Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Michelle Obama to Host White House Talent Show


Michelle Obama to Host White House Talent Show

WASHINGTON (AP) — Count on singing and dancing, maybe even a few magic tricks, when the curtain goes up Tuesday on the very first White House talent show.

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Michelle Obama and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities are the hosts for the show, featuring acts by students from poor-performing schools that participate in the committee’s Turnaround Arts program. Several major artists, including actress Sarah Jessica Parker, are slated to perform.

In collaboration with the White House and the Education Department, the committee created the program as an experiment two years ago in eight elementary and middle schools to test the theory that arts education can help improve student outcomes and create more positive learning environments. Major artists adopted each school.

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The early results apparently were encouraging enough that the committee co-chairs, George Stevens Jr. and Margo Lion, on Tuesday announced a quadrupling of the program, to a total of 35 schools this year through the addition of districts in California, Illinois and Minnesota.

The original eight “turnaround” schools are in Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Louisiana, Oregon, Montana, Colorado and Washington, D.C.

The first lady, a supporter of arts education, said the program has helped students at these schools become “engaged in their education like never before.”

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“The Turnaround Arts program has exceeded not just our expectations, but our wildest hopes and dreams,” she said in a statement. Mrs. Obama was expected to tout the program and its expansion in remarks before the talent show.

“Math and reading scores have gone up in these schools, attendance is up, enrollment is up, parent engagement is up, suspensions have plummeted and two of the schools in our pilot improved so dramatically that they are no longer in turnaround status,” the first lady added. Those two schools are Findley Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa, and Orchard Gardens in Boston.

An interim report on the program by the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm and the University of Chicago found reason for the optimism.

Four of six schools did better on standardized reading tests, compared with other low-performing schools in their area. Three of six schools showed improvement in math, compared to similar schools, but there were significant declines at three other schools.
Attendance rates increased at four of seven schools, while reductions in disciplinary actions were recorded at five of the eight schools.

Overall, the percentage of students proficient in math and reading increased at six of seven schools, the report said.

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“The arts have a pretty dramatic and immediate impact,” said Rachel Goslins, executive director of the committee, which advises the White House on cultural issues.

The remaining six original “turnaround” schools are: Savoy Elementary in Washington, D.C.; Roosevelt Elementary in Bridgeport, Connecticut; ReNEW Cultural Arts Academy in New Orleans; Lame Deer Middle School in Lame Deer, Montana; Martin Luther King Jr. School in Portland, Oregon; and Noel Community Arts School in Denver.

The expanded program will be paid for over the next three years with $5 million in public and private funding from the Department of Education, the National Endowment of the Arts, the Ford Foundation and other private foundations and companies.
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Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs' Biographer, Predicts Jimmy Iovine Will Run Apple's Content Business

PALACE NEWS (PMG)-Apple is reportedly acquiring Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion, with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre said to be taking senior roles at the company. Predictably, the Apple faithful are freaking out.

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I spent a lot of time among these folks, back when I was writing the “Fake Steve Jobs” blog. They have a cultlike devotion to the Apple brand and are notoriously averse to change. Tell them that their beloved company is buying a mass-market headphone maker and that two guys from the rap world are about to become top executives, and yes, this is going to be a shock to the system.

The thing is, a good shock may be exactly what Apple needs.

Since Jobs’ death, nearly three years ago, Apple has grown risk averse. Its growth has stalled. Tim Cook, the handpicked successor, is a smart number cruncher, but he’s no Steve Jobs.

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Iovine may not be either, but he’s closer than you might think. The two have a lot in common. Both were scrappy working-class kids whose success came not from family pedigree or an Ivy League school but from talent and chutzpah.

In 2002, Iovine was instrumental in helping Jobs persuade five top music labels to sign on to the iTunes Store, according to Walter Isaacson, Jobs’ biographer. Iovine was running Interscope Geffen A&M, part of Universal Music Group (the job he still holds). In 2004, Iovine helped Jobs broker a deal with U2 to create a special U2 edition of the iPod.

I talked to Isaacson this week. He went back to the notes he had taken while preparing his Jobs biography and found something that he didn’t include in the book, which seems massively interesting now: a comment from Iovine that back in 2002 and 2003, he wanted the Apple chief to acquire Universal. Iovine declined a request for an interview.

Isaacson thinks the Apple-Beats deal is not about headphones or streaming music but rather is about video. He speculates that Cook wants Iovine to run Apple’s content business and help Apple launch the TV product that analysts have been gossiping about for years. The product has been held up because Apple can’t get all the content owners on board.

Maybe Iovine has the charisma and connections to round up the networks the way he did the music labels in 2002, although “it’s a lot more complicated” this time around, says Isaacson. His track record of success in marrying content and tech gives that theory some weight.

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Apple is undergoing a corporate blood transfusion, one that will radically change the nature of the company. Well before the Dre-Iovine deal surfaced, Cook was busy hiring a bunch of people with health industry backgrounds to work on the smartwatch. He also hired former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, who knows how to sell fashion and luxury, to run Apple retail.

The Apple faithful may not like it, but they should remember that the Apple they know and love today is itself the product of an equally traumatic transfusion carried out in 1996. That was when Jobs returned to Apple, bringing along the team from NeXT, the computer company he had formed after Apple tossed him out in 1985. Jobs removed Apple’s board members and top executives and installed his lieutenants from NeXT. He killed off countless products, then started rebuilding from the ground up, using the operating system from NeXT workstations as the foundation for Apple’s future products, from the Mac to the iPhone and the iPad.

Though Jobs died in 2011, in a sense he still has been running the company. Now, with this deal, Apple fans are facing up to the fact that Jobs is truly gone and that their beloved Apple is about to become a very different company.


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‘Shield’ Actor Michael Jace Arrested in Wife’s Death


‘Shield’ Actor Michael Jace Arrested in Wife’s Death

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Michael Jace, who played a police officer on the hit TV show “The Shield,” was arrested on suspicion of homicide after his wife was found shot to death in their Los Angeles home, authorities said.


Police arrived at the couple’s home in the Hyde Park neighborhood around 8:30 p.m. Monday after a report of shots fired, Officer Chris No said.

April Jace, 40, was found dead inside, officials said.

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      Michael Jace was taken into custody and booked early Tuesday on suspicion of homicide, No said.


      He was being held in a Los Angeles jail in lieu of $1 million bail. Calls from The Associated Press seeking comment from Jace’s agent and manager were not immediately returned Tuesday.

      Coroner’s officials were on the scene Tuesday morning in the quiet residential neighborhood.
      Jace, 51, is best known for his role as LAPD Officer Julien Lowe in the TV series “The Shield.” He also appeared on the show “Southland” and had small roles in the movies “Planet of the Apes,” ”Boogie Nights” and “Forrest Gump.”

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      Jace and his wife were married nine years and have two young sons. Lt. John Jenal said two children were at the single-family home at the time of the shooting. They were in protective custody this morning, he told City News Service.

      Michael Jace was previously married to Jennifer Bitterman, but they divorced in 2002.

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      Counting Crows Sign with Capitol Records for New Studio Album

      Counting Crows Video Q&A

      PALACE NEWS (PMG)-Counting Crows have signed a recording deal with Capitol Records for the fall release of their forthcoming studio album, "Somewhere Under Wonderland", it was announced today by Capitol Music Group chairman/ceo Steve Barnett.  


      It will be the band’s seventh studio album and first of original material for a major label since "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings" in 2008 on Geffen. The group released an album of cover songs, "Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation)", on Cooking Vinyl in April, 2012.

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          The band will appear on tonight’s episode of NBC’s "Late Night with Seth Meyers" to mark the announcement and perform their hit “Round Here”.

          “I'm happy to announce that the new Counting Crows album will be coming out this Fall on Capitol Records!!!” said the band’s Adam Duritz. “Just like The Beatles!!!”

          Barnett commented, “It’s not surprising that Counting Crows have built and maintained such a successful career for more than 20 years. The solid bond between the band and their audience has been forged through their great recordings and exciting live performances, and that relationship will continue with the release of 'Somewhere Under Wonderland' and their forthcoming tour.”

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          Counting Crows -- aside from Duritz, includes drummer Jim Bogios, guitarists David Bryson, David Immergluck and Dan Vickrey, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham and bassist Millard Powers -- have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide after exploding onto the music scene with their multiplatinum breakout album "August and Everything After" in 1993.

          Consistently ranked as one of the top live bands on the touring circuit, Counting Crows can be seen this summer on the North American leg of their major worldwide tour, which kicks off June 11 in Tampa, FL and will travel through major markets, including their hometown of Berkeley, CA, before concluding in Los Angeles at the historic Greek Theatre on August 17.

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              This story first appeared on THR.com
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              Ciara Finally Hits MILF Status, Welcomes Newborn W/ Future



              PALACE NEWS (PMG)-R&B singer Ciara has reportedly welcomed her first child with fellow music star Future this week months after revealing her shocking pregnancy. #MILFStatus

              According to reports, the engaged music duo now have a son together.

              Ciara is officially a mom. Sources say the "Body Party" singer gave birth very early Monday morning in Los Angeles. The baby boy is the first for Ciara, who is engaged to rapper Future and expected to marry him in the fall. Future has three other children from previous relationships. (Page Six)

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              Future reportedly confirmed their baby's sex during a recent "Wendy Williams Show" appearance.

              It's been confirmed: Ciara is having a baby boy! Her fiancé, Future, recently appeared on The Wendy Williams Show to spill the deets on her pregnancy, their wedding plans and how Beyoncé bumped his album release date. The rapper says he paid his soon-to-be wife a visit for support as she celebrated her baby shower with BFFs Kim Kardashian and LaLa Anthony over this past weekend. He told host Wendy Williams they are having a boy and that the wedding plans are going great. (E! Online)
              A few weeks back, Ciara celebrated a baby shower with high-profile female celebrities Kim Kardashian and LaLa Vasquez.

              Reality-TV stars LaLa Anthony and Kim Kardashian held a baby shower for R&B singer Ciara on Saturday, during a weekend of noteworthy celebrity-infant news. "Celebrating Ciara's baby shower today with LaLa. #mommymemories," tweeted the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star, 33, posting an Instagram photo of the three of them -- she; Ciara, 28; and Anthony, aka LaLa Vasquez, 34, wife of New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony. (Newsday)
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              When asked about how much focus they have placed onto an upcoming wedding, Future recently said he and CiCi were addressing things head-on.

              "We're focusing on whatever concerns us. Anything that concerns us as far as career, baby showers, pregnancies, wedding, having a baby, everything that's going on, we're focusing on it. We've gotta to make sure everything is up to our standard." (ELLE)
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              Can Twitter Afford To Buy SoundCloud? Can It Afford Not To?

              Can Twitter Afford To Buy SoundCloud? Can It Afford Not To?PALACE NEWS (PMG)-Twitter is reportedly mulling a potential acquisition of SoundCloud, although no announcement appears to be imminent.  


              Even if the companies are a good fit for each other, a deal seems unlikely in the short term, not least because Twitter would likely use stock rather than cash for the bulk of the deal’s purchase price. Its shares, however, have taken such a beating in recent months that Twitter would knowingly be buying from a position of weakness unless its share price rebounds.

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              When SoundCloud closed its $60 million Series D round of funding, the company was reportedly valued at $700 million.  It’s said that the funding took place in 2013, but wasn’t revealed until January. New shareholders such as Institutional Venture Partners would be seeking a return multiple on their investments, so any purchase price figures to be well above $1 billion, if not significantly more than that.

              As of March 31, Twitter had less than $1 billion in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet, along with $1.2 billion in short-term investments. Even though it expects at least $1.2 billion in 2014 revenues, the company isn’t likely to blow so much of its cash on SoundCloud; it would likely use stock in any deal it might make to buy a company of that size.

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              For comparison, most of Facebook’s megadeals have involved a mix of stock and cash, with roughly 70% to 75% of the price coming in equity. The company’s biggest strike, the February deal for WhatsApp, cost it $4 billion in cash, but also about 9% of its outstanding shares -- worth about $15 billion at the time, including the employee retention bonus it’s due to pay out to WhatsApp employees. That’s a big chunk of equity, but Facebook also struck that deal when its shares were near an all-time high, saving it critical amounts of cash.

              By contrast, Twitter shares are off 57% since peaking at $74.73 in December 2013, and have dipped roughly 50% since the day the SoundCloud funding news leaked. Internet stocks in general have lost value since the winter, but Twitter shares have done especially poorly, as some stakeholders have dumped shares following the expiry of the post-IPO lock-up phase. 

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              At its current valuation of about $18.7 billion, Twitter would have to use a lot of equity to buy SoundCloud. If it wanted offer $1.4 billion -- double last year’s $700 valuation -- in stock, the buyout would require 7% of its equity. That’s a big hit for a company that would have needed to give up a lot less equity just a few months ago. The company could also cobble together a package that included debt, saving itself both cash and stock.

              It’s not clear what Twitter paid for social data analysis company Gnip in April, but it was hardly in the same league as what SoundCloud would cost -- and even then, Twitter shares were worth more than 25% more than they are today.

              If you’re wondering about the Google/YouTube buyout, to which some have compared a Twitter/SoundCloud deal, well, that 2006 all-stock deal cost Google about 1.3% of its shares. The $1.6 billion acquisition, of course, turned out to be an incredibly good deal.

              So if Twitter’s going to make any big buyouts that require it to dig beyond its disposable cash reserves anytime, it’ll need to wait for its share price to rebound before it does.

              SoundCloud declined to comment on the reported deal while Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.

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              Kanye West Loses His Cool W/ Paparazzo Over Kim K's Underwear


              PALACE NEWS (PMG)-Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West tensed up this week when approached by paparazzi overseas alongside his fiancée Kim Kardashian and asked personal questions. #ThePantyMan

              According to reports, the KimYe incident went down yesterday (May 19).

              Kanye West almost let a French photographer ruin his wedding week ... because he nearly blew up when the guy made a crack about lingerie to the bride-to-be, Kim Kardashian. Kim and Kanye were swarmed by fans and paparazzi while window shopping in Paris Monday ... and as they walked past a lingerie shop one photog blurted out, "Underwears, very beautiful!" That's when Kanye flashed THAT look. But watch the vid ... this time he holds back from a full eruption. (TMZ)
              KimYe's highly-anticipated wedding date was confirmed for May 24 in Italy last week.

              Kim Kardashian and Kanye West will marry in Florence, Italy, on May 24. The power couple will tie the knot in the 16th century Belvedere Fort, a spokeswoman at the Florence mayor's office told the Associated Press. The couple rented the fort, located next to Florence's famed Boboli Gardens, for €300,000 ($410,000), said Elisa Di Lupo, and a Protestant minister will preside over the ceremony. (The Hollywood Reporter)

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              Heading into the weekend, Mr. West revealed his daughter North may have been conceived in Italy.

              "I adore Florence. I love Italy and the Italian lifestyle. To tell you the truth, I already came to the banks of the Arno [river] with Kim last year, just the two of us, incognito. I think that our daughter North was conceived here among the Renaissance masterpieces. It was our first honeymoon. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world--for me the most beautiful in Europe." (La Nazione)

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              Some recent reports claimed KimYe were expected to trade vows in Italy.

              Au Revoir, France...Buongiorno, Italy? A new report says Kim Kardashian and Kanye West will tie the knot in Florence, Italy, and not, as previously thought, in Paris, France. Entertainment Tonight reported on Thursday, May 15, that the couple's wedding would be in Florence. A source confirms that Florence is one of the wedding weekend locations to Us Weekly--but another insider says guests might be in for even more surprises. "Kim and Kanye have told all guests different info," the second source tells Us. "No one knows all of the details." (Us Magazine)
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