Hot News: Wimbledon 2014: Caroline Wozniacki crashes out to unseeded Czech

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/30/1404132694465/-Barbora-Zahlavova-Stryco-009.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Barbora Zahlavova Strycova took her sixth match point against Caroline Wozniacki to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images<br/><br />Caroline Wozniacki became the latest big name to crash out of Wimbledon as she fell to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.<br/><br />The former world No1 went down 6-2, 7-5 to the unseeded Czech, who took her sixth match point to earn a place in the quarter-finals.<br/><br />Having beaten the second seed, Li Na, in the previous round, Zahlavova Strycova started well on Court 12 and claimed the first set in 35 minutes.<br/><br />Wozniacki, who spent 67 weeks as the world's top-ranked player but has slipped to 16th, then found herself 3-1 down in the second set before breaking back. Zahlavova Strycova, ranked 43rd in the world, failed to convert two match points against Wozniacki's serve in the 10th game, as her 23-year-old Danish opponent eventually held to level at 5-5.<br/><br />More match points followed in the 12th game though, and eventually Zahlavova Strycova seized the moment. Following a double fault, Wozniacki sent a floated backhand just wide from close to the net as Zahlavova Strycova secured another outstanding victory.<br/><br />Heavy rain hit Wimbledon shortly after Wozniacki's defeat, with play suspended on all courts from 1.30pm.<br/><br />Post By http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jun/30/wimbledon-2014-barbora-zahlavova-strycova-caroline-wozniacki</div>

Hot News: Wimbledon 2014: Caroline Wozniacki crashes out to unseeded Czech

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova took her sixth match point against Caroline Wozniacki to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty ImagesCaroline Wozniacki became the latest big name to crash out of Wimbledon as she fell to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.The former world No1 went d…

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Hot News: 'The Leftovers' premiere gets fair sampling: Will viewers return for seconds?

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2014/06/27/The-Leftovers.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />HBO's new drama series The Leftovers got off to a fair start Sunday night. The post-apocalyptic-ish suburban malaise drama from Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof delivered 1.8 million viewers for its first episode. Along with its repeat, Leftovers had 2.1 million for the night. In the show based on Tom Perrotta's novel, a New York town struggles to cope in the aftermath of 2 percent of the world's population vanishing. Check out Jeff Lebrecque's Leftovers premiere recap.<br/><br />By comparison, the second episode of the final season of True Blood had 3.1 million viewers for its first episode, 3.5 million for the night.<br/><br />Also Sunday night in the ratings: CBS ' Big Brother (5.8 million, 1.8 rating) dipped for the premiere of its Sunday edition, down 22 percent from the Thursday edition, yet still led the night. The premiere of CBS' new series Reckless (4.1 million, 0.7 rating) got off to a very weak start. The second week of ABC's Rising Star (4.7 million, 1.2 rating) fell 20 percent from its soft debut.<br/><br />Post By http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/06/30/the-leftovers-ratings-premiere/</div>

Hot News: 'The Leftovers' premiere gets fair sampling: Will viewers return for seconds?

HBO's new drama series The Leftovers got off to a fair start Sunday night. The post-apocalyptic-ish suburban malaise drama from Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof delivered 1.8 million viewers for its first episode. Along with its repeat, Leftovers had 2.1 million for the night. In the show based on Tom…

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2014 FIFA World Cup: Germany survives Algeria in extra time, 2-1

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div class='nine columns end offset-by-one'><br /><div><img src="http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/andreschurrle63014.jpg"/> Andre Schurrle scored the first goal for Germany in extra time. (Getty Images) <strong>MORE: <a href='http://www.cbssports.com/world-cup/matchtracker/WCS_20140630_ALG@GER' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Germany vs. Algeria MatchTracker</a> | <a href='http://www.cbssports.com/world-cup/eye-on-world-cup' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Latest News & Notes</a> </strong> <strong>FINAL SCORE: Germany 2, Algeria 1</strong><br /><p>It didn't go exactly as anticipated, but in the end, the expected winner came out on top.</p><br /><p>Heading into the match, it looked like Algeria would sit back and pack it in, then try to beat Germany on the counterattack. Well, Algeria did indeed have success on the counterattack, but it certainly wasn't as a result of sitting back and simply absorbing pressure. Algeria took it to Germany in the first half, using their pace and taking advantage of Germany's high defensive line to get in behind the defense and create dangerous opportunities in Germany's defensive third.</p><br /><p>In fact, the African side had a goal called back in the 17th minute for offside - it was the correct call, though. Algeria continued to push forward, but couldn't beat Manuel Neuer, who constantly raced out of his own penalty area to challenge Algerian attackers or clear the ball away after a throughball.</p><br /><p>The second half was more as anticipated, with Germany doing a better job of controlling possession and not allowing Algeria to get free on counterattacks. The game changed a bit when Philipp Lahm was shifted to right back and Semi Khedira moved to midfield. Germany looked better in attack, but it took some time for the European side to get on the same page in midfield. Algeria was getting some opportunities, and the game became a little more wide-open.</p><br /><p>Germany had several chances in the final minutes, but Rais M'Bolhi continued to come up big for Algeria.</p><br /><p>We went to 30 minutes of extra time - and then Germany was finally able to break through.</p><br /><p>The first goal came only two minutes into the extra time, off a beautiful finish from Andre Schurrle, who slotted a Thomas Muller cross past M'Bolhi. Mesut Ozil seemingly iced the game in the 120th minute, when he buried a shot from inside the penalty area after M'Bolhi saved Schurrle's initial attempt. Abdelmoumene Djabou brought one back for Algeria in the 121st minute, but it wasn't enough.</p><br /><p>It wasn't easy, but Germany is through to face France in quarterfinal.</p><br /><p><strong>120' + 1 -- GOAL: Abdelmoumene Djabou brings one back for Algeria!</strong> Can they score again?</p><br /><p><strong>120' -- GOAL! Mesut Ozil bangs it into the back of the net to clinch the win for Germany.</strong> Andre Schurrle's shot was stopped, but Ozil buried the rebound.</p><br /><p><strong>117' --</strong> Germany looked like it was going to go up 2-0, but Christoph Kramer's attempt was blocked by M'Bolhi and Muller's second chance went out of bounds.</p><br /><p><strong>114' --</strong> Both sides look exhausted, but Algeria continues to push forward for an equalizer.</p><br /><p><strong>109' --</strong> Germany sub.</p><br /><ul><br /><li>IN: Christoph Kramer</li><br /><li>OUT: Bastian Schweinsteiger</li><br /></ul><br /><p><strong>107' --</strong> BOOKED! Philipp Lahm receives a yellow card for his challenge on Yacine Brahimi.</p><br /><p><strong>105' --</strong> We're at the midway point of the 30 minutes of extra time. Germany will enter the final 15 minutes with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a beautiful finish from Andre Schurrle off an excellent run and cross by Thomas Muller. Schurrle has been excellent since coming on, getting behind the Algeria defense and providing speed and incisiveness from the right. Algeria is getting more stretched now, as they have to push up in an attempt to equalize. Germany will have space on the counterattack in the final 15 minutes.</p><br /><p><strong>102' --</strong> Algeria were nearly level. Semi Khedira's botched clearance falls to the feet of Mehdi Mostefa, but he shoots it wide.</p><br /><p><strong>100' --</strong> Algeria sub.</p><br /><ul><br /><li>IN: Abdelmoumene Djabou</li><br /><li>OUT: El Arabi Soudani</li><br /></ul><br /><p><strong>99' --</strong> Beautiful cross from Sofiane Feghouli, but El Arabi Soudani can't get on the end of it.</p><br /><ul><br /><li>IN: Madjid Bouguerra</li><br /><li>OUT: Rafik Halliche</li><br /></ul><br /><p>Halliche has been excellent anchoring the back for Algeria, but he limps off.</p><br /><p><strong>95' --</strong> Man, look at that finish by Schurrle.</p><br /><strong>92' -- GOAL! Andre Schurrle puts it in the back of the net after a great cross from Thomas Muller.</strong><br /><p><strong>END OF SECOND HALF:</strong> And we've got 30 more minutes of football.</p><br /><p>Germany came close several times in the final 10 minutes, with wide-open headers from Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger going right at M'Bolhi. Algeria looked more threatening in the first half than the second 45, but their counterattacks have still been dangerous.</p><br /><p><strong>90' + 3 --</strong> Important sliding challenge from Rafik Halliche, who knocked away an Andre Schurrle cross.</p><br /><p><strong>90' --</strong> Four minutes of stoppage time.</p><br /><p><strong>90' --</strong> Lahm lofts a nice ball to Schweinsteiger, who heads it harmlessly at M'Bolhi. Could have possibly taken a touch.</p><br /><p><strong>87' --</strong> What a trainwreck of a freekick for Germany. Thomas Muller tripped (purposely?) before running past the ball, and then Toni Kroos chips it right into the Algeria defenders.</p><br /><p><strong>82' --</strong> Thomas Muller has another chance in the penalty area, but it's wide. Germany is getting closer to breaking through.</p><br /><p><strong>80' --</strong> Another save from M'Bolhi! Beautiful ball from Semi Khedira and Thomas Muller gets a clear header on it, but it's saved, and Andre Schurrle's rebound attempt is blocked out of bounds.</p><br /><p><strong>78' --</strong> Algeria sub.</p><br /><ul><br /><li>IN: Yacine Brahimi</li><br /><li>OUT: Saphir Taider</li><br /></ul><br /><p><strong>77' --</strong> Of course as soon as Lahm moves to the backline, Algeria starts taking some control in the midfield and getting chances. <em>(via @FlyByKnite)</em> </p><br /><img src="https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/858753427.gif?1404163717"/><img src="https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/858753332.gif?1404163592"/><br /><p><strong>70' --</strong> Germany sub.</p><br /><ul><br /><li>IN: Semi Khedira</li><br /><li>OUT: Shkodran Mustafi</li><br /></ul><br /><p>Khedira moves to the midfield, and Philipp Lahm moves to right back.</p><br /><p><strong>67' --</strong> Germany has had plenty of set pieces in dangerous positions thus far, whether a free kick or a corner kick, and haven't been able to make Algeria pay.</p><br /><p><strong>61' --</strong> Germany doing a better job of controlling the match in the second half. Keeping possession and not allowing Algeria to get counterattacks in space, while also consistently getting the ball inside the Algeria box, whether off a cross or a shot from 20-25 yards out. The European side has certainly gotten the better of the half so far. Andre Schurrle has also been more direct.</p><br /><p><strong>55' --</strong> A Philipp Lahm shot from about 22 yards out forces a deflection from M'Bolhi.</p><br /><p><strong>53' --</strong> Look at that pass!</p><br /><p><strong>51' --</strong> Wide-open, end-to-end stuff! Both teams getting opportunities on the counterattack!</p><br /><p><strong>50' --</strong> Manuel Neuer has trouble collecting the ball, but he then unleashes a beautiful ball to Andre Schurrle past midfield that leads to a Germany corner kick.</p><br /><p><strong>49' --</strong> Shkodran Mustafi has a headed chance for Germany, but it goes right to Rais M´Bolhi.</p><br /><img src="https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/858752285.gif?1404162193"/><br /><p><strong>48' --</strong> And Schurrle makes a bit of an impact immediately. Makes a nice run into the Algeria box, gathers the ball, but it's deflected wide for a corner.</p><br /><p><strong>46' --</strong> Germany sub.</p><br /><p><strong>HALFTIME:</strong> It's a scoreless draw heading into the break.</p><br /><p>I thought the game would be similar to Algeria's group stage opener against Belgium, when the African side sat back and absorbed pressure, before attempting to counter. However, they haven't sat back behind the ball -- there certainly were not 10 men behind the ball at all times. The Algerian counterattack was extremely dangerous, with German's lack of pace at the back hurting them. Moreover, the inability (or uninterest) by Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze to consistently track back has been an issue. Algeria even had a goal called back for a correct offside call.</p><br /><p>Algeria looked more threatening for the first 25 or 30 minutes, although Germany began to control possession more effectively and get some chances toward the end of the first half. Rais M'Bolhi needed to come up with two big saves in the 40th minute to keep the game without a goal.</p><br /><p>Can Algeria keep this up in the second 45? When they are able to counterattack, they have had their chances. Germany needs to get back better, and not force Manuel Neuer to come 30 yards off his line too often.</p><br /><p><strong>42' --</strong> Booked! Algeria's Rafik Halliche has been given a yellow card.</p><br /><p><strong>40' --</strong> Fantastic tandem of saves from Rais M´Bolhi. He dived to save the initial shot from Toni Kroos, and then got up to block Mario Gotze's rebound attempt. <em>(via @FlyByKnite)</em> </p><br /><img src="https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/858751275.gif?1404160687"/><br /><p><strong>35' --</strong> Thomas Muller heads a Shkodran Mustafi cross just wide. Didn't look like much, until Muller stepped inside his defender and got his head onto the ball.</p><br /><p><strong>33' --</strong> Sofiane Feghouli sends his free kick sailing over the bar.</p><br /><p><strong>32' --</strong> Mario Gotze fouls El Arabi Soudani from behind just outside the Germany 18-yard box. Again, Algeria's counterattack giving the Europeans some issues. Can they break through and grab a goal?</p><br /><p><strong>28' --</strong> Manuel Neuer slides about 25 yards from his line once again, as the Germany backline are having trouble dealing with the speed of the Algeria attacking band.</p><br /><p><strong>26' --</strong> Germany manager Joachim Low clearly not happy with the action so far.</p><br /><blockquote><br /><p>Löw not amused. sends five players to warm up after 22 mins</p><br />- Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) <a href='https://twitter.com/honigstein/statuses/483707164482359297' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>June 30, 2014</a> </blockquote><br /><p><strong>24' --</strong> Mesut Ozil looked like he was attempting to chip it to the far post, but it floats toward Rais M´Bolhi, who was forced to tap it over the bar for a Germany corner kick.</p><br /><p><strong>19' --</strong> Faouzi Ghoulam makes a nice run but puts it wide past Neuer. Yet another early chance for Algeria.</p><br /><p><strong>17' --</strong> And Algeria has a goal called back due to offside. Good call. But Germany has really been threatened by this Algeria side, especially on the counterattack.</p><br /><p><strong>15' --</strong> Sofiane Feghouli created a chance for Algeria, but he decides to take the shot from a tough angle as opposed to crossing to one of his two teammates that were in the box.</p><br /><p><strong>14' --</strong> Bastian Schweinsteiger lets loose of a left-footed rocket from about 25 yards out, but it's punched up and then casually caught by Rais M´Bolhi.</p><br /><p><strong>12' --</strong> Germany has looked confused at the back on more than one occasion now. Taking out Mats Hummels has made Jerome Boateng and Per Mertesacker the center-back partnership, and perhaps they're still getting accustomed to playing with one another. (Although they have plenty of experience in the past.)</p><br /><p><strong>9' --</strong> Manuel Neuer needs to make a sliding challenge about 25 yards from his own net after coming out of his area too far. El Arabi Soudani beat Neuer to the ball and looked to get a clean shot, but Neuer's slide forced out a corner kick. <em>(via @FlyByKnite)</em> </p><br /><img src="https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/858750075.gif?1404158894"/><br /><p><strong>6' --</strong> Germany has owned most of possession, but Mbolhi has yet to be really threatened yet.</p><br /><p><strong>3' --</strong> Germany looked to have a chance down the right flank, but it was incorrectly called back for offside. <em>(via @FlyByKnite)</em> </p><br /><em><img src="https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/858749795.gif?1404158463"/><br/> </em><br /><p><strong>PREGAME:</strong> Lineups have been announced.</p><br /><blockquote><br /><p><a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/GER?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#GER</a> LINE-UP: Neuer, Howedes, Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Muller, Lahm (c), Mertesacker, Kroos, Gotze, Boateng, Mustafi <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/GERALG?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#GERALG</a> <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#WorldCup</a> <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/joinin?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#joinin</a> </p><br />- FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href='https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/statuses/483683132949147648' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>June 30, 2014</a> </blockquote><br /><p>The biggest surprise in the Germany XI is the addition of Shkodran Mustafi. The defender has come on as a sub in two matches thus far, but had yet to appear in the starting lineup until today. Mats Hummels heads to the bench. Bastian Schweinsteiger starts for the second match in a row, with Semi Khedira staying on the bench. Mario Gotze is back in the XI after seeing Lukas Podolski start in the attacking band against the United States.</p><br /><blockquote><br /><p><a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/ALG?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#ALG</a> LINE-UP: Mbolhi, Ghoulam, Belkalem, Halliche (c), Lacen, Feghouli, Slimani, Soudani, Taider, Mandi, Mostefa <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/GERALG?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#GERALG</a> <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#WorldCup</a> <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/joinin?src=http://embed.ly/docs/explore/hash' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>#joinin</a> </p><br />- FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href='https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/statuses/483683218718478340' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>June 30, 2014</a> </blockquote><br /><p>Seventeen players had already started at least one game for Algeria in this World Cup, and Mehdi Lacen is lone newcomer to the XI. The 30-year old has come on as a sub twice in the midfield. Five players that started just one game in the group stage are also in the starting lineup, but the main player to watch could be Islam Slimani.</p><br /><img src="http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/thomasmuller62914.jpg"/> Thomas Muller scored four goals in the group stage. (Getty Images)<br /><p><strong>Germany vs. Algeria</strong> | <strong>Kickoff:</strong> 6/30, 4 p.m. ET | <strong>Stadium:</strong> Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre</p><br /><p><strong>Match Preview:</strong> This is likely the most uneven matchup in the Round of 16, but Germany has shown some weaknesses in group play and Algeria has shown flashes of being a threat on Monday.</p><br /><p>Germany is obviously the heavy favorite entering the match, and one of the remaining favorites to win the World Cup. That's not a change from the last few years, when the Germans were bounced in the semifinals of Euro 2012 but then dominated UEFA qualifying, winning nine games and drawing one, scoring 36 goals in 10 matches. A 4-0 victory to open the World Cup against Portugal made a major statement, but a 2-2 draw against Ghana highlighted some deficiencies, and then they had trouble putting the United States away before grabbing a 1-0 victory.</p><br /><p>There is talent and depth across the German side. Thomas Muller has scored four goals so far, playing in something of a false nine/striker role, poaching goals inside the box and finishing rebounds. Mesut Ozil has been a bit up and down thus far, but Toni Kroos has been pulling the strings in the field, completing 94 percent of his passes. Throw in Mario Gotze and Lukas Podolski, and impact sub Miroslav Klose, and Germany hasn't been lacking for attacking options. There have been some issues in midfield and defense, though. Natural right back Philipp Lahm has been dispossessed a couple of times, and Ghana was able to counterattack through the midfield effectively. Moreover, Benedikt Howedes has been vulnerable at left back, given that he's a natural center back and lacks pace.</p><br /><p>Not all that much was expected of Algeria entering the World Cup. They won their preliminary qualifying group, but needed the away goal tiebreaker to beat Burkina Faso in a two-legged playoff to qualify from Africa. Thrown in a group with Belgium and Russia didn't seem to help matters. Blowing a late one-goal lead against Belgium in the group opener was devastating, as they went from three points to zero points in a 20-minute span. They bounced back in a major way in the second match, though, putting forth a dominant first-half performance en route to a 4-2 victory over South Korea. Drawing with Russia in the final group stage match was enough to put Algeria through to the knockout stage.</p><br /><p>Seventeen players have already started at least one match for Algeria in this month's World Cup, and while they will be outclassed talent-wise against Germany, there are some weapons for the African side. Islam Slimani was excellent against South Korea, and notched two goals in the group stage. He can play different roles as striker, either being a target man off crosses or making runs on his own behind the defense. Algeria has tried to press up the pitch for the most part, and it's had differing results. Against South Korea, it was effective -- but Russia was able to break down the pressure and then keep possession. Algeria showed the ability to attack in different ways through the three matches, whether on the counter, through set-pieces and crosses, or by building possession.</p><br /><p>I would expect Algeria to play this match much the same way they played against Belgium in the first group match. In that one, Algeria played at least 10 men behind the ball at all times, sitting back and absorbing pressure before trying to counterattack. Many of Germany's chances in the group stage came off of crosses, and it will likely be the same against Algeria's parked bus. Germany has to try and get an early goal, forcing Algeria to open up and push up the field. When Algeria did that against Belgium, the talented European players were able to counterattack and get more space. It could be the same against Germany.</p><br /><strong>More World Cup: <a href='http://www.cbssports.com/world-cup/scoreboard' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Scoreboard</a> | <a href='http://www.cbssports.com/world-cup/schedules' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Schedule</a> | <a href='http://www.cbssports.com/world-cup/bracket' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>World Cup Bracket</a> | <a href='http://www.cbssports.com/topic/303439/united-states-?tag_text=United%20States' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>U.S. Team news</a><br/> </strong> </div><br /></div><br /></div>

2014 FIFA World Cup: Germany survives Algeria in extra time, 2-1

Andre Schurrle scored the first goal for Germany in extra time. (Getty Images) MORE: Germany vs. Algeria MatchTracker | Latest News & Notes FINAL SCORE: Germany 2, Algeria 1It didn't go exactly as anticipated, but in the end, the expected winner came out on top.Heading into the match, it looked li…

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Hot News: 'The Leftovers' brings conventional morality back to cable

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_908w/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/style-blog/Images/TV-Warm_Weather_Viewing-0333d-016.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />'The Leftovers,' HBO's adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel about the people left behind when two percent of the world's population disappears on an otherwise ordinary Oct. 14, is easy to describe as bleak, overpowering and grief-stricken.<br/><br />But while those adjectives would not necessarily set 'The Leftovers' apart from the grim menu that cable television so often serves up, this drama, which premiered last night, struck me as original in another way. Unlike many other shows, which hold out ambiguity and flexibility as the highest marks of ethical sophistication, 'The Leftovers,' which comes to us from 'Lost' veteran Damon Lindelof, is a profoundly moral show, one in which doing right is valuable, but where the path to goodness is full of great pain and confusion.<br/><br />The very nature of the catastrophe in 'The Leftovers' is proportioned very differently from the shakeups in the show's cable-television peers. Rather than a zombie apocalypse or a savage continental war, the vanishing is utterly inexplicable. The means by which the two percent disappeared and the reason those people were taken while others were left behind - 'The pope, I get. But Gary f-ing Busey?' a bartender muses - remain a profound mystery.<br/><br />In a lesser show, such stakes might not register for an audience accustomed to series that wrench characters away from the implications of events, distracting them and us with the imperative to survive. But in 'The Leftovers,' there is nothing to distract the survivors, or us, from the absence of those 140 million gone. There are no battles to fight, palace intrigues to circumvent or serial killers to grapple with. There is only life, but with holes in it, hours once spent with other people that now need to be filled.<br/><br />'The Leftovers' also distinguishes itself in examining the solutions its characters find for that emptiness.<br/><br />In the absence of an end goal, the show does not fetishize manipulation or amorality. The one character who might be described that way, Holy Wayne (Paterson Joseph), a cult leader who claims to be able to release people's pain with hugs, is hardly the charismatic anti-hero he might have been on another program. He does not even really feel impressive. Instead, Wayne's eyes always seem open a little too wide. His taste for Asian teenage girls is described with disgust by law enforcement and viewed with some suspicion by Tom Garvey (Chris Zylka), one of Wayne's followers. When he embraces one of the girls, his eyes are on Tom, hungrier for the boy's reaction than the young woman's touch.<br/><br />Outside Wayne's compound, the characters stumble about, blinded by their pain. Tom's sister Jill (Margaret Qualley) has essentially moved her sour, sexy classmate Aimee (Emily Meade) into her family's home to take up the space formerly occupied by her mother, Laurie (Amy Brenneman), who has joined a cult called the Guilty Remnant. Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), Jill and Tom's father, is distracted by his job as the town sheriff, recurrent dreams about his own father's breakdown and a newcomer to town who has been shooting stray dogs.<br/><br />Jill's drift into effective parentlessness has the weight that in another show might be observed by a significant character's death, except that it isn't a shock and 'The Leftovers' does not move on from it.<br/><br />When she goes to a party at a friend's house in the pilot, the debauchery has a genuine moral and physical menace to it. The kids play a spin-the-bottle-style game with an iPhone, but with sex acts instead of kisses. When the spinner pairs up Aimee and Jill's crush for sex, Jill encourages Aimee to go ahead with it: the boy moves toward her with an unmistakably predatory intent. Jill's turn assigns her to choke one of her classmates while he masturbates. The camera focuses on her tearful face while they are in bed together. For once, HBO is not trying to get away with saying something serious about sex while also showing off an actress' body.<br/><br />All the characters have in 'The Leftovers' are little things. A preacher, Matt Jamison, tries to reassure himself that he was not left out of the Rapture by disparaging the dead. Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), who lost her whole family in the disappearance, humbles herself, wishing that she could relive a day when she and her husband and children were gravely ill, not even daring to hope that she could have their best day back. In a subsequent episode, Kevin finds himself worked up over a bagel that goes missing after he puts it into the toaster.<br/><br />And when, on the anniversary of the disappearance, members of the Guilty Remnant disrupt a commemoration, holding up signs that spell out 'Stop Wasting Your Breath,' the response is cruelly human-scale. A man puts down his sign and walks toward the cult members. A younger woman pushes an older woman holding up one of the signs. Another woman hits a cult member with a bottle. These people have no power beyond that supplied by their rage and grief, and no real weapons, but the damage they do to their neighbors cuts deeper than more grandiose displays of violence.<br/><br />'We are the living reminders,' reads a Guilty Remnant slogan painted above the sink in one of the cult's houses. 'The Leftovers' stands as testimony to how valuable it can be to focus on everyday things and everyday people.<br/><br />Post By http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/06/30/the-leftovers-brings-conventional-morality-back-to-cable/</div>

Hot News: 'The Leftovers' brings conventional morality back to cable

'The Leftovers,' HBO's adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel about the people left behind when two percent of the world's population disappears on an otherwise ordinary Oct. 14, is easy to describe as bleak, overpowering and grief-stricken.But while those adjectives would not necessarily set 'The Lefto…

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Hot News: Oilers pick up Teddy Purcell, Sam Gagner lands in Arizona

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.2691554.1404091534!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/purcell-teddy-140208.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Sam Gagner had heard his name in trade talk for quite some time, but even he couldn't have expected this.<br/><br />Gagner was traded twice Sunday, first from the Edmonton Oilers to Tampa Bay and then from the Lightning to the Arizona Coyotes. Edmonton got Teddy Purcell, the Lightning got a sixth-round pick and salary-cap space and the 24-year-old centre got to experience a 'roller-coaster of emotions.'<br/><br />'I was talking to my agent and he had said when Tampa traded for me that there might be something else going on,' Gagner said. 'So it was something I was prepared for.<br/><br />'I wasn't really expecting to be traded [again] today. But it's one of those things that happens in sports and I guess you've got to be ready for it at all times.'<br/><br />Trading Gagner, who has two years left on his contract at a cap hit of $4.8 million, now was important to Edmonton because his no-trade clause was set to kick in July 1. Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said he got a call from Oilers counterpart Craig MacTavish early Sunday, but by the time he called back to discuss Gagner there was already a verbal agreement with Lightning GM Steve Yzerman on a trade to Tampa Bay.<br/><br />By sending Purcell, a 28-year-old winger, to the Oilers, the Lightning shed themselves of his $4.5 million cap hit over the next two seasons. The St. John's, N.L., native has 228 points in 401 regular-season games and 18 in 22 playoff games.<br/><br />The Lightning were prepared to buy out Gagner's contract, but that plan was put on hold when Maloney expressed interest in the London, Ont., native whom the Coyotes coveted for some time, but saw his salary as a bit too rich for their blood. Still, they wanted to get something done.<br/><br />'[The Lightning] were trying to free up some cap space to do some other things, which, obviously, they did when they traded Teddy Purcell,' Maloney said on a conference call late Sunday night.<br/><br />'Basically, we hung up the phone, I said [to Yzerman], 'I'm going to have a beer, you go have a glass of wine and if you can come up with an idea, call me back.''<br/><br />Maloney and his staff came up with the idea of putting gritty winger B.J. Crombeen and his $1.15-million cap hit in the trade and it got done once Tampa Bay agreed to retain one-third of Gagner's salary and cap hit, which would have been the price had he been bought out.<br/><br />'Obviously, Edmonton got what they needed, what they wanted and a real talented player in Teddy Purcell,' Maloney said. 'Tampa received what they needed to free up a lot of cap space, they get a draft asset and we got what we wanted and we're searching for is a young, skilled centre-iceman in Sam Gagner and really a guy we've coveted for a while in B.J. Crombeen.'<br/><br />The Coyotes could have waited for Tuesday's start of the free-agent signing period to take a run at Gagner, but that wasn't a risk Maloney was willing to take.<br/><br />'That concerned me,' he said. 'As we're looking and exploring how we help our centre ice and what's happening right now, it scared me to death.'<br/><br />So the Coyotes paid a small price in the form of a sixth-rounder in next year's draft to make it happen and not worry about paying a free-agent premium or losing Gagner to another team.<br/><br />'It came together in a hurry,' Maloney said. 'I think there's three of us that feel pretty good about our day so far.'<br/><br />None of the three GMs involved in Gagner's moves Sunday are finished. MacTavish shipping Gagner out of Edmonton, though, was no small step forward in his retooling effort.<br/><br />Gagner, the sixth overall pick in 2007, seemed to be just outside the Oilers core, which includes Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. He has 295 points in 481 games, all with the Oilers, including 10 goals and 27 assists last season.<br/><br />That kind of production isn't something Gagner is proud of and is hoping for a bounce-back season. The setting for that will now be the Arizona desert.<br/><br />Edmonton moving on from Gagner wasn't terribly surprising to him, given the franchise's playoff drought that pre-dates his entering the NHL.<br/><br />'You have to expect things to happen when the team hasn't done well,' Gagner said on a conference call.<br/><br />'There's going to be change when things don't go well. I expected that, at some point, I might be part of it.'<br/><br />Drafting big German centre Leon Draisaitl third overall Friday night might have been enough to convince MacTavish it was time to move Gagner.<br/><br />'I think [Draisaitl] helps us fill a need, gives us an opportunity to have a strong centreman with some size that can play ahead of or behind the Nuge, whatever way it works, and we'll give him that opportunity,' Oilers director of amateur scouting Stu MacGregor said Saturday in Philadelphia, site of the NHL draft over the weekend. 'Offensive instincts and creativity'<br/><br />In Arizona, Gagner will get the opportunity to replace Mike Ribeiro, who was bought out of the final four seasons of his contract for what Maloney called 'behavioural issues.' Gagner should get power-play time and a chance to provide the hard-working, well-coached Coyotes with an offensive spark.<br/><br />'We got him for his offensive instincts and creativity,' Maloney said. 'Players can learn to play better defence. It's very difficult to learn to be more intelligent and more creative.'<br/><br />At 24, Gagner could still have room to grow. Maloney hopes he can become more than just a 40-to-50-point player along the way.<br/><br />That's what Gagner was with the Oilers, who did not make the playoffs in any of his seven NHL seasons. He would have liked things to work out in Edmonton but understood something had to give when they didn't.<br/><br />'We didn't have much success as a team and there's going to be a lot of changes that comes from that,' he said. 'It doesn't work out everywhere all the time.'<br/><br />It wasn't going to work out in Tampa, where the Lightning were manoeuvring for free agency with a series of moves Sunday. In addition to sending Purcell to Edmonton and Gagner and Crombeen to Arizona, they traded forward Nate Thompson and his $1.6-million cap hit to the Anaheim Ducks for fourth- and seventh-round picks in next year's draft.<br/><br />All told and including retaining a portion of Gagner's salary, Tampa Bay cleared $5.65 million in cap space. It's believed that Yzerman is looking for a right-handed-shooting defenceman and could also be targeting a winger to play alongside Steven Stamkos.<br/><br />That will have to wait until Tuesday when teams are able to sign free agents. By the time Sunday was over, three teams got to be satisfied with their respective hauls.<br/><br />'Obviously, Edmonton got what they needed, what they wanted and a real talented player in Teddy Purcell,' Maloney said. 'Tampa received what they needed to free up a lot of cap space, they get a draft asset and we got what we wanted and we're searching for is a young, skilled centre-iceman in Sam Gagner and really a guy we've coveted for a while in B.J. Crombeen.'<br/><br />Post By http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/oilers-pick-up-teddy-purcell-sam-gagner-lands-in-arizona-1.2691553</div>

Hot News: Oilers pick up Teddy Purcell, Sam Gagner lands in Arizona

Sam Gagner had heard his name in trade talk for quite some time, but even he couldn't have expected this.Gagner was traded twice Sunday, first from the Edmonton Oilers to Tampa Bay and then from the Lightning to the Arizona Coyotes. Edmonton got Teddy Purcell, the Lightning got a sixth-round pick an…

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Hot News: Your guide to Canada Day events: parades, music, food, fireworks

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://images.glaciermedia.ca/polopoly_fs/1.339798.1404125806!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_563/canada-day-fireworks-july-1-2013.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br /><strong>Canada Day celebration highlights</strong><br/><br />* Victoria Canada Day events at Victoria Inner Harbour. Mainstage performances by Jon and Roy, Charlotte Diamond and more from 12:15 p.m. Kids' Zone on Belleville Street; Living Flag, pick-up shirts at 12:30 p.m., photo at 1:30 p.m. Flavour of Canada, international food village on Belleville Street; Ska Fest Stage at Ship Point; 1-10 p.m. <strong>Fireworks at 10:20 p.m.</strong> More at victoriacanadaday.ca<br/><br />* Gorge Canada Day Picnic, a family event with music, entertainment, arts and crafts and food. Canada Day Family Parade, 9 a.m. near Gorge and Tillicum intersection, along Gorge Road, ending at Admirals Road. Pancake breakfast, 8:30 a.m.-11 a.m. at Craigflower-Kosapsom Park; Gorge on Art, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. along the Gorge Waterway; Strawberry Tea, 1:30-3 p.m. at Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club. More at gorgecanadaday.ca<br/><br />* Sidney Canada Day. Pancake breakfast at Mary Winspear Centre, 9 a.m.; parade starts 11 a.m. at Beacon Avenue and Resthaven; family fun at Iroquois Park, 12:30-4:30 p.m.; Slegg Lumber Build-A-Boat, noon-4:30 p.m. with boat race at 4:30 p.m. More at peninsulacelebrations.ca<br/><br />* Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site, Canada Day Celebration starting at 10 a.m. with live music and birthday cake. Free admission.<br/><br />* Canada Day in Sooke at Sooke River Campground. Opening ceremonies with Sooke Pipe and Drums and RCMP leading the parade, 1 p.m.; family entertainment with Magic by Murray Hatfield and Teresa at 2 p.m.; music on main stage from 4 p.m. and <strong>fireworks at 10:30 p.m.</strong> 2259 Phillips Rd., gates open at noon. More at canadadaysooke.ca<br/><br />* Royal B.C. Museum's Old-Time Penny Carnival, 12 to 3 p.m. on the grounds surrounding Helmcken House and St. Ann's Schoolhouse.<br/><br />* Victoria Vegan Fest!, 12 to 5 p.m. at Market Square. victoriaveganfest.com<br/><br />* Ross Bay Villa Canada Day Lawn Party and House Tours. Noon to 4 p.m., 1490 Fairfield Rd., Victoria. rossbayvilla.org<br/><br />* Canada Day at B.C. Forest Discovery Centre, ride the steam train, music and entertainment, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., flag ceremony at noon. 2892 Drinkwater Rd., Duncan.<br/><br />* Canada Day in Chemainus with free family events at Waterwheel Park, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.<br/><br />- - -<br/><br />Greater Victoria celebrates Canada Day with an impressive lineup of family-friendly events. The biggest is hosted by the City of Victoria and is sponsored by Coast Capital Savings around the Inner Harbour on Tuesday.<br/><br />Canada's 147th birthday will be celebrated with entertainment, children's programs, an international food village and capped off with fireworks.<br/><br />'We see Canada Day as a perfect opportunity to show our Canadian colours and, through the fabulous family events and cultural festivities taking place, to engage our youth in celebrating all things Canadian,' said Maureen Young, manager of community partnerships at the credit union.<br/><br />A main stage will be erected on the B.C. legislature lawns to showcase the mix of local and out-of-town musicians and dancers.<br/><br />Headlining this year will be Jon and Roy, a Victoria-based, three-piece folk rock and reggae band. They will be joined by a mix of local and B.C.-based musicians and dancers.<br/><br />As part of a commitment to bring bilingual entertainers to Victoria, organizers have engaged Montreal-based Oothéque, the solo project of Malajube drummer Francis Mineau, to play selections from his first album.<br/><br />The Kids' Zone will return to Belleville Street with interactive activities. Juno-Award-winning children's entertainer Charlotte Diamond will be on hand to get the kids dancing.<br/><br />People can don either a red or white T-shirt to be part of the Living Flag on the legislature lawn. A Flavour of Canada will return with an international food village while Ship Point will host family-oriented performances on the Ska Fest Stage, with Dope Soda as the headliner. Performers Brave New Waves, the New Groovement, Leg up Program and Whitey will entertain throughout the day.<br/><br />All the events are free.<br/><br />Entertainment begins on the main starge at 12:15 p.m. The Living Flag takes place at 1:30 p.m. (T-shirt pick up is at 12:30 p.m.). Details at victoriacanadaday.ca.<br/><br />The fireworks display will begin at 10:20 p.m.<br/><br />Community celebrations will also take place from Sooke to Sidney.<br/><br />One that has grown in the last 16 years is the Gorge Canada Day Picnic, along a scenic section of Gorge Road. It's hosted by the Gorge Tillicum Community Association.<br/><br />The day starts with a parade at 9 a.m., featuring bagpipes, a convoy of police cars, a fire truck and children with decorated bicycles. The parade ends at Admirals Road, where a pancake breakfast awaits participants until 11 a.m.<br/><br />People can shop at artisan stalls for handmade items, admire the artwork of professional and emerging visual artists, take in the sight of shiny classic and vintage cars or be entertained by buskers and neighbourhood musicians.<br/><br />Members of the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club will take people for a ride on the Gorge in a voyageur canoe while foodies will revel in the more than 20 multicultural food vendors offering langos, pizza, mini doughnuts and cotton candy.<br/><br />Past attendees will be sure to line up early for the Strawberry Tea. Set in the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club building, the tea features strawberries on cake served with a choice of tea, coffee or juice.<br/><br />Kids events run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with road hockey, facepainting and an inflatable castle. Musicians and performers will entertain on two stages from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.<br/><br />The Gorge Canada Day Picnic is free and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Gorge Road between Admirals and Tillicum roads. There is no parking and no vehicular traffic during the event. Details at gorgecanadaday.ca.<br/><br />© Copyright Times Colonist<br/><br />Post By http://www.timescolonist.com/your-guide-to-canada-day-events-parades-music-food-fireworks-1.1186825</div>

Hot News: Your guide to Canada Day events: parades, music, food, fireworks

Canada Day celebration highlights* Victoria Canada Day events at Victoria Inner Harbour. Mainstage performances by Jon and Roy, Charlotte Diamond and more from 12:15 p.m. Kids' Zone on Belleville Street; Living Flag, pick-up shirts at 12:30 p.m., photo at 1:30 p.m. Flavour of Canada, international f…

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Hot News: Gino Odjick, ex-Canucks enforcer, surprises fans at rally in his honour

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.2691459.1404079964!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/gino-odjick-greets-cheering-fans-outside-the-hospital.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Gino Odjick surprised and delighted hundreds of fans by making an appearance at the rally held in his honour outside Vancouver General Hospital Sunday.<br/><br />The Former Vancouver Canucks enforcer Gino Odjick has a rare terminal illness affecting his heart, and doctors say he may have as little as a few weeks to live.<br/><br />'I really appreciate you guys coming. It means a lot to me,' he told members of the crowd gathered near the front entrance to the hospital.<br/><br />'It's pretty amazing,' he said, as more fans, gathered across the street, cheered. 'I'm a little bit overwhelmed, and really touched.'<br/><br />The 43-year-old Odjick played from 1990-2002 in the NHL, including two years in Montreal and eight years in Vancouver.<br/><br />In a letter published Thursday on the Canucks' website, Odjick thanked fans for their support over the duration of his career.<br/><br />'Your 'Gino, Gino' cheers were my favourite. I wish I could hear them again. You have been amazing,' he wrote.<br/><br />In response, a number of fans organized an event through Facebook to make sure he hears his favourite chant one more time.<br/><br />Almost 500 people registered that they would meet outside Vancouver General Hospital Sunday at 1 p.m. PT and indeed, hundreds turned up, chanting 'Gino, Gino.'<br/><br /><br/><br />After hearing several rounds of the chants from a fourth-floor room, Odjick himself came down in a wheelchair to greet his supporters. Helped along by family and friends, he stood, waved, and thanked the crowd.<br/><br />He said it 'feels great' to hear his name being cheered again.<br/><br />'I wanted to say thank you. I can't stay too long, 'cause I got to get some medication and stuff, but I really appreciate you guys coming out,' Odjick said, before waving and sitting back down in his wheelchair. Rare, fatal diagnosis<br/><br />Experts say there's no-known cause or cure for the rare and fatal heart condition known as AL (Primary) amyloidosis, which is threatening Odjick's life.<br/><br />The 43-year-old was diagnosed with the disease two days after Pat Quinn was added to Rogers Arena's Ring of Honour in April, and he's been in hospital ever since.<br/><br />Dr. Saul Isserow, director of Sports Cardiology B.C., says the disease causes a gelatin-like protein to be deposited in the heart muscle, which affects the organ's ability to expand and contract.<br/><br />He says the disease is caused more by nature than nurture, and has nothing to do with the time somebody spends on the ice, although it's linked to underlying conditions such as multiple myeloma.<br/><br />Symptoms include heart failure, shortness of breath and fluid retention, often in the form of swelling in the legs. The condition typically culminates in sudden death due to a fatal heart arrhythmia.<br/><br />Isserow says the prognosis is very poor, with patients often living 12 to 18 months after diagnosis, and there is no known treatment or cure.<br/><br /><cite>With files from The Canadian Press</cite><br/><br />Post By http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/gino-odjick-ex-canucks-enforcer-surprises-fans-at-rally-in-his-honour-1.2691281</div>

Hot News: Gino Odjick, ex-Canucks enforcer, surprises fans at rally in his honour

Gino Odjick surprised and delighted hundreds of fans by making an appearance at the rally held in his honour outside Vancouver General Hospital Sunday.The Former Vancouver Canucks enforcer Gino Odjick has a rare terminal illness affecting his heart, and doctors say he may have as little as a few wee…

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Hot News: The Leftovers Recap: Love, Loss, Cults and Chaos

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://img2-1.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140512/justin-theroux-0-300.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />06/30/2014 at 07:00 AM EDT<br/><br />In a word: enrapturing.<br/><br />Premiering Sunday night, HBO's The Leftovers, about a small New York town in the aftermath of a global Rapture-like event that caused the sudden disappearance of two percent of the world's population, was possibly the most anticipated new show of the summer. While disturbing, the first episode did not disappoint.<br/><br />Reader warning: Plot spoilers ahead.<br/><br />The show opens with a frazzled young mother running errands with her crying baby. As she gets ready to pull out of the parking lot, the baby's wails stop, thanks to every mother's worst fear. The child's gone without a trace.<br/><br />Fast forward to three years later, and we meet Mapleton police chief Kevin Garvey ( Justin Theroux), who assumed the position after his dad, the former chief, apparently lost his marbles. While taking a run Garvey, finds a lost dog that he would have gladly returned were it not for the fact the animal was shot dead right in front of him by a mysterious stranger, who speeds off in a pickup truck.<br/><br />That's just the first of many Mapleton mysteries. In the years since the tragic disappearances, a local cult known as the Guilty Remnant has sprung up. Donning all white, the members follow a code of silence while chain-smoking and stalking locals.<br/><br />When two members of the GR repeatedly follow weary townswoman Meg (Liv Tyler) and her fiancé, she snaps and strikes one of them. But she can't fight her sadness. Meg later leaves her fiancé to join the cult.<br/><br />Garvey's daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley) and her friend, Aimee (Emily Meade), are the first bit of normalcy to hit the screen. Like all high-schoolers, they talk boys and parties, but there's a dark side. After a bully on her field hockey team purposely trips Jill, she responds with a move that breaks the girl's nose.<br/><br />Later, at a friend's party - or rather a drug-fueled orgy - Jill decides to leave after Aimee dips off with her crush. If she wasn't troubled enough for one day, she discovers the dead dog in her dad's trunk.<br/><br />Somewhere far away, her brother Tom Garvey (Chris Zylka) has dropped out of college, disillusioned by classmate suicides, and works for a mysterious clairvoyant-type named Wayne (Paterson Joseph). Tom's seemingly happy, has a crush on a girl at Wayne's compound, but he never answers his dad's calls. Peace Gives Way to Chaos<br/><br />Back on duty, chief Garvey tries to convince the town's mayor, Lucy Warburton (Amanda Warren), to cancel an inaugural parade to commemorate the fateful day. 'Everybody's ready to feel better,' she says. But fearing the Guilty Remnant will show and anger citizens, Chief Garvey warns her everyone's 'ready to f------ explode.'<br/><br />And he's right. The peaceful remembrance parade gives way to chaos when the Remnant show up in silent force.<br/><br />After breaking up the melee, Garvey goes to drown his sorrows at the local bar. In a moment of humor, the news flashes photos of famous disappearance victims, like the Pope and J. Lo.<br/><br />Liquor can't do the trick for Garvey, who heads to the home of the Remnant, where we learn his wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) is actually one of the cult's main flunkies who took a beating at the parade. 'Are you okay?' he asks, 'Please come home,' he begs.<br/><br />Despite Garvey's entire family surviving the event, they couldn't be further apart. Dogged by nightmares, flashbacks and some seriously spooky animal sightings, Garvey may soon be following in his dad's footsteps. When he learns the town's dogs have actually turned vicious, the episode closes with a tearful Garvey taking his pain out on a local pack.<br/><br />Post By http://www.people.com/article/the-leftovers-recap-hbo-justin-theroux-series-premiere</div>

Hot News: The Leftovers Recap: Love, Loss, Cults and Chaos

06/30/2014 at 07:00 AM EDTIn a word: enrapturing.Premiering Sunday night, HBO's The Leftovers, about a small New York town in the aftermath of a global Rapture-like event that caused the sudden disappearance of two percent of the world's population, was possibly the most anticipated new show of the …

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Hot News: 'La Liga's best' - goalkeeper Keylor Navas the hero as Costa Rica miracle ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://u.goal.com/93900/93900.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />PROFILE: The shot-stopper was a revelation at Levante in 2013-14 and is writing history with his national side as their incredible World Cup moves to the last eight<br/><br />What is he doing here? <strong>Goal</strong> named Costa Rica hero Keylor Navas in our Liga Team of the Season back in May, and it raised eyebrows among our readers, particularly given the brilliance of Atletico Madrid's Thibaut Courtois. But the hero of Sunday's thrilling shoot-out win over Greece in Recife was there on merit - and he has backed up his astounding performances for Levante by being one of the unlikely stars of this World Cup.<br/><br />Great goalkeepers from Central America don't exactly roll off the tongue, it's true, but Navas is an excellent exponent of his trade - a man who has bided his time to make a name for himself in La Liga and who has kept out some of the finest strikers in the world as part of Costa Rica's run to the quarter-finals. England and Italy couldn't get past him, while it took a spot-kick from Uruguay to deny him a perfect group-stage record.<br/><br />Against Greece, a 91st-minute goal took the match to extra-time, then penalties - and Navas came to the fore. With the score locked at 3-3, he threw himself high to his right to block Theofanis Gekas' kick. Umana slotted home the winner, and now Costa Rica are in dreamland, with a match against Netherlands for a semi-final slot.<br/><br />It's a story of patience. The 27-year-old started his career with all-conquering Costa Rican club Saprissa, winning a host of national titles and also the Concacaf Champions League, which saw him appear in the Fifa Club World Cup as well. Later, in 2009, he was named Best Goalkeeper in the Gold Cup. He earned a move to Albacete the following year, where he played in Spain's second and third tiers.<br/><br />Levante's scouts were watching, though, and signed Navas in 2011, initially on loan and then on a permanent transfer. The Costa Rican was forced to wait in the wings and spent his first two seasons as back-up to Gustavo Munua, only stepping up to the No. 1 position after the Uruguayan left to join Fiorentina last summer and subsequently returned to his homeland with Nacional.<br/><br />The wait was worthwhile. In 2013-14, Navas was in spectacular form for Levante and kept 15 clean sheets for the Valencia-based side in La Liga. Agile, athletic and boasting remarkable reflexes, he has caught the eye of a number of top teams this term, among them Atletico, who will likely need a new goalkeeper with Courtois set to return to Chelsea.<br/><br />'In key moments, Keylor Navas helped us,' his club boss Joaquin Caparros beamed recently. 'To beat quality opponents you have to be intense, show maximum efficiency and have a good goalkeeper.'<br/><br />They had one, and so do Costa Rica.<br/><br />Before the World Cup Spanish tennis player Pablo Andujar smashed balls at the Costa Rican with his racquet from the egde of the box on a visit to the club he has supported since childhood. Few found the net and the Davis Cup player could only watch in admiration at how his 160 kilometre-per-hour drives were repelled by the shot-stopper.<br/><br />'I play in a very competitive league and every Sunday I come up against some of the best players in the world, so I stopped being nervous about facing big-name players a long time ago,' Navas told Fifa in an interview published recently. 'I feel quite relaxed. For me it's a great challenge to play against the best.'<br/><br />With Navas in this form, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben had better watch out. He, and his team, are the story of the tournament so far, and it's not over yet.<br/><br /><strong>Follow Ben Hayward on</strong><br/><br />Post By http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3841/world-cup-2014/2014/06/30/4924667/la-ligas-best-goalkeeper-keylor-navas-the-hero-as-costa-rica</div>

Hot News: 'La Liga's best' - goalkeeper Keylor Navas the hero as Costa Rica miracle ...

PROFILE: The shot-stopper was a revelation at Levante in 2013-14 and is writing history with his national side as their incredible World Cup moves to the last eightWhat is he doing here? Goal named Costa Rica hero Keylor Navas in our Liga Team of the Season back in May, and it raised eyebrows among …

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Hot News: 'The Leftovers' recap: After a 'Sudden Departure,' things are grim

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_908w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/06/06/Style/Images/leftovers14.jpg&w=480" width="100%"/><br/><br />HBO's new series 'The Leftovers,' as you may have heard, is quite the bleak drama. The premiere picks up three years after 2 percent of the world's population 140 million people - evaporated into thin air for no rhyme or reason. The show begins to deftly illustrate the many ways the horrifying event affects the citizens of Mapleton, a small town in New York. In short, no one is doing very well.<br/><br />The disturbing opening scene (a brief flashback to the day it all happened, when certain people are just suddenly gone) makes it very clear: Even if you didn't personally know anyone who disappeared on Oct. 14, the day of the 'Sudden Departure,' the idea of such a freakish incident will really mess with your head. It could cause you to join a cult; start shooting random animals on the street; mix with the bad crowd at school; run through the streets naked because of a mental breakdown; or just develop a drinking problem. [Related: 'The Leftovers' review: A biblical event leaves a sorrowful mystery]<br/><br />The characters don't talk a lot about about the confusion surrounding the Sudden Departure, so the audience has to fill in the blanks. We get a lot of info thanks to televisions in the background of multiple scenes, all turned to cable news. For example, we learn that Congress tasked a committee to figure out exactly why everyone disappeared. Was it the rapture? Something scientific? A miracle? ('If it was a miracle, I'm fairly certain, sir, that God sat this one out,' one man says.) The official word from the committee: After years of research, they have absolutely no idea what happened. Congress is not pleased.<br/><br />Every talking head feels differently about the reasons behind Oct. 14. Some are certain it was something religious, while others believe it was simply a random incident. There's one thing for sure: No one knows why Gary Busey was involved. We see on a cable news special paying tribute to the celebrities who disappeared, which includes the pope, but also Busey. So maybe it wasn't the rapture after all?<br/><br />Anyway, Sunday's episode covered a lot of ground. Here's how the main characters are grappling with the Sudden Departure so far. <strong>Kevin Garvey</strong><br/><br />Kevin's the police chief, and he's got a lot of problems - not including his impressive abs, which he shows off in multiple scenes. First and foremost, his wife, Laurie, took off to join the Guilty Remnant, a creepy group that wears all white, smokes cigarettes all day and has taken a weird vow of silence. Their primary job seems to be stalking the citizens of Mapleton as constant reminders that even though things have sort of returned to normal three years later, no one should ever for a second forget about the horrible thing that happened. Though we don't know until the end of the episode that Laurie is Kevin's wife (he shows up, begging to talk to her, but gets in a fight with a guard and is turned away), we do know that he despises the G.R. and everything they stand for.<br/><br />Kevin's issues also extend to his kids. His daughter, Jill, is obviously traumatized by the loss of her mother to the Guilty Remnant. His son, Tom, has fallen in with a cult leader named Holy Wayne, who mysteriously heals depressed people. 'You're doing your best,' Jill's friend, Aimee, tells Kevin after the three share an awkward home-cooked meal. That doesn't entirely appear to be the case (as Kevin barely knows how to talk to his daughter anymore) but at least Aimee confirms that Kevin cooks a mean meatloaf.<br/><br />Meanwhile, Kevin spends the entire episode in a state of anger at the world, but more specifically at the mayor of the town, Lucy. She insists on throwing a parade for Heroes Day, which the government is calling the third anniversary of the disappearance to honor those who are gone. No one seems thrilled with the plan, as one man at the planning meeting objects to calling the people who disappeared 'heroes' - after all, his brother-in-law is gone, and he was a jerk.<br/><br />'They're heroes because no one's going to come to a parade on 'We Don't Know What the [Expletive] Happened Day,'' Lucy responds flatly.<br/><br />But Kevin thinks the parade is a bad idea mostly because he's sure the Guilty Remnant is going to show up and ruin everything. 'They're going to come tomorrow, and when they do, someone's going to get hurt,' he snarls. (They do; more on that later.) Kevin's warnings go ignored, though.<br/><br />Though his family and frustrating work situation might explain why he's constantly in such a horrible mood, we also get glimpses of a couple odd flashbacks. One is a naked man running through the woods that seems to be Kevin's father, the former police chief who apparently went crazy. Kevin also has multiple disturbing run-ins with animals (as The Post's Hank Stuever notes in his review, co-creator Damon Lindelof of 'Lost' is all about the animal metaphors). He encounters a wild dog, which is shot in the head by an angry gun-toting guy; later, he sees a deer that is ripped apart by a pack of dogs, and he has no choice but to start shooting at all of them. <strong>Laurie Garvey</strong><br/><br />No word yet on why Laurie abandoned her entire family to go live with the Guilty Remnant, but her life seems pretty grim. First, there's the all-white clothing thing, and the outfits always look dirty because people are always punching the G.R. members in the face and knocking them to the ground. Then, it seems that their entire days involve 'sustenance' (apparently a bucket of oatmeal or slop) and 'watching,' just following around members of the town while smoking and not saying a word.<br/><br />We can only guess that Laurie misses her family, judging by the look on her face when Kevin shows up to talk to her. But the G.R. house leader, Patti, holds up a piece of paper that says, 'You Are Not Welcome Here,' and underlines it for emphasis, so Kevin eventually takes off. Also, Laurie specifically asks to be assigned to the Heroes Day Parade, possibly for more of an excuse to see Kevin than what the G.R. decides to do at the parade. That's right, even though it's a day of mourning loved ones (the keynote speech is a woman whose entire family disappeared), the G.R. still has a message, holding up a sign of their own: 'You're Wasting Your Breath.' That leads to a massive fight that Kevin predicted, as the parade ends in chaos.<br/><br />Laurie doesn't get a lot of time on screen yet - probably because she can't talk - but her storyline is about to take a turn. A young bride-to-be, Meg, shows up at the G.R. compound in the last few minutes, asking if she can stay there for a few nights. Some of the G.R. had been following Meg and her fiance for days, and it looks like their stalking may have been a recruiting method. Patti assures Meg she can stay with the G.R. as long as she likes and that Laurie will take her under her wing.<br/><br />'Meg,' said Patti, who broke the vow of silence to welcome their new member. 'You and I won't speak again.' <strong>Jill Garvey</strong><br/><br />Kevin and Laurie's high school daughter is having a rough time of it, which makes sense, given that her mother left to join the cult and her dad has become an absentee parent. She's trying to halfheartedly go through the motions of teenage life: Pay attention in class, play field hockey, go to wild parties and play an iPhone spin-the-bottle game with options that include 'hug,' 'choke' and '[have sex with another person in the circle].'<br/><br />But none of those things are going great: She ditches class with her troublemaker friend, Aimee, to get high; she bashes in another girl's nose during field hockey practice; and she leaves the party when she's paired up with a random guy during the game. She runs into a pair of twin guys who seem like they could be her friends, and they all have a bonding moment when they discover a dead dog (the one Kevin shot and tried to return to its owner) in her dad's car at the party, and bury it together.<br/><br />Mostly, though, Jill just desperately seems to miss her mom. At one point, Kevin angrily punches a family photo that shows the four of them smiling in their younger days. Later on, Jill takes the picture and gingerly removes the glass, looking almost happy for the first time as she remembers being together as a family. It's actually pretty heartbreaking. <strong>Tom Garvey</strong><br/><br />The Garvey with the least amount of screen time (and who keeps screening his father's phone calls), Tom has dropped out of college (for an upsetting reason that we do not yet know) to join the cult of Holy Wayne, a guy who 'heals' people of their burdens. That includes Rep. Witten, a congressman played by Buddy Garrity from 'Friday Night Lights,' who has a lot of problems post-Departure and hopes Holy Wayne can help. After confiscating Witten's phone and receiving a thick envelope of cash, Tom blindfolds the congressman and takes him to Holy Wayne.<br/><br />While Witten and Wayne have their meeting, Tom heads out to the pool and starts chatting with Christine, a young girl who lives on the compound. Now, for those of us who have read the books, we know exactly what Christine is doing there and why, and wow, is it creepy. However, no spoilers here - all we see in the episode later on is Wayne meeting with Tom and threatening him to stay away from Christine.<br/><br />And while the Garveys are the center of 'The Leftovers' universe, there are lots of stories to tell about the citizens of Mapleton. We only get brief glimpses of some of them, including Matt, the guy distributing a newsletter with awful stories about the people who disappeared (trying to prove they weren't special), and Nora, the woman whose husband and two young children were taken away by the Sudden Departure. It's all a very weird, sad world, and we know it gets only more twisted from there.<br/><br />Post By http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/06/30/the-leftovers-recap-after-a-sudden-departure-things-are-grim/</div>

Hot News: 'The Leftovers' recap: After a 'Sudden Departure,' things are grim

HBO's new series 'The Leftovers,' as you may have heard, is quite the bleak drama. The premiere picks up three years after 2 percent of the world's population 140 million people - evaporated into thin air for no rhyme or reason. The show begins to deftly illustrate the many ways the horrifying event…

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Hot News: Terminally ill former Canucks enforcer Gino Odjick met by gathering of ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://wpmedia.sports.nationalpost.com/2014/06/hkn_odjick_condition_20140629-2.jpg?w=410&h=440" width="100%"/><br/><br />VANCOUVER - A former Vancouver Canuck diagnosed with a terminal illness received a heartfelt and vocal show of support from dozens of people on Sunday.<br/><br />They held a rally for Gino Odjick outside the Vancouver hospital where the former NHL enforcer is being treated.<br/><br />Odjick has been diagnosed with a rare condition that interferes with the heart's ability to expand and contract and he said last week doctors told him he may only have weeks to live.<br/><br />The crowd repeatedly chanted Odjick's first name as cars passed by honking their support.<br/><br />'Gino chants are pretty much for all the hard work and blood, sweat and tears he put on the ice,' said Joey Odjick, Odjick's son.<br/><br />'It's very touching,' said the younger Odjick. 'It definitely lifts up his spirits and shows him everyone still cares for him.'<br/><br />'He's always been a player who stood up for his teammates - if anybody took a run at any of the players, Gino was there,' Odjick's son said.<br/><br />Many of those at the rally were from Canada's First Nations community and they said Odjick, who is aboriginal himself, gave them something to aspire to.<br/><br />Priscilla Williams said she met Odjick when he once visited the reserve she lived on and was impressed by his down-to-earth personality.<br/><br />Stanley Jones said those from First Nations were looked down upon when he was growing up, but Odjick's success in the NHL gave him something to be proud of.<br/><br />'He was one of us,' said Jones. 'He showed us what a person with heart and dedication can do no matter insurmountable odds.'<br/><br />'The man's done a lot to make me feel better about being First Nations,' he said.<br/><br />During Sunday's rally, Odjick came to the hospital's entrance in a wheelchair to thank his fans, and was greeted by a roar of cheers.<br/><br />Odjick, 43, played in the NHL from 1990 to 2002, including eight years in Vancouver and two in Montreal.<br/><br />Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/06/29/terminally-ill-former-canucks-enforcer-gino-odjick-met-by-gathering-of-supporters-at-vancouver-hospital/</div>

Hot News: Terminally ill former Canucks enforcer Gino Odjick met by gathering of ...

VANCOUVER - A former Vancouver Canuck diagnosed with a terminal illness received a heartfelt and vocal show of support from dozens of people on Sunday.They held a rally for Gino Odjick outside the Vancouver hospital where the former NHL enforcer is being treated.Odjick has been diagnosed with a rare…

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Hot News: Brazil's Neymar steps up against Chile to keep World Cup dream alive

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2014/6/28/1403990440777/Brazils-forward-Neymar-re-009.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />Neymar buries his head in the turf as Brazil beat a distraught Chile team on penalties in the World Cup second round. Photograph: Gustavo Andrade/AFP/Getty Images<br/><br />Oh, Brazil. The hosts are into the quarter-finals of their World Cup of World Cups after beating Chile on penalties at the end of a thrilling, gruelling 1-1 draw in Belo Horizonte. Brazil went to the well one more time here, trusting that this muscular team garnished with a single brilliantly creative No10 would have enough teeth to gouge their way through into the last eight. In the event it took the blind emotional inspiration of a penalty shootout, although even then Neymar managed to take a scene‑stealing supporting role to the star man Júlio César, who saved two of Chile's penalties.<br/><br />As the Estádio Mineirão erupted in a rolling roar of relief and joy after Gonzalo Jara's decisive missed kick, Neymar collapsed and lay face down in the centre circle. It is to be hoped when Fifa finally settles its eight-team guest list for the World Cup quarter-finals they remember to add the now-standard 'plus 10' to Neymar's invite.<br/><br />If Brazil's limitations were exposed by an impressive Chile team, they were at least familiar ones. Indeed these limitations have been evident through the group stage and were clear in the opening half of the opening match of this World Cup. In a sense Brazil have only one problem: they have only one Neymar. If Neymar takes a breath, as he did here after a fine first half, who steps up to make this team play? The question is yet to be answered.<br/><br />To his credit, faced with yet another biggest game of his adolescent career, Neymar was sublime in the first half in Belo Horizonte and for a while Brazil's chief creative sprite looked capable of driving them to victory again, like some unflappable junior airline pilot landing a rickety jumbo in a cornfield. Wherever Brazil's seleçao finally come grinding to a halt at this tournament, Neymar has been an unreserved success already: not just because of his regular decisive contributions but because they have arrived under such multilayered pressure, both tactical - he is Brazil's only Neymar - and in the broader scheme of this World Cup.<br/><br />Clearly Neymar is that rare thing, a human being able to function with unblinking focus, without snags or corners or doubts, while allowing the world's scrutiny to simply wash over him. This balls-of-steel resilience was there right at the end as he stepped up to take what became Brazil's final penalty, with Chile level in the shootout. As the ghosts of Roberto Baggio, Zico and the rest circled about him, Neymar produced - this kid - another trademark Brazilian paradinha penalty, stuttering, jinking and then slotting into the corner.<br/><br />Endings aside, what a match this was, a whirl of attacking intent and reckless midfield energy. Were Chile playing brilliantly, or slightly wildly, you wondered at times? They are a team that can veer from one to the other without warning, although as the game slid into its last 20 minutes of normal time they seemed to have worn Brazil down decisively in a horribly anxious Estádio Mineirão.<br/><br />Brazil fans celebrate dramatic win over Chile - video<br/><br />By that stage, and indeed from around the hour mark, Neymar had faded a little into the fringes, as he always had to at some stage. A single brilliant footballer is a still a single footballer, and in Chile Brazil faced a team set up to close down the space in which Neymar likes to work. On the eve of the match Jorge Sampaoli had warned that his players would follow Neymar wherever he went on the pitch. How would he respond? It is a familiar question at this World Cup, to which the answer has been reassuringly the same throughout.<br/><br />Before kick-off the Mineirão's low slung concrete bowl was coloured yellow for this occasion, with a collage of Chilean red squares daubed around its bulging tiers. From the start Neymar slotted straight into the central No10 position that has been his less favoured lot here, although his first involvement after four minutes saw him sandwiched to the floor in midfield, Gary Medel leaning in and dropping him with a high-speed judo-style fall. Brazil drew breath as Neymar left the pitch, had his knee sprayed and returned, hobbling, to the action.<br/><br />Fernandinho had been billed before kick off as a universal panacea for pretty much every problem in this juddering Brazil team. With him restored to the team, the view was that the full-backs could push forward unhindered. The link between midfield and attack would be restored. Here was something new: the magic bullet midfielder. In the event, Fernandinho harried throughout his hour on the pitch and he did play closer to the attack, looking on after 10 minutes as Neymar crafted one of those lovely, round-the-corner flicks, angling his foot to play in Hulk who fell in the area with the chasing Chile defender seeming to catch his foot.<br/><br />When Neymar plays Brazil play, and Neymar had begun to play. It was from his corner Brazil scored, Thiago Silva flicking on and a combination of David Luiz's knee and, finally, a lunge by Jara putting the ball in the net.<br/><br />Chile fans lament late loss to Brazil - video<br/><br />By now the Mineirão was in a state of uproar as Neymar took Hulk's fine chest touch and simply ran past Francisco Silva, the Chilean doing a decent impression of a man running the wrong way along an airport travelator, but his left-foot shot was scuffed. Moments later Neymar was bullied again, this time by Arturo Vidal, who body-slammed him into a full somersault. Some mitigation for Vidal here: Neymar is made of feathers and weighs less than a shuttlecock. But he was taking something of a beating in a concussive game.<br/><br />After the excellent Alexis Sánchez had equalised for Chile, again it was Neymar rousing a suddenly fretful stadium, turning to the crowd in a plea for more noise, more energy, a cranking on the Neymar-throttle. From a careful start he had emerged as the dominant player of the half, familiarly relentless, and also at times showing that brilliantly subtle gift for playing a delayed pass to take an opponent out of the game, like a rugby league off-load in the tackle. If only Brazil had two of him. Or even, frankly, one and a half.<br/><br />Hulk had some good moments but at times alongside him Neymar looks like a precocious little Premier League football scholar moonlighting up front for a Sunday league team. And as he faded in the second half so too did Brazil, although not before Hulk had put the ball in the net only to see the goal disallowed harshly for handball. From the most favourable angle Howard Webb could argue a biceps was involved, but penalties at least saved us from the worst of another gruelling refereeing storm.<br/><br />After which, Jô missed a sitter in front of goal and Brazil's midfield was out-passed at times before a late rally with Chile's players out on their feet. Brazil will contemplate a quarter-final in Fortaleza with a huge sense of relief but also concern. Neymar-dependence is nothing new. He is a fine player and it is only natural Brazil depend on him. But with Oscar less impressive than he has been, Neymar resembled at times a hopeful dash of flair tacked on to a knot of obstructive muscle, like a silk hat on a nightclub bouncer.<br/><br />For all that, this is not the moment to ponder too deeply the reasons for Brazil's failure to bloom a supporting class of creative talents, but rather to applaud once again the alluring sense of steel in Brazil's lone, feather-footed attacking star.<br/><br />Post By http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jun/28/brazil-neymar-chile-world-cup-dream</div>

Hot News: Brazil's Neymar steps up against Chile to keep World Cup dream alive

Neymar buries his head in the turf as Brazil beat a distraught Chile team on penalties in the World Cup second round. Photograph: Gustavo Andrade/AFP/Getty ImagesOh, Brazil. The hosts are into the quarter-finals of their World Cup of World Cups after beating Chile on penalties at the end of a thrill…

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Hot News: World Cup: Brazil reach quarter-finals after penalty shootout win over Chile

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://e1.365dm.com/14/06/660x350/football-2014-fifa-world-cup-fifa-world-cup-2014-world-cup-fifa-world-cup-brazil_3165142.jpg?20140628200750" width="100%"/><br/><br />Brazil: Celebrate their victory over Chile on penalties<br/><br />Brazil needed a penalty shoot-out to book their place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Chile in Belo Horizonte.<br/><br />David Luiz claimed Brazil's opener in the last-16 encounter after 18 minutes, but replays suggested that the final touch may have come from Gonzalo Jara after Thiago Silva flicked an inviting corner from Neymar towards the back post.<br/><br />Neymar then dragged an effort wide after racing through on goal, but Chile found themselves level shortly after the half-hour mark as Alexis Sanchez capitalised on a lack of communication in the Brazil defence, firing beyond Julio Cesar and into the bottom corner.<br/><br />Hulk had the ball in the back of the net and thought he had put Brazil ahead again shortly after the break, but those celebrations were short lived as English referee Howard Webb chalked off the goal for a perceived handball offence as the striker brought it under control.<br/><br />David Luiz: Claimed opening goal<br/><br />Chile came close to taking the lead through Charles Aranguiz as he was denied by a superb Cesar stop after Mauricio Isla's cutback, while Claudio Bravo thwarted Hulk with a fine save from inside the area as the game headed into extra-time.<br/><br />Substitute Mauricio Pinilla almost stunned the hosts when he rattled the bar in the closing minutes of extra-time before Ramires fired wide for Brazil as the game headed to spot-kicks.<br/><br />The shootout was tied at 2-2 after four penalties each, but Neymar dispatched his effort before Jara hit the post to send Brazil through to a clash with Colombia in Fortaleza on Friday.<br/><br />The win keeps Brazil's dreams alive of winning a World Cup on home soil - and their record of not losing a competitive match at home since 1975.<br/><br />It was Neymar who was the man at the centre of most of the action for Brazil in the first half, although Marcelo shone first with a skilful turn on the edge of the box that fooled his marker and earned the Real Madrid full-back space to send a low shot just a yard past the post.<br/><br />Sanchez wheels away after equalising<br/><br />Chile looked threatening on the break but Brazil dominated possession and took the lead in the 18th minute - claimed by Luiz, though probably an own goal.<br/><br />Neymar's corner was headed on by Thiago Silva and it initially looked as though former Chelsea defender Luiz finished at the far post, but replays appeared to show it went in off Jara.<br/><br />That should have been the signal for Brazil to assume total control but instead, Chile pounced on a sloppy mistake to equalise in the 32nd minute.<br/><br />Hulk messed up a return to Marcelo's throw-in by their own touchline, Eduardo Vargas snapped up the ball and found Sanchez who neatly slotted home his second goal of the tournament.<br/><br />Neymar continued to look Brazil's biggest hope and his header from Oscar's cross bounced off a defender's arm which diverted the angle just enough to take it past the post.<br/><br />Hulk cannot believe his goal did not stand<br/><br />Oscar found his range and his brilliant cross-field pass found Neymar again threatening but he dallied, Chile scrambled the ball clear - and it ricocheted off Fred, and just over the bar.<br/><br />A dipping strike from distance by Dani Alves was turned over by Bravo, before Brazil's out-of-form striker Fred made perhaps the most embarrassing miss of the World Cup so far, mishitting the ball hopelessly just before the break.<br/><br />But Brazil always looked vulnerable and another error, by Luiz Gustavo this time, saw Sanchez threaten again only for Luiz to hurl himself in to block for a corner.<br/><br />Then came the controversy. Brazil believed they had gone in front after Marcelo's long ball was brought down by Hulk, who then sliced a shot into the bottom corner - but Webb said the striker controlled the ball with his upper arm. It was a controversial decision and to rub salt in the wound, Webb booked Hulk.<br/><br />Brazil celebrate at full-time<br/><br />Chile then began to assume an air of superiority while Brazil looked worried, and were grateful for a wonderful save by Cesar to turn aside what looked a certain goal for the excellent Aranguiz.<br/><br />Former Manchester City striker Jo came on for Fred and looked destined to score straight away but somehow missed, then Neymar's flicked header was straight at Bravo.<br/><br />The Chile keeper stood up strong again after brilliant work by Hulk, but it was Brazil who were relieved to take the game to extra time.<br/><br />Oscar had a half-chance with a header, Bravo kept out Hulk but it was Chile who nearly snatched it at the death as Pinilla's blistering strike crashed back off the crossbar.<br/><br />David Luiz opened the shootout by scoring confidently past Bravo, with Cesar then saving Pinilla's effort with his legs. Willian dragged his low spot-kick wide, but Cesar saved again, this time diving to his right to deny Sanchez.<br/><br />Marcelo converted despite Bravo getting a hand to his effort, and Aranguiz emphatically dispatched Chile's third into the top corner. Hulk's penalty was then beaten away by Bravo, allowing Marcelo Diaz to plant his down the middle and level the shootout.<br/><br />Neymar's tricky run-up fooled Bravo and opened up the goal for him to score, then came Jara's moment - a shot that rebounded off the inside of Cesar's left-hand post and flew across the face of goal and out, sending Brazil through to face Colombia in the last eight. <strong>Sky customers with Sky Sports can register now and receive Sky Sports 5 as part of their sports package, at no extra cost, and as a further bonus they can also get two years' free Sky Broadband Unlimited worth £7.50 a month. Activate our brand new channel.</strong><br/><br />Post By http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/316177/report</div>

Hot News: World Cup: Brazil reach quarter-finals after penalty shootout win over Chile

Brazil: Celebrate their victory over Chile on penaltiesBrazil needed a penalty shoot-out to book their place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Chile in Belo Horizonte.David Luiz claimed Brazil's opener in the last-16 encounter after 18 minutes, but replays suggested that t…

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Hot News: Colombia's 'special' James Rodríguez hailed by Uruguay's Óscar Tabárez

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/29/1403998983883/-scar-Tab-rez-009.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />The Uruguay head coach, Óscar Tabárez, insisted that Luis Suárez's ban was not a distraction in the 2-0 defeat to Colombia. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images<br/><br />Óscar Tabárez said his Uruguay side had been beaten by the best player at the World Cup after James Rodríguez's goals took Colombia through to the quarter-finals for the first time. On a night expected to be dominated by talk of the absent Luis Suárez, it was the 22-year-old Monaco player who demanded attention. Tabárez bracketed him with Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Suárez in terms of talent.<br/><br />Tabárez said: 'They do things because they have certain gifts that make them special. I believe from what I've seen he's the best player in the World Cup. I'm not exaggerating. We tried to limit him a lot today but he kept coming and made his presence felt. Hopefully he will continue to move on because he's very young and football needs players with these characteristics.'<br/><br />Rodríguez, after taking his tally to five goals in four games, the first a stunning volley that is a contender for the goal of the tournament, said their quarter-final against the hosts Brazil would be a 'beautiful match'. 'We're very happy because we're making history. As a younger man I always wanted to be here. It is a dream. We want to do even more because this is a team that wants to win a lot.'<br/><br />The triumphant Colombia coach, José Pékerman, said Rodríguez was an 'extraordinary talent' but also paid tribute to his team-mates. 'What is amazing is that he has no problem in taking responsibility. Football forces you to deal with a lot of situations and we are faced with a player who has the technical ability to be a top player at a world level.'<br/><br />Tabárez admitted that Uruguay had missed Suárez, banned for four months and nine international matches after biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini, but denied the saga had been a distraction. 'Among the things we discussed before the match, we all knew about what happened but we had to stop thinking about it,' said Tabárez, who confirmed he was in talks over a new contract. 'We said we should only bring out the positive things that could come out of this situation.'<br/><br />Post By http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/29/colombia-james-rodriguez-uruguay-oscar-tabarez</div>

Hot News: Colombia's 'special' James Rodríguez hailed by Uruguay's Óscar Tabárez

The Uruguay head coach, Óscar Tabárez, insisted that Luis Suárez's ban was not a distraction in the 2-0 defeat to Colombia. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action ImagesÓscar Tabárez said his Uruguay side had been beaten by the best player at the World Cup after James Rodríguez's goals took Colombia through t…

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Hot News: Colombia's James Rodriguez Scores Stunning World Cup Goal Against Uruguay ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?m=1322061781g" width="100%"/><br/><br />Colombia has been one of the best teams at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and James Rodriguez's stellar performance is a major reason for that success.<br/><br />The 22-year-old midfielder scored a sensational goal off a volley in the first half of Saturday's Round of 16 game against Uruguay to give his team a first-half lead.<br/><br />Check it out in the GIF below, courtesy of @MyRegularFace.<br/><br />Rodriguez also single-handedly led his country to a 2-0 victory with this goal in the 50th minute:<br/><br /><< Previous Article Next Article >> Brazil-Chile 2014 World Cup Live:...<br/><br />Post By http://nesn.com/2014/06/gif-colombias-james-rodriguez-scores-stunning-world-cup-goal-vs-uruguay/</div>

Hot News: Colombia's James Rodriguez Scores Stunning World Cup Goal Against Uruguay ...

Colombia has been one of the best teams at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and James Rodriguez's stellar performance is a major reason for that success.The 22-year-old midfielder scored a sensational goal off a volley in the first half of Saturday's Round of 16 game against Uruguay to give his team a first…

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Hot News: Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, Milos Raonic advance to fourth round at ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://wpmedia.sports.nationalpost.com/2014/06/451382500.jpg?w=620&h=413" width="100%"/><br/><br />LONDON - Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic set records on Saturday as they became the fourth and fifth Canadians respectively to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam after straight-set wins at Wimbledon.<br/><br />Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive third-round victories to join Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1986), Patricia Hy-Boulais (1996-97) and Daniel Nestor (1999) as Canadians who made it into the second week of a major.<br/><br />Bouchard, semifinalist in Melbourne and Paris already this season, posted a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of German Andrea Petkovic.<br/><br />Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., joined Bouchard in Wimbledon's second week by beating Poland's Lukasz Kubot in the third round 7-6 (2), 7-6(4), 6-2. He fired over 30 aces and 50 winners, breaking twice with just six unforced errors on the way to victory.<br/><br />'I was able to be dominant on my serve, I only lost nine points on it,' said Raonic. 'This definitely makes my life a lot easier and puts pressure on him.<br/><br />'But at the same time, I didn't really have my opportunities. I played a few good points in tiebreaks and he was able to of hold on.'<br/><br />Raonic has won three straight Wimbledon grass matches for the first time, after doing the same at Halle, Germany in 2011 and 2012.<br/><br />'I'm starting from very low comfort level on grass but now I'm feeling pretty comfortable,' said Raonic. 'I've made pretty significant progress on this surface this year.'<br/><br />The 13th-seeded Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., started her match in the early afternoon but found herself in the locker-room for nearly five hours after 15 minutes of play as rain wrecked the schedule.<br/><br />But the weather cleared up in the early evening with Bouchard and Petkovic returning to the court with the Canadian leading 2-1.<br/><br />Bouchard picked up where she left off, putting the pressure on a player who had defeated her in three previous meetings including the Rogers Cup in Toronto three years ago.<br/><br />She took victory on her third match point when Petkovic hit the net with a return.<br/><br />Bouchard produced 30 winners and 14 unforced errors, breaking five time in the match lasting less than 90 minutes.<br/><br />She next plays France's Alzie Cornet, who beat top seed and five-time champion Serena Williams for the second time this season, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a stunning upset. Cornet won their previous meeting on clay at Strasbourg last year.<br/><br />'I played well, even though it was straight sets it was a battle,' said Bouchard. 'It was tough with the lone rain delay, but it was the same for both girls<br/><br />'I'm happy I was able to close it out with any serve, being aggressive and taking the ball early. During the rain delay I tried to conserve energy - I wanted to give it all on the court.<br/><br />Bouchard said she didn't actually mind the wait.<br/><br />'Rain is part of the Wimbledon expedience,' she said with a laugh. 'We've been lucky so far, you have to have some rain at Wimbledon.'<br/><br />Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/06/28/canadas-eugenie-bouchard-milos-raonic-advance-to-fourth-round-at-wimbledon-2014/</div>

Hot News: Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, Milos Raonic advance to fourth round at ...

LONDON - Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic set records on Saturday as they became the fourth and fifth Canadians respectively to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam after straight-set wins at Wimbledon.Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive …

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Hot News: Bobby Womack dies aged 70

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://www.nme.com/images/gallery/2014BobbyWomack_Getty450636406_270614.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />The cause of death is currently unknown<br/><br />The soul singer Bobby Womack has died aged 70, according to reports.<br/><br />Rumours of Womack's death had been circulating for a week on the internet but had been ruled out as a hoax. Now, Rolling Stone reports that a representative for Womack's label XL Recordings has confirmed the singer's death. The cause of death is currently unknown.<br/><br />Known for hits including 1972's 'Across 110th Street', Womack's career spanned seven decades. He released his first single in 1954. Womack enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, appearing on Gorillaz track 'Stylo' from the band's third album, 'Plastic Beach'. This association with Damon Albarn led to him producing Womack's 2012 album 'The Bravest Man In The Universe', which was released by XL. He appeared at Glastonbury Festival in 2013.<br/><br />Womack's health had suffered in recent years; he'd been treated for colon cancer and in 2013 told fans he had 'signs of Alzheimer's'. In spite of this, he had reportedly been working with Snoop Dogg and Stevie Wonder on new material.<br/><br />Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers has tweeted about his 'long time friend'. He wrote: 'I am sad to hear of the passing of my long time friend Bobby Womack. He was a special person with a special talent. I will truly miss him.'<br/><br />I am sad to hear of the passing of my long time friend Bobby Womack. He was a special person with a special talent. I will truly miss him.&mdash; Ronald Isley (@TheRealRonIsley) June 27, 2014<br/><br />Post By http://www.nme.com/news/bobby-womack/78176</div>

Hot News: Bobby Womack dies aged 70

The cause of death is currently unknownThe soul singer Bobby Womack has died aged 70, according to reports.Rumours of Womack's death had been circulating for a week on the internet but had been ruled out as a hoax. Now, Rolling Stone reports that a representative for Womack's label XL Recordings has…

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Hot News: Colombia-Uruguay World Cup 2014 Live: James Rodriguez Scores Sensational ...

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?m=1322061781g" width="100%"/><br/><br /><strong>3:30 p.m. ET</strong>: The Round of 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup continues Saturday, when Uruguay takes on Colombia at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.<br/><br />Colombia finished first in Group C after winning all three of its games.<br/><br />Uruguay qualified for the knockout rounds by finishing second in Group D.<br/><br />Colombia is hoping its high-octane attack can overpower Uruguay's suffocating defense. Colombia depends upon the likes of James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado to create chances, while Jackson Martinez is expected to finish them.<br/><br />Uruguay will be without star striker Luis Suarez, who is suspended for the rest of the World Cup. Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan must fill the void if Uruguay's World Cup adventure is to continue.<br/><br />The game kicks off at 4 p.m. Stay right here for all the action.<br/><br />Next Article >> Brazil-Chile 2014 World Cup Live:...<br/><br />Post By http://nesn.com/2014/06/colombia-uruguay-world-cup-2014-live-scores-highlights-analysis/</div>

Hot News: Colombia-Uruguay World Cup 2014 Live: James Rodriguez Scores Sensational ...

3:30 p.m. ET: The Round of 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup continues Saturday, when Uruguay takes on Colombia at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.Colombia finished first in Group C after winning all three of its games.Uruguay qualified for the knockout rounds by finishing second in Group D.Co…

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Hot News: Bobby Womack, Legendary Soul Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 70

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140714/bobby-womack-600.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br />06/28/2014 at 09:20 AM EDT<br/><br />Bobby Womack, a colorful and revered R&B singer-songwriter who influenced artists from the Rolling Stones to Damon Albarn, has died. He was 70.<br/><br />Womack's publicist Sonya Kolowrat said Friday that the singer had died, but she could provide no other details.<br/><br />With an incomparable voice few could match, Womack was a stirring singer and guitarist in his own right and a powerful songwriter whose hits like 'Across 110th Street,' ''If You Think You're Lonely Now' and 'I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much' captured the imagination of future stars in rock 'n' roll and R&B.<br/><br />'He had a style that nobody else could ever capture,' longtime friend, gospel singer Candi Staton, said in a statement. 'I loved him and I will miss him so, so very much.'<br/><br />In a statement, musician Peter Gabriel said: 'I'm very sad to learn of Bobby Womack's death ... His songs and his voice have been so much a part of the fabric of so many musical lives. In recent years, it was great to see Richard Russell and Damon Albarn bringing his music back into our attention. He was a soul legend. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this time.'<br/><br />Womack's death comes as something of a surprise. Though he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease two years ago and overcame addiction and multiple health issues, including prostate and colon cancer, recently he seemed in good health and spirits when he performed earlier this month at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.<br/><br />He told the BBC in 2013 the Alzheimer's diagnosis came after he began having difficulty remembering his songs and the names of people he had worked with.<br/><br />And there have been many. The soul singer cut a wide path through the music business as a performer and songwriter in a career that spanned seven decades. Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, long after he'd lost his fortune and his career to addiction.<br/><br />He spoke of kicking his substance abuse problems in a 2012 interview with the Associated Press and all the friends he'd lost to drugs over the years.<br/><br />'I think the biggest move for me was to get away from the drug scene,' Womack said. 'It wasn't easy. It was hard because everybody I knew did drugs. ... They didn't know when to turn it off. So for me looking at Wilson Pickett, close friends of mine, Sly Stone, Jim Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and I can go on and on and on, and I say all of them died because of drugs.' A Gospel Influence<br/><br />According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website, Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and sang gospel music at a young age, performing with his brothers in The Womack Brothers. Under the influence of gospel and R&B legend Sam Cooke, who signed the group to his personal label, Womack moved into secular music. In the early 1960s, his group recorded 'It's All Over Now,' which was covered by the Stones and became the band's first No. 1 hit.<br/><br />His songs have been recorded by multiple artists, and he played as a session musician in Memphis in the 1960s.<br/><br />Albarn and XL Recordings president Richard Russell helped Womack regain his career with the 2012 comeback album The Bravest Man in the Universe. The album was a departure for Womack, full of electronic music and beats. But it was lauded by critics for a simple reason: That distinctive voice of his still brought chills.<br/><br />'I don't think he ever really thought that he would do anything again,' Albarn said of Womack in March. 'Watching his rehabilitation and watching his ability to confront new material and new challenges was nothing short of miraculous at the time, and he still today continues to battle his demons and his illness. But he's a beautiful person, and when he opens his mouth and that voice comes out, it is something that is somehow touched by God.'<br/><br />Post By http://www.people.com/article/bobby-womack-soul-singer-songwriter-dies</div>

Hot News: Bobby Womack, Legendary Soul Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 70

06/28/2014 at 09:20 AM EDTBobby Womack, a colorful and revered R&B singer-songwriter who influenced artists from the Rolling Stones to Damon Albarn, has died. He was 70.Womack's publicist Sonya Kolowrat said Friday that the singer had died, but she could provide no other details.With an incomparable…

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Hot News: Bobby Womack interview: 'People can feel what I'm saying in their heart'

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img height="300" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02615/bobby_womack_hand_2615325c.jpg" width="100%"/><br/><br /><br/><br />'You OK?', says Mr Fullen, finger pressed to his own throat, for Womack has his voice, that precious, fragile instrument, to protect.<br/><br />'Ah'm cool ...' Womack is in the midst of a remarkable renaissance. His album, <strong>The Bravest Man In The Universe</strong>, produced by Damon Albarn and Richard Russell and released last year, has been his greatest commercial success in America since the 1980s, and his greatest commercial success in the UK ever. One might almost call it a resurrection, for shortly after the album's completion Womack entered a long period of multiple hospitalisations, for cancer of the colon and pneumonia, going into a coma which left his doctors fearing that he would die.<br/><br />Miraculously, he is back on the road. Three weeks ago he was <strong>on stage at Glastonbury</strong>, this weekend he performs at Latitude.<br/><br />Life is strange,' he muses. 'I know it's strange, because I ask the question, why am I still here? I've been as crazy as anybody could have been; what particular reason do you lose the Marvin Gayes and the Sam Cookes, the Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix - the list goes on; I say it never stops, the world keeps bouncing and those other artists go underneath. But I'm still here ...' Womack acknowledges that his career was all but spent when Damon Albarn first contacted him in 2009 to sing on the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach.<br/><br /><br/><br />^{Monkey magic: Damon Albarn and Bobby Womack performing with Gorillaz in 2010}<br/><br />'Nobody was knocking down doors to get to me. It was like they were walking over me. I just didn't know how to get back, even if I wanted to.<br/><br />But Damon said just come out and sing a couple of songs; there's something in you that I still see, and I think the world deserves to know what the REAL is.<br/><br />'He gave me a lot to make me want to come back. My soul is intact as it was, I just wasn't telling the world.' 'The Bravest Man In The Universe' is unlike any of the 26 other albums that Bobby Womack has recorded. Wrapped in contemporary beats and samples, infused with a mood of sultry melancholia, Womack's voice sounds like an instrument of defiance railing against the march of time and mortality. Who could have imagined that a combination of Womack, Lana Del Ray (making a guest appearance) a synth programme and a sample of Sam Cooke could sound so majestic, so haunting.<br/><br />'Everything that's on there is electronic except my voice; so my voice is carrying everything. So I guess everything don't have to be real live. What I'm saying is the message is important and people can feel what I'm saying in their heart.' Womack is the last of a generation of testifiers and broken-hearted tear-jerkers - strong men made weak by love - that dominated soul music in the 1960s and 70s.<br/><br /><br/><br />^{Can you feel it: Bobby Womack in the 1960s}<br/><br />Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, James Carr, OV Wright - 'Man, you REALLY hitting home ...', he laughs - Womack carries the torch, the greatest of them all. 'But now people don't know how to deal with that because they say that's old school, so they bring in rap and other things for a new generation. People can't understand an Otis Redding.' He shakes his head. 'I don't see that.' His singing style was based on two models, the dulcet, seductive crooning of his mentor Sam Cooke, and the impassioned testifying of Archie Brownlee, the singer with the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, the gospel group for whom Womack was playing guitar when he was just 13 years old.<br/><br />'I modelled my screams on Archie,' he once recalled, 'but I could never get them as clear as he did because he'd mellow it in gin. He'd lie down on stage to sing because the drink had eaten the lining of his stomach so much. They'd kneel down there and put a microphone up close. He always said he waned to die right there, wailing his head off, and he did, singing Leave Me In The Hands of the Lord.' It was Cooke who discovered Womack singing in a gospel group with his three brothers, and rechristened them as the Valentinos; and Cooke who, in 1964, brokered Womack's composition, 'It's All Over Now' to the Rolling Stones, giving them their first British number one.<br/><br /><br/><br />^{Bobby Womack (top left) with his brothers and father Friendly Womack in the 1950s}<br/><br />When Cooke died that same year year, shot dead by the clerk in a motel where he had been enjoying a tryst with a prostitute, Womack married his widow Barbara - an act which led to him being castigated for exploiting a grieving widow, despite his insistence that it was her idea. But the marriage was to end catastrophically when she discovered that he had slept with her teenage daughter, Linda, obliging Womack to beat a hasty retreat from the family home at the end of the barrel of a gun. (Linda would subsequently marry Womack's brother Cecil, the pair enjoying considerable success in the 1980s with the singles 'Love Wars' and 'Teardrops'.)<br/><br />Unable to find a recording contract, Womack worked as a session musician, playing on recordings by Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and, most notably, Wilson Pickett, for whom he wrote a series of hits including 'Midnight Mover' and 'I'm In Love.' By now Womack was in the grip of a cocaine habit that would exercise him on and off for the best part of 20 years.<br/><br /><br/><br />^{Bobby Womack in LA in 1974}<br/><br />'Pickett was a REAL soul singer. He had a lot of feeling ...' Womack's mind is turning. 'I remember he say to me 'Hey Bob, where you get your energy from to write all these songs. I say, [cocaine]. He say, hey man let me try that, so when I look and see him totally out of control, I couldn't stop him - how can I tell him it ain't no good when I told him it was?'<br/><br />And does he feel guilty about that?<br/><br />'Very guilty, because he gave me my first break. Actually, God gave me my first break ...' 'Yessir!', says Mr Fullen from across the room.<br/><br />'But then somebody say if you hadn't gave it to him somebody else would have - he's in the business where that s--- just hangs around.' Through the 70s and 80s Womack recorded a series of sublime albums - 'Communication', 'Facts of Life', 'The Poet' - that established him in the vanguard of contemporary soul. As well as his own songs, he had a way of taking pop standards - 'Fly Me To The Moon', 'California Dreamin', 'The Look of Love', and making them his own. He even ventured into country music with 'BW Goes C&W' (his record company balked at Womack's original suggestion for a title, 'Step Aside Charley Pride And Give Another Nigger A Chance'.<br/><br />'When I want to check out how my life's been I go through my albums', he says. 'They steps in my life. I might say, I was wasted all the time on that album; it was a GOOD album, but if you ask me what brought it on I couldn't tell you the truth.' He laughs. 'But, you know, it's a part of your life that you go through.' He quit drugs for good some time in the 90s; it was that, or die. 'Oh yeah, 'cos I looked around and I say everybody I know, the ones that taught me and the ones that were doing the same thing that I'm doing, none of these people are here no more.' All this pain. In 1974, his brother Harry was stabbed to death by a jealous girlfriend while staying at Womack's house. The girl found some women's clothes in the closet and assumed that Harry was cheating on her. The clothes belonged to a girlfriend of Bobby's.<br/><br /><br/><br />^{Bobby Womack in New York in 1985}<br/><br />In 1978 his son, Truth, from his second marriage, to Regina Banks, died at the age of four months, suffocating in his bed. Another son, Vincent, from his first marriage, committed suicide in 1986 at the age of 21. Womack gives a deep sigh. 'All of that stuff ... it's either gonna make you weaker or make you stronger; and some people stronger than others.' He has two more children from his second marriage, Bobby Truth and Gina, who now tours and sings with him; and two sons by another relationship.<br/><br />His marriage to Regina ended in divorce some 25 years ago, but they remained on amicable terms. When, last year, he awoke from his coma it was to find her at his bedside.<br/><br />'That's when I found out what love really meant. So I told her, let's get married again, because whatever I leave I think you deserve it because you been there when nobody else was.<br/><br />'So she say, OK if that's what you want to do.' They married for the second time three months ago.<br/><br />Bobby Womack - Save The Children on MUZU.TV.<br/><br />'You OK?' Mr Fullen has materialised at his side, and slides a pill across the table. Womack swallows it, and rakes his fingers across his head.<br/><br />'People say, man you look good; you look the same way as 30 years ago. I say, come a bit closer ... I know yo' fixing me to feel good, but I don't feel good on bullshit.' His 'organisation', he says, tell him not to talk about his frailties.<br/><br />'They say, tell them you're fine; you could do forty tours! I say, man I'm a human being. I can't.<br/><br />'Once upon a time I could sing three hours. Now, when you see me say 'I'm done', I'm done; ain't nothing left till the next night.<br/><br />' People know it's a lot to put out. I think people like it when I tell them, I'm lucky to be here, because they are too. Ain't nothing to do with age. There ain't nothing promised to you. Everybody's going to die.' He thinks on this.<br/><br />' Music now, I don't feel it's as serious as it used to be, People ain't leaving the messages that they used to leave. So you start thinking, why am I growing up and others are going out? I say, maybe I still got a positive message to give, that I can motivate people spiritually, 'cos I feel blessed. REALLY feel blessed.'<br/><br />Follow @TeleMusicNews<br/><br />Post By http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/10174641/Bobby-Womack-interview-People-can-feel-what-Im-saying-in-their-heart.html</div>

Hot News: Bobby Womack interview: 'People can feel what I'm saying in their heart'

'You OK?', says Mr Fullen, finger pressed to his own throat, for Womack has his voice, that precious, fragile instrument, to protect.'Ah'm cool ...' Womack is in the midst of a remarkable renaissance. His album, The Bravest Man In The Universe, produced by Damon Albarn and Richard Russell and releas…

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