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The Oscars 2012: Silence Is Golden:
'The Artist' Takes Oscar's Top Awards
"I love your country!" said Dujardin at the podium, and thanked legendary
silent-film actor Douglas Fairbanks, among others. Dujardin finished by saying
that if his character, George Valentin, could talk, he'd say, "Genial! Merci!
Formidable! Merci beaucoup!" which means "Cool! Thank you! Fantastic! Thank you
very much!"
Sadly, Uggie, the dog who stole nearly every scene in The Artist, failed to
win his own prize, but he did get to come up onstage and eat treats while the
humans accepted the best picture trophy. Overall, The Artist, which went into
the telecast with 10 nominations, scored five, the same as the evening's top
nominee Hugo.
Meanwhile, Meryl Streep won her third best actress Oscar for her uncanny
portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
Streep, who has had 17 nominations -- more than any other actor -- is now one of
only five performers ever to win three or more Oscars. Jack Nicholson, Ingrid
Bergman and Walter Brennan are all three-peaters; Katharine Hepburn nabbed four.It was Streep's first win since 1982, and many felt she'd lose to her
friend Viola Davis, star of The Help. When Streep received a standing ovation
from the audience, she said, "When they called my name, I had this feeling I
could hear half of America going, 'Oh no...come on...her!'" In an unusual move,
she thanked her husband Don Gummer first, so his name wouldn't get cut off. She
said "I want him to know everything I value most in our lives, you gave me."
Streep also predicted, "I'll never be up here again," and added, "This is such a
great honor, but the thing that counts the most to me is the friendships and the
love and the sheer joy we have shared making movies together."
As for the best supporting actor Christopher Plummer for Beginners, as every single
pundit had predicted. "Thanks for putting me with the hottest guy in the room!"
said Spencer, before sobbing with happiness. Told to wrap up, she said, "I'm
wrapping up! I'm sorry, I'm freaking out!"
Plummer, who at 82 is now the oldest performer ever to win an Oscar,
grabbed the golden statuette and said to it, "You're only two years older than
me, darling. Where have you been all my life?"
Also Octavia Spencer who won Best Supporting Actress for “The Help” was in
astounding cheer as she accepted her award .
Spencer joins an elite group of Black actors and actresses who have earned
Academy Awards. From Hattie McDaniel (the first Black person to ever win) to
Denzel Washington (the only Black actor to have two Oscars),
KUDOS!
Of note, Whitney Houston was included in this year's In Memoriam segment;
in the past, stars who died just before the Oscars occasionally had to wait
until the following year's ceremony. The segment ended with Elizabeth Taylor.
The slot where the best original songs are usually performed was taken up
by a Cirque du Soleil performance that attempted to show what it was like to go
to the movies. Cue performers flying over the audience on trapezes and insanely
difficult acrobatics.
The just-a-tad-over-three-hour Oscar telecast marked the return of Billy
Crystal, who stepped in to host the show for the ninth time after the previous
host, Eddie Murphy dropped out. And those nostalgic for Crystal's patented Oscar
bits weren't disappointed he opened the show by inserting himself into about 10
movies, from The Artist and Moneyball, to Tintin, The Help and Bridesmaids. One
of the funniest moments came when he popped up in Midnight in Paris -- he walked
over to a car, looked in the window and saw none other than Justin Bieber, who
said he'd dropped in to help Crystal capture the "18-24 demo." A scene from The
Descendants, meanwhile, had George Clooney kissing Crystal and waking him from a
coma. Later, Crystal told Clooney's girlfriend Stacey Kiebler, who usually gets
to kiss Clooney, "You're a lucky girl."
Crystal also reprised his famous "It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar" song --
"What, you didn't think I was going to do this?," he cracked -- by singing
little ditties about all nine best picture nominees. Another favorite bit, in
which Crystal predicts what the stars in the audience are thinking, was amusing,
especially when they cut to a shot of Uggie the Dog, and Crystal said, "If I had
'em, I'd lick 'em." Other than that, Crystal kept the show running smoothly, but
it wasn't a non-stop laugh fest.
Noting that the evening was all about the
escapism of the movies, he said, "Tonight, enjoy yourselves, because nothing can
take the sting out of the world's economic problems like watching millionaires
present each other with golden statues."
Also here are my favorites for best dressed!
Viola Davis in Vera Wang
The Help's Viola Davis took the emerald trend to the next
level in a brilliant green Vera Wang gown with a pleated chiffon train. Davis
abandoned her usual wigs in favor of her close-cropped natural hair, allowing
the focus to fall on her arresting diamond-and-emerald jewels.
Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji
Octavia Spencer stayed loyal to her favorite label, Tadashi
Shoji, in a beaded white gown with flattering draping. The star of The Help
added to her red carpet opulence with a crystal-studded clutch and refined
diamond chandelier earrings. Radiant execution!
Rooney Mara in Givenchy
Rooney Mara managed to avoid her beloved black for one
evening, but she still looked like quite the drama queen in her art deco
Givenchy gown. Although she's still sporting aggressively angular Girl With the
Dragon Tattoo hair and makeup, Mara looked as if she could have stepped straight
off a 1930s film set. Her accompaniments included a c. 1910 Fred Leighton
diamond ring in platinum.
Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad
The beaded stripes in Jennifer Lopez's figure-hugging Zuhair
Murad gown augmented her famously curvy silhouette. She pumped up the sex appeal
with a sleek, tight bun (instant facelift!), luxurious diamond earrings, and
patented ultra-serious sexyface.
Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford
Gwyneth Paltrow looked like a foxy fashion superhero in her
caped Tom Ford gown. Let's call her Captain Cool Minimalist, shall we? Paltrow
played off the gown's austerity with a diamond-encrusted cuff and sleek locks.
Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli
Emma Stone looked ultra-feminine in her fuchsia Giambattista
Valli dress, even if it kicked off some major deja vú for anyone who remembers
the crimson Balenciaga gown Nicole Kidman wore to the 2007 Oscars.
Unfortunately, Emma is not quite as seasoned at carrying off high drama as is
Nicole.
Penelope Cruz in Armani Privé
Penelope Cruz brought real romance to the Hollywood &
Highland center in a flowing periwinkle creation by Armani Privé. Cruz added
classic Grace Kelly polish to her ensemble with diamond jewels and shiny
1950s-inspired curls
Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab
Milla Jovovich was an early red carpet favorite in a
one-shoulder Elie Saab Couture gown paired with classic red lips, artfully
arranged curls, and the very daintiest box clutch. It's hard to execute
"va-va-voom" with such elegance.
Stacy Keibler in Marchesa
George Clooney's lady love Stacy Keibler very much resembled a
trophy in her expertly draped gold Marchesa gown. With a deep side part and
sun-kissed skin, Stacy couldn't have looked any more polished on her boyfriend's
big night.
Maya Rudolph in Johanna Johnson
Funny lady Maya Rudolph opted to wear a custom Johanna Johnson
gown in a demure eggplant hue. The gown looked rather somber from the front,
with its beaded capped sleeves and a dramatic train, but featured an intricately
embellished back that was all glitz.
Glenn Close in Zac Posen
Damages star Glenn Close looked like she meant business in her
forest green Zac Posen gown and its matching tailored blazer. The mermaid
silhouette may be getting a little tired, but we applaud Glenn's expert working
of the gown's fitted bustier. Nice pose!
Nice night. Its safe to say Awards season is now OVER!
Nice night. Its safe to say Awards season is now OVER!
RUNAWAY GROOM? Jason Campbell leaves fiance’ AT THE ALTER?
Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell and his fiancée Jenny Montes were scheduled to be married in her native country last week but the couple announced that the wedding was cancelled but were not given any explanation.Since the sudden turn-around, the groom, 30, has been on damage patrol, actively squelching rumors that he left Ms Montes, 32, at the altar.‘I love her enough not to leave her at the altar,’ he told The Washington Post.‘I love her enough to talk to her before it gets that far.’In spite of the cancelled vows, there doesn’t seem to be any grief between the almost-betrothed as they are still together in the Dominican Republic with her family and decided to ‘just made a vacation out of it’.
The pair had been quite open about their wedding planning, telling Washington Post reporters that they had 23 members of the bridal party- not including themselves- and Ms Montes Tweeting throughout the process.
Mr Campbell and Ms Montes, who is a nightclub hostess and has a daughter from a previous relationship, met initially when he was based in Washington, D.C. while playing for the Redskins.
Though they first became romantically involved in 2005- when he saw her dancing on top of a bar- they ended up being friends and staying platonic for years.
Just as the countdown to the wedding was boiling down to the final few months, Mr Campbell broke his collarbone, which only added to his stress because it happened just as he was due to negotiate a hefty free agent contract.
Whatever the reason was for the last-minute play, the couple seem determined to extricate all unnecessary stress from their life. They took down their wedding website shortly after the almost-event (as it might have felt taunting to see the ‘Countdown to the wedding’ clock hit negative numbers), and are discussing what to do next.
Maybe Ms Montes can find solace in her own advice: in the months leading up to the wedding, she posted several consoling maxims on Twitter.
‘People make mistakes & bad choices but that's a part of growth, if you're not learning then you're not growing,’ she Tweeted on August 13.
Or, a more fitting option may be the one she wrote on August 6: ‘Sometimes two people have to fall apart just to realize how much they need to fall back together again’.
Kim Kardashian Upset Over Ray J’s Explicit Book
Kim Kardashian and Ray J shared an intimate relationship for quite some time before the reality based star got to dating Reggie Bush and then continued on post Reggie to marry Kris Humphries for a mere 72 days.
But that time with Ray J is something both she, Ray and the entire public will never forget; thanks to the celebrity sex tape seen ’round the world that made her and her booty so popular from that point forward.
But that time with Ray J is something both she, Ray and the entire public will never forget; thanks to the celebrity sex tape seen ’round the world that made her and her booty so popular from that point forward.
Sources are sharing that since Kim Kardashian has heard of Ray’s “KK” writings in his new book, The Death of A Cheating Man– where he reveals intimate details that she likely thought would never see the light of day. “She [KK] let me know she wanted to get with me. She left her husband for me as soon as we started having sex.”
Though she may not think so, Kim really does have Ray to thank for quite a bit of what she has these days. If it weren’t for him she might still just be Paris Hilton’s friend. But a source close to her shares that she’s upset with his writings, “Kim’s putting on a brave face, but she’s furious about Ray J cashing in on her. There’s so much that has gone wrong for her this year — he’s just another person trying to humiliate her.”
Black Man Convicted Of Mailing Noose To Interracial Couple
Earlier this month, it was revealed that interracial marriages have reached an all-time high, but some people still take issue with the notion that love has no color. A couple in Detroit comprised of a Black man and white woman received a noose in the mail, alongside photos of people being lynched, for their colorblind love.
What's even more shocking is the fact that the man who sent the items is not only Black himself, but "allegedly" holds a PhD. "When I opened the letter up, first thing I saw was a noose," Carl Smith told My FOX Detroit. "I opened it up further and it was like four pages of hate mail. People being hung, black guys, Nicole [Brown] Simpson getting her throat cut, and I was terrified."
Smith and his wife, Susan, contacted the FBI who requested that they send the items over. Upon further investigation detectives were able to find DNA on the noose, which allowed them to pinpoint the culprit.
VIDEO:
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41-year-old Glenn E. Morgan Jr. of Detroit, and founder of the National Black Men's Education Association, was identified for committing the crime. Despite the fact that no one has ever even really heard of his alleged association, Morgan is also said to be an "educator," a term obviously used loosely.
While there is no clear motivation behind his actions, Morgan is an eccentric character to say the least. He's been known to post videos praising himself, one of which shows him wearing an extra deep v-neck, black shades, and what appears to be a slicked-down relaxer in his hair. Based on his appearance alone nothing that comes out of this guy's mouth should be taken seriously, but he still found it necessary to go on his Facebook page, and accuse the FBI of racism.
After pleading guilty to sending threatening communications via mail, he was sentenced to three months in federal prison, plus two-years of supervised release. Most damning is that Morgan will likely have to trade in those tight t-shirts of his for a less fashionable prison uniform, but that's the price you pay for sending out hate.
In light of the situation, Mr. Smith blasted Morgan for "ruining my life," while his wife came out of the incident with a different perspective "I love this man and there's nobody in the world that's gonna make me change the way I feel about my husband, whether he's Black or whether he's white."
Jay-Z & Kanye Head To Paris...WATCH THE THRONE Euro Tour CONFIRMED
Get ready for "Ni**as In Paris"....in Paris! Jay-Z & Kanye West are packing up their throne and taking it to Europe. Deets inside on the fellas' upcoming Euro Tour...
After 34 tour stops in the US this past October-December, Mr. Carter & Mr. West have confirmed they are indeed kicking off the Watch The Throne tour in Europe this summer. They announced 12 dates so far kicking off May 20th at the O2 Arena in London, and wrapping up June 13th in Birmingham, England. And yes...they're hitting up Paris June 1st and June 2nd at the Bercy.
Here are the tour stops so far:
May 20 - London, England (O2 Arena)
May 24 - Zurich, Switzerland (Hallenstadion)
May 26 - Herning, Denmark (Herning Arena)
May 28 - Oslo, Norway (Telenor Arena)
May 29 - Stockholm, Sweden (The Globe)
June 1 - Paris, France (Bercy)
June 2 - Paris, France (Bercy)
June 3 - Antwerp, Belgium (Sportpaleis)
June 5 - Frankfurt, Germany (Festhalle)
June 8 - Dublin, Ireland (O2 Arena)
June 11 - Manchester, England (Manchester Arena)
June 13 - Birmingham, England (LG Arena)
May 24 - Zurich, Switzerland (Hallenstadion)
May 26 - Herning, Denmark (Herning Arena)
May 28 - Oslo, Norway (Telenor Arena)
May 29 - Stockholm, Sweden (The Globe)
June 1 - Paris, France (Bercy)
June 2 - Paris, France (Bercy)
June 3 - Antwerp, Belgium (Sportpaleis)
June 5 - Frankfurt, Germany (Festhalle)
June 8 - Dublin, Ireland (O2 Arena)
June 11 - Manchester, England (Manchester Arena)
June 13 - Birmingham, England (LG Arena)
Wonder if Blue Ivy and her moms will be tagging along.?
Chromatic Nicki Minaj Is Planning Young Girls Charity, Explains In Vogue’s March Issue
Nicki Minaj is still expanding her empire, and working on making her mark as a positive role model and artist is still at the forefront of her mind. She’s kicking off the year right with plenty of magazine pictorials and interviews in lieu of her fast approaching sophomore album, and one of her next shoots is in Vogue’s March issue.
Nicki speaks a lot about her brand and even makes mention that she’s going to be starting up a charitable foundation for young girls who look up to her (which is a huge impact). If she can get plenty of girls to go out and buy lipstick for a good cause, there’s definitely space for her in the charitable space.
“[I’m planning] an enormous foundation to nurture girls. The Nicki Minaj girl is a fun, artsy girl who can become a fierce force to be reckoned with on Wall Street! They hang on my every word, so I tell them, go to school, be ambitious. The worst position is to be financially dependant on a man. I could never be that girl!”
Star Jones Book Made Into a Movie
Star Jones' thinly veiled tell all 'Satan's Sisters' is being turned into a made for TV movie...
'Satan's Sisters' is about five women who co-host a talk show and who's lives implode after one of them leaves the show under mysterious circumstances and then writes a tell-all book
Star Jones and Suzanne de Passse are executive-producing the project for VH1.
Idris Elba Set To Play Nelson Mandela In New Biopic
Idris revealed in a recent interview with HipHollywood.com:
“My big project this year, I’m gonna go play Nelson Mandela in Long Walk To Freedom, which is his official book. That’s where my head is geared to this summer.”
Long Walk to Freedom is autobiographical work written by Nelson Mandela himself, which highlights his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison.
AND HE’S PROUD? David Cross Snorted Cocaine at the White House
Comedian David Cross says he snorted cocaine in the White House just feet away from President Barack Obama.
David Cross is coming clean with a shocking confession that he snorted cocaine at a White House event, with President Barack Obama sitting just feet away.
The comedian has admitted it before, but in a new interview with Playboy magazine, he divulges all the dirty details.
David Cross is coming clean with a shocking confession that he snorted cocaine at a White House event, with President Barack Obama sitting just feet away.
The comedian has admitted it before, but in a new interview with Playboy magazine, he divulges all the dirty details.
"It wasn't even that much cocaine. It was literally the size of, I don't know, a tick," said Cross, who attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2009.
“I ducked under the table and did it. It wasn’t like I got high. The jolt was similar to licking an empty espresso cup. It wasn't about that. It was just about being able to say that I did it, that I did cocaine in the same room as the President,” he told the magazine….what an idiot!
“I ducked under the table and did it. It wasn’t like I got high. The jolt was similar to licking an empty espresso cup. It wasn't about that. It was just about being able to say that I did it, that I did cocaine in the same room as the President,” he told the magazine….what an idiot!
Report:Beyonce Getting Svelte with Live-In Trainer
Ready to bounce back into shape after giving birth to Blue Ivy last month, Beyoncé's fitness trainer is said to be living at her and Jay-Z’s New York City home.
It is being reported that the “Love on Top” singer made arrangements for Marco Borges to squat at their digs while she works to drop the 40lbs she gained during pregnancy.
It is being reported that the “Love on Top” singer made arrangements for Marco Borges to squat at their digs while she works to drop the 40lbs she gained during pregnancy.
A source told Star magazine, “Beyonce and Marco are up at 5 a.m. for a two-hour workout, and they do it again at 5 p.m. They do a mix of cardio, Pilates, plyometrics, yoga and, of course, dance.”
In addition, Beyonce is also watching what she eats and is “living on protein shakes, egg-white omelets, pineapple chunks and lots of ice-cold water.”
Kourtney Kardashian Confirms She’s Pregnant With A Baby Girl
‘Kourtney was hoping for a girl,’ an insider told America’s Life & Style at the time.
‘She loves having a boy but thinks having a girl would be perfect so she can dress her up and show her the ropes in life.’
‘She loves having a boy but thinks having a girl would be perfect so she can dress her up and show her the ropes in life.’
Disick previously told the magazine: ‘A girl would be a fantastic addition to our family.’
Pilar Sanders Sues Deion Sanders For $200 Million
Pilar Sanders and Deion Sanders pop up in the media every few weeks now, and their divorce battle seems to get a bit nastier coming from Pilar’s end every time. Previously it was all about Deion paying for sex (which he dismissed), and she’s been crying broke for awhile.
Now? Pilar is suing her former spouse for $200 million. Pilar is using Deiondra’s Twitter rants against her and her father, claiming that she underwent that type of verbal abuse constantly in their Dallas home.
“[Deion and Deiondra] even persuaded [Pilar] that she was and is worthless, a ‘gold diggin’ ho, and that no one else would want her.” Yet Pilar is still claiming that she’s not a gold-digger. When you’re constantly defending that you’re not, you probably are a gold digger. But she’s asking for $150 million in punitive damages and $50 mil in actual damages. Not to mention, she’s asking for a public apology.
We do have to credit her with getting more and more creative with her various and outlandish statements against her ex-husband.
Amber Riley shows off her trimmer form after weight loss
Amber Riley made a decision last summer to start eating more healthy foods.
And now the star has revealed that her seven months of hard work has paid off and she has lost a considerable amount of weight.
The Glee star, 26, told People magazine: ‘I’ve dropped two dress sizes!’
She decided to make the improvements to her diet in July of last year after visiting a doctor for chronic stomach pains.
And now the star has revealed that her seven months of hard work has paid off and she has lost a considerable amount of weight.
The Glee star, 26, told People magazine: ‘I’ve dropped two dress sizes!’
She decided to make the improvements to her diet in July of last year after visiting a doctor for chronic stomach pains.
She told the magazine: ‘I decided I was going to make a change and eat healthier,’ adding that the fast foods she was eating ‘were attacking my stomach.’
However the star has insisted that while the change has been a positive one, she has always been confident in her body.
She said: ‘I've always been comfortable with my size. I just decided it was time to get healthy.’
And her trimmer figure has also meant changes have been made to her on set outfits in Glee.
Amber added: ‘We had to revamp the wardrobe. They bought a lot of new clothes for me and we have to take in a lot of my pants and dresses.’
And her trimmer figure has also meant changes have been made to her on set outfits in Glee.
Amber added: ‘We had to revamp the wardrobe. They bought a lot of new clothes for me and we have to take in a lot of my pants and dresses.’
She also admitted that she was finding dressing for the red carpet an easier feat since losing the weight.
The star has been showing off her slimmer frame in recent weeks and was seen sporting a form-fitting blue sequined evening gown that clung to her curves when she attended the NAACP image awards over the weekend.
Akon Facing Lawsuit Over Georgia Home
Southern Electric has filed suit in Georgia Superior Court alleging that the R&B star still owes them more
According to StraightFromTheA, Southern Electric completed more than 344-thousand dollars worth of work, but Akon refused to pay 51-thousand-941 dollars on his final invoice.
Southern Electric contacted Akon’s mother, who was the agent in the deal, but has yet to receive their money. They’re now suing for the amount Akon still owes as well as interest.
Rihanna Has FORGIVEN Breezy? Well The Dream says YES! she has!
The Dream is speaking out about his friend Rihanna saying it was her idea to add Chris Brown to the "Birthday Cake (Remix)". He added that if she has forgiven him, so should everyone else.
The Dream has spoken out to Billboard about Rihanna's controversial "Birthday Cake Remix" saying,
"For me, it's just music -- two talented people doing a record together, doing two records together, and that's what it was. It wasn't about an incident that happened. The true thing really is to forgive, and… you want to believe in people."
He added,
"It was Rih's idea. Not only do we work together, but [Rihanna] is a friend of mine. And it's like, 'You wanna do something? Then cool, let's do it.' I don't know how she got the logistics and how it happened -- maybe she'll talk about it one day. I showed up at the studio, and it was like, 'All right, cool, let's finish this record,' which we probably should have finished the first time we did it."
All in all, he ended by saying, "Because this is about her, if she can forgive, that's where she is mentally. As a friend, it's like, 'Okay, cool. Let's roll.'"
"It was Rih's idea. Not only do we work together, but [Rihanna] is a friend of mine. And it's like, 'You wanna do something? Then cool, let's do it.' I don't know how she got the logistics and how it happened -- maybe she'll talk about it one day. I showed up at the studio, and it was like, 'All right, cool, let's finish this record,' which we probably should have finished the first time we did it."
All in all, he ended by saying, "Because this is about her, if she can forgive, that's where she is mentally. As a friend, it's like, 'Okay, cool. Let's roll.'"
So it seems like many folks are moving on from the Chris Brown incident from a few years ago.
On forgiving Chris, he said,
"I think [the topic] that should be more on the tongues is: how do we proclaim to be a nation of forgiving, and we go by all of these rules and everything, but we can't actually do it? It actually makes you look weaker than your adversary -- if you don't have the power to forgive, but you lie and say that you did"
Interesting point. Thoughts?
She’s still daddy’s girl; Gabriel Aubry & Nahla's Day At The Zoo
The duo were seen checking out the animals and fun sights.
So beautiful to see Daddy and his little girl together!
The West hold on to win NBA All-Star game
Bryant scored 27 points, moving past Jordan as the career scoring leader in the game. Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant had 36, and Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook finished with 21.
"With all these great players on the floor, you never know what will
happen," Durant said. "Guys making big shots, and they cut it down to one. We
were up 18."
James and the East cut a 21-point deficit to one in the closing seconds, but weren't able to move in front. James had 36 points and fellow Heat star Dwyane Wade finished with a triple-double.
James and the East cut a 21-point deficit to one in the closing seconds, but weren't able to move in front. James had 36 points and fellow Heat star Dwyane Wade finished with a triple-double.
"I can't turn the ball over like that," James said. "I let my team down, but overall it was a great weekend."
Griffin then hit one free throw with 1.1 seconds left, and Wade was off on
a 3-point attempt from the corner. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and
10 assists, joining Jordan and James as the only players with All-Star game
triple-doubles.
With Durant named MVP, Bryant is tied for the All-Star record with his four. But he got a bigger mark in his 13th All-Star game.
With Durant named MVP, Bryant is tied for the All-Star record with his four. But he got a bigger mark in his 13th All-Star game.
He broke Jordan's record of 262 points on a dunk with 4:57 left in the
third quarter and now has 271 for his career. He entered with 244 and passed
Oscar Robertson (246 points) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (251) earlier in the game.
It nearly wasn't enough, as the East's comeback had the crowd filled with entertainers and athletes chanting for defense — never a part of the All-Star game vocabulary — in the final seconds.
With Bryant covering him, James hit two long 3-pointers in the final period, and the East had a chance when Bryant, with the crowd loudly booing, missed a free throw with 18 seconds left and the West up 151-149.
"Just being a competitor," James said. "They pretty much beat us up all
game so we just wanted to make a game of it."
But New Jersey's Deron Williams was short on a 3-pointer, and after the East came up with it, James fired a pass into a crowd that Griffin intercepted.
On a colorful night in Orlando, from pregame performer Nicki Minaj's pink and green hair to the neon sneakers many of the stars wore, Dwight Howard had nine points and 10 rebounds as the game's host.
But New Jersey's Deron Williams was short on a 3-pointer, and after the East came up with it, James fired a pass into a crowd that Griffin intercepted.
On a colorful night in Orlando, from pregame performer Nicki Minaj's pink and green hair to the neon sneakers many of the stars wore, Dwight Howard had nine points and 10 rebounds as the game's host.
He hiked his scoring average to 25.9 points over his eight All-Star games, and someday he'll probably take the record Bryant set Sunday.
But he couldn't quite catch Kobe in the game.
With the 2-year-old Amway Center considered by many the finest arena in the league, the NBA brought its midseason showcase back to Orlando for the first time since the memorable 1992 game, when Magic Johnson was MVP three months after retiring from the league because of the HIV virus.
This one was once in jeopardy of being lost when the lockout lasted into late November. Without a settlement then, All-Star weekend may have been wiped out, as it was in 1999 following a work stoppage. The party was saved.
With the 2-year-old Amway Center considered by many the finest arena in the league, the NBA brought its midseason showcase back to Orlando for the first time since the memorable 1992 game, when Magic Johnson was MVP three months after retiring from the league because of the HIV virus.
This one was once in jeopardy of being lost when the lockout lasted into late November. Without a settlement then, All-Star weekend may have been wiped out, as it was in 1999 following a work stoppage. The party was saved.
James and Howard, wearing bright orange shoes, danced onto the stage for pregame introductions, Howard breaking into an enormous grin when fans gave him a thunderous ovation as the last All-Star introduced. He insists that he and Magic fans still have a love affair despite his trade request, understanding he still loves the city even if not his team, and urged everyone to ignore the trade talk for a weekend and have fun.
"We did it big for our city," he said in brief pregame remarks to the crowd before the game.
Then Andrew Bynum blocked his first shot attempt.
The speedy Westbrook had the East looking like it was standing still late in the first half, and it was 88-69 at the break.Howard and Derrick Rose ditched their orange sneakers in the second half — James kept his — and the East quickly got back into it, trimming 12 points off its deficit in less than 6 minutes. They even started to defend — Wade whacked Bryant so hard on a drive that the Lakers star needed a break between free throws to wipe blood from his nose before sinking it to tie Jordan.
Williams scored 20 points for the East, Carmelo Anthony had 19, and Rose
finished with 14.
Kevin Love, who won the 3-point contest on Saturday, scored 17 points
for the West, which has won two in a row. Chris Paul had eight points and 12
assists.
EFREM.
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