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Sunday, February 8, 2015

(San Jose Mercury News) - 2015 Grammys: Newcomer Sam Smith nearly sweeps top awards

Sam Smith completely ruled the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Almost.
Only Beck's startling upset victory in the top category album of the year, for "Morning Phase," stopped Smith from becoming just the second act in history to win all four of Grammy's general field awards in a single year. The one artist to accomplish that feat was Christopher Cross, who ran the table in 1981. And only 10 artists have been nominated in all four categories at once during 57 years of the award show.

Beck accepts the award for album of the year for  Morning Phase  at the 57th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John
Beck accepts the award for album of the year for Morning Phase at the 57th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP) ( John Shearer )
Still, Smith, the 22-year-old British pop/soul star, won three of the four biggest categories -- record and song of the year, plus best new artist -- at the 57th Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He took home four awards in all, also capturing best pop vocal album for his smash debut, "In the Lonely Hour," a work fueled by the pain of a failed relationship. Smith tipped his hat to the album's inspiration during one of his trips to the podium.

"Thank you for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys," he said.

Beck's triumph in the album of the year was a real shocker -- arguably the biggest since Herbie Hancock's unheralded "River: The Joni Letters" defeated heavyweight offerings from Amy Winehouse and Kanye West in 2008. Few would argue that Beck's "Morning Phase" isn't a solid work. Yet, it would be hard to call it one of 2014's defining albums.


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The favorites in the race were clearly Smith's "In the Lonely Hour" and Beyonce's eponymous effort. The announcement was such a surprise Kanye West made a joking move to run up on stage, shades of his infamous tirade at the MTV Music Video Awards a few years back when Taylor Swift won over Beyonce.

Beyonce remains the most nominated woman in Grammy history, but she has never won the award show's most coveted trophy.

Of course, the awards are only a part -- an increasingly small part -- of the Grammy ceremony. Most people seem to be tuning in these days for the all-star collaborations and performances. Grammy organizers realize this and have geared the show in that direction. As such, the televised show featured 23 performances -- compared with just nine awards handed out, with the bulk of the trophies handed out earlier.

Here were some of the most memorable performances:
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08:  Recording artist Beck performs "Heart Is a Drum" onstage during The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the at the
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Recording artist Beck performs "Heart Is a Drum" onstage during The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) ( Kevork Djansezian )
  • AC/DC kicked off the show in electric fashion, zooming through the title track to the newly released studio album "Rock or Bust" and then following up with the classic-rock radio staple "Highway to Hell." Angus Young, 59, showed up wearing his usual schoolboy garb and cranked the kind of winding leads that have made AC/DC one of the biggest selling bands of all time. It was fascinating to watch the celebrities in the crowd react to the band -- especially Tony Bennett, who really didn't seem to know what to make of the Aussie act.

  • It's getting increasingly hard to remember when Ariana Grande was best known for appearing on the Nickelodeon TV show "Sam & Cat." All of that is fading into the past, at light speed, as Grande firmly establishes herself as one of pop's top stars. The latest step came at the Grammys as Grande melted hearts with the gorgeous ballad "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart." It was a mature, confident outing, providing further proof that Grande has a real future in this business.

  • The Grammys closed on a strong note, as Common and John Legend took the stage to perform a lovely version of their Oscar-nominated song "Glory" from the civil rights film "Selma."

  • The irrepressible West has had a strange -- some might say "strained" -- relationship with the Grammys. He's been nominated a staggering 56 times over the years, but he's famously failed to nab album of the year. Still, he's done some absolutely amazing work onstage at the Grammys. The trend continued on Sunday as he appeared, for the first time in six years, to croon a solo version of the new "Only One." He later returned to join the legendary Sir Paul McCartney and multi-Grammy winner Rihanna for the world debut performance of "FourFiveSeconds." It was the type of all-star performance that keeps us watching the Grammys.

  • Eric Church, by far the most exciting artist in mainstream country, was robbed at this year's Grammys. He was nominated in all four of the country categories, yet went home empty-handed. But he got a chance his strut his stuff under the bright lights, performing a version of the great "Give Me Back My Hometown" that ranked among the Grammys' most powerful moments.

  • It's always nice to see something even remotely resembling jazz -- or, really, anything that doesn't feature John Mayer -- at the Grammys. So, here's some applause for Bennett and Lady Gaga's version of "Cheek to Cheek." It was nice, even though there are so many vocalists better suited for standards than Gaga. The pair performs May 28 at the Concord Pavilion.

  • Rising star Hozier and longtime favorite Annie Lennox -- two powerhouse vocalists born 36 years apart -- brought down the house with their collaboration. It was the rare Grammy performance that didn't feel overly rehearsed. It had real energy, and synergy, as these major talents belted out Hozier's "Take Me to Church" and the Screamin' Jay Hawkins' classic "I Put a Spell on You." Fans can now officially get excited about going to see Hozier, who performs Tuesday at the Fox Theater in Oakland and April 14-16 at the Masonic in San Francisco.

  • Jeff Lynne might not be a household name anymore. But he's truly a pop genius of the highest order. Just ask McCartney, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and all the other platinum-selling audience members who were grooving along to Lynne's reunited Electric Light Orchestra at the Grammys. ELO, which had its greatest success in the '70s, sounded as cool as ever as it glided through "Evil Woman" and "Mr. Blue Sky" (with a little help from Ed Sheeran). Hopefully, Lynne will follow up this Grammy triumph with a full-fledged ELO tour.
    Follow Jim Harrington at twitter.com/jimthecritic.FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2014 file photo, Beyonce backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, Calif. Beyonce is competing against, Sam Smith,
  • FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2014 file photo, Beyonce backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, Calif. Beyonce is competing against, Sam Smith, Beck, Ed Sheeran, and Pharrell for Album of the Year at this year's Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 8. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) ( Jordan Strauss )

    (Fox News) - Kerry opens door to 2016 White House bid, but just slightly

    Kerry_overseas.jpg
    FILE: July 29, 2013: Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department in Washington, D.C. (AP)
    Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that he has not ruled out a 2016 White House bid, which would put him in a wide-open Democrat primary field behind front-runner Hillary Clinton.
    Kerry, the party’s presidential nominee in 2004, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “nobody ever says never.”
     
    “I haven't thought about it. And I'm, as you can tell, pretty busy," Kerry said from Germany, where he is participating in the Munich Security Conference.
    To be sure, as the country’s top diplomat, Kerry has been busy traveling around the world to help resolve an array on international crisis and situations, including the battle against Islamic extremist groups, the Iran nuclear deal, a potential Israel-Palestinian peace agreement and Ukraine’s battle against Russian-backed separatists.
    Among those being mentioned as potential Democratic primary challengers to Clinton, a former secretary of State and 2008 White House candidate, are former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden, who ran for president in 1988 and 2008.
    Clinton has not declared a candidacy.
    Kerry, a former Massachusetts senator, has previously suggested that his current job is his last in politics.

      Trending in Politics

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    (post gazette) - Monroeville Mall's Youth Escort Policy has been used elsewhere


    Monroeville Mall is the latest in a string of shopping malls nationwide to put into place a policy that requires adults to accompany minors during weekend evening hours.
    The policy comes in the wake of a shooting in the mall's Macy’s over the weekend that left three wounded, as well as a recent robbery and a December incident in which large numbers of teens converged on the mall and caused a disturbance.
    Monroeville Mall’s general manager, Tom Gerber, announced plans Sunday for implementing a Youth Escort Policy to “curtail the rising number of unsupervised youth hanging out at Monroeville Mall and related disturbances.”
    Beginning sometime this month, mall visitors after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays who are under 18 years old will have to be accompanied by an individual who is at least 21.
    Stacey Keating, corporate marketing specialist for CBL & Associates Properties Inc., which owns and manages the mall, said this policy was in the works prior to Saturday’s shooting and enforcement is scheduled to begin in March.
    “It’s a conversation we’ve been having at Monroeville for about a month now, and in light of recent events we decided to fast-track the implementation of the policy,” she said.
    The launch date of the policy is yet to be finalized and there were no details on how it would be enforced.
    However, CBL Properties has implemented the same policy at other shopping centers, including River View Mall in Lynchburg, Va., and Lakeshore Mall in Sebring, Fla. Enforcement includes security guards checking for identification at mall entrances.
    Monroeville Mall is the latest of many malls implementing such policies. Malls with similar policies include Franklin Park Mall in Toledo, Ohio; Tri-County Mall in Cincinnati; Ford City Mall in Chicago; the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.; and 25 of CBL Properties’ shopping centers.
    Franklin Park Mall and Ford City Mall both started their policies in January, making them two of the most recent additions.
    Ford City had a February 2014 disturbance similar to that at Monroeville Mall in December, with a mob of teenagers running through the mall and parking lot and jumping on cars. Nineteen teenagers were arrested and two people were injured. Though no additional incidents occurred between February and Ford City’s implementation of the policy last month, mall officials described it as a precautionary measure in response to teens fighting at malls across the country.
    Franklin Park also called its policy a proactive rather than a reactive measure.
    Several malls have even stricter policies than Monroeville Mall’s planned restrictions. Franklin Park Mall’s policy begins at 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the MacArthur Center in Norfolk, Va., prohibits unsupervised minors from entering the premises after 5 p.m. all seven days of the week.
    The Mall of America was the first to implement such a policy in 1996, though its policy only applies to those under 16.
    According to the CBL news release: “The conduct of unsupervised youth and young adults at Monroeville Mall has created an uncomfortable atmosphere for mall visitors and an increasing safety challenge.”
    Significant to the policy’s development was feedback from local government officials and community members, particularly shoppers and store employees who have expressed safety concerns, according to the release.
    Employees under 18 will be issued special identification allowing them to remain in the mall unsupervised on weekend nights. Once they have clocked out of work, the same general public rules will apply to them, as well.
    The release also states that the mall will continue to partner with community groups to ensure the establishment of supervised youth activities outside of visiting the mall.
    Jill Harkins: jharkins@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3772

    http://www.post-gazette.com/local/east/2015/02/09/Monroeville-Mall-announces-Youth-Escort-Policy-not-a-new-concept/stories/201502090046

    (USA Today) - Officials: Teen charged with killing classmate, took selfie with body



    A Pennsylvania teen charged with fatally shooting a classmate took a selfie with the body, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
    The teen is charged with shooting 16-year-old Ryan Mangan in the face, killing him. Mangan's mother found his body in their Jeannette, Pa., home on Wednesday, according to the Tribune-Review.
    The mother of another teen contacted police after her son received a picture of the victim with the alleged shooter, the Associated Press reported. The suspect also sent a text that said, "Told you I cleaned up the shells" and "Ryan was not the last one," according to the AP.
    The suspect sent the selfie through SnapChat, a social media application that deletes pictures seconds after they are sent, according to the Tribune-Review.
    According to a police affidavit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obtained, the alleged shooter confessed to killing Mangan after police searched his home Friday and found a 9mm handgun hidden under the basement steps.
    Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck told the Tribune-Review it was the first time he had seen a selfie of a suspect with a dead victim. Peck said the photo was, "a key piece of evidence that led investigators to the defendant."
    The suspect is charged with homicide and a firearms count, AP reports.
    Initial efforts to reach the Westmoreland County juvenile detention center were unsuccessful.
    Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.

    (The Blaze) - Alabama Set to Become 37th State Where Same-Sex Couples Can Legally Marry

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is set Monday to become the 37th state where gays can legally wed.
    An order by a federal judge that overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is to take effect Monday. The U.S. Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on Alabama’s request to stay the decision, hours before courthouses were to open.
    Tori Sisson, 24, and Shante Wolfe, 21, of Tuskegee, camped outside the Montgomery courthouse Sunday night in the hopes of being the first couple to get a wedding license. They say they hope to have a wedding later Monday.
    At least two probate judges have indicated they’ll refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The American Civil Liberties Union set up a hotline for people to report if they are refused a license.

    http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/02/08/alabama-set-to-become-37th-state-where-same-sex-couples-can-legally-marry/ore

    (trib liv) - Armed robbers hit Magic, Glass & Mayhem business in Greensburg

    Greensburg police are searching for two people who robbed a Greensburg business at gunpoint Monday afternoon after tying up the owner.
    A man and a woman in their early 20s stole about $200, a safe and merchandise from Magic, Glass and Mayhem at 16 W. Second St., according to owner Ryan Smith.
    The pair were waiting outside the store when it opened, Smith said.
    He assumed they were customers as they followed him inside.
    “As soon as I turned the light on, they pulled a gun on me,” he said.
    The pair took Smith to the back of the store, where they tied him up with an extension cord, Smith said.
    He said the robbers “pistol-whipped” him, striking him on the side of the head with the gun, and seemed surprised when he did not pass out.
    They removed the disc from the store's security cameras, according to Greensburg police.
    Magic, Glass & Mayhem sells water pipes, smoking accessories and cards for the game “Magic: The Gathering.” It opened about 10 months ago.
    The robbers made off with several high-end water pipes and a few packs of cards. The safe they took was practically empty, Smith said.
    “I'm more (expletive) about losing the safe than anything,” he said.
    Police are examining security footage from nearby stores to see whether they can spot the robbers, according to Chief Walter Lyons.
    Smith requires all store customers to register as members. He said the pair who robbed him seemed familiar with the layout of the store. He suspects they are members, although he didn't recognize them.
    Magic, Glass and Mayhem has more than 300 members, he said.
    He said stores like his are sometimes seen as easy targets.
    “Subculture stores usually keep a lot of cash on hand,” he said.
    Smith said he is considering whether to keep the store open. He said he fears the robbery could bring bad publicity, and he may close if business slows in the next few weeks.
    Jacob Tierney is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.


    Read more: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/7699829-74/smith-store-greensburg#ixzz3RDyDq2MP
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