Imagery is my life and life is something beautiful
Nam dapibus tortor at massa ornare tincidunt. Donec sagittis commodo diam, a ornare metusFocusing on Tom Cruise’s impressive stunt driving, a new featurette for the upcoming action flick “Jack Reacher” was released by Paramount Pictures.
Based on Lee Child’s best-selling novel “One Shot,” the film tells the story of a homicide investigator who digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims.
In addition to the “Mission Impossible” star, the movie also includes Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, Alexia Fast, Robert Duvall, Jai Courtney, and Werner Herzog.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, “Jack Reacher” hits theaters this Friday, but fans can check out the action-packed featurette below.
Two fights have joined FX’s super-sized preliminary-card broadcast for next week’s UFC on FOX 5 event.
FX now airs six fights, not the usual four, prior to the Dec. 8′s main-card broadcast on FOX.
The bouts include bantamweights Mike Easton (13-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Raphael Assuncao (18-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and featherweights Dennis Siver (20-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) vs. Nam Phan (18-10 MMA, 2-3 UFC).
UFC on FOX 5 takes place Dec. 8 at Seattle’s KeyArena and features a main event between lightweight champion Benson Henderson and top contender Nate Diaz.
Although FUEL TV carried past UFC on FOX prelims, they now head to the bigger FX. Other bouts part of next week’s three-hour broadcast, which follows additional prelims on Facebook, include heavyweights Brendan Schaub (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC), “The Ultimate Fighter 15″ lightweight winner Michael Chiesa (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Marcus LeVesseur (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), “TUF 13″ runner-up Ramsey Nijem (6-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. fellow lightweight Joe Proctor (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), and lightweights Yves Edwards (41-18-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) vs. Jeremy Stephens (20-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC).
The full UFC on FOX 5 card includes:
MAIN CARD (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 5 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 3:30 p.m. ET)
For more on UFC on FOX 5, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Mike Easton)
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The last two lockouts produced gold medals for the Canadian junior team. But in comparison there only is one Canadian junior dream team — in 2004-05.
I guess I’m one of those bitter old guys who believes yesteryear was better.
Recently, I floated out an idea to a friend and long-time NHL scout that the two Canadian junior teams put together for the NHL lockout of 1994-95 and 2004-05 were close in talent.
After all, both won gold. Both didn’t lose a game.
“Come on, not even close,” the NHL scout said. “There was much more talent on the 2005 team. Did that first team have anybody close to a Sidney Crosby or Shea Weber? No way.
“Count up how many Stanley Cups the players from each team has won, and most of those players have only seven years in the NHL.”
Okay, okay. Settle down, my friend.
He was right, of course. Besides the fact that the 1994-95 Canadian under-20 team went a perfect 7-0 and outscored the opposition 49-22 under head coach Don Hay. A decade later, the Canadian juniors went 6-0 and walloped opponents by a combined score of 41-7 with Brent Sutter behind the bench, and dominated Alex Ovechkin and the Russians 6-1 in the final.
The 1994-95 championship, hosted by Red Deer, Alta., was the third in a streak of five in a row for Canada. Ten years later, when Crosby and company won in Grand Forks, N.D., snapped a seven year gold-less slump for the Canadian junior team program.
Already, players from that 2004-05 team have a combined 11 Stanley Cup rings in Andrew Ladd (2006, 2010), Ryan Getzlaf (2007), Corey Perry (2007), Sidney Crosby (2009), Colin Fraser (2010, 2012), Brent Seabrook (2010), Patrice Bergeron (2011), Jeff Carter (2012) and Mike Richards (2012).
Ed Jovanovksi (1996), Ryan Smyth (2006), Shean Donovan (2007) and Wade Redden all went to Stanley Cup finals, but the only NHL championships among the 1994-95 Canadian junior team were from Jeff Friesen with the 2002-03 New Jersey Devils and Jason Botterill as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins front office in 2009.
I guess there was only one dream team when it comes to Canadian junior hockey.
Here are the number of NHL games each player has suited up for from both Canadian junior teams:
2005 Candian juniors    1995 Canadian juniors
G Rejean Beauchemin 0     G Dan Cloutier 351
G Jeff Glass 0                   G Jamie Storr 219
D Cam Barker 296             D Chad Allan 0
D Shawn Belle 20              D Bryan McCabe 1135
D Braydon Coburn 460       D Nolan Baumgartner 143
D Dion Phaneuf 552           D Wade Redden 994
D Brent Seabrook 552        D Lee Sorochan 3
D Danny Syvret 59             D Jamie Rivers 454
D Shea Weber 480             D Ed Jovanovski 1085
F Patrice Bergeron 537       F Larry Courville 33
F Jeff Carter 516                 F Jason Allison 552
F Jeremy Colliton 57           F Todd Harvey 671
F Sidney Crosby 434          F Darcy Tucker 947
F Nigel Dawes 212             F Jeff O’Neill 821
F Stephen Dixon 0             F Alexandre Daigle 616
F Colin Fraser 291             F Ryan Smyth 1151
F Ryan Getzlaf 512            F Jason Botterill 88
F Andrew Ladd 484            F Shean Donovan 951
F Clarke MacArthur 363      F Denis Pederson 435
F Corey Perry 530              F Eric Daze 601
F Mike Richards 527          FJeff Friesen 893
F Anthony Stewart 262       F Marty Murray 261
 Total 7,144                         Total 12,867
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Learn MoreThe San Diego Chargers lost three players for the remainder of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers.
The team announced Tuesday that wide receiver Malcolm Floyd, running back Ryan Mathews and offensive lineman Reggie Wells have been moved to injured reserve.
Floyd suffered an ankle injury against the Panthers, while Mathews broke his left clavicle. Wells’ injury hasn’t been disclosed.
Floyd set a career-high with 56 receptions this season, adding 814 yards and five touchdowns. Floyd’s exit from the picture could give Robert Meachem a chance to finish his lost first season in San Diego on a high note.
According to UT-San Diego, Meachem will count a guaranteed $6.875 million against the 2013 cap. He has two catches for 18 yards since Week 7.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
Learn MoreAfter suffering a significant drop in air time, Ke$ha has emerged to address the controversy surrounding the lyrics to her hit song, “Die Young” in the aftermath of the Connecticut elementary school shooting.
On Tuesday, the 25-year-old singer tweeted, ” I’m so so so sorry for anyone who has been effected by this tragedy. and I understand why my song is now inappropriate. words cannot express.”
Earlier, she insisted, “I understand. I had my very own issue with ‘die young’ for this reason. I did NOT want to sing those lyrics and I was FORCED TO.”
However, the writers listed on the track include Dr. Luke, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter, Benjamin Levin, fun. singer Nate Ruess, and Ke$ha herself.
Giving fans a bit of an appetizer ahead of the release of their upcoming music video, “Kiss You,” the guys of One Direction have released a teaser video for those who just can’t wait.
The ’60s-inspired shoot includes group members Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson in a variety of costumes, such as ski outfits, prison jumpsuits, and, of course, shirtless in swim trunks.
Though the video won’t be released until 2013, the UK boy band has already had quite a year to brag about. They racked up two No. 1 albums in the U.S., sold out Madison Square Garden, and performed at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.
You can catch the full video for “Kiss You” on January 7th, but check out the sneak peek below.
Pauly D
I’m Getting a NEW Show
… Not on MTV
EXCLUSIVE
SAYONARA MTV … Pauly D hasn’t accepted the network’s offer to renew “The Pauly D Project” … and sources tell us, it’s all because he’s getting poached by another network, for a lot more cash.
Sources close to the situation tell TMZ … MTV — the network Pauly has been with since 2009 — wants to bring back his reality show for a 2nd season … but he’s not signing on anytime soon.Â
Our sources say the reason Pauly’s dragging his feet — he’s been taking meetings with E! Network instead to discuss doing a show with them. And we’re told … E!’s offering a lot more coin.
We’re told Pauly’s close to inking a new deal … he’s already had 3 meetings about the project … and E! is EXTREMELY interested in making it happen.
As for the show, our sources say it will focus more on Pauly’s entire life, rather than just his DJ career.
So … more gym shots?
Calls to Pauly D’s rep have not been returned.
Pauly D
I’m Getting a NEW Show
… Not on MTV
EXCLUSIVE
SAYONARA MTV … Pauly D hasn’t accepted the network’s offer to renew “The Pauly D Project” … and sources tell us, it’s all because he’s getting poached by another network, for a lot more cash.
Sources close to the situation tell TMZ … MTV — the network Pauly has been with since 2009 — wants to bring back his reality show for a 2nd season … but he’s not signing on anytime soon.Â
Our sources say the reason Pauly’s dragging his feet — he’s been taking meetings with E! Network instead to discuss doing a show with them. And we’re told … E!’s offering a lot more coin.
We’re told Pauly’s close to inking a new deal … he’s already had 3 meetings about the project … and E! is EXTREMELY interested in making it happen.
As for the show, our sources say it will focus more on Pauly’s entire life, rather than just his DJ career.
So … more gym shots?
Calls to Pauly D’s rep have not been returned.
Stepping out to promote her upcoming movie, “This is 40,” Megan Fox visited “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Monday (December 17).
In the film, the 26-year-old actress plays Desi, an employee of co-star Leslie Mann whose wardrobe is pretty skimpy.
However, stripping down to her undies for laughs is as far as she’ll go, as she told E! Online, “I would never be naked.”
The role is a chance for Ms. Fox to try her hand at a comedic role, and though it was a new opportunity, she was well cared for. Megan explained, “[Leslie] is so friendly and everyone’s so nice that it just sort of happened. It wasn’t that scary and we’re all sort making fools of ourselves along the way so there’s nothing to be terrified about.”
You can check out the interview in the players below!
Enjoy the pictures of Megan Fox at “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (December 17).
Eliza Szonert Catherine Deelay
Learn MoreSunday was a good one for Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt’s chances of winning Defensive Player of the Year. Heck, I haven’t counted him out of the MVP discussion.
On a day where Denver Broncos’ Von Miller and San Francisco 49ers’ Aldon Smith were quiet, Watt dominated the Indianapolis Colts: 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and four more quarterback hits.
Watt now has 19.5 sacks on the season. He’s tied with Smith for the league lead and is only three sacks away from Michael Strahan’s record.
“I’ve been preparing my whole life for this type of stuff,” Watt said via the Houston Chronicle. “It’s just starting to come to fruition. One thing I can say is, I’m happy it’s not over. I’ve got plenty of football left, and I can get so much better. … The fun is just beginning.”
The intense race for the playoffs is in full gear. Check out the latest situation in the postseason chase. More … |
I’ve seen enough. Watt has my hypothetical vote for the league’s best defensive player. He’s been more consistently dominating from the interior than Miller or Smith have been on the edges.
The big question left is whether Watt will re-write the record book. Don’t bet against it; Watt has another game against Indianapolis in Week 17.
Learn MoreJerry Jones stood behind the Dallas Cowboys’ decision to have Josh Brent, who faces charges of intoxication manslaughter after a drunk driving accident last week killed former teammate Jerry Brown, on the sideline during Sunday’s 27-24 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Our team and our players wanted him today on the sideline,” Jones said Sunday, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Jerry’s mother (Stacey Jackson) asked us directly as a group. She said, ‘Support him. Help him. He needs your help. Jerry wants that. I want that.’ His teammates asked him to come and be down there with them.”
Brent’s presence didn’t sit well with some, including CBS analyst Boomer Esiason, who called it “disgraceful” during the network’s pregame show. “Football players are an example and Josh Brent is the worst of those examples,” Esiason said via the Star-Telegram.
We have to imagine that Esiason didn’t have all the facts before commenting. The fact that Brown’s mother, who has continually supported Brent after the tragic event, asked the team to help the nose tackle and wanted him on the sideline with his teammates means a lot in this situation.
Brent’s actions the night of December 8 were ignorant and reckless and it cost the life of his best friend. However, in the wake of tragedies, the worst thing we can do is not discuss them, to sweep them under the rug or banish them from the sideline. Instead, these issues need to be fleshed out in the open and discussed. Ignorance is the greater crime.
Jones also confirmed Sunday that the Cowboys helped Brown’s family with the funeral costs.
“We wanted to make sure financially they could really be OK to have the funeral and do everything they needed to do,” Jones said via the Dallas Morning News. “We needed to help because there is a period of time that you have when you have some benefits. We helped financially.”
The positive moves, an overtime victory and a share of the NFC East…it was a good Sunday for America’s Team.
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
Learn MoreStepping out for a night of good music, Kelly Clarkson was among the famous faces on hand for the 2012 VH1 Divas Concert on Sunday (December 16) in Los Angeles.
Fresh off of her big engagement announcement the previous evening, the glowing bride-to-be looked beautiful in a multi-colored frock as she joined alongside fellow performer Ciara prior to the Shrine Auditorium held music showcase.
Certain to be a lively spectacle, Ms. Clarkson is one of many talented musicians lined up to take the stage during the course of the event – as she’s joined by fellow ladies like Jordin Sparks, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, among others
Hosted by Adam Lambert, the concert’s theme this time around pays tribute to late music legends Whitney Houston and Donna Summer.
Enjoy the pictures of Kelly Clarkson at the VH1 Divas Concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA (December 16).
Ray Lewis to Judge
Don’t Let My Baby Mama
CSI My Bank Accounts!!!
EXCLUSIVE
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is going for the block … against his baby mama who’s trying to hire a forensic investigator to comb through his finances — all in an attempt to squeeze more child support out of him.
You’ll recall … Lewis and his baby mama Sharnika Kelly are in a nasty battle over child support for their young son — and earlier this year Sharnika asked a judge to throw out their current agreement, claiming when she signed the deal back in 2001, Ray never disclosed his full income.
Sharnika even asked to have a forensic investigator come in and determine how much the NFL star is actually worth — in hopes to have the current $3,500-a-month order increased.
Now Ray is putting his foot down — and recently filed legal docs in Florida asking a judge to bar his baby mama from looking through his finances.
In docs, Ray argues the order established in 2001 is totally legit — and says that Sharnika had a lawyer when she signed, so if she wanted to fight it … she should have done so WAY back then.
A judge has yet to rule.
CT Shooter Adam Lanza
Learned How to Fire Guns
… From His Mom
Breaking News
Mass murderer Adam Lanza learned everything he knew about firearms … from his mother.
Adam’s mom , Nancy Lanza — who was Adam’s first victim — was an avid gun collector who reportedly bragged to friends and neighbors about her weapons and took her son to several firing ranges to teach him how to shoot … in the months leading up to his deadly assault.
One of Nancy’s neighbors, Dan Holmes, told the NY Post … Nancy was a gun enthusiast … an avid collector … often taking her kids to the gun range, infusing them with her obsession with firearms.
Adam used several different guns when he opened fire on Sandy Hook Elementary school earlier this week … all of which were registered to his mother.
Basharat Peer interviews William Dalrymple about his new book in the Hindustan Times:
William Dalrymple can be deceptive. He cultivates an image of nonchalance. It is rare to see him pontificate about the difficulties of research across languages, and the art of popular history in a social setting. He is most likely to speak about a hike or a trip to Istanbul. Then, a few years pass and he has produced another tome of meticulously researched history. Dalrymple’s gregarious exterior hides a disciplined writer, who disappears from public view for months, looking for unused manuscripts, finding the right translators, and typing for hours on a wooden desk in a hut in a corner of the garden of his house in Mehrauli. For his new book, Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1839-42, Dalrymple worked in archives in Delhi, Lahore, and Kabul, and found the most important Afghan accounts of the first British-Afghan war in an old Kabul bookshop. Here are excerpts from an interview:
What made you write this book?Â
There are a lot of books about Afghanistan, but few about Afghan history. What brought me to write this book was thinking about Afghan history after rereading Peter Hopkirk’s classic The Great Game. It is a bit dated and features a lot of “treacherous Orientals”. Return of a King is the first book about the first Afghan war using Afghan sources, telling the stories from an Afghan point of view as well. It is the defining conflict that the Afghans remember as the source of their independence that they alone in this region never succumbed to colonial rule. 18,000 soldiers of the East India Company marched into Afghanistan in 1839 and, according to legend, one man returns alive from this debacle. The British army is destroyed at the peak of the British Empire.
More here.
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Sophia Bush Danniella Westbrook
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| Check out the best photos of Broncos vs. Ravens matchups through the years. |
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs will play against the Denver Broncos barring a late setback, a team source told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Suggs tore his right biceps two weeks ago in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and did not play last week against the Washington Redskins.
The team always contended Suggs could play if he could handle the pain and have the range of movement to protect himself.
The Ravens need as much of a pass rush as they can get against MVP candidate Peyton Manning. The Ravens are the lone AFC division leader that has not clinched a playoff spot. They need wins to keep the cushion in between them and the Bengals and Steelers.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
Jacqueline McKenzie Carey Mulligan
Learn MoreTrey Songz
Arrested for Assaulting
a Woman with $$$
EXCLUSIVE
Throwing dollar bills at a woman (aka MAKING IT RAIN!!!) seems harmless, but it got Trey Songz arrested for assault in New York recently … TMZ has learned.
Songz (real name Tremaine Neverson) had an album release party on August 21 at a gentleman’s club in Queens. According to police, somewhere between 4:00 and 4:15 AM on the 22nd, Trey became involved in an altercation inside the club.
Cops described the incident this way in the criminal complaint: “Tremaine Neverson, did throw a sum of United States currency at the complainant and said sum of United States currency struck the complainant’s left eye causing substantial pain to her left eye.”
It is unclear if the woman in question was … how do we say this nicely … a stripper.
Songz was not arrested that night, but rather a month later for misdemeanor assault. Songz had a court date in NY on November 1 and an order of protection was issued. He is due back in court in February.
We reached out to a rep for Songz, but have yet to hear back.
Carey Mulligan Catherine Bosley
Learn MoreTaking a break from her Victoria’s Secret photo shoot, Maryna Linchuk hit the beach in St. Barts on Saturday (December 15).
The Belarusian model showed off her gorgeous beach bod in a simple white bikini and a matching ball cap.
Sharing the breathtaking views with her Twitter followers, Maryna posted several photos of herself and the other beautiful sights.
Posing with Ms. Linchuk was fellow Victoria’s Secret model, Candice Swanepoel, whose blonde locks and trim figure make her and her coworker appear to be sisters.
Enjoy the pictures of Maryna Linchuk showing off her bikini during a break in a Victoria’s Secret photo shoot in St. Barts (December 15).
CBC Sports is about to reveal its Top 10 most influential people in Canadian sport on Sports Weekend this Saturday. The way I see it, there aren’t enough athletes on the list.
CBC Sports is about to reveal its Top 10 most influential people in Canadian sport on Sports Weekend this Saturday. The way I see it, there aren’t enough athletes on the list.
At the top, you’ll find the NHL commissioner. But there’s a union organizer right behind him and a professional baseball executive, too. The head of the Canadian Olympic Committee is front and centre as are the men in the boardrooms of the CFL. Meantime, only three bonafide athletes made the cut, according to our editorial board.
That’s because power and influence in sport have, for too long, been defined by what happens on the sidelines.
Â
It’s evident that money talks and those who have the power to spend it on salaries or dole it out to various national athletes and teams carry the big stick. This has become a widely accepted notion, that sport is nothing if not business.
That’s why you tend to find administrators, media moguls and major corporate sponsors on these kinds of lists. Those who pull the strings behind the scenes have a major influence on what the fans eventually see and how sport is presented.
According to this formula, those who patronize sport have little to no power. Do the power brokers pulling the strings during the NHL lockout fiasco really care about the consumer? It’s obvious that they don’t. They assume that rabid hockey fans will rush back to arenas when play resumes.
In Canada, they may be right. South of the border, in some of the swing states of hockey, well, they just might be looking at an entirely different animal.
So where does all of this leave the stars of sport themselves, the athletes? Ultimately, who has the power to create an iconic sporting moment like Lou Marsh Award winner Christine Sinclair did when she almost singlehandedly put soccer on the map in this country at the London Olympics? The answer is precious few Canadians.
Listen to how the man in charge of the Canadian Soccer Association described Sinclair’s affect on sport.Â
“That award is a tribute to Christine and her teammates and all they’ve done in both our national and international sporting communities in 2012,” said Peter Montopoli, the CSA’s general secretary.
In Halifax, there is further proof of Sinclair’s influence. Soccer clinics sold out immediately once parents became aware Sinclair would be there to teach their kids.
“The enthusiasm of parents trying to get the kids into the camp, I don’t know how to describe it to you,” George Athanasiou of Soccer Nova Scotia told the National Post. “Plenty of people were begging for us to put them into the camp.”
Now that’s real influence in sport — the power to motivate young people and make them want to play.Â
Further to that, who’s been a bigger game changer in hockey than Sidney Crosby? Who sells as many sweaters with his/her name on the back? When Crosby plays, fans get excited and come to watch.
And who’s a better role model than the indomitable speed skater/cyclist Clara Hughes? Very few people can inspire Canadians of all ages and from all walks of life as she can. The same can be said of Milos Raonic, who has sparked a Canadian tennis revival because of his dramatic rise in the world rankings.Â
Georges St. Pierre has turned a nation on to UFC and become a champion to millions with his victorious return from injury and to the top of a vicious and uncompromising sport.
Once quarterback Ricky Ray arrived in Toronto, the lamentable Argonauts thought of and then won the 100th Grey Cup in their hometown and captured the imagination of the country’s largest and most diverse city.
The point is this: athletes have the ultimate influence by virtue of their performances.
Only the athletes have the power to compete and to win or lose. They send the message. They deliver on the promise. They are the reason the fans watch. Real power in sport only exists because of what transpires on the field of play.
What’s On CBC Sports Weekend
CBC Sports Weekend is on the air at 3 p.m. ET this Saturday.
Cross Country World Cup action comes to Canmore, Alta., with the Canadian men led by trailblazers Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw. Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford, a Canmore native, is the last Canadian to win on the course in 2008 and is back competing on home snow for the first time in three seasons.
In Europe, the Canadian Cowboys saddle up for a World Cup downhill at Val Gardena, Italy. They’re led by reigning world champion Erik Guay, who has looked sharp in training. But they’ll have to deal with Norwegian ace Aksel Lund Svindal, who won Friday’s super-G by a wide margin.
Plus, our Big Picture panel featuring Jenn Heil, Perdita Felicien and Jonathon Gatehouse of Maclean’s magazine tackles the subject of power and influence in sport as CBC Sports reveals it’s Top 10 most influential people in Canadian sport.
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Learn MoreTwo fights have joined FX’s super-sized preliminary-card broadcast for next week’s UFC on FOX 5 event.
FX now airs six fights, not the usual four, prior to the Dec. 8′s main-card broadcast on FOX.
The bouts include bantamweights Mike Easton (13-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Raphael Assuncao (18-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and featherweights Dennis Siver (20-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) vs. Nam Phan (18-10 MMA, 2-3 UFC).
UFC on FOX 5 takes place Dec. 8 at Seattle’s KeyArena and features a main event between lightweight champion Benson Henderson and top contender Nate Diaz.
Although FUEL TV carried past UFC on FOX prelims, they now head to the bigger FX. Other bouts part of next week’s three-hour broadcast, which follows additional prelims on Facebook, include heavyweights Brendan Schaub (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC), “The Ultimate Fighter 15″ lightweight winner Michael Chiesa (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Marcus LeVesseur (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), “TUF 13″ runner-up Ramsey Nijem (6-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. fellow lightweight Joe Proctor (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), and lightweights Yves Edwards (41-18-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) vs. Jeremy Stephens (20-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC).
The full UFC on FOX 5 card includes:
MAIN CARD (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 5 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 3:30 p.m. ET)
For more on UFC on FOX 5, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Mike Easton)
Learn MoreCBC Sports is about to reveal its Top 10 most influential people in Canadian sport on Sports Weekend this Saturday. The way I see it, there aren’t enough athletes on the list.
CBC Sports is about to reveal its Top 10 most influential people in Canadian sport on Sports Weekend this Saturday. The way I see it, there aren’t enough athletes on the list.
At the top, you’ll find the NHL commissioner. But there’s a union organizer right behind him and a professional baseball executive, too. The head of the Canadian Olympic Committee is front and centre as are the men in the boardrooms of the CFL. Meantime, only three bonafide athletes made the cut, according to our editorial board.
That’s because power and influence in sport have, for too long, been defined by what happens on the sidelines.
Â
It’s evident that money talks and those who have the power to spend it on salaries or dole it out to various national athletes and teams carry the big stick. This has become a widely accepted notion, that sport is nothing if not business.
That’s why you tend to find administrators, media moguls and major corporate sponsors on these kinds of lists. Those who pull the strings behind the scenes have a major influence on what the fans eventually see and how sport is presented.
According to this formula, those who patronize sport have little to no power. Do the power brokers pulling the strings during the NHL lockout fiasco really care about the consumer? It’s obvious that they don’t. They assume that rabid hockey fans will rush back to arenas when play resumes.
In Canada, they may be right. South of the border, in some of the swing states of hockey, well, they just might be looking at an entirely different animal.
So where does all of this leave the stars of sport themselves, the athletes? Ultimately, who has the power to create an iconic sporting moment like Lou Marsh Award winner Christine Sinclair did when she almost singlehandedly put soccer on the map in this country at the London Olympics? The answer is precious few Canadians.
Listen to how the man in charge of the Canadian Soccer Association described Sinclair’s affect on sport.Â
“That award is a tribute to Christine and her teammates and all they’ve done in both our national and international sporting communities in 2012,” said Peter Montopoli, the CSA’s general secretary.
In Halifax, there is further proof of Sinclair’s influence. Soccer clinics sold out immediately once parents became aware Sinclair would be there to teach their kids.
“The enthusiasm of parents trying to get the kids into the camp, I don’t know how to describe it to you,” George Athanasiou of Soccer Nova Scotia told the National Post. “Plenty of people were begging for us to put them into the camp.”
Now that’s real influence in sport — the power to motivate young people and make them want to play.Â
Further to that, who’s been a bigger game changer in hockey than Sidney Crosby? Who sells as many sweaters with his/her name on the back? When Crosby plays, fans get excited and come to watch.
And who’s a better role model than the indomitable speed skater/cyclist Clara Hughes? Very few people can inspire Canadians of all ages and from all walks of life as she can. The same can be said of Milos Raonic, who has sparked a Canadian tennis revival because of his dramatic rise in the world rankings.Â
Georges St. Pierre has turned a nation on to UFC and become a champion to millions with his victorious return from injury and to the top of a vicious and uncompromising sport.
Once quarterback Ricky Ray arrived in Toronto, the lamentable Argonauts thought of and then won the 100th Grey Cup in their hometown and captured the imagination of the country’s largest and most diverse city.
The point is this: athletes have the ultimate influence by virtue of their performances.
Only the athletes have the power to compete and to win or lose. They send the message. They deliver on the promise. They are the reason the fans watch. Real power in sport only exists because of what transpires on the field of play.
What’s On CBC Sports Weekend
CBC Sports Weekend is on the air at 3 p.m. ET this Saturday.
Cross Country World Cup action comes to Canmore, Alta., with the Canadian men led by trailblazers Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw. Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford, a Canmore native, is the last Canadian to win on the course in 2008 and is back competing on home snow for the first time in three seasons.
In Europe, the Canadian Cowboys saddle up for a World Cup downhill at Val Gardena, Italy. They’re led by reigning world champion Erik Guay, who has looked sharp in training. But they’ll have to deal with Norwegian ace Aksel Lund Svindal, who won Friday’s super-G by a wide margin.
Plus, our Big Picture panel featuring Jenn Heil, Perdita Felicien and Jonathon Gatehouse of Maclean’s magazine tackles the subject of power and influence in sport as CBC Sports reveals it’s Top 10 most influential people in Canadian sport.
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Learn MoreSore hands and feet are Jesse Ronson’s only career roadblocks at this moment.
Ronson believes a recent victory over fellow lightweight Ryan Healy proves he’s capable of joining his well-known teammates in the UFC.
“I would like for this fight to put me on the next level, but we’ll see how it goes,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Ronson (12-2) dominated Healy (23-12) over three rounds to earn a unanimous-decision win at this past Friday’s Score Fighting Series 7 event, which took place at Hamilton Place Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The event’s main card, including Ronson’s feet, aired on AXS TV.
One judge scored the lopsided fight 30-25 in favor of Ronson, a native of nearby London, Ontario. The crowd, including 75 of his friends and family, chanted “UFC” during the action.
Ronson, though, snickered at the thought of a UFC offer on his desk.
“I didn’t know they came that soon,” he joked. “Was I supposed to get it on Saturday?”
The 26-year-old has had far more time to win over his training partners at London’s Adrenaline Training Center, which Sam Stout, Chris Horodecki and Mark Hominick founded. An endorsement from the Canadian MMA stars won him the representation of agent Rob Roveta.
“They’re pulling for me,” Ronson said. “We’ll see if I get that call.”
The resources at Ronson’s disposal were considerably smaller in his early career. He trained at a kickboxing academy in London and had few grappling partners.
“I would do jiu-jitsu with the guys that were there,” he said, “with guys that didn’t know what jiu-jitsu was, and I was fighting MMA.”
That changed when Ronson joined Adrenaline in September 2010. Although he went 1-2 in his next three outings, including an eye-opening loss to the well-rounded Mike Ricci of “The Ultimate Fighter 16″ fame, he has won his past seven fights.
And Healy, who’s brother is current Strikeforce contender Pat Healy, couldn’t keep the fight on the mat to ground and pound him.
Although satisfied with his win, Ronson expressed frustration at being unable to finish his opponent, who took no fewer than three head kicks in the waining minute of the third and final round.
“I was just upset because I think I landed six or seven clean ones with my power leg and two or three with my lead leg, and I was like, ‘This guy has to go down from one of these,’” Ronson said. “So I threw the one and he wobbled, so I’m like, ‘One more and he’s going down.’ I hit him with the second one, and he didn’t go down. The more he didn’t go down, the more I wanted to hurt him and try to knock him out.”
The knockout didn’t come, but Ronson certainly made a statement about his abilities.
If the UFC comes calling, he said he’d like to fight in February. But in reality, any time will do.
“If they call me and say, ‘Do you want to fight this guy,’ I’m not going to say no,” Ronson said.
For more on Score Fighting Series 7, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.
Learn MoreMarilyn Manson
I Got SLASHED OPEN
During Fight in Switzerland
Breaking News
Marilyn Manson says he needed 24 STITCHES to reattach his ear to his head … after he was GASHED UP in a bloody brawl in Switzerland.Â
The details surrounding the incident are sketchy at best … with Manson tweeting, “I was hit by a glass table in a dangerous fight.”
He added, “I was however, the victor but had to have 24 stitches to keep my ear from becoming Van Goth.”
Manson — who performed at St. Jakob’s Hall in Basel earlier this week — also posted a photo of his messed up earlobe (see below).
We’re workin’ on the details. Stay tuned …
2012 has surely been the toughest year of Andy Reid’s personal and professional life. If the Philadelphia Eagles do the expected and fire Reid after the season, it would make a lot of sense for Reid took some time away from the game.
That’s just not how he’s wired.
In a conversation with Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports, Reid made it clear that he doesn’t plan to spend any time off from the NFL.
“That’s not where I’m at,” Reid said when asked about a potential sabbatical. “No. Listen, I’m a coach. I don’t hide that from anybody. This is what I do. And I enjoy doing it. I love every day of it. I sure like winning more than losing, but I also am very privileged to be a coach in the National Football League.”
Reid has done a nice job righting the Eagles’ ship with Nick Foles at the helm. Their effort improved in Dallas two weeks ago, and they pulled off a scintillating comeback in Tampa last week. Reid was as fired up at the end of that game as we can remember. Foles has a lot of potential. This is not a coach that looks like he wants a rest.
“No, I’ve got the energy,” Reid said. “The energy is there. Listen, you’d have to talk to people around me. I’m not gonna sit here and … you know how I am. I keep my energy level up. I enjoy what I’m doing.”
“After his son died, I thought maybe [he needed a year away],” Eagles tight end Brent Celek told Silver. “But he’s still really into it. He wants to win a world championship. Not only does he want to win one, but he wants to win one in Philly.”
We can’t imagine the Eagles retaining Reid, although crazier things have happened. There has been a lot of speculation Reid would like to land in San Diego, but it’s an awkward fit. NFL.com’s Albert Breer reports that Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye will take over the team’s operations. Reid isn’t going to want to work under Raye or anyone else.
But he will surely be working somewhere.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
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