Hackers attacked websites of the Eurovision contest

Rumors of a sixth-generation iPhone with a larger 4-inch screen are starting to gain traction, with another report coming out backing the claim.

The iPhone, which has had a 3.5-inch screen since its initial launch in 2007, may finally follow the trend started by Android smartphones and increase its screen size as a way to once again wow customers with a  new feature.

Apple reportedly has prepared to begin ordering larger screens for its flagship product from suppliers in South Korea and Japan.

The orders may begin as early as June, giving the production of the next iPhone a timetable to start in August, according to a report by Reuters.

The suppliers charged with this order of larger iPhone screens are LG Display Co. Ltd. and Sharp Corp. in South Korea and Japan Display Inc, according to Reuters, which offers “people familiar with the situation” as its source of information. 

The report by Reuters comes a day after an initial report by the Wall Street Journal outlining the possiblity of a larger iPhone on its way.

Rumors of an iPhone with a larger screen have preceded the launch of previous iPhones, but have always proven false.

But this time around, the evidence is beginning to look pretty solid, and as Reuters notes, a larger screen would give the iPhone a “wow” factor once again. Its latest iPhone, the 4S , has sold well, but upon its unveiling, many customers were unimpressed by the device, which on the outside looks exactly the same as its predecessor, the iPhone 4.

RELATED

Is Apple running out of feisty cat names for OS X?

New MacBook Pro Retina display will cost Apple, consumer too?

IPhone to get larger screen: A report to take with a grain of salt?

Follow Salvador Rodriguez on Facebook or Twitter

By John P. Mello Jr., PCWorld    May 17, 2012 8:41 AM

NEW ORLEANS — The next generation moves to the forefront at this year’s Essence Music Festival, which expands to four days of concerts and sets aside a day of activities geared toward emerging talent.

The up-and-comers will perform on the festival’s opening day, July 5. Rising stars Diggy Simmons, the OMG Girlz and New Orleans’ own Roots of Music will play on the New & Next Stage next to the Superdome.

ST. LOUIS — Jeff Fisher took an offbeat approach for breaking the ice when St. Louis Rams veterans and rookies met for the first time.

Besides standing and reciting their names, schools, favorite movies, etc., during introductions, the new players were asked to recall the name of their first pet along with how it died. Fisher said several mentioned hamsters and turtles, while some remembered the family dog or cat getting squashed by trains or buses.

St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, right, took an offbeat approach for breaking the ice when St. Louis Rams veterans such as Stephen Jackson, left, and rookies met for the first time. The new players were asked to recall the name of their first pet along with how it died.

WIRE PHOTOS

ADVERTISEMENT

”We had one whose parents just put him down that morning,” Fisher said Wednesday. ”You know, it was sad. No, it was good. Good introduction.”

Photos: NFL rookies report to minicamp

Cornerback Cortland Finnegan recalled lighthearted goings on when he was a rookie playing for Fisher in Tennessee. There, he got saddled with the nickname Fido.

”It’s something coach Fisher always throws in there for giggles,” Finnegan said. ”I played the nickel and I would always run after the wrong guy.”

Rams rookies got hung with nicknames, too. Finnegan said one looked like Greg Oden, and another resembled Gonzo, the Muppet.

There are limits to the frivolity. Players won’t be asked to sing and Fisher went out of his way to emphasize there will be no hazing, no rookies taped to goal posts or the like.

”They’re here to help us win,” he said after the team completed a second day of organized team activities.

There is fresh optimism surrounding a franchise that’s a sorry 15-65 the last five years. Defensive end Chris Long, the second overall pick of the 2008 draft, is playing for his fourth coach entering his fifth season and can’t recall a vibe quite like this.

”There’s been a lot of changes since I’ve been here. This is by far the one I’m most excited about,” Long said. ”I think we’re all very excited about it. It’s a new beginning for a lot of people and, in the same sense, you have to re-prove yourself.”

Fisher does not seem worried about all those lean seasons in the recent past.

”We’ve completely forgotten about last year,” the coach said. ”This is a team that’s going out there to win, period. There’s players that are emerging that were here. There’s players that are improving. We’ve got an influx of talent through free agency and the draft and we’re going to play hard and win games.”

Fisher said much of the base offense and defense have been installed. The Rams worked on situational play and the red zone Wednesday and might delve into the two-minute offense on Friday.

A handful of rookies have been unable to attend. Running back Isaiah Pead, a second-round draft pick, was among four who attend schools on the quarter system and can’t participate until the end of exams. Plus, Pead and two wide receivers who could get plugged into the offense immediately, second-rounder Brian Quick and fourth-rounder Chris Givens, are attending an NFL rookie premiere event in California.

”It’s mandated by the league that they come out there, so unfortunately they’re missing some quality work,” Fisher said. ”It’s a photo thing, and (trading) cards and those kinds of things. Really great timing.”

The Rams added a pair of veterans for depth, signing free agent linebacker Mario Haggan and offensive tackle Barry Richardson, and both were on the field Wednesday. Richardson started every game the last two seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and the 32-year-old Haggan also has been strong on special teams.

More

ocregister.com/nfl

‘Like’ us on Facebook

You can understand if the contestants on “American Idol” make some bad song choices when left to their own devices. But on Wednesday night’s
 triple-play episode, in which Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet had to sing a judge’s choice, a tune picked by mentor Jimmy Iovine and one of their own, the selections were … bizarre. With only two songs from the current millennium, the top three reached back, sometimes way back on a night when it became clear that Sanchez is too green, Ledet is just the right shade of blue(s) and Phillips is, well, whatever he wants to be because he’s probably going to win no matter what happens.

So, who made it thisclose, but is probably headed home tonight and who can get their big boy pants pressed for the finale? Read on to find out!

Joshua Ledet: Randy Jackson picked the Etta James song “I’d Rather Be Blind” for Josh, who busted out the retro mic and some sleepy soul for a performance that simmered but took way too long to boil. It was solid, but even Jennifer Lopez seemed a tad bored with it and it didn’t push him any closer to this century. (It was cute, though, how a Kraft commercial using THE SAME SONG aired right after Ledet performed. Synergy!)

Josh went big with his choice, John Lennon’s “Imagine.” And because he’s a preacher’s kid, he skipped the “no religion too” verse. The pageant-y, 1970s AM lite radio arrangement flattened out the song’s emotion, which Ledet tried to pump back in courtesy of some swooping gospel moments. It was a heartstring-tugging layup, but if you really listened it sounded like coasting, or, as JLo politely deemed it, “pulled back and controlled.” Jimmy hit Josh in his sweet spot with Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama.” Someone knows what they’re doing. From the manic bouncing to the nearly out-of-control, bedazzled jacket-dropping spazz at the end, Josh murdered it. That alone made up for the other two tame performances and locked him into next week’s finale. A-

Phillip Phillips: Steven Tyler was going for melody with “Beggin’” by Madcon. But what he likely did was send tens of millions of “Idol” watchers to Google to find out … who the hell Madcon is? So, a 2008 cover of a 1967 Four Seasons hit by an obscure Norwegian dance duo? Wouldn’t you know it, strummy P managed to make it sound like, oh man, do I even need to say it? (Rhymes with Shave It Bath Hues.) The jammy, vanilla soul frat party rocker is exactly what I expect a P Phil album to sound like. “New Springsteen?” Really Steven?

The sexy sax player was back for Phil’s choice, “Disease” by Matchbox 20. Yeah, that Matchbox 20. It was moody, conga-y, mid-tempo and so intense he had to sit down on some road cases just to contain the, um, intensity? Like Ledet’s “Imagine,” this one felt too easy, like a sprinter pulling up in the final 20 yards to avoid injury after looking over his shoulder and realizing he’s got it. In a rare bit of real talk from the panel, Lopez called it “easy flowing” and said it lacked the “wow performance” element.

Phil’s dad loved Jimmy’s choice of Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight,” and Iovine dared the pawn shop worker to ignore the 1978 hit’s melody. Without his guitar, Phil was forced to awkwardly stroke and caress his thigh as he muscled through the heartland ballad. Between the sappy strings and the suggesting hand fidgeting Phillips looked like he was waiting out the clock in detention. Randy, of course, called it the “perfect song” and Phil’s best performance. So, now all you have to do to win this thing is sing the melody of the song and not worry about actually hitting the notes correctly? I give up. You can have him, America. Remember how awesome that nighty-night song was when you don’t buy his album in December. B

Jessica Sanchez: Lopez aimed for Sanchez’s sweet spot with Mariah Carey’s “My All,” but ended up trapping the singer in a breathy lower register that made Jessica’s powerhouse voice sound weak and pitchy. The snoozy lullaby robbed the high schooler of a big moment and may have punched her card home. Did Randy mention he’s worked with Mariah? Well, if he thought that was one of the best renditions of a Carey song ever on TV, Carey should lose his number.

In the ultimate brown noser move, BeBe chose Aerosmith’s power anthem “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” I kept waiting for girls in swimsuits or evening gowns to start parading around her, but this kind of Velveeta ballad is her sweet spot and while she didn’t move the bar any higher, it’s exactly what America wanted to hear. But, ugh, that last shouty note was as off as Jennifer’s pink pantsuit.

Iovine went retro with 1970′s “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson 5, which despite what he argued, didn’t really make Sanchez seem contemporary, and dropped her back down into that lower range that doesn’t do her favors. When she kept it up high, Sanchez sounded strong and confident, but the lazy tempo didn’t provide the rocket fuel she needed to lock in a spot next week. B-

Who do you think nailed it last night? Who deserves to go home? Let us know in comments below.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

A couple of years ago, many Indiana Pacers fans were just about ready to give up on team president Larry Bird and his long-range plan. After Reggie Miller retired in the spring of 2005, the team found itself in a quagmire of spoiled personalities, big contracts and lackluster play on the court. All during the four-year playoff hiatus that ensued, Bird kept telling us to be patient, and that the Blue and Gold would once again become an NBA power. As much as I admire Larry Legend, a fellow Hoosier and an all-time great on the court, I was among those who thought that a change might be in order when the Pacers continued to go through motions year after year. I know that Bird couldn’t have been having much fun, but he stuck to his story and owner Herb Simon stood by Bird through those dark days. As the Pacers emerge into the sunlight of relevance, it seems that Indiana fans aren’t the only ones who have taken notice. On May 16, the NBA announced that Bird selected as the 2012 Executive of the Year in a vote of his peers.

Of course, this award is just the latest in a long and storied career for Bird, whose other hardware includes three Most Valuable Player trophies with the Boston Celtics and the 1998 Coach of the Year award nod when he stalked the sidelines for the Pacers. But we shouldn’t let the litany of honors jade us to Bird’s achievements and what he has meant to this franchise. He has shown himself to be the rare superstar who is able to not only dominate on the court but also guide a team from the bench AND from the front office. If you think that is easy to accomplish, then see Michael Jordan’s record in the NBA since retiring as an active player.

So now Indianapolis is looking at a Pacers team in the hunt to return to the Eastern Conference finals, and we have confirmation that the franchise leadership actually did have a viable plan in place all these years. The annual question now arises as to whether or not Bird will return for another go-round as the boss, and his answer to that query seems more pertinent than ever before. In years past, I wouldn’t have been too sad to see him walk away, but now I would really like to see what he can do with the team in an off-season following a successful campaign. The Pacers are probably not quite at their peak yet (at least I hope not), so there is work left to be done.

A lot of that onus will fall on coach Frank Vogel and the players themselves, but Larry Bird could undoubtedly add something to that mix. He is, after all, the man with the plan.

Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Pacers fan since the early 1980s and has witnessed the rise and fall of a great NBA franchise. He follows the current club closely and is happy to see the Pacers begin their next ascent.

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

We’ve seen a game and a half in the second round of Miami without Chris Bosh: How far can the Heat go without the bottom third of the Big Three?

Steve Aschburner: The Heat might get past Indiana, they might get through the Eastern Conference finals without Chris Bosh. And that would be a testament to LeBron James‘ and Dwyane Wade’s skills, resolve and, let’s face it, reputations for getting fouled. But there’s no way they get past the best of the West – San Antonio or Oklahoma City – to win a ring without their All-Star power forward. So Bosh might end up solidifying his spot with the club, because he’ll be missed sooner or later. And I actually think sooner.

Fran Blinebury: You’re already dissing him as the “bottom third” of the Big Three? Would Bosh have missed two free throws like LeBron?  Would Bosh have missed the layup like Wade?  We won’t bother comparing him to Mario Chalmers.  Already a thin team, now Miami is a two-legged stool without Bosh in the middle.  The Heat can still get to the Finals because Derrick Rose and Chicago no longer stand in their way.  But it’s unlikely they can raise a banner against the Spurs or Thunder without Bosh.

Scott Howard-Cooper: The Heat can still get to the Finals. (What happens there depends on the matchup among two, maybe three, possibilities.) Losing Bosh obviously hurts, especially since inside play was the big question mark all along. But (a) he could still return at some point, and (b) that remains the best team in a conference that has been damaged on many other fronts by injury.

Shaun Powell: They don’t sip championship champagne without Bosh. There’s just too much of a dropoff in talent between the Big Two and whoever’s the third-best player on this team for Miami to beat OKC or the Spurs, assuming one emerges from the West. Actually, the more Miami struggles without Bosh, the more Bosh looks like Moses Malone. In terms of value to his team. Not the real Moses. You know what I mean.

John Schuhmann: I think they can still reach The Finals. However, I’m not ready to count the Pacers out of this series. And if Kevin Garnett continues to play like he has, he could certainly make the Eastern Conference finals a lot more interesting than they would be otherwise, because the Heat won’t be able to match up with him at all. I definitely don’t think the Heat can beat San Antonio or Oklahoma City without Bosh, because they’ll need his length defensively.

Sekou Smith: They couldn’t win a title with him last year, so to assume the Heat could win it all without him would be more than just a little foolish. The Heat can get to The Finals again with or without Bosh, provided they can actually get past the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But I have a hard time seeing the Heat beat one of the remaining contenders in the Western Conference four times without Bosh playing a pivotal role. Bosh is a critical piece to the Heat machine. And without him, the Heat clearly have to figure a few things out. It always helps to have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade around to help with problem solving, though.

Category: Blogtable / Tags: , Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Indiana Pacers, LeBron James, Miami Heat / Comments (1) /

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Blake Griffin has been a little banged up, but we’re going there anyway: He can dunk, sure, but is he ready for the postseason spotlight?

Steve Aschburner: I don’t see the full range of skills, moves, wiles and whatever else goes into postseason success. Blake Griffin at this stage is still a regular-season highlight reel and accident — or brouhaha — waiting to happen with his collisions above the hardwood. Both he and the Clippers are building toward something, but they haven’t arrived.

Fran Blinebury: When you jump over cars and become a national spokesman for a product, you are inviting the spotlight. That said, eight games into his playoff career, Griffin is a work in progress who needs to expand his game and his skill for the Clippers to become real contenders.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Of course. It’s all relative, though. Is he is the best power forward in the game? No. Is Griffin as good as he will be next season or the season after? No. But is he good enough to beat an opponent as good as the Spurs? Yes. He can step into the moment just fine.

Shaun Powell: Sure, he’s ready, if healthy. Look, he’s an All-Star. He rebounds and defends. And yes, he dunks a lot, but those count for two points, don’t they? Where Griffin falls short is in the area of all-around offensive game. Eventually he’ll need to develop a trusty 15-footer, but he knows that. Until then, he has managed to get by quite nicely with an incomplete game. Heck, roughly 80 percent of NBA players have an incomplete game. All but a handful have a glaring weakness somewhere.

John Schuhmann: Not quite. He does have some post game, so it’s not like he’s Stromile Swift or anything like that. But if you can get back in transition and provide weak-side help on the Clippers’ pick-and-roll, you can certainly neutralize Griffin. He needs to Category: Blogtable / Tags: , Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers / No Comments /

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

When the funk music known as “go-go” comes up in casual conversation — and that’s not nearly often enough — it’s inevitably accompanied by the mention of one man’s name: Chuck Brown. The Washington, D.C. funk band leader and composer, whose biggest hit was the 1978 song “Bustin’ Loose,” died Wednesday at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore at age 75. He was the king of an East Coast subgenre that rose alongside New York funk and hip-hop in the 1970s and ’80s.

Featuring remarkable Afro-Cuban polyrhythms via pounding congas and rototoms, punctuated bursts of brass and Brown shouting out call-and-response phrases alongside grooves that extended many songs to over eight minutes long — and, more importantly, almost two or three times that in a live setting — Brown’s music was for partying. Though it flirted with mainstream success in the ’80s, the music has remained a regional phenomenon, a uniquely American strain of dance music.

But that doesn’t mean its influence hasn’t spread. The rhythms he built were some of the earliest tracks sampled by electronic dance music producers, especially when rave culture was being born in England. Coldcut’s influential 1987 jam “Say Kids What Time Is It?” is built on the back of a Chuck Brown rhythm from “Bustin’ Loose” — as is the Farm’s breakout rave-pop anthem “All Together Now” from 1990.

AFP Photo / Philippe Huguen

Mitt Romney’s campaign is rejecting a plan by a Republican super PAC to possibly revive an attack on President Obama that reminds voters of his ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former minister.

BLOG:  GOP donor wants to revive Wright attacks

Romney’s campaign manager, Matt Rhoades, says the presumptive GOP nominee is focusing on the economy. Here is his statement:

Unlike the Obama campaign, Gov. Romney is running a campaign based on jobs and the economy, and we encourage everyone else to do the same. President Obama’s team said they would ‘kill Romney,’ and, just last week, David Axelrod referred to individuals opposing the president as ‘contract killers.’ It’s clear President Obama’s team is running a campaign of character assassination. We repudiate any efforts on our side to do so.

The New York Times  reported on the plan commissioned by GOP donor Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade, to possibly run ads linking Obama to some of Wright’s controversial statements on race. Obama broke ties with Wright during the 2008 campaign and denounced his ex-pastor’s comments.

USA TODAY will have more on this story throughout the day. Keep checking back with us or The Oval.

Things aren’t looking good for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum’s hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Russell Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City, which matched its lowest scoring total of the season but still gutted out the win.

CELTICS 107, 76ERS 91

Kevin Garnett scored 27 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and used a dominant second quarter to help Boston beat Philadelphia and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Whistled for a costly illegal pick late in a Game 2 loss, Garnett crushed the Sixers early and never let them think about a fourth-quarter rally.

Garnett scored 13 of Boston’s 32 points in the second quarter and the Celtics became the first team to win by double digits. Game 1 and Game 2 were each decided by one point.

Rajon Rondo had 23 points and 14 assists. Paul Pierce, playing with a banged-up knee, had 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Game 4 is Friday in Philadelphia.

Thaddeus Young scored 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 15 for the Sixers. Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks each scored 13. Starters Elton Brand, Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner combined for only 11 points.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Follow us on twitter.com/foxnewslatino
Like us at facebook.com/foxnewslatino