Timberlake tries to bring 'sexy back' to Myspace

You thought bringing sexy back was hard? Try Myspace.

Pop-star, actor and occasional reason to watch "Saturday Night Live" Justin Timberlake will apparently play a "major role" in guiding the floundering social-media site after its sale this week.

News Corporation, in effect, admitted defeat on Wednesday, selling the site for $35 million after paying a reported $580 million for it in 2005.

The buyer was Specific Media. And the first name in Specific Media's press release was Timberlake's.

"There's a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect," Timberlake says in the release. "Myspace has the potential to be that place."

So, is this a twisted version of life-imitates-art?

Timberlake, of course, appeared in Facebook biopic "The Social Network" as Sean Parker, a creator of Napster and the first president of Facebook -- which, of course, played a major role in the downward spiral of Myspace.

The singer parlayed his early success with boy band 'N Sync into movie roles and a solo music career that produced such hits as "Cry Me a River" and "SexyBack."

He's more than just a name to slap on the project, apparently. Specific Media says Timberlake will have an office at the California headquarters of Myspace (unlike the roughly half of its staff that will be reportedly laid off), and a staff of about a dozen.

So, will he be able to use his on-screen experience to parlay Myspace into anything other than a joke about The Internet of the Past? The oft-snarky world of technology journalism didn't seem convinced on Thursday.

"Justin Timberlake soon to be crying a river as partial Myspace owner," blared the headline on tech blog Gizmodo.

"We're not sure how much of his cash he sunk into this sinking-est of sinking ships, but, man, wouldn't buying a bunch of Chipotle franchises or opening a club have been an easier business deal?" Gizmodo wrote.

Of course, folks on Twitter were taking their own cracks at the deal.

Defending champion Nadal passed fit to take on Fish

Defending champion Rafael Nadal has been passed fit to take on American Mardy Fish in the Wimbledon men's singles quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Top seed Nadal was a doubt to face Fish after being troubled with an injury to his left foot during Monday's last 16 win over Juan Martin del Potro.

However, the 25-year-old has now been given the all-clear to play after scans revealed the injury was not serious.

Nadal posted a message to his fans on his Facebook page, saying: "After the match I went to take an MRI at a London hospital.

"During the match I thought I had something serious -- but as the match went on the pain got better and thankfully the tests don't show an injury.

"I will practice today and I will play tomorrow -- thank you all for the support," added the world number one.

Nadal's message is in stark contrast to his mood after defeating del Potro in a hard-fought four-hour marathon played in blistering conditions.

The Spaniard told reporters he came close to retiring hurt during the first set and shook his head repeatedly during a 10-minute injury break while his foot received treatment from the trainer.

After the 7-6 3-6 7-6 6-4 victory, Nadal said: "I felt really bad during the first set. At 6-5 I felt terrible. I felt that I had broken my foot.

"The point at deuce and the point that gave me set point, I just felt terrible. I seriously didn't know at that moment if I had a chance to continue playing."

Nadal has suffered from several injury problems in recent years, notably when a knee problem meant he could not defend his Wimbledon title in 2008.

Facebook to 'launch something awesome' next week

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today that his company will "launch something awesome" next week, Reuters is reporting.

According to the news service, Zuckerberg told reporters in his company's Seattle office that the team there had developed the upcoming project. Facebook's Seattle office played an integral role in the development of the social network's recently improved mobile site, prompting Reuters to suggest the upcoming launch could be mobile- ortablet-related.

If the launch is tablet-related, it could be Facebook's long-awaited iPad application. The company currently offers an iPhone app, but iPad owners have so far been forced to use the full site. Earlier this month, The New York Times cited sources who said Facebook was readying an iPad app, and could be launching it in the coming weeks.

Then again, Facebook might unveil a new photo-sharing app for the iPhone. A couple weeks ago, TechCrunch announced that it had acquired a 50MB file containing images and documents on a new Facebook app that would allow users to share photos with others. That program, the blog claimed, wouldn't be integrated into Facebook's existing iPhone application, but would take advantage of the service's social graph.

If Facebook doesn't offer those platforms, it might just unveil a project TechCrunch spotted earlier this month, called Project Spartan. According to the blog, which cited anonymous sources, Spartan is designed to be an HTML5-based competitor to Apple's App Store. The service works in mobile Safari.

TechCrunch reported at the time that "80 or so" third-party developers had already signed on with Project Spartan, including FarmVille creator Zynga.

Whether any of these services might be the "something awesome" that launches next week, though, remains to be seen.

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Wimbledon 2011: Petra Kvitova beats Victoria Azarenka

    

                                                                                                                                                      Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova produced a blistering display to beat Victoria Azarenka and reach her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old left-hander, who lost to Serena Williams in the semi-finals last year, reeled off the winners as she came through 6-1 3-6 6-2.

Belarusian Azarenka, seeded fourth, was making her Grand Slam semi-final debut but could not contain Kvitova.

The Czech will play Maria Sharapova or Sabine Lisicki in Saturday's final.

Kvitova, who beat Azarenka in the third round at Wimbledon last year, is known for her shot-making ability and she made a blistering start on Centre Court, making 13 winners and breaking twice as the first set flew by in 27 minutes.

MATCH STATS

Continue reading the main story

Kvitova		Azarenka
9	Aces	1
113mph	Fastest serve	106mph
60%	1st serves	63%
73%	1st serve win %	60%
53%	2nd serve win %	54%
2	Double faults	2
40	Winners	9
4/8	Break points	1/8

The power and depth of the Czech's groundstrokes, and her ability to hit clean winners off both sides, left Azarenka reeling, but for all her her talent Kvitova remains inconsistent and her level dropped at the start of the second set.

After making only three unforced errors in the first, the mistakes began to creep in and Azarenka finally got a foothold in her opponent's service games.

Azarenka, 21, won the first six points to take control of the second set and would not relinquish that lead, pummelling her way to the set with a succession of backhands in game nine.

The Belarusian was the one playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final but the world number five has been a contender at the top level for some time now, and might have been expected to hold her nerve better in the decider.

It was her misfortune that the Kvitova of the early stages began to resurface with a love hold to open the set, before Azarenka buckled under more huge hitting to drop serve.

Kvitova had won the second set of their third-round clash 6-0 last year and she was on course for something similar at 3-0, but Azarenka slowed the Czech express in game five, only to miss two break-back points.

It was still a huge task for Kvitova to close it as she tried to become only the fourth Czech woman to reach the Wimbledon final after Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlikova and Jana Novotna, but she held her nerve as Azarenka's cracked.

With Navratilova watching from the Royal Box, Kvitova worked her way to two match points at 5-2 and was thankful to see Azarenka double-fault on the second.

"I can't say anything, I'm so happy," Kvitova told BBC Sport.

"I started very well, and it was all about the serves in both sets, so I'm very happy with mine in the third. I'm not thinking about the final too much yet."

An aerospace company accused by the U.S. arms trafficking to Iran

The president and sales manager of Aerotechnic, a business aviation Pinsaguel, in Haute-Garonne, just been charged with arms trafficking to Iran by a judge of the United States.

The information has been revealed by the U.S. Department of Justice. The president and sales manager of Aerotechnic, a company in the Haute-Garonne Pinsaguel were at the end of last week accused the U.S. of arms trafficking to Iran.

According to Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, the company, which specializes in storage and resale of spare parts for aircraft, is accused of having "illegally procured in the United States of military equipment for attack helicopters and fighter and have shipped to Iran. " According to the indictment it would spare parts and military equipment for attack helicopters and AH-1 Bell UH-1 Huey, as well as F-5 and F-4.

Seven people and five companies continued

Overall, in this case, seven people and five companies based in the United States, Iran, France and the UAE have been indicted by a court in Georgia (South USA) for "violation of the law on control of arms exports and regulations of the transactions with Iran, conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering and false statements. "

Philippe Sanchez, CEO of Aerotechnic said he was "stunned" that charge and ensures that nothing was reported on the case.

He denies the facts alleged against him and said to have had little or no contact with other undertakings concerned.

Philippe Sanchez Teuly and Luke, his business manager, should certainly know more in the coming days on the facts alleged against them.

They should charge a little more difficult, or even stop net activity Aerotechnic U.S. company with 25 employees at its facility in Pinsaguel.

The main activity of Aerotechnic, which also has warehouses in South Africa, is to provide aircraft parts around the world, and this in no time.

Une entreprise aéronautique inculpée par les USA de trafic d'armes vers l'Iran

Le président et le responsable commercial d'Aerotechnic, une entreprise aéronautique de Pinsaguel, en Haute-Garonne, viennent d'être inculpés de trafic d'armes vers l'Iran par un juge des États-Unis.

L'information vient d'être révélée par le ministère de la Justice américain. Le président et le responsable commercial d'Aerotechnic, une entreprise de Pinsaguel en Haute-Garonne ont été, en fin de semaine dernière, inculpés aux États-Unis de trafic d'armes vers l'Iran.

Selon Dean Boyd, un porte-parole du ministère de la Justice américaine, l'entreprise, qui est spécialisée dans le stockage et la revente de pièces détachées pour l'aéronautique, est accusée de s'être « illégalement procurée aux États-Unis de l'équipement militaire destiné à des hélicoptères d'assaut et des chasseurs et de l'avoir expédié en Iran ». Selon l'acte d'accusation il s'agirait de pièces détachées et d'équipements militaires destinés à des hélicoptères d'assaut Bell AH-1 et UH-1 Huey, ainsi qu'à des chasseurs F-5 et F-4.

Sept personnes et cinq sociétés poursuivies

Au total, dans ce dossier, sept personnes et cinq sociétés basées aux États-Unis, en Iran, en France et aux Émirats Arabes ont été inculpées par un tribunal de Géorgie (Sud des USA) pour « violation de la législation sur le contrôle de l'exportation d'armes et des réglementations des transactions avec l'Iran, complot pour escroquer les États-Unis, blanchiment d'argent et fausses déclarations ».

Philippe Sanchez, le PDG d'Aerotechnic se dit « stupéfait » de cette inculpation et assure que rien ne lui a été notifié sur cette affaire.

Il dément les faits qui lui sont reprochés et indique avoir eu très peu de contacts voire aucun avec les autres entreprises incriminées.

Philippe Sanchez et Luc Teuly, son responsable commercial, devraient très certainement en savoir davantage dans les jours qui viennent sur les faits qui leur sont reprochés.

Leur inculpation devrait quelque peu compliquer, voire stopper nette, l'activité d'Aerotechnic aux États-Unis, entreprise qui compte 25 salariés sur son site de Pinsaguel.

L'activité principale d'Aerotechnic, qui possède aussi des entrepôts de stockage en Afrique du Sud, est de fournir des pièces détachées d'aéronefs partout dans le monde, et ce, dans un minimum de temps.

Man suing for half of Facebook loses lawyer

                        

                                    Paul Ceglia, the man who claims he has a contract that entitles him 50 percent ownership in Facebook, has lost his high-power legal representation in the case.

Ceglia, filed a notice of substitution of counsel today with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York to replace the law firm of DLA Piper, a 4,200-attorney international law firm, with the San Diego-based Lake law firm, a firm of four lawyers that also represents 200 medical marijuana collectives.

A DLA Piper spokesman confirmed the law firm had withdrawn from the case but declined to comment further.

"We have withdrawn from the case and no longer represent Paul Ceglia," said DLA Piper spokesman Brian Kiefer. "Due to our attorney-client privilege obligations, there will be no further comment."

Facebook declined to comment on the filing. Representatives for Lake did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

DLA Piper's withdrawal comes on the day that Ceglia's latest filing was due and ahead of Thursday's scheduled hearing on expedited discovery.

This is the third time Ceglia has changed legal representation in the case. Former New York attorney general Dennis Vacco and Terrence Connors have also represented Ceglia in the matter.

DLA Piper began representing Ceglia in April when he filed a revised complaint against Facebook and its chief executive and c-founder, Mark Zuckerberg. In the filing, Ceglia cited more than a dozen e-mails purportedly between himself and Zuckerberg that detail discussions on design, development, business plans, and eventual contract disputes regarding The Face Book.

In a filing responding to Ceglia's revised lawsuit, Facebook and Zuckerberg called the e-mails forgeries. "The contract is a cut-and-paste job, the e-mails are complete fabrications, and this entire lawsuit is a fraud," Facebook said and requested it have the opportunity to inspect the original contract, e-mails in native form, and all computers in Ceglia's possession as well as those in his parents' house

DLA Piper said in a statement at the time that "Mr. Ceglia welcomes the opportunity to expedite discovery in this case."

Ceglia, of Wellsville, N.Y., claimed in a lawsuit filed last year that he entered into a contract with Zuckerberg in 2003 to design and develop the Web site that would ultimately become Facebook--a company that now has an estimated value of more than $70 billion.

Ceglia said he hired Zuckerberg through a Craigslist ad to write code for a project called StreetFax and paid Zuckerberg $1,000 for coding work; he also allegedly invested $1,000 in Zuckerberg's The Face Book project, which gave him a 50 percent interest in the company as well as an additional 1 percent interest for every day after January 1, 2004, that The Face Book was delayed.

Zuckerberg acknowledged that he signed a contract to write code for StreetFax but said the contract was "doctored" to make it appear to be about Facebook development.

Last year, Ceglia produced a canceled check that he said proved he paid Zuckerberg $3,000 for some freelance software development work for a project called "The Face Book." Facebook initially said it believed the contract was a "likely" forgery. It has since become more forceful and said it considers it to be an outright fake.

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Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

                                          A key ingredient in this hearty Cajun-inspired dish is a highly seasoned Louisiana specialty meat called tasso. If tasso isn’t available, substitute spicy Cajun andouille sausage or a fully cooked spicy beef or pork sausage.

6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided 
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
3 tablespoons canola oil
8 oz. tasso, smoked andouille or other fully cooked spicy sausage, finely chopped
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
2 cups basmati rice
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
12 oz. shelled, deveined uncooked large shrimp (21 to 30 count) 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Heat large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Cook chicken 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Remove chicken. Discard half the drippings from pot. 

2. Cook sausage in drippings over medium heat 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic, thyme and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft. 

3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan. 

4. Stir rice into sausage mixture; cook and stir over medium heat 3 minutes or until rice is coated with oil. Stir in hot broth. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. 

5. Bake, covered, 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove from oven; stir in tomatoes. Tuck shrimp into rice; spoon peas over top. Bake, covered, an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and rice is tender.

6 servings

PER SERVING: 690 calories, 28.5 g total fat (7 g saturated fat), 40.5 g protein, 67.5 g carbohydrate, 170 mg cholesterol, 1190 mg sodium, 5.5 g fiber

Bohemian Chili Beef Goulash

                                 Petr’s inspiration for this recipe was his grandmother, a master cook who made goulash every weekend. “I watched her many times and remembered her recipe by heart,” he says.  Serve with dumplings or mashed potatoes. Garnish with sliced red bell pepper and onion. 

4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 lb. beef sirloin steak, cubed (1 inch)
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Hungarian paprika
4 1/2 cups water, divided
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 to 2 tablespoons minced deveined seeded jalapeño chiles
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 beef bouillon cube
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Heat large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil; heat until hot. Cook beef in batches 2 minutes or until browned on all sides, adding additional 1 tablespoon oil as needed. Remove beef.

2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same pot until hot. Cook onions 4 to 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 to 60 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Return beef and any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in paprika. Pour in 2 cups of the water; bring to a boil. Stir in ketchup, chiles, caraway seeds, mustard, bouillon cube, hot pepper sauce, marjoram, salt and pepper. Stir in 2 cups of the water. Reduce heat to medium to medium-low; simmer 40 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Whisk remaining 1/2 cup water and flour in small bowl; stir into beef mixture. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

5 servings

PER SERVING: 445 calories, 19.5 g total fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 50.5 g protein, 17.5 g carbohydrate, 120 mg cholesterol, 690 mg sodium, 6 g fiber

Sirloin Steak with Melting Chipotle Sauce

              

           A quick-to-make sauce that accompanies grilled steak gets its alluring smokiness from a dose of chipotle pepper sauce. The condiment provides a bit of heat, too, but it’s not as hot as regular red pepper sauce.

4 (6-oz.) sirloin steaks (1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons chipotle pepper sauce
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Heat grill. Brush steaks with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat or coals 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. Remove steaks. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

3. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in medium bowl. Top steaks with some of the sauce; pass remaining sauce.

4 servings

PER SERVING: 410 calories, 23 g total fat (11 g saturated fat), 45 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 145 mg cholesterol, 555 mg sodium, .5 g fiber