Andra� Crouch, 'Father Of Modern Gospel,' Dies

Andra Crouch performs in 1986. The legendary gospel singer died on Thursday. He was 72. David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images

Andra Crouch performs in 1986. The legendary gospel singer died on Thursday. He was 72.

David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images

Legendary gospel singer, composer and producer Andra Crouch died Thursday at the age of 72, his publicists announced Thursday night. He had been hospitalized in the Los Angeles area since Jan. 3 following a heart attack.

The seven-time Grammy winner was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998. His songs were recorded by Elvis Presley and Paul Simon, he collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Elton John, Quincy Jones and Diana Ross, and he was a backup singer on several Michael Jackson songs.

Some of Crouch's most beloved songs were "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" and "Soon and Very Soon," which was sung at a memorial following Jackson's death, reports KPCC.

He played at the White House, at the Grand Ole Opry, and at some of Billy Graham's enormous rallies, NPR's Frannie Kelley reports.

He also received an Academy Award nomination for his composition work on The Color Purple, and led the choir on Madonna's "Like a Prayer," The Associated Press notes.

Kelley reports that Crouch got his start in music at his father's small church, which was opened in a garage in the San Fernando Valley in 1951. His father needed a piano player for the church, prayed on it, and three weeks later Crouch was working the keys.

In a 2011 interview with NPR's Michel Martin, he talked about the power of great gospel songs to transcend the divide between religious and secular music.

"I think that some people still think that the formula other than gospel still is not strong enough to get that crossover appeal to people enough that they would play it all the time or nonchurch people would accept it, but I disagree. I think that if something's really good and it touches that part of their heart that has been untouched, or maybe it has been touched but they never wanted to admit it, I think that when they get back to that, I think that we are still in a place that people enjoy it the way it's supposed to be enjoyed.

"And I think that when we like songs in gospel and it hits that part of the soul or the mind that brings back familiarity to the person or to the listeners, I think we zero in on something that will always be needed."

Source: http://www.npr.org/2015/01/08/375979276/andrae-crouch-father-of-modern-gospel-dies

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Who is Maddie Ziegler? Everything you need to know about star of Sia's ...

VIEW GALLERY

Earlier this week Sia sparked controversy when she released a video for track Elastic Heart, which featured Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf and 12-year-old Maggie Ziegler.

In the video the actor and 12-year-old, who are both wearing n**e dirt-smeared leotards, wrestle each other, and it quickly faced a lot of angry criticism with people describing it as disturbing and "unacceptable".

One upset fan said the video "Smacks of child molestation #pervert #unacceptable #childabuse...Explain please!"

Maddie Ziegler in 2012

And: "Sia's 'Elastic Heart' video is disgusting."

Sia later wrote on her website: All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could pay these two warring Sia states.

I apologise to those who feel triggered by Elastic Heart, my intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody.

But who is Maddie Ziegler and how did she come to be a part of the singers latest video?

Maddie is a professional dancer, model and actress who is best know for reality series Dance Moms, which follows the early careers of children in show business, as well as the role their mums play.

Sia - Elastic Heart feat. Shia LaBeouf & Maddie Ziegler

She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and started dancing at the young age of two and currently attends the Abby Lee Dance Company and is homeschooled after leaving Sloan Elementary School.

Maddie, who has got over 500,000 Twitter followers is trained in tap, jazz, ballet and aerial dance.

Shes also appeared in other music videos, including another one of Sias music videos for Chandelier, which won the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

She's modelled for a host of fashion brands, including Sally Miller and Glitzy Girl and has appeared on the cover of Kode magazine.

Last October she released a fashion line with her sister The Maddie & Mackenzie Collection.

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/who-maddie-ziegler-everything-you-4947828

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Local American Idol hopeful gets golden ticket to Hollywood

SAN DIEGO One of San Diegos very own got the golden ticket to Hollywood at the American Idol auditions in Nashville.

Loren Lott, 22, has been singing since she was sitting in a car seat, according to her grandma, and has always loved Whitney Houston.

The San Diegan recently graduated with a degree in mass media arts with a concentration in radio/television. In the midst of her last semester, she wrapped up a tour with actress Robin Givens.

When the opportunity arose to audition for American Idol in Nashville, Lott said she went in with no expectations.

All I did was pray that Gods will would be done, Lott said.

When she gets to Hollywood, Lott said shes looking forward to performing in front of tough judges who know what exactly they want.

At the end of the day, Lott said singing is her gift to those willing to listen.

I want to make people feel this way. I want to inspire peopleI want to touch people, she said.

Source: http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/01/09/local-american-idol-hopeful-gets-golden-ticket-to-hollywood/

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'American Idol' full episodes are online for first time -- exclusive

Foxs American Idol is embracing the digital age.

For the first time in the shows history, full episodes of the hit singing competition will be available online the day after theyair. The shows distribution shiftbegins today, with Wednesday nights 14th seasonpremiere now available.

Idol episodes will beonAmericanidol.com, FOX Now, and Hulu Plus services, along with VOD providers like DirecTV, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable. Previously, only American Idol clips were available online the next day.

Idol, which airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. this season,had its 14th returnlastnightwithreturning judges Jennifer Lopez,Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr., alongwithhost Ryan Seacrest. One talentchange this roundis that mentor (and longtime Idol judge)Randy Jackson has beenreplaced by Big Machine label president Scott Borchetta.

The premiere was an hour rather than the usual two part of Foxs plan to slim down the shows running time this year. By making episodes available online, the network further hopes to give fans more ways to catch up on the show. Next week, expect Idol veteranAdamLambertto join the proceedings when the talent search shifts to New York City.

Source: http://insidetv.ew.com/2015/01/08/american-idol-online/

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Brainstorm Stem-Cell Therapy Continues to Show Treatment Effect in ALS Patients

By: Adam Feuerstein | 01/05/15 - 10:52 AM EST

Stocks in this article: BCLINEW YORK( TheStreet) -- An experimental stem-cell therapy developed by Brainstorm Therapeutics (BCLI) continues to demonstrate early but encouraging activity in patients withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the degenerative and fatal nerve disease which has stymied drug developers for years. Brainstorm sharesare down over 20% to about $6 Monday but that's more of an expected, sell-on-the-news reactionthan a negative referendum on the updated, final results from the NurOwn phase IIa study. Brainstorm's stock price more than doubled in the previous eight trading days, so profit taking on today's data announcement isn't surprising at all. Must Read: Jim Cramers Five Best Stock Picks for the Biotech Sector I last wrote about Brainstorm in October.The company's experimental NurOwn stem-cell therapy starts with the harvesting of bone marrow from each ALS patient. Mesenchymal stem cells are isolated from the bone marrow sample and sent to a lab, where a proprietary Brainstorm process first expands their numbers and then transforms them into specialized cells secreting nerve growth factors. After the function and potency of the NurOwn cells are confirmed, the "drug" is delivered back into the ALS patient via injections into muscle and the spine.

Once injected, the NurOwn stem cells bathe the damaged neurons of ALS patients with secretions of nerve growth factors. Brainstorm has a home run on its hands if NurOwn can be shown to slow or halt the progressive destruction of neurons, and if that disease-modifying effect translates into improved muscle function for ALS patients.

Monday's update comes from a Phase IIa trial in which 14 ALS patientswere followed for the three months without treatment. At month four, each patient wastransplanted with their own personalized NurOwn therapy and then assessed every month for six months. Brainstorm evaluated NurOwn's impact on ALS disease progression using the ALSFRS score, a commonly used assessment of treatment response and muscle function in ALS patients. Lung function, another commonly used measure of efficacy in ALS clinical trials, was also measured.

Twelve ALS patients were evaluable for response. Of these, 11 patientsshowed aslowing of ALS disease progression at six months compared to baseline, measured either by improved ALSFRS or lung function scores, Brainstorm said. Two other patients enrolled in the study died. Administration of the NurOwn therapy was well tolerated by patients, the company said.

The final Phase IIa data announced Monday were a small improvement over interim results from the same study presented last June. Further, detailed data from the study will be presented at a medical meeting later this year. For perspective purposes, it's important to note that this phase IIa study enrolled a relatively small number of ALS patients and was conducted at a single hospital in Israel. This doesn't necessarily discredit the positive results, but conclusions about NurOwn's ultimate benefit as an ALS therapy can't be drawnuntil data from larger studies are gathered.

Brainstorm is conducting another, larger Phase II study in the U.S., enrolling 48 ALS patients who will be randomized 3:1 to receive a single NurOwn treatment in the muscle and spine, or a placebo treatment. The study is being conducted at two hospitals in Massachusetts, UMass Medical Center and Massachusetts General, and the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic. The study's primary endpoint is the safety and tolerability of NurOwn, but investigators will also assess ALS patients for efficacy using measures of ALS disease activity and muscle function. The first patient was enrolled into the Phase II study last June and Brainstorm expects results to be ready in the first half of 2016.

The company is also in the planning stages for another Phase II study in which ALS patients will be treated with multiple doses of NurOwn.

Must Read: 11 Best Small-Cap Technology Stocks That Could Hit It Big in 2015

Source: http://www.thestreet.com/story/12999535/1/brainstorm-stem-cell-therapy-continues-to-show-treatment-effect-in-als-patients.html

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Why isn't the NAACP bombing being covered?

BARBER SHOP EXPLOSION

Colorado Springs police officers investigate the scene of an explosion Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, at a building in Colorado Springs, Colo. Authorities are investigating whether a homemade explosive set off outside the building that houses a barber shop and the Colorado Springs chapter of the NAACP was aimed at the nations oldest civil rights organization. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Christian Murdock ) MAGS OUT

On Tuesday morning, an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated next to the local offices of the Colorado Springs, Colorado, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) headquarters. While no one was harmed and the damage was minimal, the FBI found a gasoline can next to the bomb that failed to ignite and cause more damage.

The attack was disturbing to say the least, but what is more profound is the general lack of coverage it has received by major media outlets. It took CNN half a day to report on the bombing and nightly news networks gave little to no mention of story that night.

Many people were alerted to the bombing only after it became trending on social media platforms Twitter and Facebook, with many questioning why the story wasnt making headlines.

The day before the attack, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund publicly announced it was asking Missouri Circuit Court Judge Maura McShane to appoint a special prosecutor in the case against former Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson.

There are still plenty of questions surrounding the bombing.Was there a bias in coverage? What was the motive? Does the attempted bombing of an NAACP office building not fall under the umbrella of domestic terrorism?

For all intents and purposes, a suspected domestic terrorist on the loose in Colorado should have made some waves, even if thankfully, there were no casualties to speak of.

There was plenty of news coverage in 2001 of the shoe bomber who tried to detonate explosives on the American Airlines flight from Paris, France, to Miami, Florida. There was plenty of coverage on the man who tried to detonate a car bomb by Times Square in 2010.

So why should we ignore this most recent failed attempt of terrorism on our doorsteps?

Source: http://blog.sfgate.com/opinionshop/2015/01/07/why-isnt-the-naacp-bombing-being-covered/