Wall ejected, Wizards fall late to Heat

The Miami Heat defeated the Washington Wizards 123-107, but a look at the box score wouldn’t even begin to tell the story.

The game was as close as six points until the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, when the Heat finally pulled away.

The Wizards played most of the game without John Wall, who was ejected with 8:48 left in the second quarter, after Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas landed a couple of elbows near Wall’s head, and he responded back with a half punch, half elbow swing.

And rookie Jordan Crawford stepped in and came up large, scoring a career high 39 points on 12 of 24 shooting, including 5 of 8 from three-point land, and 10 of 10 from the line.

Wall was impressed with Crawford’s performance, but tough on himself after the game.

“I was disappointed the way I reacted to it,” Wall said.

“I let my teammates down, I let the organization down, but I’m glad to see my teammates fought hard and tried to compete tonight and come away with a win,” Wall said.

It was the second elbow, Wall explained, that caused him to react, but said he wished his reaction had not resulted in being ejected.

“My teammates had to do without me at the point guard position, but they stepped up big and fought hard,” Wall said.

“They just came up short.”

Heat forward - and former Wizard - Juwan Howard was also ejected for an apparent elbow swing at JaVale McGee. Wizards coach Flip Saunders, along with Heat coach Eric Spoelstra, took court to inspect the melee, and protect their players.

“[John] took an elbow to the head, and the referees told me he threw an elbow and that’s why he got ejected,” Saunders said.

Play was stopped for several minutes as the officials checked the replays before handing out Flagrant Two fouls on Wall, Ilgauskas, and Howard.

“I went out there to try and break it up. In the heat of the battle; he [Howard] breaks away from the refs. We both asked [each other] where we’re going to go out to dinner after the game,” Saunders quipped.

Once play resumed, the Wizards got off to an uneven start, allowing theHeat to make a run and take an 11 point lead at the half. But for theWizards, the fight was just beginning. They outscored the Heat in the third quarter and kept the game close until the final few minutes before the Heat made a late run and escaped with the win.

“The score is isn’t an indication of how well we played, really. We competed. We had our chance, but they made big shots and big plays,”Saunders said.

Saunders also had high praise for Crawford’s performance.

”Jordan continues to impress and amaze. Whatever you ask him to do, he does. He has no fear. He has great competitiveness and he has different ways to score,” Saunders said.

Equally impressive to Saunders was the way his team “grew up” whenWall was ejected.

“We’re a young team playing against a veteran team, a team that’s built to win a championship,” Saunders said.

“We didn’t back down at all.” 

READ MORE - Wall ejected, Wizards fall late to Heat

Sinister Irons Plots Vatican Coup in ‘Borgias’; Dark ‘Killing’: Greg Evans

“The Borgias,” Showtime’s lavish costume drama about the poisonous family that put the machiavelli in Machiavelli, handily beats “The Tudors” and “Rome” in premium cable’s bloody-history sweepstakes.

Written and occasionally directed by Neil Jordan (“The Crying Game”), the nine-episode “Borgias” begins in 1492, when the New World is little more than rumor. Tightening his grip on the Old one is Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons), a cardinal and patriarch (the two were not then exclusive) who bribes his way into the Vatican as Pope Alexander VI.

The white smoke has barely risen from the Vatican chimney before Papa Borgia begins conspiring with sons Cesare (Francois Arnaud) and Juan (David Oakes) to consolidate the clan’s power inside the Vatican and out. Cesare (the inspiration for Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and Mario Puzo’s Michael Corleone) recruits assassin Micheletto (Sean Harris) when Borgia hands can’t be bloodied.

Even sweet little sister Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) plays her part in the family’s political machinations. History tells us she won’t stay that way for long, and “The Borgias” delights in building up -- and rewarding -- our anticipation.

The four episodes made available to critics introduce not only the men of the family, but their various consorts (Joanne Whalley as the matriarch and Lotte Verbeek as the mistress) and their rivals (chiefly, Colm Feore as a cardinal determined to rid the Vatican of all things Borgia).

Art-directed down to the last detail, “The Borgias” is cloaked in crimsons and purples, looking far more lush than anything outside the pay-cable wall.

Newcomers Arnaud and Grainger make terrific impressions as the brother and sister whose kisses linger a breath too long. Irons, too, is wonderfully shaded as a murderous pope who may yet find Jesus.

“The Borgias” airs Sunday on Showtime at 9 p.m. New York time; 10 p.m. on subsequent weeks. Rating: ***1/2 stars

‘The Killing’

The ads for AMC’s wrenching Seattle-based murder mystery “The Killing” ask, “Who killed Rosie Larsen?” -- a campaign clearly meant to invoke that other Pacific Northwest whodunit from two decades ago. But the otherworldly “Twin Peaks” was a universe away from the somber realism of this riveting new series.

Political intrigue arrives when city councilman (Billy Campbell) is drawn into the mystery after the girl’s corpse is discovered in the trunk of a car registered to his campaign. Urged by his staff to exploit the tragedy for political gain (as I said, grim), the politico instead takes the high road. Still, there’s something not quite right about him...

The series’ emotional center is the girl’s family (Brent Sexton plays the father, and a heartbreaking Michelle Forbes is mom). For much of the pilot episode, “The Killing” keeps Rosie’s parents happily in the dark. The happiness disappears. The dark stays.

“The Killing” airs Sunday on AMC at 9 p.m. New York time. Rating: ***1/2

‘Camelot’

Starz serves up yet another B-grade costume soap with the Arthurian legend “Camelot,” staying true to the cable channel’s now-familiar sex and swords formula. If it’s not quite as gratuitously gory or smutty as the “Spartacus” franchise, it’s also not as much fun.

Renaissance Faire finery, buxom maidens, bare-bottom knights and cheesy CGI effects hold interest for an episode or two. The mediocre cast doesn’t do much to retain our interest: Jamie Campbell Bower makes for a rabbity King Arthur, Tamsin Egerton is a charmless Guinevere and Joseph Fiennes, as a buzz- cut Merlin, does little more than glower, perhaps contemplating the road from “Shakespeare in Love” to mumbling lines like “Fate can go begging -- destiny has to be won!”

READ MORE - Sinister Irons Plots Vatican Coup in ‘Borgias’; Dark ‘Killing’: Greg Evans

Elizabeth Banks welcomes baby boy Felix with husband Max Handelman

"30 Rock's" Elizabeth Banks and husbandMax Handelman are welcoming their baby boy, Felix, to the world via surrogate, she announced Wednesday.

"The one true hurdle I've faced in life is that I have a broken belly. After years of trying to get pregnant, exploring the range of fertility treatments, all unsuccessful, our journey led us to gestational surrogacy: we make a 'baby cake' and bake it in another woman's 'oven,' " Banks wrote on her blog.

Banks, 37, said "two miracles" came of the process that ultimately yielded her son.

"Felix means 'happy' and 'lucky' in Latin. And true to his name, Felix is a very happy baby and a blessing on our life," she wrote.

The actress was congratulated by the Twittersphere, including celebrities Busy Phillips and Rainn Wilson, who congratulated her via tweets.

"What's greater than overjoyed? Megajoyed? Add humility, love, awe. Sprinkle w cute. Result: my new life as a mom. It's a boy!" she added on Twitter.

In 2012, Banks is set to appear with Sam Worthington, Ed Harris and Kyra Sedgwick in Asger Leth's action adventure "Man on a Ledge."

She'll also be co-directing and starring in "Movie 43," a film of short comedies that includes Gerard Butler, Kate Winslet, Kristen Bell, Hugh Jackman, Kate Bosworth, Uma Thurman, Justin Long, Josh Duhamel, Seann William Scott and Richard Gere, to name a few.

For now, though, Banks said, "If you need me, I'll be changing dirty diapers and trying to get some sleep."

READ MORE - Elizabeth Banks welcomes baby boy Felix with husband Max Handelman

Judge Judy Sheindlin Hospitalized – Tests Negative

Judy Sheindlin, best know to fans of daytime television as Judge Judy was taken to a Los Angeles hospital this morning in serious condition. Sheindlin was complaining of intestinal discomfort at the time she was taken in.

Sheindlin had been at work at Sunset Bronson studios where her show is filmed when she began to not feel well. According to a report from Radar Online, Sheindlin’s spokesman Gary Rosen said that the 68 year old celebrity judge was not feeling well and decided to be examined by a doctor.

At last report this evening, Rosen said that all of the tests have come back negative and that Sheindlin will be going home tomorrow. “I’m just exhausted, and my body was telling me it needed a day to chill,” she told TMZ while at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “I’m gonna go home tomorrow.”

READ MORE - Judge Judy Sheindlin Hospitalized – Tests Negative

Slainte and what the Irish words means on St.Patricks Day

Slainte is the most used Irish expression in America our recent reader survey discovered.

Slainte, meaning Good Health' is an ancient Irish expression that derives from the word Slan, meaning safe.

It is used in different contexts, usually when downing a pint of Guinness, you say 'Slainte',before you begun drinking it.

It means literally good health.

There are many other expression that use slainte, such as 'Is fearr an slainte na an tainte" "health is better than wealth" in Irish

Another expression is 'Go dte tu slan" may you go safe which is what you say when someone is leaving on a journey.

Slainte na bfear' 'Good health to the men' is another derivative , which is used when drinking in the company of men.

Slainte na mbean, is the opposite when drinking with women!

Slan is another Gaelic term that sounds like Slainte but has a different meaning, It means goodbye.

Slan go deo, means 'goodbye for ever'

READ MORE - Slainte and what the Irish words means on St.Patricks Day

How to make the perfect corned beef and cabbage dinner: Cleveland Cooks

Making a perfect corned beef and cabbage dinner is one of the cook's easiest tasks, yet many find it a challenge. Relax. Follow these simple directions and you'll produce a succulently tender brisket -- perfect for hot or cold sandwiches -- and all the fixings.
-- Joe Crea, Food and Restaurants Editor

Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Boiled Dinner
Makes 6 servings, plus leftovers
A 5- to 6-pound flat-cut corned beef brisket
1 medium to large head cabbage, plus another head, stem left in, cut into six to eight wedges
6 medium-large potatoes, peels on, scrubbed and halved
12 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed, whole
6 medium onions, peeled, stem trimmed but intact, cut in half through the stem (so halves remain intact)
Spice packet; water to cover

Cook's notes: Corned beef shrinks while cooking, so plan on ¾ to 1 pound per person to allow for some leftovers. You'll need an oversize Dutch oven or pot with a tight-fitting lid; it should be large enough to hold the beef and vegetables plus water to cover. Have a kitchen fork, tongs and a slotted kitchen spoon handy, and a warmed platter to hold the finished dinner.
Preliminaries: Heat oven to 325 degrees, with rack positioned in bottom third of oven.
Cook the corned beef: Rinse corned beef under cool water. Place meat, fat side up, in Dutch oven. Add water to depth of about 2 inches. If the brisket came with a packet of spices, sprinkle them over the brisket, then cover tightly with the lid. Place in oven and bake for 3 to 4 hours until beef is tender and pierces through easily using the fork. (Midway through the braising, remove pan from oven and carefully turn over the brisket; cover tightly and return pan to oven, baking as directed.)
Cook the vegetables: Remove the pan from oven and transfer beef to a warmed platter; cover tightly with foil and keep warm. If needed, add 1 or 2 cups of water to the Dutch oven and bring to boil on top of stove. Add potato halves; cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Add carrots to potatoes and continue cooking until carrots are barely tender, then add cabbage wedges, cover and cook until all vegetables are tender (cabbage can be served still a bit crisp) about 7 to 10 minutes longer.
Presentation: Arrange vegetables around the corned beef on the warmed platter. Carve meat across the grain. Serve on plates or in shallow bowl (you may wish to spoon some of the cooking broth over each serving) along with mustard, horseradish and rye bread if desired.
Source: Recipe from Joe Crea, Food and Restaurants Editor, The Plain Dealer.

READ MORE - How to make the perfect corned beef and cabbage dinner: Cleveland Cooks

John Boehner's weakened hand

Tuesday’s breakdown in Republican discipline weakens Speaker John Boehner’s hand in White House budget talks and raises the chances of a government shutdown next month unless he and President Barack Obama greatly step up their game.
Fifty-four Republicans broke ranks with Boehner, leaving him suddenly dependent on Democrats to win House approval of a must-pass three-week spending bill to keep the government operating past Friday. Tea-party-backed freshmen contributed to the embarrassment, but an equal force was a set of more veteran conservatives — some with their own political agenda but also more willing to risk an immediate fight with the White House.

“I think we have to have a fight. I think this is the moment,” Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) told POLITICO prior to the vote. “Things don’t change around here until they have to, and Republicans ought to draw a line in the sand.”

Leadership aides would argue later that Republican losses piled up more at the end once passage was assured. But the bottom line is the 85 Democratic “yea” votes saved the speaker’s bill. And Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had made a powerful appeal to his colleagues at a morning caucus, saying Republicans must stand together to strengthen their hand in budget talks with Senate Democrats and Obama.
Indeed, the Republicans have gone to great pains to sideline House Democrats, and with them, Boehner’s predecessor, former speaker and current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The GOP’s strong preference is to keep the focus on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as a willing partner for Boehner and favorite punching bag for Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), whose press operation seems to specialize in daily attacks on the sometimes erratic 71-year-old Democratic leader.
Ignoring House Democrats will be harder now.
“It does show a major problem. We should be at the table,” House Appropriations Committee ranking Democrat Norm Dicks of Washington told POLITICO.
“But for the House Democrats, this would not have carried,” South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn added in a brief interview. A member of his party’s leadership and former whip when Democrats were in the majority, Clyburn said Boehner must “get the adults on his side married up with the adults on our side and get this done.”
Reid told reporters he expected to move quickly to the short-term bill, which would give the two sides until April 8 to work out a larger agreement on spending for the remaining six months of the fiscal year.
But even with the $6 billion in cuts incorporated in the stopgap measure, the sides are about $50 billion apart, and each appears to have unrealistic expectations of what the other must be willing to accept. Even GOP moderates like Wisconsin Rep. Thomas Petri now predict “more bumps in the road” before a deal can be reached, and Boehner’s inability to control his own party is mirrored in this case by Obama’s own vulnerability.
Democrats like Dicks are increasingly outspoken that Obama must get more involved, and White House chief of staff Bill Daley heard this message from Dicks and other top Democrats at a House caucus Tuesday. The perception is that Obama wants to stand back, waiting for the right moment as the father figure resolving the congressional squabbles. But some Democrats privately believe he, like Boehner, is too afraid to suggest a spending compromise for fear that he won’t be able to deliver his own top line.

READ MORE - John Boehner's weakened hand