Manchester City manager ready to make changes
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says he will drop players who are not "ready to fight" for the team.
The Premier League champions have fallen 12 points behind Manchester United in the title race following Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Southampton.
"I only want players who are ready for the fight in the last 12 games," said Mancini, whose side host Leeds in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.
"I am very angry with a lot of my players, and very disappointed."
Following the defeat at St Mary's - City's third in the Premier League this season - Mancini said his side have only a "10% chance" of retaining the Premier League title.
He also labelled the display as the worst his side have produced in three years.
With the Blues also eliminated from European competition, it has placed extra pressure on City in the FA Cup ahead of their clash with Leeds at the Etihad Stadium.
Mancini won the competition with City in 2011 and said he will make significant changes to his team this weekend.
"We can't always win by playing well - that is normal. Sometimes we play well and win, but you also need to be able to win because you fight for every ball, and fight against an opponent who also wants to win the game.
"Every team that plays against us treats it like a Champions League final, but we should know this, it is normal.
"We now have 12 games left, (we) need to do well in the Premier League, and we have the FA Cup - there are games left and we can do better.
"We need to finish the season the way we did last year."
City won their final six matches of last season as they overhauled Manchester United's eight-point gap to lift their first league title since 1968.
Striker Carlos Tevez is expected to return to City this week after a family problem, and skipper Vincent Kompany should also be available again, as will Matija Nastasic and Kolo Toure, who were not risked at Southampton after late returns from international duty.
New Zealand v England Twenty20: Eoin Morgan faces fitness test
Batsman Eoin Morgan will have a late fitness test ahead of England's second Twenty20 international against New Zealand in Hamilton on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old, who scored 46 in England's victory over the Kiwis on Saturday, has jarred his back and missed practice on Monday.
Bowler Jade Dernbach will be fit after injuring his arm during field drills, with Joe Root likely to replace Morgan.New Zealand welcome Ian Butler and Grant Elliott back from injury.
Morgan is England's highest ranked T20 batsman - the Middlesex man is rated as the ninth-best in the world by the ICC - and he has scored more than 850 runs at an average of 37.3 in his 33 matches.
His absence would be a big loss for England, who dominated the first T20 international - their 214-7 becoming their highest score in the format before captain Stuart Broad took 4-24 as New Zealand finished on 174-9.
The tourists can ensure victory in the three-match series if they can win in Hamilton, and Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow, who scored 38 from just 22 balls in Auckland, is hoping to continue the momentum.
"To spend some time in the middle was really pleasing and I was pleased with the way I struck the ball," said the 23-year-old, who helped Morgan put on 81 in seven overs at Eden Park.
"We were really pleased with the performance we put in. Everyone contributed, in all three disciplines."
New Zealand were outclassed in the first match and middle-order batsman Colin Munro accepts they got their tactics wrong.
"Obviously Saturday was disappointing - we weren't up to scratch," Munro said. "We had plans to drop the ball a little bit shorter and let them hit to the bigger boundary, but we were quite full and floaty - so we played into England's hands to hit the short, straight boundaries.
"Our lengths weren't right and dropping five catches didn't help. That's not going to happen again."
--BBC
Rafael Nadal loses Chile Open final to Horacio Zeballos
Rafael Nadal was denied the Chile Open title on his comeback from injury as Argentina's Horacio Zeballos came from a set down to beat him in the final.
Zeballos, ranked 73rd in the world, won his first ATP Tour title with a shock 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 victory at the clay-court event in Vina del Mar.Former world number one Nadal, 26, was playing his first tournament after eight months out with knee trouble.
"It's true I wanted to win the final but it wasn't possible," he said.
Zeballos did not progress beyond the second round in any of the tour-level events he competed in last year, but had already beaten three seeds en route to his match against Nadal.
"It's a dream for me," the 27-year-old told the ATP Tour's official website.
"To be able to play a final against Nadal was already good enough for me. It's a moment that will stay in my memory for the rest of my life."
Before this week, Nadal had not played a competitive match since suffering a shock second round defeat by Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon last year.
Having suffered with a knee injury, the world number five pulled out of January's Australian Open with a stomach virus.
The Spaniard saved two break points on his opening service game and looked to be on course for victory after wrapping up the first set in a tie-break.
But Zeballos refused to buckle and took the second set after another tight tie-break.There had been no breaks of serve up to that point, but Nadal changed that by winning the opening game of the third set - only to relinquish his advantage immediately.
At 5-4 ahead, Zeballos made his move and charged into a 0-40 lead on Nadal's serve before converting his first match point and sealing victory after two hours and 46 minutes.
Nadal, though, was positive in defeat, despite missing out on his 37th clay-court title.
"It was a great tournament for me," he said. "I just need to keep working, practising with hope, motivation and the right attitude to have better sensations every week. I hope it's the beginning of a lot of good things for me."
There was more disappointment for the Spaniard after he and Argentina's Juan Monaco were later beaten in the doubles final, losing 6-2 6-4 to Italians Paolo Lorenzi and Potito Starace.
Nuggets vs. Celtics sees triple overtime
Multiple overtimes seem to be a trend in basketball right now. Just one day after a five-overtime thriller between No. 11 Louisville and No. 25 Notre Dame in the NCAAs, the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics went into triple overtime before the Celtics pulled away to win, 118-114, Sunday night.
The game's back-and-forth momentum had fans on the edge of their seats the entire contest. One reporter, Rod Mackey of 9News, compared the game to March Madness. Peter Burns of Fox Sports Radio was less impressed—at least at first, expecting the Celtics to pull away with relative ease as the game wore on.
The Nuggets' young guns definitely came out blazing. JaVale McGee reeled in 16 rebounds, Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried both accumulated double-doubles, and Ty Lawson led all scorers with 29 points.
As good as many of Denver's youngsters were, Boston's experience did win out in the end. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both had huge nights, despite poor shooting performances. The two combined to go 16-of-42 from the field, but they both managed 20-plus points and 14-plus rebounds to lead the Celtics. Pierce actually ended up with a triple-double, going for 27 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists.
Jason Terry was also key for the Celtics, knocking down five threes in a 26-point effort. His performance in the third overtime sealed the deal for Boston, as the Celtics' Twitter account illustrates in exciting fashion.After the team's seventh straight win after losing Rajon Rondo for the season, fans are predictably blaming all the team's former ailments on Rondo. Jason Dumont, for one, was excited to see the ball being spread around in crunch time.
Pierce's triple-double was an incredible effort from the veteran, as he displayed an all-around performance rarely matched in the NBA these days (even if it was in 54 minutes).
Pierce was also clutch, as it took his three-pointer to tie the game and send it to the third overtime. For his clutch shots and excellent overall performance, Pierce deserves player of the game honors.
Grammy success for Fun, Gotye and Mumford and Sons
The 55th Grammy Awards have taken place in Los Angeles, with Fun, Gotye and Mumford and Sons among the winners.
Fun's anthem We Are Young, featuring Janelle Monae, was named song of the year, with the New York band going on to win the best new artist prize.
Gotye's international hit Somebody That I Used To Know received the record of the year, one of three prizes received by the Belgian-Australian artist.
Surprised Mumford and Sons took home the album of the year prize for Babel.The English folk rockers received their honour from fellow-countrywoman Adele, who had earlier won best pop solo performance for her live version of Set Fire to the Rain.
Adele, who won six awards last year, said: "I just wanted to be part of the night, because I loved it last year, obviously. Thank you, I just wanted to say a massive, send big love to all the other girls, and all us females doing this because we work so hard and we make it look so easy."
Mumford and Sons had received six nominations ahead of the ceremony. In the event, though, their only other prize came for best long form music video.
Ben Lovett from the band said: "I just want to say how beautiful Adele is looking tonight, and how great it is to be presented this award by another British musician.
"Yeah, there's a few of us out there, and the Grammys have opened their arms to us, and we're very grateful for all of this country and the Grammy foundation for being so welcoming."
Indie rock group The Black Keys enjoyed the most success overall, receiving four of the six awards for which they had been shortlisted.The event, held at Los Angeles' Staples Center, kicked off with Taylor Swift singing her hit We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
The 23-year-old star was joined by performers on stilts, a White Rabbit and human puppets for the Alice in Wonderland-themed performance.
Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John appeared shortly afterwards to perform Sheeran's single The A Team, with further performances coming from Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and country star Carrie Underwood.
Sting, Bruno Mars and Rihanna joined forces for a Bob Marley tribute that featured Rihanna and Marley's son Ziggy duetting on his father's 1980 classic Could You Be Loved.
Sir Elton returned later to perform in another all-star collaboration, paying tribute as he did so to the 26 people killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings last December.
The event was preceded by a pre-awards ceremony at a neighbouring venue at which the majority of this year's prizes were handed out.
Winners announced ahead of the main event included the late Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, whose award for best world music album was collected by his daughter Anoushka.I wish he was here to do it himself," said Shankar. The 31-year-old had been nominated in the same category alongside her father, who died in December.
Sir Paul McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom record was named best traditional pop vocal album, while The Beach Boys won best historical album, their first ever Grammy, for The Smile Sessions.
Yet it was The Black Keys and its singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach who dominated the pre-telecast awards show, receiving prizes for best rock song and best rock album.
Auerbach received an additional prize for non-classical producer of the year, with his band going on to win best rock performance during the main awards ceremony.
"Welcome to the greatest music show on earth," said rapper LL Cool J at the beginning of the evening in his role as ceremony host.
The event saw a surprise appearance from Prince, who appeared sporting black sunglasses and a white cane to present the record of the year award to Gotye.
The Belgian-Australian musician said he was overwhelmed to meet one of his musical heroes.
"A little bit lost for words, to receive an award from the man standing behind us with the cane. Many years listening to this man's music growing up, and a big reason I was inspired to make music. Thank you."
Here's a partial list of the winners - what did you think of the 2013 awards ceremony?
Album of the Year
Mumford & Sons, "Babel"
Song of the Year
Fun, feat. Janelle Monáe, "We Are Young"
Record of the Year
Gotye, feat. Kimbra, "Somebody That I Used To Know"
Best New Artist
Fun.
Pop Vocal Album
Kelly Clarkson, "Stronger"
Pop Solo Performance
Adele, "Set Fire to the Rain"
Pop Duo/Group Performance
Gotye feat. Kimbra, "Somebody That I Used To Know"
Pop Instrumental Album
Chris Botti, "Impressions"
Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Paul McCartney, "Kisses On The Bottom"
Country Album
Zac Brown Band, "Uncaged"
Country Solo Performance
Carrie Underwood, "Blown Away"
Country Duo/Group Performance
Little Big Town, "Pontoon"
Country Song
Carrie Underwood, "Blown Away"
Rock Performance
The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"
Hard Rock/Metal Performance
Halestorm, "Love Bites (So Do I)"
Rock Song
The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"
Rock Album
The Black Keys, "El Camino"
Alternative Music Album
Gotye, "Making Mirrors"
R&B Performance
Usher, "Climax"
Traditional R&B Performance
Beyonce, "Love On Top"
R&B Song
Miguel, "Adorn"
Urban Contemporary Album
Frank Ocean, "Channel Orange"
R&B Album
Robert Glasper Experiment, "Black Radio"
Rap Performance
Jay-Z and Kanye West, "N****s In Paris"
Rap/Sung Collaboration
Jay-Z and Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream, "No Church In The Wild"
Rap Song
Jay-Z and Kanye West, ""N****s In Paris"
Rap Album
Drake, "Take Care"
Dance Recording
Skrillex feat. Sirah, "Bangarang"
Dance/Electronica Album
Skrillex, "Bangarang"
For the full list of winners, visit Grammys.com
Whitney Houston remembered at pre-Grammy gala
Musicians including Dave Grohl, Janelle Monae, LA Reid and Miguel have paid tribute to Whitney Houston, a year after her death, at the age of 48.
The star died in her hotel room on 11 February last year.
Speaking at a pre-Grammy gala in Los Angeles, Grohl said Houston would be remembered "as one of the most iconic vocalists of all time."
"Not only did she sell 800 bazillion records," he added, "but she's [an] amazing singer".
Grohl was speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at music industry mogul Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammy party.
Houston had been due to attend last year's event, but died hours before it took place.
R&B singer and actress Brandy said: "She was the greatest voice of all time and nobody will ever come close to touching her. I will never forget her."
Miguel, who received a Grammy for best R&B song on Sunday night, added: "Whitney's voice was powerful. She was dynamic. I would like her to be remembered for her voice and smile. I think she'd want to be celebrated."
Contemporary soul singer Janelle Monae said she wanted to keep Houston's "vision" alive.
"The 'regalness' that she had, the class that she had. That's something that I value."
Record executive and US X Factor judge Antonio "LA" Reid, who was being honoured at the event, worked with Houston on the soundtrack to her hit movie The Bodyguard.
He said he liked to remember the more personal moments he had with the star.
"I can't sing, but I used to sing with Whitney, just for fun," he said. "Just that beautiful spirit and warm personality and that amazing voice."
American Idol judge Randy Jackson said she would be remembered "as one of the greatest ever to grace a microphone. Greatest ever - that's big".
Johnny Depp, Sting, Ne-Yo, Quincy Jones and Patti Smith also attended the event at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, which was held in honour of Houston.
The singer accidentally drowned in her hotel bathroom. A coroner ruled that chronic cocaine use abuse and heart disease were also factors.
Her death sent shockwaves around the music industry, which was gathered in Los Angeles for the annual Grammy ceremony.
A last-minute tribute was arranged for the 2012 show, with singer Jennifer Hudson performing the star's biggest-selling single, I Will Always Love You.
JIMMY CLIFF wins reggae Grammy
REGGAE veteran Jimmy Cliff yesterday won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album with the album Rebirth. The artiste, who has been enjoying a wave of popularity thanks to a controversial Super Bowl Volkswagen television advertisement, trumped four other nominees in the category to take the golden gramophone in a ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The other nominees in the category were: The Original Wailers Miracle; Sean Paul Tomahawk Technique; Sly & Robbie & The Jam Masters New Legend — Jamaica 50th Edition and Toots And the Maytals Reggae Got Soul: Unplugged on Strawberry Hill. This is Jimmy Cliff’s second Grammy triumph. In 1986, the second year of the reggae category, he won for his album Cliff Hanger.Produced by Tim Armstrong of punk group Rancid, Rebirth was a sleeper hit in 2012. It sold favourably and earned strong reviews from major publications such as Rolling Stone.
Cliff has been nominated for a Best Reggae Album Grammy seven times. His other nominations were Reggae Nights (1985), Club Paradise (1987), Hanging Fire (1989), Breakout (1993), and Black Magic (2005).
Machel feels honored to share title with SuperBlue
SuperBlue and Machel Montano are the joint International Power Soca Monarchs, having trounced all opponents at the final of the competition on Friday night.
No decision has been made yet with regard to how the total prize money for 1st and 2nd places will be divided between Montano and SuperBlue.
Montano who also retained his title from 2012 as the Groovy Soca Monarch winner, say he feels "honoured" to have tied with five-time winner Austin "SuperBlue" Lyons.
He said: "It is a great honour to tie with the man that made me want to sing soca. He pushed me to work harder and go beyond my limits (Friday) night. I congratulate him and his ability to return and be a force to be reckoned with. I feel proud to be the defender of my generation as Superman returned to meet the Boy of Steel."
Montano said he was caught unawares when the results were being announced, but gave all praise to God once he heard the results.
Source--Express
Pink Panther is the 2013 National Calypso Monarch in Trinidad
His renditions "Travel Woes" and "Crying in the Chapel" were enough to earn the judges approval and nod to win the 2013 National Calpso Monarch title early this morning.
When Eric "Pink Panther" Taylor was announced as winner of the monarch title there was a more than a smile of contentment on his face, after his sterling performances.
Taylor won the $1m first prize.
His first song "Travel Woes" is a tongue-in-cheek ditty aimed at the government in which he accounts the problems he encountered after booking a trip to London via sea but can't see the ship anywhere in sight.
He sings: "I see the scholarship, I see the sponsorship, I see the dealership, I see the ownership, I find the membership, some underhand relationship all around the Partnership, but I can;t find the Leadership."
In his other piece "Crying in the Chapel", Taylor puts into song the recent deaths of Sonny "Mighty Power" Francois and Seadley "Penguin" Joseph, along with other cultural icons who have passed away, coincidentally, around Carnival time.
Results
1. Eric "Pink Panther" Taylor - Travel Woes/Crying In The Chapel
2. Kurt Allen - Political Sin Phony/Black Stalin Say
3. Heather MacIntosh - The Old Man's Lament/Invisible
4. Roderick "Mr Chucky" Gordon - Bear With Me/The New Addiction
5. Karene Asche - Meh Pardna Ship/Eat Ah Food
6. Eunice Peters - None Of The Above/Keshorn D Javelin Champion
7. Duanne O'Connor - Building A Wall/ Seeking Sparrow's Advice
8. Alana Sinnette Khan - No Moral Authority/Pathological
9. Dr Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool - Prodigal Son/Virginia's Alzheimer
10. Kizzie Ruiz - In The Age Of Blog/T And T Forever
11. Marva "Marvelous Marva" Joseph - Come Back To What/Woman's Contribution To Trinidad And Tobago
12. Victoria "Queen Victoria" Cooper - D Betrayal/Club 34
Express
Round one to Gorstew, ‘Butch’ Stewart
THE Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Gordon 'Butch' Stewart and his holding company Gorstew, granting them leave to commence a judicial review against the contractor general in the Sandals Whitehouse Hotel matter. Following is the full text of a news release from Gorstew's lawyers:
"On January 30, 2013, Mr Justice Fraser granted permission to Gorstew Limited and its principal the Hon Gordon Stewart, OJ, to commence a claim for judicial review against the contractor general.
The proceedings relate to the Contractor General's decision to initiate investigations and issue requisitions concerning the sale of the Sandals Whitehouse Hotel.
In granting permission for the proceedings to be commenced, the learned judge accepted the submissions of counsel for Gorstew and Mr Stewart that the application was made promptly, but had there been a need to extend the time for the application to have been brought, he would have done so as to enable the important substantive issues raised to be resolved.Additionally, Mr Justice Fraser, having already determined that there was no alternative remedy available to Gorstew and Mr Stewart to challenge the actions of the contractor general, ruled that there was a good arguable case with a realistic prospect of success.
In his detailed reasons for judgment, comprising 199 paragraphs, His Lordship explained that due to:
a. the uncertainty on several levels as to the scope of the Contractor General's Act, and in particular whether its remit included contracts for the divestment of government-owned land
b. the long-standing case of Wright v The Telecommunications of Jamaica Limited (decided on October 6, 1989 in open court), in which the former Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe ruled that an agreement for the sale of land to The Telephone Company of Jamaica, which was a public body at the time, was not a government contract (a decision which has never been challenged on appeal); and
c. Parliament's decision to not amend the Contractor General's Act in spite of the recommendation to do so in the Wright case and the repeated entreaties of the contractor general, it was appropriate for the issues which arose in the claim to be determined in an expedited hearing before a Full Court.
In view of the contractor general's insistence that the requisitions issued be complied with, even if this was being challenged in court by Gorstew and Mr Stewart, the learned judge also ordered that the permission to commence the claim for judicial review would operate as a stay of the pending investigations being conducted by the contractor general until the ruling of the Court in the future hearings of the judicial review by the Full Court.
The learned judge said that in the event he were wrong in granting the stay, he would have in any event granted an interim injunction against the contractor general in view of the reputational risk at stake for Gorstew and Mr Stewart, and this moreso in light of the absence of any prejudice to the contractor general. He also ordered that the costs of the application were to be costs in the judicial review proceedings.
Counsel for the contractor general had previously indicated that their instructions were to appeal Justice Fraser's decision.
Mr Justice Fraser said that the matter is of public importance and scheduled it for first hearing on March 21, 2013 at 2:00 pm."