Super Bowl Half-Time Show Featuring Bruce Springsteen- Hooray!!

Wearing black jeans, a black crewneck sweater and black boots, Springsteen and his band charmed a standing-room-only crowd by joking about his lack of football knowledge, that the group is still together — and its members still alive — and the tremendous year he's having personally and professionally.

"Is there anybody from New Jersey? Don't give them the microphone!" the Garden State native called out before taking questions in his first large forum since a 1987 news conference for Amnesty International.

But Springsteen has reason to celebrate.

His song, "The Wrestler," from the movie of the same name, won a Golden Globe earlier this month, and he followed it with a performance at the National Mall to honor Obama two days before the inauguration. Springsteen was a huge Obama booster during the campaign.

His latest CD, "Working on a Dream," was released Tuesday, and he'll kick off a world tour in San Jose, Calif., on April 1.

Obama Says He's Rooting for the Steelers

Nadal vs Verdasco - insane tennis

Serena's 10th Slam moves her back to No. 1

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Serena Williams always selects a special outfit to bring to Australia for a victory celebration. Every second year, she gets to wear it.

Williams' 6-0, 6-3 rout of Dinara Safina on Saturday earned her a 10th Grand Slam title, a fourth Australian title - coming each odd-numbered year since 2003 - and the No. 1-ranking.

``I actually forgot until the end when I was saying hi to my box. They're like, 'Hey, you're No. 1.' I was like, 'Oh, yeah,''' she said.

Not that a number means everything.

``I always believe I'm the best, whether I'm No. 1 or 100,'' she said. ``Just having that extra bonus is pretty cool.''

NBA TV Top 5: January 29th

Ads taking the field at Super Bowl XLIII

Super Bowl advertising has evolved into an event in itself. This year's line-up will lack some of the game's regular advertisers, many of which have taken a hit from the weak economy. The remaining advertisers will unveil one-second ads, amateur productions, and 3D football players.

Sorry ... Mickey Rourke will not wrangle in Wrestlemania ring

A spokeswoman for actor Mickey Rourke says he won't be taking his role as a professional wrestler into a real-life ring after all.

Paula Woods told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Rourke will not wrestle WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in April at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Woods wrote in an e-mail that the Oscar-nominated actor "will not be participating in Wrestlemania.

He is focusing entirely on his acting career." Rourke portrays professional wrestler Randy the Ram in the acclaimed movie "The Wrestler."

He made a surprise announcement about the wrestling event Sunday night on the red carpet before the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.

Rourke had said he was going to toss Jericho "around the ring like tossed salad."

Chicago police question 'violent' ex-boyfriend in murders of Eddy Curry's ex-girlfriend and her baby

A spurned boyfriend was being grilled Monday in the brutal murders of Knicks center Eddy Curry's ex-girlfriend and her infant daughter.

Nova Henry had taken out a restraining order against the man, whom family members described as a violent "stalker."

"He said there was only one way out of this relationship," a relative of Henry's told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Another relative, told the paper they were trying to hide Henry from the man, who was picked up by Chicago police detectives at a motel in nearby Michigan City, Ind.

"This (man) was very unstable, had an anger problem," Tom Henry said.

The suspect has not been charged with the murders of Henry, 24, and her 9-month-old daughter, Ava. He did legal work for Henry - and moved in with her for a time over Curry's objections, relatives said.

Curry was devastated that Noah Curry, his 3-year-old son with Henry, had to witness his mother's murder. A police psychologist was speaking with the boy.

"She was found in a pool of blood," one of Curry's close friends told the Daily News earlier. "He was really upset that his son had to see that."

A relative found Noah Saturday night unharmed, the pal said.

Curry, a former Chicago Bulls player who still lives near the Windy City, was holed up Monday in the White Plains hotel that is his home during the playing season.

A white Caduca HUV registered to Curry arrived a little after 10 am and picked up children, who are believed to be Curry's.

Curry is married and has four other children with his wife Patricia - Eddy 3rd, Reign, Reigan and Reiganna, the Knicks media guide says.

Curry was expected to join his teammates in Madison Square Garden Monday night for their game against the Houston Rockets, a Knicks source said.

Henry and Ava were found slaim about 6 p.m. Saturday by Henry's mother, Yolan, when she arrived at her daughter's condo on the city's South Side, police said.

Mother and daughter suffered multiple gunshot wounds, the Cook County medical examiner said.

Curry, who was in Philadelphia with his team when news of the murders reached him, was not a suspect, a police source said.

Czisny Wins US Figure Skating Title

CLEVELAND (Jan. 24) - Alissa Czisny put the woman back in women's figure skating, reminding everyone there's more to the sport than jumps.

"Throughout the years, there's been a lot of disappointments and hard times," said Czisny, known as much in the past for her inconsistency as for her considerable talent.
"I think I've been able to take all of them and learn from them. It's made me a better person, it's made me a better skater and I think I've learned a lot, a lot about life."

The 21-year-old made a rebound for the ages Saturday, winning the women's title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships one year after a dismal ninth-place finish had her re-evaluating herself. Tears filled her eyes when she saw the final results, and it'll be days before the smile leaves her face.

Finally, their time in the sun Cardinals shine for first time in Arizona

Charley Trippi, one of the few living members of the Chicago Cardinals' NFL championship team from 1947, remembers wearing tennis shoes on the icy field that victorious day.Roger Wehrli, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played for the Cardinals from 1969-82, has fond memories of the "Big Red" era when the football and baseball teams in St. Louis shared a nickname.

John Omohundro, a retired athletic trainer, has 42 years of Cardinals stories - like the time he used adhesive tape to "line" a football field in the outfield at St. Louis's Busch Stadium for practice, or the uneasy day in 1988 when the trucks were loaded for the team's move to Arizona.

Together, Trippi, Wehrli, and Omohundro represent three chapters in the Cardinals' history, which mostly is defined by losing seasons, the search for a more permanent home, and a perceived lack of commitment from ownership.Such history is front and center this week with the Arizona Cardinals preparing to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII next Sunday, in pursuit of their first NFL championship since '47.

"Our record hasn't always been what we wanted it to be, and it's been a long dry spell, but the ride here has been extremely enjoyable," said the 65-year-old Omohundro, now in his 42d season with the team and serving in an advisory role. "Finally, the reward has come. Patience has its virtue and this is a perfect example of it." (Globe Staff)

Affliction MMA: Fedor Emelianenko KOs Andrei Arlovski, Retains Title

The greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts won again Saturday night in Anaheim, as Fedor Emelianenko knocked out Andrei Arlovski at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.It was yet another stunning first-round win for Fedor, who looked sluggish in the early going but simply saw an opening, threw one punch, and knocked Arlovski out cold. Fedor showed again why he's a legend and retained his title as the sport's undisputed heavyweight champion.Arlovski had been controlling the first round with his superior stand-up game, but all it took was Arlovski leaving himself exposed for a split second, and Fedor calmly landed a brutal strike directly to Arlovski's chin. Arlovski was knocked unconscious at 3:34 of the first round.It was yet another stunning first-round win for Fedor, who looked sluggish in the early going but simply saw an opening, threw one punch, and knocked Arlovski out cold. Fedor showed again why he's a legend and retained his title as the sport's undisputed heavyweight champion.Arlovski had been controlling the first round with his superior stand-up game, but all it took was Arlovski leaving himself exposed for a split second, and Fedor calmly landed a brutal strike directly to Arlovski's chin. Arlovski was knocked unconscious at 3:34 of the first round.After the fight, Emelianenko said, "I really didn't think I would knock him out but it happened. You don't expect it to happen but it did... I had a feeling he was going to make a mistake and I was waiting to capitalize."

Emelianenko, who improved his professional MMA record to 29-1, is expected to fight Josh Barnett some time later this year.