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Miami's Edwidge Danticat didn't win The National Book Award for her searing memoir Brother, I'm Dying Wednesday night, but we love her anyway. The nonfiction award went to Tim Weiner for his well-received CIA history A Legacy of Ashes. Haven't read Ashes, but the buzz has been good on it, so congrats to Weiner (even though we were not-so-secretly rooting for the hometown hero).
And for once the fiction winner was the favorite: Denis Johnson's towering Vietnam novel Tree of Smoke. After taking one look at the size of that sucker, I pawned it off on the excellent freelance writer Andrew Ervin, who wrote:
"I'm not sure there's been a better Vietnam novel since William Eastlake's The Bamboo Bed. Honestly, I can't be sure that there's been a better American novel published in the past 10 years. Johnson understands the conflicts at the heart of the American psyche, and in Tree of Smoke he delivers the sort of historical novel that not only shows us where we've been but also shines a light on where we're going. It is a masterpiece."
Read Andrew's review here: http://www.miamiherald.com/215/v-print/story/232057.html
Other winners: Sherman Alexie won the award for young adult literature with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and Robert Hass won for poetry with Time and Materials.

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Classroom Guide for
by William Miller, illustrated by Cedric Lucas
| Teacher Tip
Night Golf is an ideal book to use during the spring months as students' thoughts turn to outdoor sports. You might also recommend it for summer reading.
Before Reading
Prereading Focus Questions
Before introducing Night Golf to students, you may wish to have students discuss one or more of the following questions as a motivation for reading.
- What do you know about golf? Have you ever played it? Have you watched someone play it?
- Who are some well-known golfers? What do you know about them?
- When you want something really badly, how do you go about getting it? What characteristics do you think someone needs to achieve a difficult goal?
- How do you feel about excluding certain people or groups from participating in a game or sport? Why?
Exploring the Book
Hold up the book and read aloud the title. Ask students what they think the title means. Talk about why someone might play golf at night. Do students think it is like baseball game played at night, or could there be another explanation?
Point to the author's name on the book cover and ask students if they have read any other books by him. If so, talk about the kind of books William Miller writes.
Setting a Purpose for Reading
Have students write down three questions they hope to have answered by reading the book. You might give an example such as: Is the boy on the cover playing golf at night as an adventure?
Point out that the book has won the Parents' Choice Gold Award, as well as many other children's book awards. As they read the story, ask students to look for reasons why the book has been honored.
This book contains many words that have special meanings in golf. They include:
|tee (teed)
|water hazard
Have students identify both a golf meaning and where applicable, another meaning, for each word or term. You might follow up by having students make alphabetized golf glossaries. Encourage students to add more golf terms that they know or discover through research about the game.
After Reading
Discussion Questions
After students have read the book, use these or similar questions to generate discussion, enhance comprehension, and develop appreciation. Encourage students to refer to back to the book to support their responses.
- Why doesn't James's father encourage his son to play golf?
- Why does the man at the golf course assume that James is there about the dishwasher's job?
- What gives James the courage to speak up to the man at the golf course?
- How would you describe the attitude of the golfers toward the caddies? Why do you think the golfers acted the way they did?
- Why has Charlie been a caddy for 20 years?
- What secret does Charlie share with James?
- How does Charlie help James? Why do you think Charlie does this?
- What events are important for James getting a chance to play golf in the daylight?
- How do you think life might change for James in the future? Will it change for Charlie too?
- How does playing golf at night help James's game?
Literature Circles
If you use literature circles during reading time, students might find the following suggestions helpful in focusing on the different roles of the group members.
- The Questioner might use questions similar to those in the Discussion Question section of this guide.
- The Passage Locator might look for lines that expose the feelings of the different characters.
- The Illustrator might draw pictures to show other activities at the golf course during the day.
- The Connector might find and share more information about players like Charlie Sifford.
- The Summarizer might provide a brief summary of the text or pages that the group is discussing.
- The Investigator might research other information about the breakdown of racial barriers in golf.
There are many resource books available with more information about organizing and implementing literature circles. Three such books you may wish to refer to are: Getting Started with Literature Circles by Katherine L. Schlick Noe and Nancy J. Johnson (Christopher-Gordon, 1999), Literature Circles: Voice And Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups by Harvey Daniels (Stenhouse, 2002), and Literature Circles Resource Guide by Bonnie Campbell Hill, Katherine L. Schlick Noe, and Nancy J. Johnson (Christopher-Gordon, 2000).
Reader's Response
Use the following questions or similar ones to help students practice active reading and personalize what they are reading. Suggest that students respond in reader's notebooks or in oral discussion.
- James really wanted to play golf. What are the things you really want to do? What obstacles do you face achieving success? How will you try to overcome them?
- How do the illustrations in the book add to your understanding of the story?
- What is your favorite part of the story? Why?
- Why do you think the white characters in the book were prejudiced? How does the story affect your attitude toward prejudice?
Other Writing Activities You may wish to have students participate in one or more of the following writing activities. Set aside time for students to share and discuss their work.
- Think about the ending of the book. How believable are the last events in the story when James gets a chance to hit the ball and a crowd gathers to watch him play? Explain your response.
- Night Golf is about racial barriers that a boy faces in golf. Think about an injustice that you feel is taking place today. Write a persuasive paragraph explaining what this injustice is and how you think it should be addressed.
- Pretend you are James. Write a letter to Charlie telling him how you feel and thanking him for helping you.
ELL/ESL Teaching Strategies
These strategies might be helpful to use with students who are English language learners or who are learning to speak English as a second language.
- Use real objects or photographs to help students identify concrete nouns from the book such as club, ball, soda, sweater, garbage can, moon, cow, and so on.
- Read aloud a sentence and have students repeat the sentence after you, pointing to each word as they speak.
- Ask English speakers to act out parts of the book as you read them aloud. Repeat aloud verbs for the actions students are portraying.
Interdisciplinary Activities
To help students integrate their reading experiences with other curriculum areas, you might try some of the following activities.
Social Studies
Remind students that golf was the last major sport to be officially integrated. Have students make a chart comparing the steps toward racial equality in golf and another major sport such as baseball or basketball. Students may use the timeline at the end of the story ("African Americans in Golf: In Brief") as a starting point for information about golf.
Point out that James and Charlie play golf by moonlight. Discuss the different phases of the moon. Then have students figure out how often James and Charlie might be able to play during the summer months of June, July, and August, depending on the amount of moonlight available.
Share with students some facts about golf courses.
- Most courses have 18 holes that are numbered.
- Each hole has a tee, a fairway, a green, and usually a hazard such as a sand trap or small pond.
- Most courses are designed as a loop so that players end up near the point where they began after each set of nine holes.
- Each hole begins at a tee where the golfer takes the first stroke. The stroke should send the ball along a fairway. At the end of the fairway is a green with grass that has been mowed very closely. Each green has a hole marked by a flag.
| Teacher Tip
If a golf pro is available in your community, you might invite him or her to come to school and talk to students about the game.
- Have students research the rules and technical aspects of playing golf. Then have teams of students give golf demonstrations to the class. Some students might display the different kinds of clubs and explain when each is used. Others might demonstrate (on playground grass) how to swing a golf club. Still others might tell the class about various protocols that golfers follow as they play.
- Students might research and compile biographies of African American golfers such as Lee Elder and Tiger Woods. Students may also expand their collection of biographies to include other people of color who have become prominent in golf.
- Interested students might follow golf news and report on the tournaments taking place. Most of the major men's and women's golf championships take place during the spring and summer: the Masters (April), United States Open (June), the British Open (July), and PGA (August) for men; the LPGA (June) and United States Women's Open (July). Many other important golf tournaments take place during this time as well.
About the Author
William Miller is the author of numerous award-winning books for young people. Among them Miller's books have won several major children's book awards, from organizations such as Reading Rainbow, SMITHSONIAN magazine, Cooperative Children's Book Center, International Reading Association, and the Parents' Choice Foundation. Of his first three picture books Miller has said, "My purpose is to inspire young readers and encourage them to know more about [Zora Neale] Hurston, [Frederick] Douglass, and [Richard] Wright."
Miller was raised in Anniston, Alabama, and now lives in York, Pennsylvania, where he teaches creative writing and African American literature at York College.
About the Illustrator
Cedric Lucas's first picture book was Miller's Frederick Douglass: The Last Day of Slavery. To make the illustrations authentic, Lucas did a great deal of research at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.
The New York Times has said about Night Golf: "The lessons of perseverance and pragmatism come through clearly and are nicely underscored by Cedric Lucas's impressionistic pastel-and-colored pencil illustrations, which tell the story simply."
Lucas is a native New Yorker who teaches art to middle school students in the Bronx. He received his bachelor's degree in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts and his masters from Lehman College. He lives with his family in Yonkers, New York.
Download this guide in PDF
Learn more about Night Golf
Also by William Miller and Cedric Lucas: Frederick Douglass: The Last Day of Slavery
Also by William Miller:
The Bus Ride
Joe Louis, My Champion
The Piano
Rent Party Jazz
Richard Wright and the Library Card
Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree
BookTalk with William Miller on Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree
Teacher's Guides


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Energy for Growth
Edward LaFehr was appointed as Chief Operating Officer in February 2014, taking over the responsibilities of Mr Carl Sheldon. Mr LaFehr joined TAQA in 2012 as President of the company's North American business, its largest subsidiary. Prior to joining TAQA, Mr LaFehr was Senior Vice President at Talisman Energy Inc, with responsibility for its Canadian business. Over a 32-year career in the energy industry, Mr LaFehr has also worked in the UK, Egypt and Trinidad & Tobago. He holds a Master of Science in Geophysics from Stanford University and a Master of Science in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. He is a United States national.
Stephen Kersley joined TAQA as Chief Financial Officer in May 2011. This followed 23 years in corporate finance, strategic planning and management with Royal Dutch Shell based in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, China, Syria and Indonesia. Most recently, he worked as Vice President of Finance for Shell's Global Lubricants business in the United Kingdom. Mr Kersley holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Birmingham University in the United Kingdom and is a Chartered Accountant. Mr Kersley is a United Kingdom national.
Michael T. McGuinty, 51, joined TAQA in Abu Dhabi as General Counsel & Company Secretary in January 2014. Mr McGuinty previously worked for Schlumberger for 18 years where he held a series of senior legal positions in the Middle East, Europe and North America including Director of Legal Operations; Deputy General Counsel, Corporate and M&A; and, most recently, Director of Compliance. Prior to Schlumberger Mr. McGuinty practiced corporate and commercial law in Canada and France. He has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from McGill University in Canada, and a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa. Mr McGuinty is fluent in French and Spanish. A Canadian and Spanish national, Mr McGuinty is married and has two children.
Frank Perez joined TAQA in July 2009. He has more than 25 years' experience in the power and utility sector. Before joining TAQA, he was General Manager of PSEG Americas Latin America Electric and Gas Utilities portfolio, Chief Political and Regulatory Officer for PSEG, Chief Executive Officer and President of a subsidiary of DPL Inc (the parent company of Dayton Power & Light) and Corporate Officer of DPL Inc. Mr Perez has also worked for ABB's power business. He is a founding partner of a global energy investment advisory firm and was previously a Board member of several international electric and gas utility and power companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in the United States. Mr Perez is a United States national.
Saif Al Sayari joined TAQA in 2010 as Vice President Operations Technology and Innovations for TAQA's Oil & Gas business stream. He has more than 12 years' experience in the energy business, having previously worked at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), where he held a variety of technical and managerial positions. Dr Al Sayari holds a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College London and is a United Arab Emirates national.
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Photog Tip of the Week: Love Your Histogram with Ann McRae
Today's Photog Tip of the Week is presented by Ann McRae, longtime Canadian Smugger, Pro shooter and Support Hero extraordinaire. If you've never received an awesome help reply from Ann, you're missing out! Your histogram can make or break your image. Knowing how to read your histogram will dramatically help you get it right in-camera… which will improve the shots you take and increase your number of keepers. Here's the scoop straight from a pro who knows.
What's a Histogram?
The histogram is a graphical representation of the brightness of your image. It shows the amount of dark areas on the left and the amount of bright areas on the right, which means that you can make decisions about the settings you're using to shoot a scene.
The histogram is your key to getting the very best possible photograph in-camera.
The good news is that almost every digital camera released in the last few years has the ability to display a histogram on the LCD. You may be surprised at the difference between the information in your histogram and the JPG preview of your images on your camera's LCD. Many folks overlook the fact that the LCD screen is backlit, which makes the image look much brighter than it actually is. Watch the histogram instead and don't be fooled!
Expose to the Right… but Not Too Much
The "ideal" histogram shows mid tones that are evenly distributed between the darkest and lightest points in the scene. But remember that a histogram is just a graphical representation of the data in the photograph, so there's no real right or wrong!
The following two photos show properly exposed scenes but the histograms in the upper right corners look dramatically different:
In the above photo, there is a broad range of colors and therefore the data is distributed across the whole graph.
On the other hand, almost all of this above scene is bright white snow so most of the data is pushed to the far right. Kelso is properly exposed and you can see plenty of detail in his face.
Why You Should Get it Right
Don't overexpose the scene. The histogram for this kind of shot looks like it has a big hump on the right, possibly even falling off the right side of the chart. Some cameras display blinking areas on your LCD preview image to warn you that your images are too bright. Data in the overexposed areas is lost and will simply be flat white with no details. Here those areas are shown in red:
Don't underexpose the scene. A histogram with the majority of the information to the far left (dark shadows) is underexposed. When you do this, you run a higher chance that prints made from this photo will turn out dramatically darker than you expect. This is because you're processing and editing your digital photo on a backlit monitor or LCD, which is much brighter than a physical print that is lit with reflected light. You may be able to pick out details in the shadows when looking at an image on a monitor, but those details will be lost in a print.
(Bonus: Find more technical reasons for exposing to the right explained over at Luminous Landscape.)
Here are two versions of the same shot with completely different exposures. See how the histogram sits in each one?
Histograms for Effective Post Processing
Of course, once you have a well exposed photograph you may still want to do some post production work to be sure that you are getting the most out of the data that you have.
Bumping the exposure, fill light and tone curve of this example image just a tad pushes the bump from the middle of the histogram to the right, and really does a lot to enhance the image:
Once again, watching your histogram really pays off. Learn to love it and use it!
- Canadiann
Be the Smugger of the Week!
Hey, Smuggers! You're our light, our life and our reason, so it's high time we turned the spotlight on you. Post a pic of "Smuggy" (the SmugMug logo) or SmugMugPro on our Facebook wall for a chance to be Smugger o' the Week.
Where in the World Was Smuggy?
Back in ancient times (four years ago), one of our customers painted a sheep green for us, which sparked our incredible Where in the World Is Smuggy? contest. In the following weeks we were buried in a deluge of creative, adventurous and often hilarious photos featuring our favorite grinning green mascot.
History shall repeat itself. We're bringing it back… with a twist.
(Don't worry, no sheep were harmed in the making of this pic. He's smiling!)
Post on Facebook and be our Smugger o' the Week
Grab your cameras! This time we invite you to take a pic of Smuggy or SmugMugPro in exchange for fame:
1) Find our little mascot hidden like Waldo in the big wide world, construct your own* with artistic materials, or creatively model a piece of official SmugSwag: hats, t-shirts, straps, stickers, etc. In short, we're looking for Smuggy himself or our SmugMug Pro logo.
2) Post that pic to our Facebook wall.
3) Each week, we'll pick one and dub the lucky winner our Smugger o' the Week. They'll get their Smug Mug featured on our Facebook page for seven splendid days. And remember that by posting your pic, you're giving us permission to use it on our FB page or for promotional stuff. You still own it and the copyright's yours.
Hit up the gallery of entries and view all the pics submitted so far.
Get Your Smug Stuff
No Swag? No problem. Log in to visit our free stuff page and we'll send you a camera strap ASAP (one per customer). For more goods and gear you can check out our swag shop or come see us at a SMUG.
Our blood flows green. What about you? :D
* We hope this goes without saying, but while we know you love SmugMug, we ask that you don't damage or deface property for this contest. Gracias!
Bug Fixes and Improvements
With all of our recent great giveaways and guest posts we had a ton of stuff happening under the hood, too. Here's a few!
- We fixed the "Back to Gallery" link in Share > Get a Link > Gallery Links > Slideshow when you share galleries of Collected photos. It directs you to the proper gallery now, not the source gallery.
- Picasa users: The URL in the uploader confirmation link is fixed. Additionally, if you were asked to log in, the plugin will let you continue as expected. More on uploading from Picasa.
- When using our Quick Share feature to Like a photo, we'll post the single-image lightbox link to your wall for all viewing styles except our default SmugMug style. For that, we'll post a gallery link.
- We tightened up the Smart Gallery rules so that Rules that have no matches won't return bogus results.
- Some customers were saying that they were having some trouble getting Arrange > Sort > By Date Taken to work. This is now fixed.
- Your homepage video player won't automatically log you out of your account.
More soon,
The SmugMug family
Smug Tip of the Week: How to Protect Your Photos
Today we're kicking off a new series of posts aimed to help you get the most out of your SmugMug account. Whether you're new to the family or are one of our most loyal fans, we hope you'll pick up a handy tip or two in this series!
Privacy Controls When You Want Them
Lots of you love to share full-res files with friends and family, but free 'n easy may not always float your boat. If that sounds like you, check out these awesome image protection features bundled with your account.
For everyone:
- Disable originals – Stop access to seeing and downloading your full-res photos.
- Site-wide password -Lock it down so only certain folks can see your site.
- Gallery privacy – Protect your galleries or hide them from view.
- Disable external linking – Stops your photo from appearing on blogs and forums.
- Stop search engines – Keep your site out of search results.
- Turn off printing – Removes the Buy button from your gallery.
For Power Users:
- All the above features
- Right-click protection – Foil image theft with a customizable popup message.
For Pros:
- All the above features
- Watermarking – Put your name and logo on all your display copies.
Image Protection Strategies
- Remember that Right-Click Protection is just a deterrent and using that alone won't stop image theft. Instead, we recommend you use a combination of the above features to get the best results. Example: Disable originals, turn on Right-Click Protection and apply a watermark with your link on it.
- If your photos have showed up on sites like Facebook without your permission, this can be a great thing! In case you missed it, check out this recent post from guest blogger Andy Marcus about how image sharing (combined with watermarking) helps his business get ahead. When fans share your watermarked pics, you snag more clients.
- If you're managing your files with a program such as Lightroom, Aperture or Bridge, it's a good idea to put your name and copyright information into the metadata so all of your info stays together.
- They can pay for your photos! Pros: Consider creating a default Pricelist so that any sales you make earn you a profit.
- Lastly, if you don't want folks using the Share feature you can always disable that in your Gallery Settings. As the logged-in owner you'll always see and be able to use that button, but they won't. Win-win.
For quick reference, just bookmark this page. It lists the easiest ways to make sure your images are as safe as you want them to be.
Keep your eyes peeled for more tips to help you get the most from your 'Mug!
Photog Tip of the Week: File Management in Lightroom with Wade Heninger
Importing images into Lightroom can be a chore. What is a benign process when you shoot a few hundred pictures in a portrait session can become unwieldy when you come home with 15 CF cards full of files from a big event.
First, consider that Lightroom has always imported from only one card at a time. The standard process is as follows:
- Insert CF card .
- Configure the Import options and hit "Import."
- Wander off with the intention of coming back when its done.
- Forget you were importing for an hour and then realize it.
- Wander back in and go back to step 1.
Repeat 10 or 15 times. And 8 hours later I'm good to go. A whole work day and I've not edited a single photo yet. Ouch.
This just does not work for me. I'm a ballet photographer and work routinely involves shooting several thousand photos of a single performance that need to be quickly imported because the next performance is 2 hours away and the cards need to be cleared and ready. That is some serious file management and little time to do it.
So what does the enterprising photographer do?
Photo Mechanic for Easier Photo Imports
Some years ago I bought Photo Mechanic solely because its Import tool was pretty darn good. Much better than Bridge. Of prime importance was the fact that it would import images from all mounted cards in order. If you had the card reader for the card, it would do the right thing. The rest of Photo Mechanic is inconsequential (and a bit ugly) with Lightroom, but this one feature makes worth the purchase price. I have 5 or 6 card readers, so I can really chew off a bunch of cards in one fell swoop using this little tool.
So for the past few years, I would use Photo Mechanic to import the files onto my Drobo and *then* run an Import in Lightroom to get them in and previews built. This was a two step process that had to be done serially as well: 1) import with Photo Mechanic 2) turn Lightroom loose on the big folder with everything.
Somewhere in the Lightroom 2 cycle I'd worked on a redesign of the Import dialog and as part of that I'd suggested the whole multiple cards thing as a way to speed our customer's workflow. Sadly, we didn't get it any of this for the release of version 2. So when Lightroom 3 was released, the first thing I looked at was the new Import dialog and if it could do what I needed. Unfortunately, no.
So recently, as I returned from another photo shoot with 12 cards in tow, I was all set up to dance the same waltz with the same klutzy partners.
But something clicked this time. Call it a Lightroom Epiphany of sorts, but all of a sudden I realized a possible solution had been sitting under my nose all this time.
Lightroom's Auto Import Feature
Lightroom has this somewhat obscure feature called "Auto Import" that watches a folder and then imports any images therein. As I recalled, it was mainly Lightroom's way of dealing with tethered capture before we had a dedicated module for such. Anxiously, I clicked on the File Menu to see if it hadn't been deprecated due to the new Tethered Capture features. Huzzah! It was still there.
Giddy, I clicked on the Auto Import Settings and set it up to watch the folder I was going to use Photo Mechanic to dump them to.
From Photo Mechanic to Lightroom to SmugMug
So, I setup Auto Import and chose the import directory. So far so good.
I then went into Photo Mechanic and dumped all 6 cards to the aforementioned directory.
It worked! Photo Mechanic dumped all the cards to the directory and Lightroom then imported it and built a preview for each image. It took awhile, but not nearly as long as I was used to. And it did it in one fell swoop.
So, so awesome.
I did notice that at one point there were over 500 processes going at once in Lightroom – one for each import and preview build it was working on. But it didn't seem to bother it much.
The result is that I'm in business more quickly than before. I was able to import all those cards and have Lightroom ready to edit, with all files imported and previews already built.
It's a beautiful thing.
Since that ah-ha! moment, I've dramatically cut down my file management time, which lets me get to the important parts faster. SmugMug makes uploading directly from Lightroom dead simple with their integrated publishing service, so I can get photos into my galleries and start making money.
- Wade
More on Streamlining Your Workflow
The Help doesn't stop here. Check out these additional resources:
Sign Up and Save 20% on The Power of Passion Tour with Sandy Puc' and Jerry Ghionis
It's time to step it up, wedding pros, and this is your chance! Photographer-gone-mentor Sandy Puc' and international Top 5 Wedding Photographer Jerry Ghionis are kicking off a 33-city tour to teach you how to make brides (and you) swoon with delight.
With Sandy's inspiring, energetic approach to business combined with Jerry's master marketing skills, you've got an unbeatable combination that no Pro should miss.
The Power of Passion Tour is a perfect crash course for both beginner and advanced photographers. Their intense, 5-hour seminars will give your business an edge, regardless of your experience in the industry. Get coached on direct and indirect marketing for your business as well as technical essentials like posing and light.
Here's four reasons why you should go:
- You learn directly from the best in the wedding world.
- It's only $99, PLUS Smuggers get an additional 20% off. (Code: SMPP11)
- Five hours of action- and info-packed fun.
- Because you love what you do and want to get ahead.
As a bonus, you may see a familiar face from Smuggy Central jumping in to share the fun. (Hey, we're pros, too!)
Check out their list of cities to find one near you:
- Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Raleigh, NC
- Nashville, TN
- Phoenix, AZ
- San Diego, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Portland, OR
- Seattle, WA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Kansas City, MO
- Omaha, NE
- St. Louis, MO
- Louisville, KY
- Indianapolis, IN
- Columbus, OH
- Boston, MA
- Newark, NJ
- Philadelphia, PA
- Baltimore, MD
- Detroit, MI
- Chicago, IL
- Minneapolis, MN
Invest in yourself and register now. See you there!
Arranging Collected Photos and Smart Galleries
We made a huge improvement to how you can arrange your galleries: Your Smart Galleries and Collected photos can be sorted alongside your regularly-uploaded images.
Previously, collected images were stuck in the mud: They dropped into your galleries and were segregated when you opened any of our Arrange tools. Now they should behave just like any other pic, so click, drag, nudge them to the front or whatever you fancy. Shuffle up and deal!
- Swap a photo using the Replace tool and we'll remember its spot.
- Changing a previously-sorted gallery to "none" will move all virtual copies to the end of the gallery.
- Moving photos will place them neatly at the end of the receiving gallery if it doesn't have sorting options already set.
Bug Fix
We also fixed a bug that was causing a "Gallery not found" message after using any Arrange tool. You should land smoothly in the gallery now, no bumps or layovers to hold you back.
But that's enough for tonight. We'll let you get back to sorting and playing with your site.
Guest Blogger: Why Andy Marcus Loves SmugMug
Today's guest blogger is Andy Marcus of incredible, lick-the-screen-delicious Fred Marcus Photography in New York. He's been a Smugger since 2009 and we had the privilege of gabbing with him on the way to WPPI. Here's what he says about SmugMug and how his Pro account has given their world-class business an edge in the digital age.
Photos by Fred Marcus Photography
Pro Features for Pro Photographers
We use SmugMug at Fred Marcus Photography because it's one of the easiest and most effective tools to market our business. We've been around for 70 years and have made a name for ourselves, but I find that our venues are constantly being bombarded by dozens of other photographers vying for recommendations and attention, too. How do we stand out and make our studio the one that the venues remember?
After each event we create a SmugMug gallery for the venue so they can share and use them for their own marketing purposes. SmugMug has made watermarking our images so easy: I can upload high resolution files and be confident that no matter where they end up, our studio name will be on them. I would normally never share files that could be printed to our clients, but with watermarking it's a win-win situation for both the vendor and our studio. They get great photos and we get the advertising.
Just the other day a popular wedding blogger got a link to our SmugMug site and shared more than a dozen of our images with her 2,000 followers. Within minutes of her publishing that story our website received dozens of hits from people curious about our work.
It has gotten to the point now where our vendors can't wait to log onto our SmugMug site and see images of their events. The cake designers want their cake photos, the lighting and staging companies want the images we shoot of the décor and ambience. The florists want shots of the floral décor and bouquets and the party planners, coordinators and caterers want shots of everything.
Luckily for me and my staff all the functionality SmugMug builds into their "Share" button makes their wait very short. I can send our vendors an email containing links with just a few clicks of a mouse. SmugMug also generates easy embed codes for all our images, so I can show them off on a blog or a forum with no hassle. Not to mention the ease at which I can connect to a number of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
I always like to be one step ahead of my competitors, and SmugMug helps me stay there.
- Andy Marcus
SmugMug's Startup Story in the Spotlight
Recently the Mountain View Patch came to visit us at SmugMug HQ to feature us in the Startup Spotlight:
We're not really a startup and are excited about entering our 10th year of profitable business! But old habits die hard and we still act like one: We're nimble, hiring like crazy and we stay close to our customers.
Take a look to learn about our modest beginnings and how we've worked hard to be successful bringing you big, beautiful, ad-free galleries you know and love. Plus, find out how being stretchy can make or break you in this rapidly-changing digital age, and meet a few high-profile neighbors in SmugLand.
We're tickled that we've come so far through the years. Of course we couldn't have done it without you: our friends, fans and family!
Facebook Giveaway: Lowepro Bag and Fine Art Print
News flash! We're doing another giveaway on Facebook for an awesome, versatile and sturdy Lowepro Pro Trekker 600 AW bag and a genuine box-framed print by our superstar pro, Andy Williams. That's a $700 value winnable with just a few keystrokes:
Don't know Andy? Get to know him, his amazing landscape and street photos on Moon River Photography and see why he's our often imitated, never duplicated House Pro:
The 16 x 20 print is high-quality art paper mounted on masonite for durability, then set in a glass-free black wood frame. It'll look faboo on any wall. (Full specs here.)
To enter: Visit our Facebook page and post why you need a new bag for your loot. We'll pick a random winner on Monday, 3/7 at noon PT.
Happy packing!


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hi everyone!
It's still Sunday so I still have time to post my BPC winner
from the blog post below!
Thank you for all that entered and for all your sweet words!
I would have posted sooner but I've been gone ALL day celebrating
a little princess' 3rd birthday!
That's right...Little Princess Presley turned 3 today and we
have been at her party all day!
I'll share some pics of the 3 year old princess soon!
Until then...just look at that little face above..I LOVE her.
To pieces. She's my niece's baby girl and she's changed
ALL of our worlds. She's the center of it, that's for sure!
Now on to our winner!
Here's the lucky person:
Terri - just email me (leslieasheATgmailDOTcom) and I'll
get you all fixed up for your class!
Be back tomorrow!


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Realtor: Valley housing market to stay strong through 2015
By Bob McClay
Originally published: Aug 7, 2013 - 5:00 am
Originally published: Aug 7, 2013 - 5:00 am
PHOENIX -- The Valley's housing market isn't going to change any time soon, said Realtor Jason Gold with HomeSmart Elite.
Gold that a shortage of homes for sale, coupled with an increase in the valley's population, will keep it a "seller's market" for some time to come.
"I'm going to guess that we're in a position where real estate is going to stay strong for the next two to three years," he said. "It's going to depend on job growth, and it's going to depend on interest rates."
Gold said Valley real estate has seen a 30 percent growth over the past year. He doesn't see that continuing, but said the market is on track to stay strong through at least 2015.
Bob McClay, Reporter
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Jack Marsh
President and chief operating officer/Diversity Institute
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Jack Marsh is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, with offices at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., the John Seigenthaler Center in Nashville, Tenn., and the Al Neuharth Media Center in Vermillion, S.D.
Marsh, a career journalist, oversees the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute and its efforts to advance diversity in the media. He also is responsible for Freedom Forum scholarship and award programs that encourage and honor high journalistic standards. Prior to joining the Freedom Forum in September 1998, Marsh was executive editor of the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D., for nearly six years and an employee of the Gannett Co. for 27 years. He has worked as a journalist at seven daily newspapers in four states.
Marsh initially was hired by the Freedom Forum as director of the Newseum's NewsCapade, a traveling exhibit that visited all 50 states and Canada to promote better understanding between the news media and the public. Later, Marsh became the founding director of the Al Neuharth Media Center at the University of South Dakota and of the American Indian Journalism Institute, the country's premier academic and internship program to recruit, mentor and retain Native American journalists. Marsh also is a co-founder of the Crazy Horse Journalism Workshop, held annually in South Dakota.
Marsh is a distinguished alumnus of Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio. He has been honored for lifetime achievement or dedicated service with awards from the South Dakota Newspaper Association, the University of South Dakota, the Native American Journalists Association and Pi Lambda Phi, an international fraternity dedicated to the elimination of prejudice.
Marsh is a native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he began his journalism career as a high school correspondent for his hometown newspaper. He later obtained his bachelor's degree in government from Baldwin-Wallace College, where he was editor of the student newspaper.
After graduation, Marsh joined the Rochester, N.Y., Times-Union where he was a reporter and an editor for 11 years. He moved to Utica, N.Y., to become managing editor and then executive editor of the Daily Press and the Observer-Dispatch for nine years. Marsh was both publisher of the Daily Journal and president of Times Graphics, a commercial printing company in Vineland, N.J., for two years before moving to Sioux Falls in 1992.
Marsh has been a leader in local, state and national journalism associations. Marsh is past president of the New York State Associated Press Association and the South Dakota Associated Press Managing Editors Association. He also is a member of the American Society of News Editors, Associated Press Managing Editors, National Press Club in Washington, Society of Professional Journalists and College Media Advisers.
Marsh serves on the executive committee of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation Board of Directors. He is past president of the Sioux Falls Downtown Rotary Club.
Marsh and his wife, Betty, a school counselor, live in Sioux Falls. They have two grown daughters, Dr. Elizabeth Jensen, a family-practice physician, and Colleen Olson, a freelance media producer. The Marshes have four grandchildren.
(updated 8/20/10)


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Updated: Aug 2, 2013 6:37 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Change is coming to the state's system of grading schools following the scandal that led to Tony Bennett's resignation in Florida.
Legislative leaders ordered an investigation Friday into the state's A to-F grading system. It follows the governor's call for a review. And Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz has already begun working on a new system.
Republican Bill Sheldrake and Democrat John Grew have been selected by legislative leaders to evaluate the A to F grading system.
GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma says the system may need to be replaced.
"We want to have an independent third party look at this," he said, "not vested in the program, respected, bi-partisan."
It's the result of the scandal that led Bennett to resign as education commissioner in Florida. Recently discovered emails show that Bennett instructed his staff to change the formula so that the grade for the Christel House Academy Charter Schools changed from a "C" to an "A."
Live from the State Fair on WISH-TV's Daybreak, the governor explained why he wants a separate review conducted by the Indiana Department of Education.
"I really think it's important that we preserve our A to F system," said Pence. "I believe we can do that in a way that parents and teachers and every Hoosier is confident going forward in this system."
All three approaches have one thing in common. They will result in an accountability system of some kind.
"What we want is an accurate measurement," said Bosma, "an accurate measurement tool, so that schools, teachers, students, parents, and policymakers can use it to improve. That's the goal is to improve."
And, if nothing else, Bennett's experience has pointed out that the current system has flaws.
The governor would like a review completed before the board of education meets next week. Legislative leaders have a deadline of Labor Day for their investigation to be completed. Ritz has offered no announced timeline for the development of her plan.
Copyright 2014 WISH TV. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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**Updated since Ohio State game**
If you want to watch a GUARANTEED close football game, or at least one that will be enjoyable, the Iowa Hawkeyes are your team. In the last 37 games, Iowa has played 17 games that were decided by 7 points or less (almost 50% of Iowa games). This includes last second wins involving a field goal to ruin #3 Penn State's national title hopes, consecutive blocked field goals against UNI, and a Marvin McNutt touchdown reception as time expired against Michigan St. Iowa is 7-10 in these games. That leads us to why Iowa fans drink so much because...
Iowa has not lost a game by more than 7 points since losing to Western Michigan by 9 points in the 2007 season finale. That Iowa team went 6-6 and didn't make it to a bowl. Since then, Iowa has gone 27-10, and has made Hawkeye fans all over the world wonder 'what if', having not lost a game decisively in that stretch. The field goals, touchdowns, and blocked kicks as time expires are what make us love the Hawkeyes, but failed drives to win or tie the game (9 out of the 10 losses) are what kill us (the one game without a chance to win? Illinois 2008; Illini kicked a field goal with less than 30 seconds to go).
Losing 10 games in a 3 season stretch is impressive enough, but Iowa makes it's case for being one of the toughest teams to beat by averaging it's losses by less than 4 points. 5 of those 10 losses were decided by 3 points or less and Iowa has only lost by more than 3 points four times in the 37 game stretch; twice by 7 points, once by 5, and another by 4, and have lost by 1 point TWICE; Pitt in 2008 and Wisconsin in 2010. Against ranked teams, Iowa is 5-4 since 2008, winning by an average of 15 points, and losing by an average of less than 4.
Another interesting fact: Iowa hasn't lost a game by more than 20 points in the last 42 games (Purdue, Oct. 20, 2007; 31-6), and hasn't lost by more than 30 points in the last 85 games (Arizona State, Sept. 18, 2004; 44-..... well, you remember).
So, yeah, we are 7-4 right now and keep losing heart-breakers, but remember: it's in your blood. Being an Iowa Hawkeye fan is probably the hardest job to have when it comes to being a college football fan. I mean, come on, every team in the Big Ten has lost at least one game by more than 7 points THIS SEASON. Iowa hasn't lost one by more than 7 in 3 seasons, and I think everyone can agree that losing by less hurts more. Hang in there Hawkeye fans.. hang in there.
*One last impressive Big Ten stat*
Wisconsin (10-1): Lost one game by 10 points
Ohio State (10-1): Lost one game by 13 points
Michigan St. (10-1): Lost one game by 31 points
Iowa (7-4): Lost four games by total of 15 points
Those top 3 in the Big Ten average each of their losses at 18 points, while Iowa has been beat 4 times by 15. That is extremely impressive/depressing.


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Reduced Shakespeare Company to perform in Barnard Castle for the first time (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
Send us your pictures, video, news and views by texting DST to 80360 or email us
Reduced Shakespeare Company to perform in Barnard Castle for the first time
Updated 1:25pm Thursday 27th February 2014 in News By Stuart Laundy, Reporter (Barnard Castle & Teesdale)
A THEATRE group that has been making audiences laugh for more than 30 years heading to Teesdale for the first time.
The Reduced Shakespeare Company is bringing its new show, The Bible, The Complete Word of God (abridged) to The Witham, Barnard Castle, on Saturday, March 15.
It has been made possible thanks to a collaboration between the town's Funny Way To Be comedy club and the arts complex.
Peter Dixon, Funny Way To Be promoter, said the idea first came about when he interviewed members of the cast for Radio Teesdale, where he is station manager.
"Without The Witham theatre space it would have been impossible, so we joined forces so we could bring this top company to Barnard Castle.
"This particular show, simply because it tackles the Bible in a comedic way, has caused controversy in some quarters, but it's more a celebration of the good book than poking fun at people's beliefs," he added.
Since 1981, The Reduced Shakespeare Company has created eight stage shows, two television specials, several TV pilots and numerous radio pieces.
Tickets for The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) are on sale now from funnywaytobe.com or at The Witham box office priced £15.
Comments are closed on this article.


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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Investigators say a slain suburban Oklahoma
City woman whose body was found in the woods nearly a month after
she disappeared was pregnant at the time of her death.
Oklahoma City police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said Wednesday the
Medical Examiner's Office had confirmed that 25-year-old Jaymie
Adams of Blanchard was pregnant when she disappeared last month.
Wardlow says the cause of Adams' death is still under
Adams' body was found Saturday along a bike trail near Lake
Stanley Draper. Her husband, Justin Adams, reported his wife
missing on Dec. 10
Wardlow says investigators have no suspects in the woman's
death. But an attorney for Justin Adams says police have told his
client he is a suspect. Attorney Irven Box says Adams had nothing
to do with his wife's death.
P.O. Box 8 Tulsa, OK 74101-0008
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text: Watch this Music Video for 'Over' by Blake Shelton By Ryan Etherington January 31, 2013 4:16 PM Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Filed Under: music videos Category: Videos Share on Facebook Share on Twitter More Leave a comment Send to a friend! Print this page Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr! More from 102.7 KORD Win a Trip to Meet Jason Aldean and Tour NASA in Houston Pasco Man Jailed After Confronting Officer with Shotgun How I Became Obsessed With 'Burning Man' [VIDEOS] Join a Pirate Treasure Hunt to Support Homeless Teens! Best of the Web


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In which Long Beach State finally breaks through and Missouri breaks Baylor on its way out the door.
Do you dream of bathing in an unending wave of college football goodness? Do you ever feel like you just see too much of your girlfriend, the sun or your Jack Russell, Bo? If so, do we have...
In which Championship Week produces some unexpected tournament winners, but K-State's overall profile remains relatively unchanged.
In which Long Beach State falls thisshort of a perfect conference record, while Alabama retreats back to its mediocre ways even as West Virginia stops the bleeding.
In which Alabama, Long Beach State and West Virginia provide the only RPI/SOS bright spots, while Charleston Southern, Loyola, North Florida and Southern Illinois all check out of the 2011-12 men's...
In which Alabama returns to the land of the living even as West Virginia ventures closer to the night of the living dead.
In which Alabama takes a huge step toward the right side of the bubble and UTEP completes a two-game sweep of the top two teams in its conference. Oh, and K-State is kinds of green.
In which K-State beats Baylor, several opponents notch BracketBusters wins, UTEP stuns Memphis and kinds of good things happen to the Cats' tournament profile.
In which West Virginia wins what might be the final Backyard Brawl, and virtually every other non-con opponent falls short once again.
In which Alabama, Oklahoma, Southern Illinois and West Virginia all suffer ignominious losses last weekend.
In which Alabama briefly re-enters the ranks of the RPI top 30, thus awarding K-State a second signature win for a fleeting moment.
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Results tagged ' Ruben Amaro Jr. '
Prospect Gillies Arrested for Cocaine Possession
Is it just me, or does the Phillies off-season Cliff Lee trade look worse and worse every day? The cherry on the crap sundae came today when Tyson Gillies, one of the 3 players sent to Philly in the Lee trade, was arrested for cocaine possession, according to Philly.com.
The incident allegedly took place this past June in Pinellas County, Florida.
I am guessing the Reading Phillies commercial starring Mr. Gillies will be pulled. Check it out before it is gone forever…Gillies is asked by a kid if he is "fast" and Gillies brags about his base stealing speed. Yeah, he is fast alright. Cocaine will do that.
The incident took place in Clearwater while Gillies was participating in a rehab assignment for a hamstring injury that has bothered him most of the year. He was batting only .238 in 26 games for Double-A Reading.
Another player from the Cliff Lee trade, Phillippe Aumont, has severely underperformed since coming to the Phillies organization. He pitched at a 7.43 ERA in Reading and was then demoted to Clearwater in June. Aumont has publically stated that he is feeling the immense "pressure" on him, having been traded for Lee. He seemed quite worried about living up to expectations. So, we started with a head case and now we have a coke head among the group.
The third player in the trade was righty JC Ramirez whose ERA is 5.18 in 12 games for Reading. While it is still early to tell how he or Aumont ultimately will perform, right now, things do not look promising.
And are we to believe the Mariners had no knowledge of these issues before they shipped these players over to Philly? I think they knew full well what they were doing. As a result, the Phillies have been punk'd. I will be curious to see what, if anything, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has to say about the recent events. What a mess.
Photo by MLB.com
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Lidge Blows Another Save
After last night's disappointing Roy Oswalt debut plus a serious lack of offense, the Phillies were hoping to bounce back today against the Nationals. Oswalt threw one pitch and gave up a triple.
Tonight, Joe Blanton threw 3 pitches and the singles started coming. Blanton had 2 base runners with 2 outs in the 1st inning and from there, allowed 3 runs to score with a total of 5 singles in the inning.
Settling down after the first, Blanton pitched 4 clean innings but allowed another run in the 6th. He escaped the 6th with just one run thanks to an amazing diving catch by rookie Domonic Brown and then a double play after that. So it was 6 innings and 4 runs for Blanton; not great.
The Phillies bats did little to help early on, not scoring their first run until the 4th inning on a Wilson Valdez single. Carlos Ruiz hit a solo homer in the 6th and then Raul Ibanez had the big knock in the 7th. His two run homer tied the game up at 4-4. Ibanez has been the Phillies hottest hitter of late, which is nice to see after he struggled the entire first half of the season. In his last 10 games before tonight, Ibanez is hitting .438.
On the other side of the spectrum, Ryan Howard is suddenly not hitting at all. He got his very first day off of the year today as a result. Manager Charlie Manuel thought a little rest could do him some good. Howard had only 2 hits in his last 5 games. Cody Ransom got a start at first base in his place.
Things were quiet again until the 9th inning when Jayson Werth walked. Ross Gload bunted him over; Brown moved him to third on a ground ball out. But the big hero was Ruiz who, with his 3rd hit of the night, singled to score Werth, giving the Phils a 5-4 lead. It was also Ruiz's 2nd RBI of the game.
But no lead is big enough when Brad "Heart Attack" Lidge is about to come into the game. He used to be "Light's Out" Lidge, but I have renamed him; more appropriate, I think. The first batter Lidge faced singled and a bunt moved him to 2nd. Then he walked the next batter. Get out the nitroglycerin; I feel an episode coming on. Yes, there it is…Ryan Zimmerman + fast ball down the middle = 3 run homer + Nationals win.
Let us give Lidge a few more nicknames…why? Because it will make me feel better. How about Brad "Please go back on the DL" Lidge? Or Brad "Blown Save" Lidge. It could be "BS" for short. And then there is Brad "I Suck Big Time" Lidge.
Hey Ruben Amaro Jr., you have about an hour and a half to find us a closer. WE ARE DONE WITH LIDGE! Bring Vance Worley back up if you have to. This cannot continue to happen. This team battled their as*ses off to get back in this game and Lidge BLEW IT. We, the fans, have had ENOUGH.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Roy Oswalt Deal Is Done
The deal is done. The Phillies sent 2009 runner up for Rookie of the Year, pitcher JA Happ, minor league outfielder Anthony Gose, and short stop Jonathan Villar to Houston in exchange for Roy Oswalt and a yet-to-be-determined amount of cash. It may be around $11 million.
As I said earlier, I think Happ was too high a price to pay for Oswalt. Not to mention the depletion of the farm system that Ruben Amaro Jr. used as an excuse to send Cliff Lee packing. If he was going to rob the farm, why did he not just keep Lee? Frustrating.
How the trade pans out remains to be seen. Of course, Oswalt is a great pitcher. Just hope he stays healthy. He will pitch tomorrow in DC against the Nationals. Roy Halladay also made his debut for the Phillies against the Nats in DC. Coincidence or fate? If he pitches anything like Halladay, that would be great.
I still feel bad for Happ who I think got a raw deal here with all the Phillies have put him through the last several years. And who pitches better in the 2nd half will be interesting to see. Amaro's legacy is now riding on the combined trades of Halladay, Oswalt and Lee, plus the severely weakened farm system. Only time will tell how it all pans out.
Roy Oswalt Almost A Phillie; Not All Are Thrilled
Call me crazy, but I am not thrilled about the impending deal which would bring Roy Oswalt to the Phillies. According to CSN Philly, Oswalt has approved the trade which sends JA Happ, OF Anthony Gose and another farm player to Houston.
Why am I not happy? Take a look:
First the stats: Last year, Oswalt was 8-6 with a 4.12 ERA. Happ was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. Happ has only pitched 3 games this year, so I do not think it is fair to compare those stats, although he has a 1.76 ERA in those 3 games. So, as for 2009, even if you add in the dreaded "sophomore slump" for Happ, he still at least matches Oswalt.
Plus Happ is younger, cheaper, under team control, composed and, looking at the performance, has pitched as well, if not better, than Oswalt. Also, CBS Sports reported that Oswalt wants to avoid a place with "a large and aggressive media contingent." What that says to me is, Oswalt prefers to avoid pressure. This does not inspire confidence.
What also does not inspire confidence is that Oswalt is injury-prone and has a recurring back problem that many say will require surgery very soon. Oswalt will be 33 years old in August. His age, plus the injury history make me nervous. Remember the Freddie Garcia $10 million dollar disaster? Garcia arrived injured; the Phillies failed to give him an MRI and basically got damaged goods, losing $10 million dollars in the process. Before his surgery, Garcia got ONE win for the Phillies.
Not only does this trade smell just like the Garcia deal, but it also seems to be the GM, Ruben Amaro Jr. trying to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. Amaro can't say he did not make a move when the criticism rolls in and bad flashbacks to the Cliff Lee deal continue to surface.
Also, didn't Amaro say the whole reason for the Lee deal was to replenish the farm system? So, now he is going to deplete that very same farm system for a less capable pitcher than Lee? Because you know it won't just be Happ; talent from the farm system will be going too. If he was going to trash the farm system for Oswalt, why didn't he just keep Lee?
So call me crazy, but this deal smells very, very bad to me. Nothing is final yet, so we will all be awaiting the decision and the details. Oswalt has been a top of the line pitcher, no debate there. But would you rather have a guy nearing the final years of his career who already has back issues, or a younger pitcher with big potential for many, many years to come? There are no guarantees in life, but the odds favor youth. Of course, that is just my opinion. Feel free to disagree :O)
Brick Wall: Meet Head
Before today's game against the Cardinals, the Phillies announced that Jamie Moyer would be placed on the DL after injuring his elbow yesterday. Vance Worley, 22, was called up from AA Reading to take his roster spot. Nelson Figueroa was claimed off waivers from the Astros, which is not great news. But that was the chance the Phils took when they designated Figueroa for assignment. Andrew Carpenter, who pitched 3 innings last night, was sent back to AAA.
We may see a lot of odd moves this week as the Phillies are trying to make a trade, probably for a pitcher. Rumors have Roy Oswalt in the works, but it appears he want guaranteed money through 2012, which the Phillies probably cannot afford. Ruben Amaro Jr. is probably regretting kicking Brett Myers to the curb right about now, among other things.
The Phillies have not been playing well; perhaps this is an understatement. But what makes it even harder to swallow are things like this: With 2 outs and the bases loaded in the 7th inning, the Phillies do NOT pinch hit for the pitcher, Joe Blanton. With a 1-1 tie, knowing that Blanton has not gone past 6 innings all year without running into trouble, how do you not pinch hit for him here?
So the Phillies do not score as Blanton strikes out. Then in the bottom of the 7th, Blanton threw ONE pitch and it went straight out of the ballpark. Am I really the only one who saw this coming? Really? This is just one more piece of evidence to indicate that manager Charlie Manuel has NO confidence in the bullpen.
I do not know conclusively what Blanton's issue has been this year and I do not really care at this point. Because what I do know, with overwhelming evidence, is that he cannot be counted on past 6 innings, especially in a tight game like this one. He did not enter today's game with a 6.21 ERA for no reason. The Phillies have to know this as well, unless they are just closing their eyes and praying instead of watching the game.
Yes, the Phillies faced a very good pitcher today. So, knowing runs would be tough to come by, the Phillies should have been ready to use the bullpen. Blanton did get out of the 7th with just the one run, but he gave up the lead and then they sent him out again for the 8th.
And without recording an out, he gave up 2 runs to cushion the lead for the Cards, 4-1. Shocked? I was not. If Manuel keeps turning a blind eye in these situations, this team may not recover.
Fans are frustrated, and with good reason. Philly fans are passionate and understand the game. So it is easy to see how bad moves like we saw tonight infuriate people. We want to see our team win and these mistakes make it seem impossible. How many times do you have to bang your head against a brick wall before you realize it hurts? Not pinch hitting for the pitcher in the 7th inning with the bases loaded is equivalent to the brick wall-head scenario. Of course, that is just one gals humble opinion ;o)
So the Phillies went on to lose by a score of 5-1. The only run for the Phillies was a solo homer from Ryan Howard. Tomorrow afternoon, Cole Hamels will pitch and everyone is praying he can help this team avoid a demoralizing 4-game sweep. Game time is 2:15pm; tune in if you can stomach it. Just load up on Tums first.
Cartoon by http://carablake.wordpress.com/
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Moyer Injured; Losing Streak Continues
Before tonight's 7-1 loss to the Cardinals, Kyle Kendrick was sent back to the minors. Yesterday, he allowed 7 runs to the Cards in 5 innings and has been inconsistent all year.
Andrew Carpenter was called up to play the long-man role in the bullpen until a new starter is announced to take Kendrick's place. It will likely be JA Happ, but an outside trade is not out of the question either.
In fact, the Phillies have now been forced to look even harder for starting pitching help as Jamie Moyer lasted only 1 inning tonight and left with a left elbow strain. Carpenter got into a game a lot quicker than he probably anticipated. He took over for Moyer in the second and pitched 3 innings, allowing 3 runs on a 2-run homer and a wild pitch that scored a runner from third.
Given the circumstance, Carpenter did a decent job. But now the Phils are in a very, very bad spot. They need pitching help and they need it now. It is unknown right now how serious Moyer's injury may be, but the fact that it is his elbow does not bode well.
The need for pitching help was magnified in the 5th inning by another very bad outing from reliever, Danys Baez. Without recording an out, Baez walked two batters and then gave up a 3-run homer to dig a deeper hole for his team. Many people, including manager Charlie Manuel, have defended Baez throughout the year. But there is just no excuse anymore; he is clearly not the pitcher he once was and shows no signs of improving. By the way, Ruben Amaro Jr. signed this dud to a 2-year contract. Ugh.
As for the offense, it was non-existent again. Shane Victorino hit a double for the lone RBI of the game. Jayson Werth and Placido Polanco had 2 hits each, but that was basically all that happened that was positive. The Phillies did have runners on first and third with one out on the 3rd inning, thanks to great base running from Wilson Valdez. But Jimmy Rollins blew it and hit into a double play. When the guy that makes your team "go" is now making them "stop," things are very bad.
Before tonight's game, Rollins expressed his displeasure with the recent media coverage of the Phillies to Todd Zolecki of the Zo Zone. He said, "It's not over. You can write it like it's over. But the guys with the bats and the balls they control what the pen says." Really? Well then Jimmy, show us a different result and we will show you some more positive media coverage.
Because right now, this team looks like a sunken ship. I would not even mind the losses so much if the Phils acted like they were putting up a fight.
Instead, they look like zombies out there; the spark is gone. It is like watching the colorful fall leaves turn brown, wither and die. It is a slow, painful and depressing process. Watching the life being slowly sucked out of this once great team is about as much fun as a root canal.
The Phillies still have time, but as each day passes and they fall further behind in the standings, the less likely it becomes that they will snap out of this funk before it is too late. In short, the Phillies may wind up skipping right past Fall and move straight into Winter.
Carpenter photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Halladay Gets Beat Up By The Cubs
After tonight's horrifying loss to the Cubs, what I would like to know is, who kidnapped Roy Halladay and replaced him with an imposter? After six innings, this Halladay imposter had given up 6 runs, 5 of them earned. Who IS this guy? Will Ruben Amaro Jr. pay the ransom to get the real Halladay back? He wouldn't pay to keep Cliff Lee, so I am not holding my breath. ;o)
Ok, back to reality… In one of Halladay's worst outings as a Phillie, one thing did not change: he still did not get any run support from his offense. To make matters worse, the Phillies fielders did not bail him out in big situations either. In the 2nd inning, after already allowing 3 runs, Ryan Howard missed a foul ball pop-up from Derrek Lee that would have ended the inning.
Then, with 2 strikes on Lee and runners at first and third, Carlos Ruiz had a brain cramp. He decided to throw to second as Starlin Castro tried to steal and Ruiz botched the throw. Tyler Colvin scored easily from 3rd. Ruiz was given an error and Lee struck out on the next pitch. So that was one more unnecessary run handed over to the Cubs.
Things got monumentally worse in the 7th inning when the Phillies bullpen was called upon. JC Romero gave up 2 singles without recording an out and was pulled. The rookie David Herndon took over and the Cubs absolutely destroyed him. Herndon allowed 3 hits and a walk; by the end of the inning, 5 more runs had score. Two of those were charged to Romero and the other three to Herndon.
The score was 11-3 going into the 8th inning and basically, this game was over. Howard, Greg Dobbs and Ben Francisco all hit solo homers later, making the score 11-6, but that was the end of the scoring. The Phillies have not been hitting, now they are not pitching and even the fielding has been sloppy. In short, they are now worse than the Cubs. And that is very, very bad news.
This is just not the same Phillies team that fans have been used to seeing. They are not doing the little things right, as well as some big things, and they seem to have lost their Mojo. Maybe the Mojo was kidnapped along with Halladay?
Even more disturbing, Howard hit home runs in 3 out of 4 games of this Cubs series and the Phillies lost all three of those games. When even the Howard magic is not lighting a spark under this team, the Phillies are in big trouble.
The team travels to St. Louis next for a 4-game series with the Cardinals. It is just a guess, but I am willing to bet that facing Albert Pujols is not going to help the Phillies find their Mojo any faster. Game time tomorrow is 7:05pm.
Why ESPN Broadcasts Are So Entertaining:
In the first inning alone, ESPN viewers were treated to these gems:
- Joe Morgan says that Placido Polanco "runs well from the right side." As opposed to?? He only hits from the right side.
- As Carlos Ruiz ran to catch a pop fly in foul ground, Jon Miller called him "Soto," as in, Cubs catcher, Geovany Soto.
- While Roy Halladay was pitching, Milled said, "There's an inside pitch to Halladay." Wow. The man is really talented if he can pitch to himself.
And then in the 5th inning, another classic from Morgan: "If he had gotten the ball there (1st base) quicker, he'd have gotten him out faster." It is official: Joe Morgan is a GENIUS.
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Don't Mess With Texas; Cliff Lee Will Be There
Phillies fan everywhere can breathe a huge sigh of relief as it was announced today that Cliff Lee has been traded to the Texas Rangers. The relief comes for many reasons. #1 – He did not go the Mets or anywhere in the Phillies division. #2 – He did not land with their World Series rivals, the Yankees. #3 – He is in the American League. Whoo Hoo!
Why so excited? Because Lee was LOVED in Philly and losing him this off-season in a very bad trade stung enough. To have seen him go to a local or rival team would have been rubbing salt in the wound. Of course, Philly would have loved to have him back, but did anyone really think that was going to happen? Not likely. To acquire Lee again would have meant Ruben Amaro Jr. would be admitting he made a mistake trading him in the first place. Plus, the Phillies farm system has very little left to offer in any trade.
Here are the gritty details of the trade: The Mariners get first baseman Justin Smoak and minor leaguers Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Matt Lawson. The Rangers get Lee plus reliever Mark Lowe. They will call up Chris Davis to play first since Smoak was moved.
Best of luck to Cliff Lee in Texas (unless he is playing the Phils, of course)! He will always hold a special place in the hearts of all Phillies fans.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
No Offense For The Phillies…Again
As more players continue to drop like flies, manager Charlie Manuel was also forced to miss today's game against the Pirates due to a suspension. On Thursday night, Manuel bill-butted the umpire with the brim of his hat as he argued a call. Manuel has been ejected 3 times in just over a week, obviously frustrated with how this season is going. This suspension was just one more blow to this already limping Phillies team.
The Phillies went down against the Pirates today with their anemic offense again giving no run support to the pitcher. The final score was 2-3 and the Phils had only 8 hits. Wilson Valdez hit a solo homer and the 2nd run was unearned due to a Pirates throwing error. Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez both went hitless.
Ibanez has had one hit in his last 8 games and 34 at-bats. The Phillies need to put Ben Francisco in left and be done with it already. Ibanez has not contributed in any significant way in a long time. In fact, in the month of June, Ibanez had 5 hits…total. That is the entire month. Francisco had 11 hits in 37 at-bats compared to 5 hits in 96 at-bats for Ibanez. This is a NO brainer.
So another good pitching performance was wasted by the Phils offense. Cole Hamels allowed 3 runs in 7 innings and deserved a win. Instead, he gets another loss and to a last-place team no less. But sadly, that was not the only drama tonight.
Just when you thought, after having 7 players on the DL and Chase Utley going in for surgery today, things could not get worse…they did. Back-up catcher Brian Schneider got hit in the hand with a pitch and has a hyper-extended left thumb and had to leave the game. No word yet on how serious it is, but if he goes on the DL too, the Phillies will be left with a 3rd string catcher and have to call up a 4th from the minors. My head hurts.
And by the way, Utley's recovery time has been changed from the original 6 weeks reported to 8 weeks. By tomorrow, who knows? They may go with 3 months. But realistically, this kind of surgery can have widely varying recovery times based on the extent of the damage and how the surgery went.
As for Placido Polanco, he has 3-4 weeks before he can return due to bone chips in his elbow. And catcher Carlos Ruiz was examined in Pittsburgh today and the tests for his concussion apparently did not go well. That means he may be out even longer than 15 days. The Phils may as well open their own ER at this rate.
Will GM Ruben Amaro Jr. find a quality infielder to help out? This will be interesting. We already know Amaro screwed up when he traded Cliff Lee and probably every team in the league wants to get Lee now. I have heard many fans say they think we can get him back to Philly. Stop right there. Here is the one reason that will never happen: to bring Lee back would mean Amaro would be admitting he made a mistake by trading him in the first place.
Some men admit when they are wrong, like umpire Jim Joyce admitted he blew the call that cost Armando Galaraga a perfect game. And when Andy Pettitte admitted he did steroids and was obviously ashamed. But Amaro? It will never happen. Put it out of your minds and move on.
And now the infield is a bigger concern than the pitching. The Phillies will have at least a month without their 2 All-Star infielders and then an additional month without Utley. They need help and Amaro has to go make something happen. Right now, I really don't want his job.
Player photos and photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Utley To Have Surgery Today
The aching cries of Phillies fans everywhere were heard in a collective scream today of "Nooooooo!!!!" as the news broke about Chase Utley. While this is not a huge shock after the injury to his thumb earlier this week, the news still hurts.
Utley will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb today. The Phillies first said it was a sprain but after visits to 3 different doctors, it is a tear that needs to be fixed.
The recovery time is said to be about 6 weeks, which sounds like a very conservative estimate to me. But Utley has healed quickly in the past after other procedures, like his hip surgery, and everyone knows he will dedicate himself fully to getting well as soon as humanly possible. Whatever happens, the Phillies are now without their number one player until at least mid-August.
I am going to sit in a corner for a while and cry, maybe eat some Ben & Jerry's and then watch the movie Titanic for the 50th time or so. But after that, we should all pick ourselves up, dust off and start preparing for a very interesting season. Ruben Amaro Jr. is going to need to get help…fast. This will be the true test of Amaro's ability to manage a team. We are all waiting to see what he does.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*


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Petroleum Conservation Research Association
As a part of the Government's response to the oil crisis of early seventies. the
Petroleum Conservation Research Assoclaflon (PCRA) was set up in 1976 to undertake studies
for identifying the potential and to make recommendations for achieving conservation of
petroleum products in various sectors of the economy. The PCRA was also entrusted with the
task of sponsoring R&D activities for the development of fuel-efficient
equipment/devices and running a multimedia campaign for creating mass awareness for the
conservation of petroleum products. The Oil Markefing Companies have also been making
efforts to promote oil conservation to give a greater thrust to oil conservation efforts
and provide support and effectiveness of the PCRA etc. A Conservation Cell was established
In the Ministry in July, 1989.
The major activities of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association
(PCRA) are the creation of mass awareness on the need for the conservation of petroleum
products. promotion of measures to@,curb wasteful practices and improve the oil use
efficiency of equipment, devices and vehicles, and research and development for improving
oil use efficiency in various other end uses. As a result of the efforts made by and
through the PCRA an estimated saving of about Rs. 570 crores was achieved during 1995-96
as against Rs.491 crores during 1994-95.


text:
Rita and JC are back and give you their opinion on Matt Smith's final turn as the Doctor – the Time of the Doctor. Also, the dynamic duo discuss Peter Capaldi, Moffat's future and who was Tasha Lem.
They also review Disney's Frozen, give you their picks for the best sci-fi/fantasy show of 2013 (not named Doctor Who) and the best Horror show of 2013 and solved the great Indiana Jones Blu-Ray mystery.
A can't miss episode of Transmissions From Atlantis!
Lineup and more after the jump!


text:
LOTRO is celebrating fashion and the absolutely fabulous cosmetic system their game gives us with a week dedicated to fashion! There are events in-game allowing you to strut your character's stuff.
I haven't seen mention of the Fashion Maven or screenshot contest like they did last year but I will update if this changes!
Update 3/12/13: We have a fashion contest listed.
Screenshot Contest
This contest is open until Monday March 18th allowing you to submit screenshots for prizes of 500 Turbine Points. Each user can enter a single one of the four categories twice. The categories are:
- Most Fashionable Kinship: Dress for success as a group and send in your kinship photos! The winner of this category will be known as "Kinship Fashion Photographer 2013" on the LOTRO Forums.
- Fashion In Motion: Entries in this category should be taken while on horseback! Color coordinate with your horse and ride through Middle-earth in style! The winner of this category will receive the title of, "Galloping Beauty 2013" (female) or "Dashing Stallion 2013" (male) on the LOTRO Forums.
- Professionally Minded: Look your best while you're on the job! This category is for the many beautiful outfits that are themed to either your class or your crafting profession. The winner of this category will receive the title of "Professionally Dressed 2013" on the LOTRO Forums.
- Formal Extravagance: Not every ensemble needs to be created with armor. This category is for those luxurious clothing combinations that are more suited for a party under the light of the moon. The winner of this category will receive the title "Extravagant in Starlight 2013" on the LOTRO Forums.
But you could also win if your entry is selected in one of the two community award categories. Any screenshot submitted is automatically entered in these two categories. They are:
- Fashionista's Choice: This category will be voted on by members of our Fashion Blogging community Starry of Starry Mantle and Hymne of Cosmetic LOTRO will form our panel of fashionistas! The winner of this category will receive the title "Fashionista's Choice 2013" on the LOTRO Forums.
- Fan Favorite: After the Turbine Community Team collects all screenshots, we'll whittle down the pack to the best of the best. At that time, we'll create a forum poll and let you, the community, choose your favorite! The winner of this category will receive the title "Fashion Fan Favorite 2013" on the LOTRO Forums.
For more details and instructions on how to enter, visit the LOTRO site for this contest!
In-Game Events
Turbine hasn't posted an official listing of the fashion week events they are supporting but I have combed through the player events forums to try to find them for you and list them by server. If I missed yours, please let me know (with a link if possible).
Update 3/12/13: Here is a link to Turbine's listing of events
Special Cosmicon Fashion show
When: March 11th, 1pm /servertime
Where: Vault in Celondim
Host: Radspakr
Arkenstone Fashion Contest
When: March 16th, 5pm /servertime
Where: Stage outside the Prancing Pony, Bree
Host: Light in the Darkness
The LOTRO Reporter Fashion Show
When: March 17th, 2pm /servertime
Where: ?
Host: LOTRO Reporter
Dentelles et Chiffon
When: March 14, 9pm
Host: LOTRO.fr
Second Gladden Shire Riddle Race
When: March 16th, 10am /servertime
Where: Big statue in the middle of Michel Delving, the Shire
Host: Gammidge
The Drunkin Ragers's Scavenger Hunt
When: March 16th, 11am, 2pm & 5pm /servertime
Where: ?
Host: Drunkin Ragers
Superb Steed Soiree
When: March 16th, 6pm /servertime
Where: Racetrack, the Shire (between Michel Delving and the Homesteads)
Host: Children of Arda
Hobbits and Tiaras: Mr. and Miss Shire 2013
When: March 16, 9pm /servertime
Where: Methel-stage, the Shire
Host: Watchers of Elendil
The Society of Shadows Annual Fashion Contest and Swapmeet
When: March 15th, 9pm /servertime
Where: 2 Waterbank Road, Eryn Vrithon, Fathalorn homesteads, Ered Luin, Eriador
Host: The Society of Shadows
Bywater Steeplechase – Horse Race & Fashion Contest
When: March 16th at 8pm /servertime
Where: Methel-stage, the Shire
Host: Windy Acres Horse Racing
Durin's Folk Triple Threat Fashion Event
When: March 16th, 2pm /servertime
Where: Thorin's Ale Hall (Festival Arena)
Host: Durin's Folk and Khuzd Belkul
Vanyar Fashion Run
When: March 17, 1pm /servertime (6pm MET)
Where: Prancing Pony, Bree
Host: Die Ritter des Lembas & Lotropolitan
A Race Through Middle-earth
When: March 15, 8pm /servertime
Where: ?
Host: ?
Fashion Bond Between Horse And Rider
When: March 16th, 3pm /servertime
Where: Stage outside Prancing Pony, Bree
Host: Fellowship Of The Rings Begins
A Heroic Story of Fashionable Proportions
When: March 17th, 3pm /servertime
Where: Stage outside Prancing Pony, Bree
Host: Aiding The Return Of The King


text:
"The Avengers" have conquered America -- for one weekend, at least.
If you've paid any attention to the box office over the past few years, you've heard the constant drumbeat that the international box office has been increasingly driving Hollywood's bottom line.
Pure products of Hollywood, "The Hunger Games" and "John Carter" were conceived, designed, stretched and pre-tested with one purpose: to lighten billfolds while satisfying mass appetites.
iReporters and film critic Grae Drake share their reviews of the blockbuster hit film, "The Hunger Games."
The appetite for "The Hunger Games" was even more voracious than experts predicted.
The "Games" have officially begun!
The first big awards show of the season has come and gone, but catch the stars on the red carpet.
Despite not appearing at Wednesday's 38th annual People's Choice Awards, Katy Perry was the big winner of the night.
The curtain is falling on the worst year for Hollywood in recent memory.
It's been a busy 24 hours in Awardsland, with the announcement of the New York Film Critics Circle and Gotham Award winners as well as the Spirit Award nominees.
Although it didn't set a franchise record, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1" had one of the best openings in box-office history by debuting to $139.5 million, according to studio estimates.
Harry Potter's final appearance on the big screen gave Time Warner earnings and revenue the lift they needed, prompting the company to raise its outlook for the year.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" features one of the more soul-destroying death orgies in Fantasy-lit history, with a whole cavalcade of Potter supporting players winding up as casualties in the climactic wizard battle.
Time Warner Inc. posted second-quarter earnings Wednesday that rose from a year earlier and beat Wall Street's expectations, as revenue climbed at the fastest pace in almost four years.
It's been more than five months since Indonesians have seen the latest Hollywood flicks on the big screen. But cinema owners say the long wait is now over, with monster hit "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" releasing on Friday.
Cast members of the final "Harry Potter" movie talk about the end of the series and take your iReport questions.
The Harry Potter star expects to spend a year in the U.K., then return to Brown University
When Larry King asked Daniel Radcliffe about filming his last scene as the title character in the "Harry Potter" movies, the actor described it as "very emotional. ... I kind of wept like a child on that last day."
Larry King speaks about the future of Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe. King says a wedding maybe in his future.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" broke a domestic box office record for a midnight opening Thursday, hauling in $43.5 million, Warner Bros. Pictures said Friday.
If you're bleary-eyed and yawning after a late-night screening of "Harry Potter's" final movie installment, the lasting impressions of "Deathly Hallows Part II" are no doubt the only things keeping you awake today.
The handsome villain says having kids is still "decades away"
It's an event more than a decade in the making -- after years growing alongside "The Boy Who Lived," Harry Potter fans worldwide will clamber into theaters at midnight Thursday to behold the final battle between their hero and the Dark Lord Voldemort.
PEOPLE's movie critic weighs in on the highly anticipated summer movie
The cast of "Harry Potter" reflect on the end of an era as they attend the London premiere of the series' final film.
More than a decade of Harry Potter devotion reaches its climax for fans on Thursday with the premiere in London of the eighth and final movie in the record-breaking series.
Watch the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, streaming live from London.
Whiskey was the Harry Potter star's drink of choice - but now he's dry
Harry Potter's final literary chapter may have come to an end, but millions of fans can now continue following the boy wizard's adventures online with the launch Thursday of an interactive e-book series.
J.K. Rowling reveals the "Pottermore" website, designed to bring new and interactive material to "Harry Potter" fans.
Plus: Ashton Kutcher, Jason Bateman and others will hand out awards at Sunday's show
Inception and Black Swan are also up for big awards at the June 5 ceremony
The gang is back for one last encore in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Time Warner Inc. posted fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday that beat Wall Street expectations, aided by a recovering TV advertising market.
Angelina Jolie tells how being on "Larry King Live" helped her land the lead role in "Changeling."
Excited fans line up to celebrate before the midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One."
Fans of Harry Potter have a lot to talk about this morning.
In a surprisingly close race, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1" held on to its box-office crown Friday by grossing $20.8 million, according to early estimates. That's a 66 percent drop from the fantasy film's opening last Friday, which was inflated due to an enormous turnout at Thursday midnight screenings.
The Harry Potter actor says "it sounds crazy," but it was strange kissing his childhood friend
All grown up, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson give their best performances yet
For those of you too busy downloading the entire Beatles catalogue to check out entertainment news, the second-to-last "Harry Potter" movie debuts Friday.
Daniel Radcliffe and the cast of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows' hit the red carpet for the premiere on Monday.
Can't wait until Friday to check out the latest installment of the "Harry Potter" film series? Well, if you have any knowledge of torrent sites at all, you should be able to view the first 36 minutes today, as a goodly chunk of the film has leaked online.
The two stars are British and pale-skinned, but is there really a rivalry?
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and more are expected at Thursday's big event
The Brown University sophomore is enjoying the simple life of anonymity and carbs at college
Time Warner Inc. reported earnings that topped Wall Street's expectations Wednesday and raised its outlook for 2010, thanks in part to a boost in advertising revenue.
"I had no idea. I felt sick, very emotional," says Harry Potter's Hermione
Daniel Radcliffe wears a lacy undergarment in a new clip for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Microsoft has just announced the 17 games that will be available on launch day with Kinect for Xbox 360, the tech giant's highly anticipated controller-free gaming system.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the fall. We've got pumpkins, colorful leaves, Halloween, and whatnot. But the hands-down best thing about fall is that this is the season when the "good" movies come out.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint put emotions - and their movie series - behind them
Only at San Diego Comic-Con, the annual gathering of self-proclaimed fanboys and fangirls, can an early screening of a movie feel like a rock concert, and then literally become one.
Fans flock to the 2010 kick off of Comic-Con.
The movie's star has an ulterior motive - and it involves Harry Potter
Daniel Radcliffe's love interest, who's reportedly engaged to Twilight's Jamie Campbell Bower, picks her favorite franchise
The film's cast gathered for an emotional - and secret-spilling! - meal
"I feel like someone is dying," Emma Watson says of her last few weeks with Daniel Radcliffe
Love casts its spell over young actors Jamie Campbell Bower and Bonnie Wright
Look out Rhode Island, the Harry Potter star has worked her magic to get into Brown
The Harry Potter star actually thought, "Am I going to die?"
Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, suffered a mild case and is well enough to attend Tuesday's premiere, his rep says
The seventh and concluding film in the series will open July 15, 2011
A 25-year-old stuntman reportedly "couldn't feel anything from the waist down" after falling during an aerial sequence
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the sixth installment in the blockbuster film franchise about boy wizard Harry, is moving from its planned Nov. 21 release to July 17, 2009
The fairy tale collection – due out just before Christmas – will raise money for charity
The last installment of J.K. Rowling's hit series will be developed into not one, but two feature films
With Harry Potter's adventures having come to their breathless end, J.K. Rowling is wasting no time when it comes to what's next.
During a New York City reading with delighted fans, the author explains that Dumbledore is gay
Are your kids' toys safe?
Barnes & Noble, the world's largest book retailing chain, posted a higher quarterly profit Thursday, helped by higher sales driven by record demand for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final book in the popular series.
The last installment of the Harry Potter series sold a record-breaking 11.5 million copies in the U.S. in the first 10 days on sale, the book's publisher Scholastic announced Thursday.
Wait for Harry Potter is over
Even though Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold an incredible 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on the American market - its author, J.K. Rowling, says reaching the finish line was bittersweet.
It was a night of broken curfews and late bedtimes as fans around the globe lined up to buy the final installment in the Harry Potter series at 12:01 a.m.
It's all out war.
'Deathly Hallows' reviewed
Kids read less despite 'Potter'
The final book in the Harry Potter series sold an estimated 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours of sale, setting a new record for the book industry, according to U.S. publisher Scholastic.
Millions of readers are still making their way through the latest Harry Potter, but book sellers are already happy with the outcome.
No book has ever seen this much fever-pitch anticipation and excitement around the world.
As millions of fans await Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the final news of their hero's fate - to be revealed once and for all 12:01 a.m. Saturday - J.K. Rowling sounds almost relieved that it is sealed.
Pages of what appear to be the The Deathly Hallows are turning up online, but the publisher won't confirm if they're real
Who's behind Potter-gate?
Muggles, rejoice. As hard copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leaked out to fans, The New York Times has published the first review of the most eagerly anticipated book of the year.
As the clock keeps ticking toward the magic hour when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released - 12:01 a.m. this coming Saturday - fans eager to find out whether their hero lives or dies are under attack by an invasion of spoilers.
J.K. Rowling says she broke down in tears as she finished writing the final chapters of the seventh and last Harry Potter novel.
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