Carrie Ann Inaba

Carrie Ann Inaba (born January 5, 1968) is an American dancer, choreographer, actress, game show host, and singer.

She started her career as a singer in Japan, but became best known for her dancing, first introducing herself to American audiences as one of the original Fly Girls on the sketch comedy series In Living Color. She has appeared as one of three judges on the ABC television series Dancing with the Stars (DWTS), a show that pairs celebrities with professional dancers as they train and then compete in front of a studio audience.

Inaba, who speaks Japanese, lived in Tokyo from 1986 to 1988 and was a popular singer. She released three singles, "Party Girl" (backed with "China Blue"), "Be Your Girl" (backed with "6½ Capezio"), and "Yume no Senaka" (backed with "Searching") and hosted weekly radio and television series.

After returning to America, Inaba appeared as one of the "Fly Girls", a group of backing dancers on the television series In Living Color from 1990 to 1992. She also performed with Canadian singer Norman Iceberg and dancers Viktor Manoel (David Bowie's "Glass Spider" tour) and Luca Tommassini at Prince's notorious Glam Slam. Inaba appeared as a dancer during Madonna's 1993 Girlie Show World Tour.

Inaba appeared in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) as Fook Yu, alongside Diane Mizota who played her twin sister Fook Mi. The two women are not related, but when Mizota had been cast for her role, she was asked if she knew any actresses who resembled her and suggested Inaba. Inaba, who had appeared briefly in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, was given the role and the two women were made up to appear as identical twins. Inaba and Mizota would later reprise their roles with Mike Myers in a commercial for Motorola.

Inaba has acted (usually as a dancer) in the movies Monster Mash: The Movie, Lord of Illusions, Showgirls, Boys and Girls, Flintstones II, Freak and American Virgin and the television series Jack & Jill and Nikki.

Inaba has choreographed several television series, including American Idol, American Juniors, All American Girl, He's a Lady, In Search of the Partridge Family (in which she also appeared on air), Married by America, The Sexiest Bachelor in America Pageant, The Swan, and Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?. She also choreographed the Miss America Pageant for five years.

Inaba is the founder and President of EnterMediArts, Inc., a video production company. She directs, writes, and edits films. Her work includes E! Behind The Scenes Miss America Special, 7th Festival of the Pacific Arts, A Portrait of IVI and Beyond the Dancing Image, along with the short feature film, Black Water. She also appeared in the first season of So You Think You Can Dance during the audition stages where she provided choreography for the "choreography round".

Other TV appearances include Inaba as guest and co-host on The View, the ABC talent competition Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann, and the FOX special Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed.

Also, Inaba guest stars as Tina, Hannah's choreographer, in the Hannah Montana episode, "Papa's Got A Brand New Friend". In the episode, Tina is seen teaching Hannah new dance moves. However, she is accidentally pushed out of the window when Hannah does the electric slide, and becomes incapacitated in a full-body cast. Hannah pleads her to keep her job, but Tina refuses, forcing Hannah to hire a new choreographer.

TV Guide Network announced that Carrie Ann has been signed on to anchor its live red carpet coverage, beginning with the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards.

In October 2010, she was named host of a revival of the game show 1 vs. 100. The show airs on GSN.

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Departments of France

The departments of France (French: département, pronounced: [depaʁtəmɑ̃]) and many of its former colonies are administrative divisions. The 101 French departments are grouped into 22 metropolitan and five overseas regions, all of which have identical legal status as integral parts of France. The departments are subdivided into 342 arrondissements, which in turn, are divided into cantons. Each canton consists of a small number of communes. In the overseas territories, some of the communes play a role at departmental level.

The first French "departments", in the sense of territory, were proposed in 1665 by Marc-René d'Argenson, and served as administrative areas purely for the Ponts et Chaussées ("Bridges and Highways", the infrastructure administration).

Before the French Revolution, France accumulated territory gradually through the annexation of a mosaic of independent entities. By the close of the Ancien Régime it was organised into provinces. During the period of the Revolution, these were dissolved, partly in order to weaken old loyalties.

The modern departments, as all-purpose units of government, were created on 4 March 1790 by the National Constituent Assembly to replace the provinces with what the Assembly deemed a more rational structure. Their boundaries served two purposes:

Boundaries were chosen to deliberately break up France's historical regions in an attempt to erase cultural differences and build a more homogeneous nation.

Boundaries were set so that any settlement in the country was within a day's ride of the capital of the department. This was a security measure, intended to keep the entire national territory under close control. This measure was directly inspired by the Great Terror, during which the government had lost control of many rural areas which were far from any centre of government.

MESSENGER

GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) probe is a 485-kilogram (1,070 lb) robotic American space probe in orbit around the planet Mercury. It was launched by NASA in August 2004 to study the chemical composition, geology, and the magnetic field of Mercury. It became the second mission to reach Mercury successfully when it made a flyby in January 2008, followed by a second flyby in October 2008,and a third flyby on September 2009. (The first space probe to reach Mercury was Mariner 10 in 1975.) MESSENGER is the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury. Inserting into orbit around Mercury is difficult because a satellite approaching on a direct path from Earth would be accelerated by the Sun's gravity and pass Mercury far too quickly to orbit it.

The instruments carried by MESSENGER performed well on a complex series of flybys of Earth (once), Venus (twice), and Mercury itself (three times). These allowed the craft to be slowed relative to Mercury with minimal fuel. MESSENGER successfully entered Mercury orbit on 18 March 2011 with no reported problems. The craft's science instruments were reactivated 24 March, with a first photo returned from Mercury orbit on 29 March. Its formal science data collection mission is planned to begin 4 April 2011.

In 1973 Mariner 10 was launched to make multiple flyby encounters of Venus and Mercury. Mariner 10 provided the first detailed data of Mercury, mapping 40-45% of the surface. The final flyby of Mercury by Mariner 10 occurred on March 16, 1975, ending close-range observations of the planet for over thirty years. Being the least explored terrestrial planet with no future planned mission, a study, published in 1998, detailed a proposed mission to send an orbiting spacecraft to Mercury. In the years since the Mariner 10 mission, subsequent mission proposals to revisit Mercury had appeared too costly, requiring large quantities of propellant and a heavy lift launch vehicle. However, using a trajectory designed by Chen-wan Yen in 1985, the study showed it was possible to seek a Discovery-class mission by using multiple, consecutive gravity assist, 'swingby' maneuvers around Venus and Mercury, in combination with minor propulsive trajectory corrections, to gradually slow the spacecraft and thereby minimize propellant needs.

The primary science objectives of the mission include:

determine accurately the surface composition of Mercury

characterize the geological history of the planet

determine the precise strength of the magnetic field and its variation with position and altitude

investigate the presence of a liquid outer core by measuring Mercury's libration

determine the nature of the radar reflective materials at Mercury’s poles

investigate the important volatile species and their sources and sinks on and near Mercury.

The spacecraft was designed and built at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Science operations, managed by Dr. Sean Solomon as principal investigator, and mission operations are also conducted at JHU/APL. The contrived acronym MESSENGER was chosen because Mercury was the messenger of the gods according to Roman mythology.

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Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 5 wickets

Congratulation to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 5 wickets

Spirit rover

Spirit, MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover - A), is a robotic rover on Mars, active from 2004 to 2010. It was one of two rovers of NASA's ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission. It landed successfully on Mars at 04:35 Ground UTC on January 4, 2004, three weeks before its twin, Opportunity (MER-B), landed on the other side of the planet. Its name was chosen through a NASA-sponsored student essay competition. The rover became stuck in 2009, and it last communicated with Earth on March 22, 2010, although attempts to re-establish contact continue into 2011.

The rover completed its planned 90-sol mission. Aided by cleaning events that resulted in higher power from its solar panels, Spirit went on to function effectively over twenty times longer than NASA planners expected following mission completion. Spirit also logged about 10 kilometers of driving instead of the planned 1 km, allowing more extensive geological analysis of Martian rocks and planetary surface features. Initial scientific results from the first phase of the mission (the 90-sol prime mission) were published in a special issue of the journal Science.

On May 1, 2009 (5 years, 3 months, 27 Earth days after landing; 21.6 times the planned mission duration), Spirit became stuck in soft soil. This was not the first of the mission's "embedding events" and for the following eight months NASA carefully analyzed the situation, running Earth-based theoretical and practical simulations, and finally programming the rover to make extrication drives in an attempt to free itself. These efforts continued until January 26, 2010 (6 years and 22 days after landing; 24.6 times the planned mission duration), when NASA officials announced that the rover was likely irrecoverably obstructed by its location in soft soil, though it will continue to perform scientific research from its current location.

There has been no communication with Spirit since sol 2210 (March 22, 2010) and there is some concern that the rover was not able to survive the Martian winter. However, the rover team plans to continue to attempt to contact the lander, which may be hibernating while increasing solar levels charge its batteries, until at least summer solstice at Spirit's location in March 2011.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington.

scientific objectives of the Mars Exploration Rover mission are to:

Search for and characterize a variety of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water activity. In particular, samples sought will include those that have minerals deposited by water-related processes such as precipitation, evaporation, sedimentary cementation or hydrothermal activity.

Determine the distribution and composition of minerals, rocks, and soils surrounding the landing sites.

Determine what geologic processes have shaped the local terrain and influenced the chemistry. Such processes could include water or wind erosion, sedimentation, hydrothermal mechanisms, volcanism, and cratering.

Perform calibration and validation of surface observations made by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter instruments. This will help determine the accuracy and effectiveness of various instruments that survey Martian geology from orbit.

Search for iron-containing minerals, identify and quantify relative amounts of specific mineral types that contain water or were formed in water, such as iron-bearing carbonates.

Characterize the mineralogy and textures of rocks and soils and determine the processes that created them.

Search for geological clues to the environmental conditions that existed when liquid water was present.

Assess whether those environments were conducive to life.

During the next two decades, NASA will continue to conduct missions to address whether life ever arose on Mars. The search begins with determining whether the Martian environment was ever suitable for life. Life, as we understand it, requires water, so the history of water on Mars is critical to finding out if the Martian environment was ever conducive to life. Although the Mars Exploration Rovers do not have the ability to detect life directly, they are offering very important information on the habitability of the environment during the planet's history.

To the rover

To commemorate Spirit's great contribution to the exploration of Mars, an asteroid, 37452 Spirit, has been named after it. The name was proposed by Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld who along with Cornelis Johannes van Houten and Tom Gehrels discovered the asteroid on September 24, 1960.

Ruben H. Fleet Museum and the Liberty Science Center also has an IMAX show called Roving Mars that documents the journey of both Spirit and Opportunity, using both CG and actual imagery.

From the rover

On January 27, 2004 NASA memorialized the crew of Apollo 1 by naming three hills to the north of "Columbia Memorial Station" as the Apollo 1 Hills. On February 2, 2004 the astronauts on Columbia's final mission were further memorialized when NASA named a set of hills to the east of the landing site the Columbia Hills Complex, denoting seven peaks in that area as "Anderson", "Brown", "Chawla", "Clark", "Husband", "McCool", and "Ramon"; NASA has submitted these geographical feature names to the IAU for approval.

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Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Anne Hudgens (born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer, who is best known for her portrayal of the character Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series. She also earned critical acclaim for her role in the 2009 film Bandslam.

As an actress, Hudgens has appeared in several television programs including Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers García, Drake & Josh, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She made her screen debut in the 2003 drama film Thirteen as Noel. She got her first starring role in the 2004 science-fiction-adventure film Thunderbirds as Tintin.

Hudgens' debut album V was released on September 26, 2006. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number twenty four, and was later certified Gold. Hudgens released her second album, Identified, on July 1, 2008 in the U.S.

Hudgens' fame has also been marked by scandal caused by the release of private, self-taken nude photographs of herself on the Internet without her permission on several occasions. Since a third and anonymous release of these images, the FBI is now investigating these leaked photos in an attempt to find the source. Authorities believe that as many as 50 Hollywood celebrities may have had nude photographs or videos 'hacked' from their email or cellphone accounts and then leaked onto the internet. Among the other celebrities reportedly hacked: Jessica Alba, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera, Scarlett Johansson, Ali Larter, and Miley Cyrus.

Her height is 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m). Us magazine said Hudgens and her High School Musical series co-star Zac Efron "met in 2005 while making the first High School Musical flick, and became a romantic item about two years later." The two were paired together during the audition process and got the part because of their chemistry. The two ended their relationship in December 2010.

In 2006, Hudgens's earnings were estimated to be $2 million. Hudgens was included in Forbes richest list in early 2007, it was posted in Forbes website, that Hudgens was included in Young Hollywood's Top Earning-Stars. On December 12, 2008, Hudgens was ranked #20 in the list of Forbes "High Earners Under 30", having reported to have an estimated earnings of $3 million in 2008. She was number 62 at FHM's Sexiest Women in the World of 2008 and number 42 in the 2009 list. Hudgens is also featured in Maxim's lists. She was included in People's annual "100 Most Beautiful People" 2008 and 2009 lists.

Hudgens is represented by William Morris Agency. Hudgens also promotes Neutrogena and was the 2008 featured celebrity for Sears' back-to school campaign. She was a spokesperson for Mark Ecko products. But in late 2009, she ended the 2-year contract with Ecko products. Hudgens regularly volunteers for charitable activities, including those for Best Buddies International, Lollipop Theater Network, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.Hudgens is also featured in A Very Special Christmas Vol.7 disc which benefits the Special Olympics. Hudgens is also part of the "Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C): Change The Odds" along with other Hollywood stars including Zac Efron, Dakota Fanning, Kristen Bell, and others.

On September 6, 2007, photos of Hudgens appeared online, one showing her posing in lingerie and another showing her nude. A statement from her publicist claims that the photo was taken privately and it was unfortunate that they were released on the Internet. Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken [those] photos." Hudgens subsequently released a statement indicating that she declined to comment further on the scandal. OK! magazine speculated that Hudgens would be dropped from High School Musical 3 as a result of the images. The Walt Disney Company denied the reports, saying, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."

Critics have noted[who?], however, that the timing of the leaked photos have generally coincided with the release of a film starring Hudgens, including High School Musical 2 in 2007, 'Bandslam' in 2009 and Beastly and Sucker Punch in 2011. In fact, on March 2011 a nude video of her was released onto the internet along with several nude photographs - some involving another female celebrity named Alexa Nikolas, the 18-year old star of Zoey 101.

In August 2009, a new set of pictures showing Hudgens topless emerged on the Internet. Hudgens's representatives did not comment, though her lawyers requested the removal of the pictures from the Internet. In late 2009, Hudgens sued "www.moejackson.com" for posting Hudgens's nude 'self-portrait photographs' taken on a mobile phone in a private home.Hudgens later commented on the photos' impact on her career in the October issue of Allure with, "Whenever anybody asks me, would I do nudity in a film, if I say that it's something I'm not comfortable with, they're like, 'Bullshit, you've already done it.' If anything, it makes it more embarrassing, because that was a private thing. It's screwed up that someone screwed me over like that. At least some people are learning from my mistake." According to Us Weekly, further pictures were released on the internet March 15, 2011.

Brian Schall sued Hudgens in 2007 for an alleged "breach of contract"; according to the suit, Schall claims he advanced costs and expenses on Hudgens’s behalf for her songwriting and recording career. Schall claims Hudgens owes him $150,000 after helping her earn more than $5 million for her music career. Hudgens argues that she was underage to sign her contract on October 2005 as she was just 16 then. Hudgens subsequently disaffirmed it on October 9, 2008. Papers filed in court by her lawyer say California's Family Code "provides that the contract of a minor is voidable and may be disaffirmed before (age 18) or within a reasonable time afterward." In 2008, Hudgens was sued by Johnny Vieira, who claims he is owed a share of Hudgens' advances, royalties and merchandising revenue in exchange for his management services. Vieira accuses Hudgens of abandoning her talent team as soon as she became a commercial name in the High School Musical era. In early May 2009, the case was settled.

Filmography

Theatrical films
Year Title Role Notes
2003 Thirteen Noel
2004 Thunderbirds Tintin Main character
2008 High School Musical 3: Senior Year Gabriella Montez
2009 Bandslam Sa5m
2011 Beastly Lindy Taylor
2011 Sucker Punch Blondie
2012 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Kailani Post-Production
Television films
Year Title Role Channel
2006 High School Musical Gabriella Montez Disney Channel
2007 High School Musical 2 Gabriella Montez Disney Channel

Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often known by the mononym Beyoncé ( /biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-YON-say), is an American recording artist, actress and fashion designer. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love in 2003, which spawned the number one hits "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy" and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Knowles released her second solo album, B'Day in 2006. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and included the hits "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in 2008, and included the anthemic "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", which achieved fame for its intricate choreography, prompting a legion of imitations and parodies from men and women all around the world. The album earned Knowles six Grammys at the 52nd Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night.

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Apart from her work in music, Knowles has also been involved in acting. She made her debut in 2001, in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, and also starred in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical, Dreamgirls (2006), which earned her two Golden Globe nominations. In 2004, Knowles and her mother introduced their family's fashion line, House of Deréon, and has also endorsed brands such as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal. In June 2010, Knowles was ranked second on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world, and first on its list of the Most Powerful and Influential musicians in the world.

Knowles has earned numerous awards and accolades. She is one of the most honored artists by the Grammys, and third among female artists, with a total of 16 Grammy Awards — 13 as a solo artist and 3 as a member of Destiny's Child. In 2007, she became the first female artist to be awarded the International Artist Award at the American Music Awards. Knowles was ranked the 4th Artist of the 2000s decade by Billboard and was listed the most successful female artist of the decade, as well as the top radio artist of the decade. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), listed Knowles as the top certified artist of the decade.To date, she has sold 75 million records worldwide making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Knowles has stated, "I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady," but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is "absolutely for the stage". The media often use the term "Bootylicious" (a combination of the words booty and delicious), to describe Knowles because of her curves. The term was made widely known by the Destiny's Child hit song of the same name, and has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing. The B'Day Anthology Video Album showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles. People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007. Knowles' mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny's Child's success.

Clothing lines

Knowles and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a ready-to-wear contemporary women's fashion line, in 2005. The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name Deréon paying tribute to Knowles' grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, who worked as a seamstress.According to Tina Knowles, the overall style of the line best reflects Knowles' taste and style. Launched in 2006, products of House of Deréon received public exhibitions during the group's shows and tours during the Destiny Fulfilled era. The store, which is available across the United States and Canada, sells sportswear, denim along with fur, outerwear and accessories including handbags. Knowles also teamed up with House of Brands, a local shoe company, to produce a range of footwear for House of Deréon.

In 2004, Knowles and her mother founded their family's company Beyond Productions, which provides the licensing and brand management for House of Deréon. In early 2008, they launched Beyoncé Fashion Diva, a mobile game with an online social networking component, featuring House of Deréon. In July 2009, Knowles and her mother launched a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon, for back-to-school selling. The collection, which is inspired by Knowles' stage presence, consists of sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry. The clothing line was picked up by department stores including Macy’s and Dillard’s and specialty stores, Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds. In May 2010, Knowles teamed up with clothing store C&A to release her Deréon clothing line labeled, Deréon by Beyoncé for C&A. The collection was only made available in Brazilian C&A stores.

Philanthropy

Knowles has been exposed to issues of social awareness since a young child, as her father would sometimes take her into the community, including African-American society.Knowles and Destiny's Child band mate, Kelly Rowland, along with the former's family, founded the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up to provide transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extended the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.Knowles donated $100,000 to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund, which benefits victims of Hurricane Ike in the Houston area. She is organizing a fund raising benefit for Hurricane Ike relief through the Survivor Foundation. In 2005, music producer David Foster, his daughter Amy Foster-Gillies, and Knowles wrote "Stand Up for Love", which would serve as the anthem of World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 World Children's Day program. Knowles conducted food drives during stops on The Beyoncé Experience tour in Houston on July 14, Atlanta on July 20, Washington, D.C. on August 9, Toronto on August 15, Chicago on August 18, and Los Angeles on September 2, 2006.

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes

2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember Foxxy Cleopatra Nominated — Black Reel Award: Best Breakthrough Performance

Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance

2003 The Fighting Temptations Lilly Nominated — Black Reel Award: Best Actress

Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

2004 Fade to Black Herself Jay-Z documentary

2006 The Pink Panther Xania

2006 Dreamgirls Deena Jones Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Performance - Female

Nominated — Black Reel Award: Best Actress

Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

2008 Cadillac Records Etta James Won — Black Reel Award: Best Ensemble

Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture

2009 Obsessed Sharon Charles Won — MTV Movie Award for Best Fight

2012 A Star Is Born Esther Hoffman Lead Role

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Sri Lanka well on win track

Sri Lanka will start its World Cup semi-final in Colombo as a hot favourite against New Zealand, but there is little chance of Kumar Sangakkara's side taking the Black Caps lightly.

Sri Lanka 137/1 over 29

Kumara Sangakkara on 46

Tillakaratne Dilshan on 60

Teams

Sri Lanka - Upul Tharanga, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Mahela Jayawardena, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan.

New Zealand - Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (wk), Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori (capt), Tim Southee, Andy McKay.

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Anne Affleck, more commonly known by her birth name, Jennifer Garner (born April 17, 1972), is an American actress. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006. While working on Alias, she gained minor roles in hit movies such as Pearl Harbor (2001) and Catch Me if You Can (2002). Since then, Garner has appeared in supporting as well as lead roles on the big screen in projects including Daredevil (2003), 13 Going on 30 (2004) and Juno (2007). She is married to actor and director Ben Affleck, with whom she has two daughters.

On October 19, 2000, Garner married actor Scott Foley, whom she had met on the set of Felicity in 1998. After separating from Foley in March 2003, Garner filed for divorce in May 2003, citing irreconcilable differences, and the two were officially divorced on March 30, 2004. Following her separation, Garner dated Alias co-star Michael Vartan from August 2003 to March 2004.

Sometime in early to mid 2004, Garner started dating Daredevil co-star Ben Affleck and the two made their first public appearance as a couple by attending the Boston Red Sox's opening World Series games in October 2004. Since her relationship with Affleck, first as girlfriend and then as wife, Garner has been a tabloid staple. "Ben taught me that you cannot read that stuff, that it’s poison," she said in 2009. On Garner's 33rd birthday, Affleck proposed to her with a 4.5 carats (900 mg) diamond ring from Harry Winston. Affleck married Garner, who was three months pregnant at the time, on June 29, 2005 in a private ceremony, officiated by family friend and Garner's Alias co-star, Victor Garber, at the Parrot Cay resort on the Turks and Caicos Islands. In December 2005, Garner gave birth to their first daughter, Violet Anne Affleck. The couple's second child, Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck, was born in January 2009.

Garner had been stalked since 2002 by a man, Steven Burky, who was eventually arrested in December 2009, after violating a 2008 restraining order against him.Burky was charged with two counts of stalking, to which he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity; in March 2010, he was ruled insane and sent to the California state mental hospital with a court order to stay away from the Affleck family for 10 years if released from the hospital.

Garner enjoys cooking and gardening. She has a yellow Labrador Retriever named "Martha Stewart" (after the television personality), that appeared with her on the television show Martha on January 24, 2007. In December 2007, Garner was named The Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail's 2007 West Virginian of the Year "for her dedication, work ethic and unique role as role model and ambassador for West Virginia."

Filmography

Years Title Role Notes

1997 In Harm's Way Kelly

1997 Deconstructing Harry Woman in Elevator

1997 Washington Square Marian Almond

1997 Mr. Magoo Stacey Sampanahodrita

1998 1999 Annabell Alternative title: Girls & Boys

2000 Dude, Where's My Car? Wanda

2001 Pearl Harbor Nurse Sandra

2001 Rennie's Landing Kiley Bradshaw Alternative title: Stealing Time

2002 Catch Me If You Can Cheryl Ann Cameo Role

2003 Daredevil Elektra Natchios

2004 13 Going on 30 older Jenna Rink

2005 Elektra Elektra Natchios

2006 Catch and Release Gray

2007 The Kingdom Janet Mayes

2007 Juno Vanessa Loring Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress

Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast

2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Jenny Perotti

2009 The Invention of Lying Anna

2010 Valentine's Day Julia Fitzpatrick

2011 Butter Laura Pickler Post-production

2011 Arthur Susan Johnson Post-production

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Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 – March 26, 2011) was an American attorney, a Democratic Party politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives. She was the first female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party.

Ferraro grew up in New York City and became a teacher and lawyer. She joined the Queens County District Attorney's Office in 1974, where she headed the new Special Victims Bureau that dealt with sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence. She was elected to Congress in 1978, where she rose rapidly in the party hierarchy while focusing on legislation to bring equity for women in the areas of wages, pensions, and retirement plans. In 1984, former Vice President and presidential candidate Walter Mondale selected Ferraro to be his running mate in the upcoming election. In doing so she became the only Italian American to be a major-party national nominee in addition to being the first woman. The positive polling the Mondale-Ferraro ticket received when she joined faded as questions about her and her husband's finances arose. In the general election, Mondale and Ferraro were defeated in a landslide by incumbent President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush.

Ferraro ran campaigns for a seat in the United States Senate from New York in 1992 and 1998, both times emerging as the front-runner for her party's nomination but losing in primary elections both times. She served as a United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 1993 until 1996, in the presidential administration of Bill Clinton. She also continued her career as a journalist, author, and businesswoman, and served in the 2008 presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Ferraro died on March 26, 2011, after a 12-year battle with multiple myeloma.

Match fixers up stakes for India-Pak clash

Match fixers are headed for Mohali by the hordes in what could be an estimated Rs 5,000 crore bonanza during the semifinal match slated for Wednesday, March 30. Insiders say they are planning a halt at New Delhi before heading north for the encounter. A key bookie says they prefer to watch it themselves before laying big bets since they do not want to take any chances during this crucial match. It helps that the TV telecast is a few seconds late.

Match fixers are laying their bets on India at 58 paise, while Pakistan is attracting Rs 1.60 paise if they manage to beat the rejuvenated Indian team. Insiders say most small-time Match fixers and punters have shifted base to plush farmhouses outside city limits. Many have migrated to Gujarat and a few have headed to casinos in Goa, where officials are known to have turned a blind eye to betting syndicates.

Already a large number of trusted 'errand' boys have been recruited to carry cash consignments after the final bet amount is finalised. The cash settlement usually takes place within 24 hours of the result. Tally clerks have also been recruited to take note of the bets and prepare balance sheets. Most transactions are recorded through software tailor-made for the purpose.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, (born July 7, 1981 in Ranchi, Bihar) (now in Jharkhand) is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team.

Initially recognized as an extravagantly flamboyant and destructive batsman, Dhoni has come to be regarded as one of the coolest heads to captain the Indian ODI side. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007–08 , and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2008 in which they beat Australia 2–0. He also captained Chennai Super Kings to victory in the recent IPL 2010. He is now captain of India in all three forms of the game and also led the team to their first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Dhoni also led team India to number one position in ICC rankings in test cricket for the first time. Dhoni has also been the recipient of many awards including the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian player to achieve this feat), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2009. As of January 2010, Dhoni is the highest ranked ODI batsman on the ICC Rankings List. Dhoni was named as captain of Wisden's first-ever Dream Test XI Team in 2009 and has topped the list of world’s top 10 earning cricketers compiled by Forbes. He was named as the captain of ICC World Test and ICC ODI teams for 2009.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar born 24 April 1973) is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket. In 2002, just 12 years into his career, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time, behind Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one-day-international (ODI) batsman of all time, behind Viv Richards.In September 2007, the Australian leg spinner Shane Warne rated Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with or against.

Tendulkar is the first and the only player in Test Cricket history to score fifty centuries, and the first to score fifty centuries in all international cricket combined; he now has 99 centuries in international cricket. On 17 October 2008, when he surpassed Brian Lara's record for the most runs scored in Test cricket, he also became the first batsman to score 12,000, 13,000 and 14,000 runs in that form of the game,having also been the third batsman and first Indian to pass 11,000 runs in Test cricket. He was also the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, and also the first player to cross every subsequent 1000-run mark that has been crossed in ODI cricket history and 200 runs in a one-day international match. In the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Tendulkar surpassed Australia's Allan Border to become the player to cross the 50-run mark the most number of times in Test cricket history, and also the second ever player to score 11 Test centuries against Australia, tying with Sir Jack Hobbs of England more than 70 years previously. Tendulkar passed 30,000 runs in international cricket on 20 November 2009. He also holds the world record for playing highest number of Test and ODI matches.Tendulkar has been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan award, India's second highest civilian award, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honor. Tendulkar became the first sportsperson and the first personality without an aviation background to be awarded the honorary rank of Group Captain by the Indian Air Force. He has received honorary doctorates from Mysore University and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences  He won the 2010 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for cricketer of the year at the ICC awards.

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Mohali

Mohali (Punjabi: ਮੋਹਾਲੀ, mōhālī) is a city adjacent to Chandigarh, 18th District in Punjab, India. It is officially named after the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS Nagar, or "House of Sahibzada Ajit Singh"). It along with Chandigarh and Panchkula form a part of the Chandigarh Tricity or Chandigarh Capital Region. It was earlier a part of the Rupnagar District, and was carved out into a separate district in the recent years.

Mohali was conceived after the trifurcation of Punjab and its capital Chandigarh becoming a Union Territory in late 1966. Today, Mohali and Chandigarh are contiguous areas with only the boundary of Punjab and UT of Chandigarh dividing this area. The original plan of Mohali is in fact a mere extension of the road and design system of Chandigarh without any unique planning. The development earlier was only till Phase VII. The development of sectors and phases from Phase 8 onwards started in late 1980s, and the city got its own bus stand in Phase 8 in mid 1990s. In 2006, Mohali's population was nearly 200,000, approximately 1/5 of Chandigarh's. The region has been targeted by an increasing number of outsourcing IT companies, who look to capitalize on the rich investment opportunities the city offers.

Mohali comes under the jurisdiction of Punjab State while Punchkula is a part of Harayana. This urban area is now popularly known as the Tri-city. Nowadays Mohali is a separate district of Punjab.

Cricket stadium

Seealso: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium

In 1992, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) unveiled a plan to build a state of the art facility complete with a separate practise ground - to be built in a swampy area in Mohali . The PCA invested heavily in the ground, a swimming pool, health club, tennis court, library, restaurant, and bar and outdoor & indoor cricket practice nets were incorporated into the plans.

Most of the Punjab-based national cricketers train in Mohali, including Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Manpreet Gony and Punjab cricket team. It will play host to India Pakistan semi-final in WC'11

Mohali cricket fans upset, no tickets

TV advertisement rates for India-Pak semifinal up by 350%

Team India lives another day to play the dream semifinal against Pakistan and that means advertisers, who banked on the 50- over World Cup, feel they have got a bigger bang for their buck than expected.

It's not only the advertisers, the ICC World Cup is turning out to be a jackpot for the broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS) as well. Media planners told TOI that ESS has hiked its advertising rates-the amount a brand pays to be seen on air-to as much as Rs 17-18 lakh for a ten second spot for the India-Pakistan semifinal scheduled to be played in Mohali on March 30. This is a huge jump from Rs 3.5- 4 lakh for a ten second spot the broadcaster charged before the start of the tournament.

Read More: Taj Mahal

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Official of PCB arrives in Amritsar to see India-Pak WC semifinal

Wagah, Mar.26 (ANI): A senior member of the Pakistan Cricket Board arrived here on Saturday with his family to complete the logistics for high dignitaries expected to visit Mohali for the semi-final World Cup clash between India and Pakistan.

"The whole country would like to visit to Mohali to watch the India - Pakistan cricket match to be held on March 30, but it is not possible," said the general manager of marketing for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Tariq Hakim.

He said he was expecting tough match between the two sides, but felt the event would bring the two countries closer. By ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

Visa for Gilani and none for Pakistan fans:India-Pak semifinal

Day after Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh flagged off his cricket diplomacy, ordinary cricket fans from across the border have been left out in the cold.

All of 120 visas have been issued to Pakistani cricket officials for the high-Profile ICC World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mohali on Wednesday. And two-thirds of them have gone to Pakistani officials and cricket board honchos, leaving only about 40 for genuine lovers of the game.

Expected on the stands for the mother of all cricket battles are Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani and the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, Latif Khosa. But if captain Shahid Afridi was expecting a rousing reception from his home fans, he would be sorely disappointed.

In their defence, government sources here claimed that since January they had been offering as many as 5,000 (Increased 6500) visas to Pakistani cricket fans, provided they applied for the visa with a ticket in hand.

"There is no scope now for issuing any more visas to Pakistani cricket fans as the tickets for the match have already sold out," a source said, adding: "It is bad luck for Pakistani  cricket fans - they should have bought the tickets on time and applied for a visa."

The source said that because Pakistan had no league match scheduled in India, and their place in the semi-final was confirmed only this Wednesday, most fans from the neighbouring country had missed the bus. All the 16,000-odd general tickets for the Mohali match got sold out by Tuesday.

For those Pakistani nationals who are in India on a tourist visit visa, there might still be a likelihood of watching the match from the stands provided they manage to grab a ticket in the black market. But for those who plan to travel for this high-octane clash, there's virtually no hope. And even if they manage to procure tickets now, the visa procedure won't allow them enough time to ensure their passage to India.

India has been extra cautious on the visa front this time following alarming disclosures by David Headley to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) year 2010.

Headley had told the NIA that in 2005, key 26/11 plotters Sajid Majid Mir and Abdur Rehman Pasha had crossed over to India at the Wagah border on the pretext of watching an India-Pakistan match. Once here, they did a recce of the National Defence College in New Delhi and the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun.

Pakistan VS India Semi Final on 30 March - Highlights of Last game played at Mohali b/w Pak and India

The government, meanwhile, is quite certain that Gilani and Khosa would attend the match. But they won't travel to Delhi.

"No formal talks are expected between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gilani," a government source said. "Pakistan's Prime Minister would not be travelling to Delhi. He is expected to arrive in Chandigarh in a special plane and fly back, probably on the night of the match itself."

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari excused himself because of protocol issues, as the invitation was sent out by the Indian Prime Minister, and not the President. Pakistan is expected to send a formal communication to India after Gilani and Zardari discuss the issue on Monday. Pakistan has also dropped enough hints that it would reciprocate India's goodwill gesture.

"The invitation of love from India will receive a response of love from Pakistan, which will not waste any opportunity to improve bilateral relations," the country's information minister, Ashiq Awan, said. Meanwhile, with several high-profile dignitaries and ministers expected to attend the match, NSG commandos have been given the task of securing the stadium.

The venue has also been declared a no-fly zone, as Punjab is a sensitive border state. Anti-aircraft guns will be stationed for security, even as a dedicated CRPF contingent will guard both the teams.

The NSG will also be responsible for securing Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium for the final as there is a heightened threat perception of a terror strike there. An Interpol team is helping India screen travellers.

Before the action shifts to Mohali, the Centre is planning some hard talk when the home secretaries of the two countries meet on Monday and Tuesday. India is expected to again hand over dossiers citing Pakistan's inaction in the 26/11 probe, besides a list of 40 terrorists, and take up the issue of fake notes being pushed into the country.

India, which will be represented by home secretary G.K. Pillai, will also remind Pakistan that it has not fulfilled any of its promises made to home minister P. Chidambaram during his visit to Islamabad year  2010.

India expects Pakistan to raise the issue of its pending demand that a Pakistani judicial commission be allowed to visit India and ask for details on the Samjhauta Express blast probe.

The director-general of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Waseem Ahmed, who has probed the 26/11 case in Pakistan, will attend the talks as part of the seven-member Pakistani delegation.

Ahmed may also have a separate one-onone session with CBI director A.P. Singh. The spirit of bonhomie on the field may not penetrate the closed doors when the two delegation sit down to play "hard ball".