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Though Mr. Waits's recordings of their compositions are often dressed with unorthodox arrangements that blend elements of Weimar cabaret, Mexican folk, industrial rock, postbop and R&B, the songs can be stripped down to their essentials. Over a cup of hot tea, he reminds his visitor he was a solo performer for a long while.

Gleefully mixing metaphors, he said of an emerging song: "I have to be willing to look at it like a three-legged table. If you've got three legs, you know it can stand up. Then we can put stripes on its tie or give it a toupee, but you need to have something to hang it on." He added: "I'm usually more about the nucleus of it all."

The arrangements are fleshed out in the studio: "I don't go in with a blueprint like I'm building a box," he said. On "Bad as Me," Mr. Waits is surrounded by an extraordinary cast, including Les Claypool, Flea, Charlie Musselwhite, Patrick Warren and the songwriters' son Casey Waits on drums. The guitarists include David Hidalgo, Keith Richards and Marc Ribot. They all get plenty of room to move.

"Sometimes you tell a musician 'I want to hear what comes to you.' You don't even tell them what you want them to play." On "Get Lost," Mr. Waits said, "David played a riff that sounds like a Ray Charles Wurlitzer. But he didn't play it again." Ms. Brennan found it on the recording of an earlier take. "She said, 'This is the foundation.'"

The arrangement of "Chicago," the album's opener, is built on a banjo figure by Mr. Waits. "I made it sound like an old-time train bell. That stayed in. We built on it. We started a groove."

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Lifestyle,nightlifeNo More Child left behind at 2022States that want out of specific No Child Left Behind provisions must adapt four reforms that mirror the administration's legislative priorities, President Barack Obama will announce Friday morning."To help states, districts and schools that are ready to move forward with education reform, our administration will provide flexibility from the law in exchange for a real commitment to undertake change," Obama said in a statement released by the White House Thursday. "The purpose is not to give states and districts a reprieve from accountability, but rather to unleash energy to improve our schools at the local level."On Thursday, the White House circulated materials explaining that the administration will offer a "flexibility package."The No Child Left Behind law, passed by Congress a decade ago during the George W. Bush administration, requires regular standardized testing and the disaggregation of educational data by subgroup. It also states that just about 100 percent of students must reach proficiency in math and reading by 2014. As the deadline has approached, an increasing number of schools in each state have been labeled as "failing" under No Child Left Behind, in part because the reporting model focuses on raw scores, not improvement in scores. "Failing" schools face escalating consequences. States such as Montana and Idaho have resisted the ever-increasing performance targets, saying the law strains their capacities and leads to an overly broad portrayal of schools as underperforming.In light of those concerns, a White House fact sheet stated, the administration will allow states to request "flexibility through waivers of specific provisions" of No Child Left Behind, including the timeline for proficiency; "flexibility regarding school improvement and accountability requirements," which will allow states to set their own consequences for so-called failing schools; and "flexibility related to the use of federal education funds." Rural districts will have more freedom.A state that requests these waivers, the fact sheet said, will have to show that: It has already "adopted college- and career-ready standards in reading/language arts and mathematics" and administer "tests aligned" with these standards. The fact sheet does not detail what exactly such standards would entail, although U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has previously said states that haven't adapted the Common Core State Standards will not be barred from requesting waivers. It has set systems "of differentiated recognition, accountability and support," which includes turnaround plans targeted at the lowest 5 percent of the states' schools. It is "evaluating and supporting teacher and principal effectiveness" with a process that includes educator input. A senior administration official said on a conference call that this process must consider test scores.Beyond that, few details are available about the plan, such as the amount of funding over which states will have more discretion and the turnaround models that failing schools will have to use.No Child Left Behind has been up for renewal since 2007, and the administration released its own blueprint for the law in March 2010. But congressional gridlock has prevented formal reauthorization so far. Both Republicans and Democrats have introduced small components of a reauthorization -- with one measure involving charter schools passing last week -- but few have gained traction.In August, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Obama had approved plans to, in effect, reform the law without going through Congress: The secretary would waive specific provisions of the law in exchange for states agreeing to adopt favored reforms.Under No Child Left Behind, the Secretary of Education may waive provisions of the law for states in need, but he has no explicit authority to ask states to adopt reforms in exchangeRead More on

Lifestyle,nightlife‘Person Of Interest’ Series Premiere Review & Discussion OnlineCBS’ new action-thriller has a lot of buzz going for it, with stars James Caviezel and Michael Emerson, not to mention ‘Dark Knight’ writer Jonathan Nolan. But does the premiere deliver on the good guy/Big Brother premise?Person of Interest Premiere ReviewOne of CBS’ highest-profile new projects for the 2011 premiere season is Person of Interest, a thriller with some very familiar names on both sides of the camera. Does it live up to months of lofty expectations? Read on to find out.Person of Interest starts in a surprisingly tender way, with the first of a series of flashbacks between mystery man John Reese (James Caviezel, The Passion of the Christ) and his wife. Fast-forward to modern day New York City, where the same man sits on an empty subway car, cradling a bottle of rot-gut and desperately needing a friend and a shave. When a group of uppity gangsters give him the business, Reese dispatches all four instantly, gaining the attention of the police and a shadowy figure.New, Free Google ToolbarBlock Popups & Share Favorite Sites Download Today & Find Things Fastertoolbar.google.comAds by GoogleEnter Mr. Finch, (Michael Emerson, Lost) a mysterious, eccentric billionaire who offers Reese a job and a mission. Finch has access to the U.S. government’s most powerful data collection tool, a supercomputer that can not only analyze crime but predict it.Finch steals information on low-profile victims-to-be before they become targets, on the basis that the higher-ups don’t care about anything that isn’t a 9-11 sized threat. Finch assigns Reese to observe and protect their first citizen, a young ADA (Natalie Zea​, Justified) who may soon be the target of an assassination .A scruffy James Caviezel and Michal Emerson in PErson of InterestThroughout the pilot we’re given clues to the backstory of both Reese and Finch. The former is an ex-CIA agent who became dead to the world after the death of his wife. Finch helped build the (mostly) fictional surveillance network made possible by the Patriot Act after the September 11th attacks. The tragedy gave Finch a purpose for spending his billions for the common good, and he saw an opportunity when the more typical crimes being predicted by his machine were being ignored. He’s determined to be a more benevolent version of Big Brother. Both of them are presumed dead.The action quickly ramps up as Reese tails his assignment and her would-be assignments. Reese tackles underground weapons dealers, mobsters and dirty cops -and all that’s before the twist. Along the way the audience is treated to monologues on the all-pervasive nature of modern surveillance and the morality of using it. Detectives Carter (Taraji P. Henson, I Can Do Bad All By Myself) and Fusco (Kevin Chapman, Rescue Me) have their own reasons for investigating Reese.The first thing that most viewers will notice about Person of Interest is its undeniable and certainly deliberate similarity to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Everything points to the inspiration: characters, themes, atmosphere, even the music. It comes by it honestly – producer Jonathan Nolan worked with big brother Christopher writing for Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight and The Dark Night Rises. Other big names in the producer chairs are frequent partners J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk.Reese in a gangster standoff on Person of InterestAll that said, the new show feels like it’s taking the best bits out of Batman and using them to tell a more realistic action story, instead of simply repackaging the essential parts of the Nolan films. The central idea of predictive crime analysis is no longer the stuff of Minority Report sci-fi, and something similar may enter the world of law enforcement very soon. Person of Interest dodges the privacy debate by putting it in the hands of invisible vigilantes (again, see The Dark Knight) who are more of a somber A-Team than an Orwellian threat.Caviezel hasn’t been seen in a regular TV role since The Prisoner two years ago. He returns on a high note, painting Reese as a broken, conflicted man with both an intense desire for justice and a hesitancy to use his lethal skills. The combination makes for a calm, calculated fighter who still comes off as sympathetic. His zen-like fighting (and wonderfully sparse dialogue) is at least as good as any B-action flick you’ve seen in the last year.Emerson provides the counterpoint as a cold, calculating mastermind. His mysterious connections allow him an enormous amount of digital power that he feels a responsibility to use for good. The audience doesn’t know too much about Finch, and his past work with the government will likely be a major plot point in the first season. Emerson is admirably restrained, but those looking for a repeat of his energetic performances on Lost may feel a little let down.Fans wanting no-holds-barred action will not be left wanting. Stunts and fight scenes in Person of Interest approach and at times surpass 24 in the realm of mostly-real action sequences, and the results are absolutely satisfying. It’ll be interesting to see if the writers and producers can keep up this level of intensity for more than a few episodes – they’ll certainly be worth a watch to find out.Reese (James Caviezel) investigates a leadThe pilot features some genuinely surprising twists (much appreciated from a jaded TV reviewer) that will keep you guessing up to the last few minutes. The creepy themes of distrust and complacency make for an excitingly different mood, which are accentuated by the regular use of CCTV angles and “bugged” audio.Person of Interest is one of the most exciting new shows on broadcast TV this year. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking thriller with solid action and storytelling, look no further – especially if you’re a fan of Nolan’s flavor of caped vigilante.Read more

Lifestyle,nightlifeCedric Benson Top hot scandal affairThe news has not been pleasant for the Cincinnati Bengals on the field or off during the last week. First, they were beaten by the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Broncos were so short-handed that they even lined up Tim Tebow as a wide receiver. To further complicate the situation at wideout, Jerome Simpson received a package -- that was being tracked by California police -- containing 2.5 pounds of marijuana at his home while offensive tackle Anthony Collins was a guest. And, now, running back Cedric Benson is reportedly facing a three-game suspension for his actions during the lockoutI've learned that Bengals RB Cedric Benson was notified of a three-game suspension for player-conduct violations (during the lockout)Benson's suspension was first reported by Mike Silver at Yahoo! but has since been confirmed by numerous other NFL reporters. ESPN's John Clayton reports that Benson is set to appeal this suspension issued by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday.Having served jail time this summer relating to misdemeanor assault cases in Texas, Benson has found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons ever since the Chicago Bears drafted him out of the University of Texas with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.He will be permitted to play in the Bengals' Week 3 game and ESPN's Adam Schefter quoted sources close to the situation as being confident that Benson has a "strong case" in his appeal of the ban.If Benson does face disciplinary action for misconduct during the lockout, then it will represent an even greater expansion of Goodell's authority. As CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson points out, this would be the first case of a player being suspended or fined for behavior during the lockout.When Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt appeared to be facing possible NFL punishment for his offseason misdeeds, Silver previously explored the issue of holding players accountable to the personal conduct policy during the lockout -- when they were not technically employees. He, rightfully, considers it something that "defies logic."As NBA players like Marcus Camby have run afoul of the law during the NBA's lockout it has been mentioned in each case that they are not subject to league bylaws regarding substance abuse or conduct while the lockout is in effect. Read moreRelated NewsSports wrote that Cedric Benson has been notified of a three-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy during the lockout. An appeal will be heard on Tuesday allowing Benson to suit up and start against the San... Read moreBengals running back Cedric Benson said through a team spokesman that he has not been informed of a three-game suspension. Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier in the day that Benson would be suspended starting with next ....read more

Lifestyle,nightlifeMeg Whitman Blackslist HPMeg Whitman has officially been named the CEO of Hewlett Packard, following several days of speculation that Leo Apotheker would be forced out of the computing giant and possibly replaced by the former eBay CEO and California gubernatorial candidate.In a statement, HP also said that Ray Lane has been promoted to executive chairman of the company’s board of directors. In a statement, Lane said, “We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead. Meg is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution. She is a strong communicator who is customer focused with deep leadership capabilities.” Whitman had been serving on HP’s board for the past eight months.Apotheker’s departure comes just 11 months after he joined the company in the wake of the Mark Hurd scandal. His tenure had been shaky from the start, with criticism intensifying recently over his plan to spin off HP’s personal computer business and discontinue the TouchPad tablet.Although HP’s statement on the matter says Aptoheker resigned his position, it seems all but certain that the decision was not his, with media reports surfacing earlier this week that HP’s board was meeting to discuss an exit. Lane also did little to hide the board’s feelings towards Apotheker. “The board believes that the job of the HP CEO now requires additional attributes to successfully execute on the company’s strategy. Meg Whitman has the right operational and communication skills and leadership abilities to deliver improved execution and financial performance,” he said.Read more about Meg Whitman

Lifestyle,nightlifeNASA Predicted NASA narrows timeframe on falling satelliteNASA said late Friday that the satellite is now expected to fall from the sky between 11:45 p.m. EDT and 12:45 a.m. EDT Saturday.Canada and Africa are in the potential crosshairs, although most of the satellite should burn up during re-entry. The United States isn't entirely out of the woods; the possible strike zone skirted Washington state.Earlier, it was reported that the satellite clung to space Friday, apparently flipping position in its ever-lower orbit and stalling its death plunge."It just doesn't want to come down," said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.McDowell said the satellite's delayed demise demonstrates how unreliable predictions can be. That said, "the best guess is that it will still splash in the ocean, just because there's more ocean out there."Until Friday, increased solar activity was causing the atmosphere to expand and the 35-foot (10-meter), bus-size satellite to free fall more quickly. But late Friday morning, NASA said the sun was no longer the major factor in the rate of descent and that the satellite's position, shape or both had changed by the time it slipped down to a 100-mile (160-kilometer) orbit."In the last 24 hours, something has happened to the spacecraft," said NASA orbital debris scientist Mark Matney.On Friday night, NASA had earlier said it expected the satellite to come crashing down between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. EDT. It was going to be passing over the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans at that time, as well as Canada, Africa and Australia."The risk to public safety is very remote," NASA said in a statement.The Aerospace Corp., which tracks space debris, also estimated the strike would happen sometime between about 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. EDT, which would make a huge difference in where the debris falls. Its projections also put almost all of the U.S. in the clear — with Washington state the lone holdout.More than two dozen chunks of debris are likely to survive re-entry and hit the ground. CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker reports it will be a fiery end to the old satellite when it bursts back into Earth's atmosphere, which computer models suggest is most likely to happen somewhere over the South Pacific. But not even NASA scientists can say for sure.FEMA ready for just-in-case scenarios with satellite crashWayward satellite likely to fall in South PacificCBS News' Bill Harwood says that the UARS has an orbital velocity of approx. 5 miles per second. That creates uncertainty over its position when it descends - a five-minute delay can translate into a difference of 1,500 miles.CBS News: Bill Harwood's Space Place blogNASA: UARS updatesMost of the satellite will disintegrate, but 26 pieces - or 1,200 pounds - are expected to rain down somewhere.Three quarters of the Earth's surface is water, so most likely, nobody will even see it.The satellite was launched 20 years ago to study the atmosphere.Read more

Lifestyle,nightlifeDiana Nyad Hot Night SwimSuitExtreme swimmer and KCRW host Diana Nyad is trying again tonight to swim from Havana to the coast of Florida. She got in the sea and pushed off about 3:05 our time. In this video, Nyad talks about why she's going again so soon after having to quit 29 hours into her last attempt. SourceAmerican endurance swimmer Diana Nyad began her second attempt in as many months to traverse the 103 miles of sea between Cuba and Florida, waving goodbye to well-wishers before jumping feet first into the still water at a Havana marina, then stroking toward the horizon.The 62-year-old Los Angeles woman hoped to break her own world record for open-water swimming without a shark cage that she set in 1979 when she stroked from the Bahamas to Florida.Her last attempt at the Cuba-to-Florida crossing failed Aug. 9 due to a crippling asthma attack that forced her gasping from the water after 29 hours.Nyad to make 2nd Havana-Fla. swim attemptVideo: Nyad ends swim from Cuba to Fla. after 29 hoursDiana Nyad's marathon swim: Inspiration for aging athletes?Nyad insisted that this time around she was ready to brave the choppy seas, schools of jellyfish and limits of human exhaustion to accomplish her lifelong dream.As darkness fell, about an hour and a half into the swim, Nyad's team sent a Twitter message that she was "going strong."A later message relayed news of a first, stinging setback."Diana has been stung by what we believe is a moon jelly. She is trying to clear herself of tentacles and continue the swim," it read.Just before she set off from Hemingway Marina on Friday evening, assistants smeared grease on her shoulders to prevent chafing during the planned 60-hour journey. She pumped her fists in the air as her support team blew horns and cheered from waiting boats."I feel good. I feel very good," Nyad said. "But as you know, it really doesn't matter how I feel right now."She acknowledged being a little more subdued than the last time she departed from this same marina."Not that I was ever cocky, but having been through this now and be Source

She's the star of the Real Hustle, whatever that is, and she makes a good canvas for a tattoo. This is her photoshoot for Loaded magazine.

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Lifestyle,nightlifeChick-Fil-A Are America's Favorite Fast Food and good choice menu
Yet another poll, this one from consumer market researcher Market Force, confirms what we all already suspected: everyone loves Five Guys. The burger chain, which has grown rapidly since its founding in 1986, was rated America's favorite fast food chain, after adjusting for the number of stores. By this measure, In-N-Out came in second and Chick fil-A came in third.The poll asked 4500 Americans to pick their favorite chain from among the 55 highest-grossing quick-service eateries in the country. The raw data indicated that America's favorite chain was Chick fil-A, which garnered 10.4% of the total vote; Panera came in second. But Market Force then adjusted the vote to account for disparities in the total number of outposts for each brand. The relative scarcity of In-N-Out and Five Guys propelled them to the top of the list, while Panera fell to fourthRead more about Chick-Fil-A Are America's Favorite Fast Food and good choice menu
Related Post: Chick Fil a good choice menu In All Religion Pride Month

Vanessa Davis, the “Stalker” that Evelyn Lozada was speaking of (the one who hacked her email and stole her sexy nudie pics) is now being sued….And it turns out she has ties to the NBA too, as Ricky Davis’ ex-wife. Details on the flip
One of the stars of the VH1 show “Basketball Wives” claims she’s the victim of a nude-photo-stealing revenge plot — and she suspects the perp is a woman who’s bitter she wasn’t picked for the show. TMZ has obtained a lawsuit filed by Evelyn Lozada (ex-fiancée of former NBA star Antoine Walker) in which she claims Vanessa Davis (former wife of NBA star Ricky Davis) smeared her reputation all over the Internet after Davis was “not selected” to be on the reality show.

According to Lozada, Davis took to a gossip blog and called her a “high end prostitute,” a “drunkard,” and a “hoe ass” — and even accused Lozada of neglecting her daughter.

But the nastiest part — Lozada claims Davis hacked into her email and stole topless photos … which Davis allegedly published online.

Lozada claims Davis is out to “ruin her reputation” — and now she wants Davis to fork over at least $15,000 in damages for all the trouble Davis has allegedly caused. Attempts to reach Davis have been unsuccessful. read more


Entrepreneur Evelyn Lozada, who has emerged as the face of VH1′s hit reality TV show Basketball Wives, was once a video vixen sashaying her hips in music videos such as Jay Z’s “I Just Wanna Love You (Give it 2 Me)”.

This according to my sharp-eyed reader, Justtina K., who spotted the young Evelyn Lozada wearing a powder blue dress and bikini throughout this video.

f you notice, Evelyn manages to keep her face out of most of the video frames. No doubt because she knew she had a daughter at home who would one day be old enough to view the video (Shaniece would have been 7 when this video was made back in 2000)

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When Jonghyun sings the opening lyrics of "Jojo", leaning towards Minho Jonghyun with pursed lips. Jonghyun paused and then replied Minho of singing with a small kiss. Showed the reaction surprised while Minho Jonghyun just laughed and kept singing. Fans are not sure how they interpret this incident, it could be a fan service, friendship or other evidence.Rehearsal is part of a concert in Nanjing on August 20. This concert is part of SHINee's orld Concert which begins July 16 and in Taipei. SHINee will be joined later in the SM TOWN LIVE in TOKYO at Tokyo Dome on September 2 to 4 2011 read more
Here is Video SHINee Jonghyun & Minho Friendship Kiss??