MIRROR UK - Tulisa, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and more rock this Christmas's surprise style trend, Dec 12, 2011

"Nicki Minaj joins a long list of stars embarking on a love affair with all things studded this season – namely dresses - and mainly those designed by Donatella Versace.
Nicki slipped on the full-length studded gown for Billboard’s 6th Annual Women in Music event over the weekend followed by Katy Perry’s lookalike dress last night.
While Nicki’s crimped bleach blonde locks wouldn’t look amiss on Daryl Hannah in Splash (and let's not get started on the dodgy make up contouring) Katy Perry rocked it, doubling her trend count not only wearing a studded Versace for H&M dress but adding an on-trend Rihanna-BLOB too."

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MIRROR UK - Pauline Quirke ditches the mince pies and Christmas pud to stay slim, Dec 12, 2011

"CHRISTMAS used to be a big ­occasion for Pauline Quirke – ­especially the meals.
But this year the super-slim star has vowed to steer clear of the fattening stuff to avoid piling the pounds back on.Looking great in this Woman photo-shoot, Pauline, who dropped from 19st to eight, said: “I won’t be eating mince pies or Christmas pudding.
"I’ll have turkey but won’t be going mad.”
The Emmerdale star has lost 8st since starting on the Lighter Life Total plan on January 3 this year.
The extreme weight-loss programme includes no conventional food until you reach your goal weight.

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Gamasutra News - Gamasutra's Best Of 2011: Top 5 Major Industry Events, Dec 12, 2011

"The dynamic video game industry never disappoints when it comes to major news events, and in 2011, choosing just five of the most meaningful events was as difficult as it's ever been.
That's because this year was filled with many instances worthy of note. There was drama, destruction, risk, death, disappointment, flashes of brilliance, moments of surprise and, above all, victory.
Whereas last year's major events did a fine job of bringing about questions, this year was able to provide at least some answers. Now we know where Nintendo is placing its hopes for its home console business, and that $250 is too much for a 3DS. Now we know that game companies can't take security for granted. And we also know that we won't be carded for an M-rated game anytime soon."

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The Bleacher Report - The Top 20 WWE Superstars, Dec 12, 2011

"What makes a great WWE Superstar?

A combination of In ring ability, mic/promo ability, and fan reaction would seem to be the biggest factors that would go into making a superstar.
But other things like their character, originality, and prestige are just some of the dozens of factors that one could use when making a list like this.
In the end, I decided to make this list basically of just my own opinions instead of trying to figure out a complex point system. I understand that not everyone's list will be the same as mine and everyone believes in different superstars for their own reasons.
But this is my ranking of the Top 20 current WWE Superstars.
Note: I decided not to include part-time wrestlers such as Triple H, Kevin Nash, Booker T, The Rock, The Undertaker etc etc. since they are not full time current Superstars. "

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Fox News - Top 10 Best Holiday Cookbooks, Dec 12, 2011

"‘Tis the season for eating and cooking, so there's no better time than now to stock up on some fabulous cookbooks --either for you or the chef on your list.
But sometimes it's not easy to find ones that have the perfect balance of sophisticated appeal and practical guidance. Well, search no further. We've pulled together some of the top tomes we've been testing throughout the year, as well as some new ones to boot. Whether you're looking to brush up on the basics or get some fresh baking ideas, FoxNews.com picked the best cookbooks of the season."

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NYTimes - Joe Restic, 85, an Innovator in Football at Harvard, Dies, Dec 12, 2011

"Joe Restic, who devised a complex offense known as the multiflex while coaching in Canada and took it to Harvard, becoming its longest-serving football coach, died on Thursday in Boston. He was 85.
Joe Restic in 1993. He won or shared five Ivy League titles.
Interviews, insight and analysis from The Times on the competition and culture of college football.
Restic, who lived in Milford, Mass., had been in declining health for several years, his daughter Kathleen Restic said.
When Restic was named the Crimson coach, Harvard was far removed from glory years in the early 20th century when Coach Percy Haughton produced five undefeated seasons."

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AFP - Vatican's American spokesman dies, Dec 12, 2011

"WASHINGTON — Cardinal John Foley, who served as the Vatican's communications chief for more than two decades, has died in Pennsylvania at the age of 76, the archdiocese of Philadelphia said Monday.
It gave no cause for the cardinal's death which happened Sunday, but Foley was suffering from leukemia.
Foley provided commentary for American television viewers of the Vatican's Christmas Midnight Mass for 25 years, the last time being in 2009.
In 1984, the late pope John Paul II named Foley an archbishop and appointed him chief of the Vatican's news operations as president of the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications. Foley served in the post until 2007."

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Mail Online - Durban climate change conference: Chris Huhne hails deal that will cost UK taxpayers £6bn, Dec 12, 2011

"Countries agreed to a deal today to push for a new climate treaty, which will cut emissions in poorer countries, costing British taxpayers £6billion.
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne hailed the £64billion deal as a ‘significant step forward’ which would deliver a global, overarching legal agreement to cut emissions.
But environmental groups said negotiators had failed to show the ambition necessary to cut emissions by levels that would limit global temperature rises to no more than 2C and avoid ‘dangerous’ climate change.

Britain and the EU had come to the talks in Durban, South Africa, wanting the world’s biggest polluters – the U.S., China and India – to agree for the first time to ‘legally binding’ caps as they account for nearly half the world’s emissions.

The treaty, which was to cover all major emitters, would be agreed upon in return for the bloc signing up to a second period of emissions cuts under the existing Kyoto climate deal.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2072684/Durban-climate-change-conference-Chris-Huhne-hails-deal-cost-UK-taxpayers-6bn.html#ixzz1gJgPvphd"

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MIRROR UK - X Factor final show from Wembley flops with fans as Simon Cowell plans shake up, Dec 12, 2011

Simon Cowell (pic: ITV)
THE X Factor’s first show at Wembley Arena flopped on Saturday night – with 3.5 million fewer viewers than last year.
To make matters worse for ITV, the showcase event was beaten in the ratings by Strictly Come Dancing’s semi-finals.
Despite guest appearances from Leona Lewis, JLS and One Direction, the Saturday show pulled in an average of 10.6 million with a peak of 11.8 million – a huge drop compared with the same night in 2010."

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MIRROR UK - Little Mix fans' anger at X Factor final text vote 'ban' Dec 12, 2011

"Teenage X Factor fans were furious at the weekend after being ‘banned’ from supporting Little Mix because bosses ruled out text voting.
They were unable to send their usual 35p messages and were instead told to call vote lines that cost up to £1 on mobiles.
Jhopkins786 wrote on Twitter: “Same old X Factor taking the p*** no text votes so that counts out the little mix demographic straight away.”
But a show spokesman defended the ­decision to axe text voting for the season finale yesterday."

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MIRROR UK - Little Mix sent special good luck message from Spice Girl Geri Halliwell before X Factor final, Dec 12, 2011

"LITTLE Mix put on a performance with a pinch of added Spice last night and made history by becoming the first band to win The X Factor.
The girl group were sent bouquets of flowers by Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and went on to wow viewers and beat Marcus Collins in the final.
Emotional band member Jesy Nelson, 20, said: “This feels amazing, I am so happy.
“I think we’ve won because girls can relate to us and don’t feel scared or threatened by us with is great."
 

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MIRROR UK - Little Mix win X factor 2011: celebrity tweets, Dec 12, 2011

"Simon Cowell's wish came true when Little Mix were crowned winners of the X Factor 2011, seeing off competition from runner-up Marcus Collins.
The music supremo revealed he wanted a group to win the X Factor in a tweet to judge Tulisa.
Cowell posted: "I was really hoping a group would win this year. @OfficialTulisa has done a great job. These girls could be stars."
He also joked to fellow US X Factor judge Paula Abdul: "Congratulations to @LIttleMixOffic. And Paula as you can see, groups can win this show!"
Little Mix have made history by becoming the first group to win the illustrious music competition with chart-toppers One Direction and JLS failing in previous years."

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MIRROR UK - Marcus Collins sings Last Christmas while Little Mix take on Silent Night as they battle to become X Factor winner in 2011 final, Dec 12, 2011

"Marcus Collins and Little Mix each chose (or were told) to perform Christmas numbers as their seconds songs during tonight’s X Factor final.
Marcus Collins opted to dance along to Last Christmas by Wham!, while Little Mix stripped it back to perform Silent Night. We don’t know who sang that originally – Jesus?
Wearing a tweed suit, Marcus went for the mum vote as he hit George Michael’s high notes with ease."

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MIRROR UK - Little Mix won because they were the best not because they wear trainers, Dec 12, 2011

"Little Mix won! Little Mix bloody WON. They’re a girlband and I’m not screaming and doing a little jump on my sofa because they made it past week one, but because they WON. If we ignore the ridiculousness of the winners’ single saying ‘Little Mix – Cannonball’ on it, this is every different type of awesome.
It also has a lot of implications. Number one being that there are some really rich people out there, because though I don’t understand betting, something called ‘outside odds’ was being given 12 weeks ago, which means if you did have faith (their mums? Tulisa?) in the idea of a girlband making it all the way, your Monday morning just got a lot better. You’ll be cruising past William Hill on the way to work and getting a really nice lunch. Possibly something with lobster."

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MIRROR uk - Sarah Harding admits she was ‘such a mess’ when she decided to go to rehab following Tom Crane split, Dec 12, 2011

"Sarah Harding has spoken about her decision to go to rehab for the first time, revealing that it was her Girls Aloud bandmates who helped her realise she needed help to sort out her heavy drinking.
The blonde singer – known for her partying ways – said she cried "hysterically" as she headed to a clinic in the US.
Harding said her drinking went out of control as her relationship with ex-fiance Tom Crane disintegrated and she tried to "numb" the pain."

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