wideouts when it comes to receiving yardage. But against Washington in Week 4, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin combined for just 34 yards on four catches as the Redskins upset the host Eagles 17-12.

"I don't think we could have played too much better," said Carlos Rogers, who combined with fellow starting cornerback DeAngelo Hall to keep Jackson and Maclin in check. "We had a good game plan going into it. I don't think no other teams have played them as good as we did. It was just being physical with them guys.

"We know they want to run down the field and catch long balls. Every week you see them on the highlight shows catching deep balls. We got jams on 'em and our D-line did a real good job of pressuring the quarterback, making him scramble, making him take the checkdowns (to running back LeSean McCoy, who caught 12 passes)."

Rogers and Hall certainly frustrated the younger Eagles receivers, who have combined for 56 catches, 976 yards and 10 touchdowns in Philadelphia's seven other games, one and a half of which Jackson missed with a concussion.

"It almost felt like being on a punt team, being vised-double by two players, that's what they almost were doing to me last game," Jackson told The Philadelphia Daily News.

Rogers predicts that when the teams get together again on Monday at Washington, the Eagles "gonna try run stacks, try to get some movement to keep us from jammin' 'em, but we don't care where they're at, we're gonna put our hands on 'em."

 

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Marcus Dupree: Greatest Back We Will Never Know

by Robert Karpeles

Filed under: Sports Business and Media

In the small town of Philadelphia, Miss., a large sign once stood tall that read "Welcome to Philadelphia, Home of Marcus Dupree."

Today, it no longer exists.

In ESPN's latest '30 for 30' documentary series, 'The Best That Never Was', Dupree is the focus, depicting him as a gifted athlete who made a bad choice which forced him down a path to oblivion.

Back in 1983, in Dupree's sophomore season in college, he left the University of Oklahoma as the top back in the nation because he wasn't getting along with his coach, Barry Switzer. He eventually ended up in the USFL, until a knee injury sidelined him for more than five years. He played two seasons for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams until retiring for good.

The documentary continues to reiterate the point that Dupree was one of the most gifted athletes and physical specimens not only in his time, but ever. A few bad turns, one big mistake, and some complacency from Dupree cost him a career that many throughout the film said could have been the greatest in football history.

 

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ESPN Makes Bad Call in Firing Legendary Jon Miller, Joe Morgan

by Milton Kent

Filed under: Sports Business and Media

Any day now, we should expect to hear that rubber-faced actor Jim Carrey is behind all the decisions at ESPN, as they just seem to get dumb and dumber.

With the furor of "The Decision" having calmed to a low roar, the pooh-bahs at the Worldwide Leader stepped right into another mess Monday by bouncing "Sunday Night Baseball's" Jon Miller and Joe Morgan from the booth when the new season starts next spring.

Norby Williamson, the ESPN executive who took the torrent of criticism this summer for the ill-advised, horribly executed one-hour special where LeBron James took an hour of company-donated prime time to announce that he was "taking my talent" to Miami, is apparently stepping forward to take the heat for casting Morgan and Miller adrift from the Sunday night booth after 21 years together.

In a statement released on Twitter, Williamson said, "Jon and Joe have contributed greatly to the success of Sunday Night Baseball for the past 21 seasons. Over the last two decades, Joe went from Hall of Fame player to one of his sport's top analysts and Jon's Hall of Fame voice and tremendous knowledge of the game have connected with baseball fans everywhere. We owe them our deepest thanks for an outstanding body of work."

 

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'Harry Potter' Star Tom Felton Teases 'Epic' 'Deathly Hallows' Ending

'The bits that we did do of the good vs. evil army were just fantastic,' he tells MTV News of 'Part 2.'
By Kara Warner

Tom Felton
Photo: MTV News

Despite Pottermania currently focused on the surefire blockbuster that is "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1," there are plenty of juicy details to be unveiled next July when "Deathly Hallows - Part 2" is released. So when MTV News caught up with Tom Felton recently over tea, we asked him to tease "Part 2" — specifically that final climactic battle scene at Hogwarts.

"That was the bit that we were all looking forward to, the huge battle of it all," Felton said. "But I've seen even less of that, so I was told it was going to be [full of] all sorts of creatures that weren't there on the day [of filming]. But overall ... the bits that we did do of the good vs. evil army were just fantastic. I was lucky enough to see some of the playback shots, and it just looked epic, so I'm hugely excited about that as well."

But does he know how it all ends for his character, Draco Malfoy?

"I hate to be more cryptic, but it's harder for me to say, because they actually shot ... not different versions, but a way in which it could be played either way, so the last thing I want to do is start second-guessing what [director] David Yates is up to because he knows exactly what he's doing, so I'm intrigued to see exactly how Draco sort of ... how he exits the whole battle scene as well."

Cryptic answer? Maybe, but also intriguing! Fans of the books know exactly how Malfoy exits the story, but if Yates filmed variations on the book version for the film, it could make for pleasant surprises.

Speaking of which, we mentioned to Felton that it would be fun for Harry and Draco to somehow become friends at the very end, which apparently Felton had already pitched!

"Actually, when we shot the final scene on the platform, I did mention, I thought a hug and a kiss would be nice," Felton said with a smirk. "David denied me that."

It's Harry Potter Week at MTV News! Join us Monday night at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com as we live-stream from the red-carpet premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" and talk with all the "Potter" stars. And stick with us for interviews, photos, videos and much more about your favorite boy wizard before "Deathly Hallows - Part 1" hits theaters November 19.

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

Related Videos

• MTV Rough Cut: Tom Felton

Related Photos

• 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 1'

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Nicki Minaj On Fellow Female MCs: 'Can't We All Just Get Along?'

'People think that I'm the 'hated female rapper,' ' she tells Perez Hilton.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Nicki Minaj
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Nicki Minaj and Lil' Kim may be involved in a tiff, but that doesn't mean the Lil Wayne protégé doesn't get along with any other female rappers.

In an interview with gossip blogger Perez Hilton, Nicki revealed that she gets along just fine with her female peers.

"There are many female rappers that I get along with," she said. "There have so many female rappers that have congratulated me and given me genuine love, from Trina, who is my darling, to Missy Elliott to Queen Latifah to Foxy Brown to Remy Ma. It goes on and on, and that's what people don't understand.

"People think that I'm the 'hated female rapper,' " Nicki continued. "But a lot of the girls have shown me a lot of love and behind the scenes have said, 'Congratulations, keep up the good work.' Can't we all just get along?"

Lil' Kim has been launching not-so-subtle digs at the rising upstart for some time now. Nicki, on the other hand, has mostly kept her cool. But the charismatic lyricist fired back at Kim recently on her Eminem-assisted track, "Roman's Revenge." On the number, Nicki seems to be taking a swipe at the former Notorious B.I.G. squeeze.

"Word, that bitch mad 'cause I took the spot?/ Well, bitch, if you ain't sh---ing, then get off the pot/ Got some n---as out in Brooklyn that'll off your top," Minaj rhymes on the track.

Over the weekend, Lil' Kim responded in a verbal tirade at a concert in Queens, New York. "I got more love from Queens than this bitch do!" Kim shouted to the crowd. "I will erase this bitch's Social Security number. First of all, I don't even need a record right now, I'll kill that bitch with my old sh--!"

When Perez pressed Minaj about her relationship with other artists with whom she might not get along, the Pink Friday star brushed off any femcees who take issue with her style.

"Maybe they'll just learn to just get over it," she said.

Do you hope Nicki and Kim will reconcile? Let us know in the comments!

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• Nicki Minaj

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Everybody Should Stop Piling on Cam, Cecil Newton

Filed under: Auburn, Georgia

If you listen closely to what they say and don't say about the allegations hurled toward them by the millisecond, the Newtons are guilty of something.

Then again, so is everybody else with a breath.

As my pastor likes to say, if you dig long enough, you shouldn't be surprised if you come up with dirt. And, courtesy of the usual suspects who are shoveling like crazy in the shadows, there has been enough debris thrown at Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and his father, Cecil, to fill Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It's unseemly. It's unfair.

It's the SEC.

Let's just say the father had it about right when he told me during a recent conversation that these controversies out of nowhere involving himself and his son are "nothing but a witch-hunt."

---

More Coverage: Cecil Newton, Meet LaMar Griffin | Heisman Watch

---

 

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Trey Johnson, Sundiata Gaines Among Timberwolves' Point Guard Targets

Filed under: Lakers, Timberwolves, NBA D-League

The Minnesota Timberwolves season has not started well as they've won just one of their first seven games and are taking a five-game losing streak into tonight's matchup with the undefeated Los Angeles Lakers.

The Wolves are also facing a possible problem at the point guard position as starter Luke Ridnour left Sunday's game against the Houston Rockets with a hamstring injury and did not return, leaving the Wolves with just one healthy floor general -- Sebastian Telfair -- as Jonny Flynn has yet to return from offseason hip surgery.

Ridnour is questionable for Tuesday night's game, and though his injury was initially diagnosed as a strained left hamstring, Minnesota will take precaution in the form of trying out possible back-up point guards on Wednesday in an

The Wolves will host former NBA players Trey Johnson (pictured), Sundiata Gaines, Curtis Jerrells and Aaron Miles prior to Wednesday's game against the Kings in Sacramento according to a league source. The Wolves would need to release a player currently on the roster to bring a new player in as they already have a league-maximum 15 players with Maurice Ager being the only player without a guaranteed contract.

 

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Miami Heat's Poor Interior Defense Hard to Cover Up

Filed under: Heat, Jazz

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat are unquestionably the most over-analyzed team in the NBA as fans and the media alike are curious how this collection of talent will coalesce. On one hand it's hard to rationalize making stark judgments about such a new team only several games into a long season but there's no denying their biggest and most glaring weakness is proving to be their undoing in their three losses.

Naysayers could gripe about the point guard position -- and an upgrade there is needed -- but LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are more than capable of shouldering the load in terms of ball-handling, creating plays for others and defending the opposing team's point guard through most of the game. As everyone gets more familiar with the coaching staff's playbook, the expectation is that the offense will run more smoothly over time. But as the saying goes, you can't teach size, and the Heat need some help for Chris Bosh down low on both sides of the court.

"I don't think we can change what our inside presence is," said Wade when asked about the Heat's lack of size after Tuesday's loss to the Utah Jazz in which Paul Millsap erupted for a career-high 46 points, scoring most of his points in the paint. "Tonight Paul had a good game. There's no question around it. Our big guys have been doing a good job to this point of holding other power forwards and other big guys under their average so we're not going to worry about that. We understand we're not the biggest team, but everyone in the league has an advantage somewhere so we have one as well."

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Avril Lavigne Explains Album's Delay In Letter To Fans

'I experienced a bunch of bureaucratic BS,' she writes on her website.
By James Dinh

Avril Lavigne
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images

On Wednesday (November 10), Avril Lavigne took to her official website to pen an open letter to fans, informing them that she has completed her new album. While the follow-up to 2007's The Best Damn Thing doesn't have a confirmed release date, the singer writes about the album and gives some insight as to why it has taken so long to hit shelves, even admitting she finished the project last year.

"I just wanted to fill you guys in. I'm done with my 4th record!" she writes. "Well, actually I have been done for a year and now my record company have finally decided to release it. OMG. How nice! Thanks guys."

Lavigne acknowledges her absence from the industry, revealing that she has infused herself into many aspects of the album, including writing and production.

"I have been dying to get back out on the road and do what I love the most ... PLAY MUSIC," she continues. "I know you guys have been waiting for a long time ... and so have I, but not by choice. I have been sitting with this record for a year now. It's really special to me. I have produced a couple tracks alone for the first time, written solo, with friends, I have pushed myself and I feel proud."

While the pop/rock songstress tried her hand as a producer for the first time, she also experienced some other not-so-pleasant first encounters.

"In saying all that, this has been a really difficult record for me to create and to release. Not only is this the most meaningful and special record I have written, it is sincere, honest and close to my heart," the post continues. "But for the first time I experienced a bunch of bureaucratic BS. People do their best work when they are doing what they want, love and is natural for them, not when you are forcing them to be something that they are not."

In what sounds like a sideswipe at her record label for holding on the LP, the Canadian singer reminds fans of the message she's promoted since the start of her career: "From the beginning of my career my message has always been to be yourself and stand up for what you believe in. Follow your heart."

But the 26-year-old ends on a high note by dishing details on the album's first single and the other projects on her plate.

"My first single off this record is called: 'What the Hell,' " she reveals. "This song is the least personal song to me off this album. It's a fun and funny anthem. It has a broad message about personal freedom. It is the most pop track on the record."

The singer reveals that she is scheduled to shoot a clip for the lead single in two weeks, with a January 2011 release date.

In addition to the album, Lavigne says she's concentrating on keeping a balance between her personal and professional life. "I have been extremely busy designing [my clothing line] Abbey Dawn and taking the line internationally for the first time, establishing 'The Avril Lavigne Foundation' and focusing on my personal happiness and health. Balance!"

While the singer has managed to keep her material from leaking onto the Internet, her 2002 hit single "I'm With You" has been making the blog rounds. Rihanna sampled the ballad for the party anthem "Cheers (Drink to That)" on her new album, Loud.

Are you excited for Avril's comeback? Share your opinion below!

Related Artists

• Avril Lavigne

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Nate Marquardt: GSP Will Destroy Jake Shields

by Michael David SmithJake Shields was the reigning Strikeforce middleweight champion and before that the reigning EliteXC welterweight champion, and so when he signed with the UFC, there was some question of which weight class he would pick.

Shields chose welterweight, beat Martin Kampmann by split decision in his first UFC fight, and will get the next crack at UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre if St. Pierre beats Josh Koscheck next month.

But just because Shields won his first fight doesn't necessarily mean that welterweight was the right choice. And one UFC middleweight, Nate Marquardt, believes that Shields' style of using his grappling to control his opponents on the ground would have been much more successful if he didn't have to cut down to 170 pounds.

 

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Out & About

? Rebecca Gayheart attended the GiveLove and The Everlon Diamond Knot Collection private dinner for Haiti in Beverly Hills. The Everlon Diamond Knot Collection for GiveLove bracelet will soon be available at retailers nationwide for $295, and 10 percent of proceeds will benefit GiveLove. Call (877) 699-7817 or visit givelove.org for ordering information.

? Tim Lopez from the Plain White T?s stayed at the Raffaello Hotel in Chicago before an in-school event with Abbott?s ZonePerfec brand and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

? Lance Armstrong is growing a mustache to support the Prostate Cancer Foundation during the month of November. PalmerCash, in partnership with movember.com, created mustache-themed T-shirts to celebrate the month of "Movember." They are donating $10 from the sale of each of these "Mo" tees directly to movember.com and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

? WWE superstar David Otunga got his first taste of gold last night at the Bragging Rights pay-per-view when he and John Cena won the WWE Tag Team Championship at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

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Signed for Potential, Mike Conley Confident He'll Grow Into Contract

Filed under: Grizzlies

Mike Conley is no Rajon Rondo. Just ask one of his teammates.

That's precisely what I did on Saturday, sidling with Memphis' O.J. Mayo to talk about the game's best floor leaders. The Grizzlies shooting guard was waxing poetic on the topic, spinning off of a recent TNT segment in which Kenny Smith ranked the league's best point men. Sure enough, the name of the fourth-year player who recently signed a five-year, $40 million extension for the same team Mayo plays on never came up.

"If I had to choose one to play with, I think it would be (Boston's) Rajon Rondo, just because he gets guys the ball in the right spots," Mayo explained when asked to name the best in the league. "Any scorer or shooter or big man would love to play with a point guard like that."

Conley wasn't around at the moment, of course, not that it would have mattered if he was. The fact of the matter -- one that even Conley knows -- is that the size of his new paycheck far outweighs the size of his reputation.

 

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NASCAR Fines Kyle Busch 25K for Obscene Gesture

Filed under: Kyle Busch, NASCAR

NASCAR has fined Kyle Busch $25,000 and placed him on probation until Dec. 31 for an inappropriate gesture -- giving the middle finger to a pit road NASCAR official -- during Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Busch's move was captured by his in-car camera on the live ESPN broadcast, perhaps forcing NASCAR's hand. He was immediately handed a two-lap penalty during the race. The latest discipline comes because NASCAR says he violated Section 12-1 in the rulebook -- actions detrimental to stock car racing -- with his inappropriate gesture and verbal abuse to NASCAR officials.

Busch was angry after he was caught speeding down pit road during a caution period, trying to stay on the lead lap. After being told he must serve the one-lap speeding penalty, he returned the No. 18 Toyota to his pit box and held up his finger the entire time he sat in his car. After being issued the two-lap penalty, he suggested NASCAR was infringing on his right to free speech.

"I accept NASCAR's penalty and realize what I did during Sunday's race at Texas was inappropriate," Busch said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "Even in my relatively short time here in NASCAR, it's pretty obvious to everyone that I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Sometimes that passion has allowed me to find that little something extra I needed to win, and other times it's made me cross the line. Sunday at Texas was one of those days.

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Marcus Dupree: Greatest Back We Will Never Know

Filed under: Sports Business and Media

In the small town of Philadelphia, Miss., a large sign once stood tall that read "Welcome to Philadelphia, Home of Marcus Dupree."

Today, it no longer exists.

In ESPN's latest '30 for 30' documentary series, 'The Best That Never Was', Dupree is the focus, depicting him as a gifted athlete who made a bad choice which forced him down a path to oblivion.

Back in 1983, in Dupree's sophomore season in college, he left the University of Oklahoma as the top back in the nation because he wasn't getting along with his coach, Barry Switzer. He eventually ended up in the USFL, until a knee injury sidelined him for more than five years. He played two seasons for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams until retiring for good.

The documentary continues to reiterate the point that Dupree was one of the most gifted athletes and physical specimens not only in his time, but ever. A few bad turns, one big mistake, and some complacency from Dupree cost him a career that many throughout the film said could have been the greatest in football history.

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The UFC throws its political power behind Harry Reid

Aside from lobbying states to legalize and regulate mixed martial arts, the UFC hasn't publicly gotten involved in the world of politics. That changed this year as several key members of the promotion have gotten involved in the heated Nevada Senate race between Harry Reid and Sharron Angle. Just before UFC 121, Dana White made  appearances in Las Vegas and Reno to support Reid. Frank Mir's also gotten plenty of facetime on local television and radio with his backing of the Democratic incumbent.

Senate Majority Leader Reid is in a dogfight for his seat. The current anti-Obama/democratic climate has Angle as a sizable favorite to win the election. Off-shore sportsbooks installed Angle as a minus-300 favorite.

White's pro-Reid efforts began back in March and continued in June. 

[...] White co-hosted a campaign fundraiser for Miller at Las Vegas's hip Palms casino, his first foray into the political realm.

"Dana's not a political person — I asked him to do it based on our personal relationship," Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller said, adding, "He was a big draw. It was wildly successful."

White, Mir and other UFC fighters, like Randy Couture, who have publicly supported Reid, hope to rally MMA's key age group.

"The UFC is one of the most powerful brands in the world for reaching 18- to 30-year-olds," Miller said. "Anytime a candidate gets their endorsement, it sends a powerful message to that demographic."

Getting involved in the political machine doesn't come without risks. Couture got smashed by some of his fans on Twitter.

"You can question my political taste if you like but what you don’t know is harry Reid has been instrumental in the sanctioning of mma. And continues to help the sport in places like nyc! So even as a republican I support him because he supports us!"

The race has been highlighted by a campaign full of negative ads. A ton of money has poured into Nevada from around the country, but Mir says he didn't get paid to do the commercial for Reid.

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Out & About

? T�a Leoni and Today's Ann Curry hosted the Be-A-Part Launch at Bloomingdale's Soho in New York.

? Gossip Girl?s Kelly Rutherford and her son, Hermes, got a head start on holiday shopping at Harry & David?s new Pop-Up Orchards in New York.

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Miley and Liam call it quits

It?s been a somber week in LA at the Cyrus household as everyone is nursing a broken heart. On the cusp of her parents? announced split after 17 years of marriage, Miley, 17, has just ended her year-and-a-half, on-again/off-again relationship with her Last Song co-star Liam Hemsworth.�Liam, 20, has not wasted any time finding a new lady as he was spotted snuggled up beside model Yolanda Vendy on October 30 but a friend close to the couple says, ?You never know with Miley and Liam.�They could be back on at some point.?�

The couple first split in August, but got back together in September of this year. But as of late they have been living separate lives as Liam has been in Australia and Miley is focused on her career. A source close to Liam reveals, ?There was no drama.�The relationship just ran its course.�They were good friends first and remain friends.?

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