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Monday, May 18, 2015

How John Legend, Chrissy Teigen and more partied in Las Vegas

With Rock in Rio wrapping up on Saturday night and the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday night, Las Vegas was all about musicians over the weekend.

For singerJohn Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen, that meant hosting a pre-Billboard Music Awards celebration at1 OAK Nightclub at theMirage on Saturday night. Earlier, Legend performed at Rock in Rio, taking over for singer Sam Smith, who bowed out with a vocal cord hemorrhage that required surgery.

No singing for Legend at 1 OAK though. The night was all about friends and champagne.

Singer and songwriter Rico Love, who has produced hit records for Beyonce, Usher and Nelly, also partied at 1 OAK.

On Friday, Legend and Teigen dined atHakkasan at the MGM Grand. Also spotted at the modern Cantonese restaurant British singerRita Ora with a few friends.

At Tao Nightclub, rapperWiz Khalifa hosted the official Billboard Music Awards pre-party atVenetian club on Saturday night.He put together a 15-minute set that kicked off with his 2014 hit Me and You Friends, followed by Young, Wild & Free, which had the crowd singing along to the chorus. He continued to entertain with his hits, telling the crowd, The party dont stop when I get on stage.

Scott Hoying and Mitch Grassi from the bandPentatonix and the YouTube sensations also known asSuperfruit were spotted dining at Tao Asian Bistro as well.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/travel/lasvegas/lasvegasnow/la-tr-lvn-las-vegas-nightlife-john-legend-20150517-story.html

Ed Sheeran Plays His Heart Out At The 2015 Billboard Music Awards

by Renaud Jean-Baptiste Jr. 12h ago

Ed Sheeran equipped with his trusty guitar, gave an energizing performance of his track Bloodstream. Backed by a visually stimulating backdrop, the VH1 You Outta Know alum owned his Billboard performance, and ultimately the Vegas audience.

The usually mild-mannered Brit, unexpectedly rocked out on stage by his d**n self, shredding his acoustic guitar as if he caught the heavy metal ghost. Didnt catch the performance? Check out Ed Sheerans performance of Photograph live from VH1 Storytellers .

Source: http://www.vh1.com/news/18176/ed-sheeran-plays-his-heart-out-at-the-2015-billboard-music-awards/

Shocker! August Alsina Tells Fans He's Dealing with Blindness

Dang, this certainly qualifies as bummer news.

Weve learned that August Alsina is dealing with potential blindness.

On Friday the popular R&B/hip hop singer made a surprising confession to his fans.

Via Instagram Alsina spoke about his eye disease, which has caused him partial blindness.

So I have this eye disease.. Blind in my left, and losing vision in my right, he captioned a photo posted of him in the middle of an operation.

The New Orleans native adds

In order to prevent my eyesight from deteriorating ihad to do this surgery, he wrote. This s**t is beyond painful & Life be throwin a n***a curve b***s but what Ive gained from it all is priceless.

Alsina, 22, wraps up the message by encouraging his fans to not take life for granted.

A lot of things that are so natural to us in life (like waking up and being able to see) we can take it for granted, he wrote. Thank G*d the OG for allowing me to see.. The good the bad the ugly, Im just glad to see.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEsY3wZXWHu6NEU46FrGy1V9oX-NQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=aZlZVdDWEui68QH2vIDIAQ&url=https://www.eurweb.com/2015/05/shocker-august-alsina-tells-fans-hes-dealing-with-blindness/

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Martin Truex Jr., other heavy-hitters disappointed to miss NASCAR Sprint All ...

Updated MAY 17, 2015 12:14a ET

Concord, N.C.

While 20 drivers were itching to strap in their cars and go to battle for the $1 million winner's purse in Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race, 25 others who showed up at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday failed to make the main event.

At least a few of the names are familiar ones, too.

Among those unable to win the Sprint Fan Vote or earn one of the two transfer spots available through Friday night's Sprint Showdown were second-place points driver Martin Truex Jr., 2014 rookie of the year Kyle Larson, Michael Waltrip Racing newcomer David Ragan and 2013 XFINITY Series champion Austin Dillon.

The biggest surprise of the bunch undoubtedly was Truex, who has recorded 10 top-10 finishes in the season's first 11 races and is unequivocally the most pleasant surprise of 2015.

The Furniture Row Racing driver finished Friday night's second 20-lap Showdown segment in third place -- two spots from where he needed to be to secure a spot in the All-Star event.

While Saturday night wasn't the first time Truex has missed an All-Star Race, it might be his most disappointing absence from the ultra-popular, non-points-paying exhibition that showcases the sport's biggest stars under the lights.

"It's always disappointing, you know -- especially with the season we've had," Truex told FOXSports.com immediately after the Sprint Showdown. "I'll be honest: If we had the All-Star Race anywhere but here, I'd be happy and I'd have been in a lot more of them. I don't know. This place ... it seems like I run good here once out of about every five tries. We've got good cars ... it's just, I don't know. This place has kind of got me messed up a little bit."

Making matters worse, Truex doesn't believe his team gathered much data from the Showdown that will be useful in next weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"You're focused on 20-lap runs," Truex said. "That's all you're doing today. Next week you're going to have to run fuel runs and things are going to be different. I felt pretty good about our car the first run. It was just nearly impossible to pass. The 42 (Kyle Larson) was ahead of me and we were a lot better than he was, and every time I'd run him down, I'd get to him and just lose the car and then lose 10 car lengths and then run right back to him and do the same."

Ragan, meanwhile, failed to transfer into the All-Star Race for the fifth time, but conceded that missing the main event never gets easier.

"No, it doesn't and what makes it harder when you miss is I felt like we had a chance to win (the Showdown) or to make it," Ragan said after starting third but finishing 11th in the Showdown. "It's one thing if you just ran 15th all day and your car was slow and you qualified poor -- you can accept it a little more. But on a night like tonight where we had good speed and we had a good qualifying effort, it's frustrating not to advance. There's some good cars that are not going to be racing tomorrow night, but at the same time we've just got to learn from it and got to do better next week."

So instead of jockeying for $1 million on Saturday night, Ragan watched the race on TV -- a predicament he would have preferred to avoid.

"It's not a good feeling to know that you're not out there having a chance to win," Ragan told FOXSports.com on pit road after the Showdown. "It doesn't matter if it's a heat race, an exhibition race, the Duels in Daytona or all the All-Star Race; you want to be out there running."

Clint Bowyer, who won Friday night's second Showdown segment to advance into the All-Star Race, has likewise missed the All-Star Race before, and thus can empathize with the plights of those who didn't make the cut this time.

"It's not the end of the world," Bowyer said. (But) it's a big deal. It is.There's a lot of people here.Anytime you have exposure time on TV and things like that in this business, you got to be a part of that."

But as Truex, Ragan and others can attest, things don't always work out that way.

Source: http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/sprint-all-star-race-sprint-showdown-charlotte-motor-speedway-martin-truex-jr-david-ragan-051615

Jury Sentences Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev To Death

The jury in the Boston Marathon bombing trial has handed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev the death penalty.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been sentenced to death. He had been found guilty on 30 federal charges, 17 of which carried the possibility of the death penalty. Tsarnaev was held responsible for killing three people and injuring more than 260 others near the race's finish line, with bombs placed there by him and his brother. A police officer was also killed a few days after that 2013 bombing. David Boeri of member station WBUR was in court as a sentence was read this afternoon and joins us now.

And David, explain to us, how did the jury break down the sentence on those 30 counts?

DAVID BOERI, BYLINE: Audie, of 17 that could've meant the death penalty, the jury imposed the death sentence in six of those counts. It's somewhat surprising. It looks rather sophisticated. What it appears that they did is that they took the one killing that was involving the bomb that was placed by Dzhokhar's older brother, Tamerlan, elsewhere on the Boylston Street. They did not impose the death penalty for that. And they have not imposed the death penalty on the crimes involved with the murder of MIT police officer Sean Collier or - following that in a shootout in Watertown. Now, again, they convicted of all 30 counts in the earlier phase but they have not imposed the death penalty regarding those counts I just talked about.

CORNISH: And the defense had hoped they could convince the jury to accept some mitigating factors and not sentence him to death, but, how did they react to this decision?

BOERI: Their verdict slip, Audie, indicates that they - very few of them were persuaded by the defense, the main defense argument that, in fact, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was the mastermind, the leader, that he held sway over his brother and that the younger brother, Dzhokhar, followed him. They also rejected the idea that young Dzhokhar was remorseful, and they also rejected the idea that he might not commit any other crimes once he's in prison.

CORNISH: David, you were in the courtroom. What did you see from survivors, victims' families?

BOERI: It was striking, Audie, that the victims' families were all very subdued. The families and friends were subdued. The whole courtroom was subdued for this reading. It lasted - let me see - 21 minutes. The only emotion that was shown was shown by the jurors. They were very nervous standing while that long read took place. And then after they had imposed the death penalty on those various counts, a number of them broke down. They were crying. Male jurors, female jurors, they were upset. They were looking down. Some of them looked like they were breaking down.

CORNISH: And finally, how did Tsarnaev himself react?

BOERI: The same he's reacted throughout this trial, Audie. It's been a real mystery. He is inscrutable, impassive and seemingly indifferent. And that perception of his indifference clearly hurt him with the jurors.

CORNISH: Finally, the chief federal prosecutor in Boston, Carmen Ortiz, spoke after the sentencing. What did she have to say?

BOERI: She said this was not a religious crime, it was a political crime. And it did not represent Muslim beliefs. And here's more of what she said.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CARMEN ORTIZ: Today is not a day for celebration. It is not a day for political or moral debate. It is a day for reflection and healing.

BOERI: And the U.S. attorney was followed by victims and witnesses of the bombings that day. And Michael Ward, who was a first responder, a firefighter, said of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev he wanted to go to h**l. That's what he wanted, only he's going to get there earlier than what he wanted.

CORNISH: That's WBUR's David Boeri. He was in federal court in Boston today where a jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death.

David, thank you.

BOERI: You're welcome, Audie.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2015/05/15/407071595/jury-sentences-boston-marathon-bomber-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-to-death

Ranking the Golden State Warriors' Biggest Needs in the 2015 NBA Draft

The Golden State Warriors may be in hot pursuit of an NBA championship, but that doesn't mean it's too soon for management tosit down and refine its list of needs heading into Junes draft.

While most lottery-bound teams will likely take the best-player-available approach, the clubs that qualified for the postseason will be looking for the missing piece that can take them a step closer to realizing their championship dreams.

All 30 general managers responsible for constructing competitive rosters have a tremendous amount of pressure on them this time of year. But its Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers who has arguably the most unenviable task of them all: improving a team that just won 67 games during the 2014-15 regular season.

Fortunately, the Warriors dont have many glaring holes in their current roster, and of the ones they do have, all of them can be addressed with the No. 30 overall pick.

Adding a third center or rim protector should be chief among Golden States priorities. Although relatively healthy this year, Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli have missed a combined 148 games between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. Granted, the number is inflated by Ezeli missing the entirety of 2013-14 after undergoing knee surgery.

Still, the Dubs could use a bit more stability at the center position moving forward, especially since the effectiveness of the teams defense relies so heavily on having a massive deterrent in the middle of the lane.

Kentuckys Dakari Johnson (611, 265 lbs) and former Washington center Robert Upshaw (70, 258 lbs) are both solid candidates to take care of this particular need, as each provides the type of rim protection Golden State could be in the market for. Despite Johnsons raw skill set and Upshaws troubled past, the two of them seem to be risks that the Warriors can afford to take.

Myers could also approach this draft with the intention to shore up the teams depth at the power forward position, as both Marreese Speights and David Lee have proven to be shaky replacements for Draymond Green in the past.

ESPN Insider Chad Ford believes LSUs Jarell Martin could be the answer:

The Warriors have an embarrassing wealth of riches right now. Im not sure they need anything. But I like the Martin fit here. Ive always been intrigued by his potential. Hes athletic and versatile. Hes just never found a great fit. But I could see him becoming a weapon off the bench in Golden State behind Draymond Green, once David Lees contract expires in another year. I think theres a lot more to Martins game than what we saw at LSU.

At 69.25 and 239 pounds, Martin is a bit undersized for the power forward position. Theres no denying the ability here, though.

Martin averaged 16.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during his sophomore season at LSUraising his field-goal percentage from 47.9 percent his freshman year to 50.9 percent in the process. He even showed some promise from beyond the arc, where he shot 30.8 percent for his brief college career. A conversion rate such as that one might not scream sharpshooter at scouts, but its definitely workable.

If worst comes to worst, though, the Warriors could abandon their frontcourt needs altogether and target a shooting guard, preferably one who brings a respectable amount of perimeter defense to the table.

Arizonas Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could be that guy for Golden State. Hollis-Jefferson isn't going to light up the scoreboard, but with the amount of firepower the Dubs already have in tow, he won't need to. It's his defensive tools that make him valuable late in Round 1.

"At 6'7" with long arms and lightning-quick feet, Hollis-Jefferson has the tools to lock down ball-handlers, 2-guards and wings," writes Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

His offensive game is something that can always be worked on as he develops at the NBA level. But his defensive instincts are those you simply cannot teach.

Measurables are from the 2015 NBA Draft Combine, courtesy of DraftExpress.com. All stats are from Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Tim MacLean is a FeaturedColumnist for the Golden State Warriors. Follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2465544-ranking-the-golden-state-warriors-biggest-needs-in-the-2015-nba-draft

Denny Hamlin wins NASCAR's All-Star Race

Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing crew celebrate after winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.(Photo: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)

CONCORD, N.C. Keeping track of all the results and action from Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

SEGMENT 5: Denny Hamlin won the 10-lap shootout, leading every lap from the restart after the field made a mandatory pit stop. He won the battle off pit road. As the pole-sitter, he had the first stall. Brad Keselowski, who appeared to come off pit road second, was penalized for speeding and restarted 13th. Hamlin got a very strong restart and Kurt Busch, who started second, wobbled a bit. Kevin Harvick tried to chase Hamlin down, but Hamlin's car in clean air was too fast. It is the first All-Star win for Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing.

"You want to win the Daytona 500, you want to win the Brickyard, you want to win Coca-Cola 600 and you want to be an All-Star," Hamlin said after climbing from his No. 11 Toyota. "Just a big day. It's just an unbelievable experience. ... We just didn't have a car that could run with some of those guys. But that pit crew, man, what can I say, they got this for me, there's no doubt. Hopefully we start to get some speed here down the road."

SEGMENT 4: Though he restarted fifth in the final segment, Kurt Busch quickly got to the front and passed Denny Hamlin (who took two tires) for the lead after three laps. Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick was second, followed by Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.

SEGMENT 3: Jamie McMurray had the pole position for the start of Segment 3 after he took two tires on the pit stop in between segments. But he couldn't get going while Brad Keselowski did and Keselowski led all 25 laps en route to another segment win. Kevin Harvick finished second, followed by Kurt Busch.

SEGMENT 2: Brad Keselowski took two tires on a pit stop after Segment 1, which put him out front for the second segment. Keselowski used clean air to his advantage, leading 24 of the 25 laps (Kurt Busch led the other) to capture Segment 2. Busch finished just behind him in second, followed by Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano and Segment 1 winner Kasey Kahne.

SEGMENT 1: After starting fifth, Kasey Kahne quickly moved up through the field and caught race leader Denny Hamlin. He made the first pass for the lead after 14 laps and finished the segment ahead of Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch.

Denny Hamlin celebrates after winning the pole for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.(Photo: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)

SPECIAL NIGHT FOR 24: Jeff Gordon got a special introduction prior to the race. He was introduced last, then was greeted on stage by former crew chief Ray Evernham. After remarks to the crowd, Gordon was joined by the other 19 All-Stars on stage for a group photograph. Then his family joined him for a picture and a hug.

QUALIFYING: Denny Hamlin won the pole for the race after he performed best in the unusual qualifying session, which requires drivers to come down pit road to make a pit stop in between their laps. Greg Biffle, who qualified for the race via the last-chance Sprint Showdown, started second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne.

ENGINE WOES: Danica Patrick qualified sixth for the All-Star Race after winning Friday night's fan vote, but she had to start 20th due to an engine change prior to the race on Saturday.

BACK ON TRACK: Kyle Busch raced in a NASCAR event for the first time since breaking his right leg and left foot during a Feb. 21 Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Busch qualified 19th out of 20 drivers but posted the fastest time in Friday's practice session. He finished sixth. His wife, Samantha, is scheduled to give birth to the couple's first child on Monday.

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

PHOTOS: Key moments in the 2015 NASCAR season

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RESULTS

1. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 110 laps, 114.2 rating, 0 points, $1,045,009.

2. (20) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 110, 109.1, 0, $249,784.

3. (16) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 110, 129, 0, $149,735.

4. (9) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 110, 93.7, 0, $119,705.

5. (17) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 110, 78.9, 0, $114,705.

6. (19) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 110, 69.9, 0, $108,705.

7. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 110, 105.6, 0, $102,555.

8. (11) Joey Logano, Ford, 110, 80.4, 0, $101,555.

9. (3) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 110, 111, 0, $100,555.

10. (7) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 110, 64.9, 0, $99,555.

11. (13) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 110, 59.5, 0, $98,530.

12. (4) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 110, 61, 0, $97,530.

13. (2) Greg Biffle, Ford, 110, 43.3, 0, $96,530.

14. (8) Aric Almirola, Ford, 110, 31.7, 0, $96,030.

15. (12) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 110, 59.7, 0, $95,430.

16. (14) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 110, 41.9, 0, $95,155.

17. (10) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 110, 45.4, 0, $95,030.

18. (18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 110, 30.8, 0, $94,930.

19. (15) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 110, 34.1, 0, $94,830.

20. (6) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 78, 30, 0, $94,730.

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 106.452 mph.

Time of Race: 1 hour, 33 minutes, 0 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 0.923 seconds.

Caution Flags: 4 for 0 laps.

Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders: D.Hamlin 1-14; K.Kahne 15-25; B.Keselowski 26-32; Ku.Busch 33; B.Keselowski 34-75; D.Hamlin 76-77; Ku.Busch 78-100; D.Hamlin 101-110.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): B.Keselowski, 2 times for 49 laps; D.Hamlin, 3 times for 26 laps; Ku.Busch, 2 times for 24 laps; K.Kahne, 1 time for 11 laps.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2015/05/16/nascar-sprint-all-star-race/27464837/