Area officials meeting in Washington

A delegation of city, county and school officials, along with members of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, met Tuesday with top federal officials in Washington, D.C., to discuss local needs.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa led the delegation in meetings with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who is incoming chair of the Democratic National Committee. The meetings will continue through Wednesday.

L.A.-area officials will also meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., White House Chief of Staff William Daley, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and former Sen. Chris Dodd, who now heads the Motion Picture Association of America.

Also on the trip are Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky, Michael D. Antonovich, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Don Knabe, Sheriff Lee Baca, School Board President Monica Garcia and LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy.

The chamber delegation is headed by Chief Executive Officer Gary Toebben. Also, Elise Buik, president of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, is on the trip.

The group plans to stress the need for federal investment in education, workforce development, infrastructure, water and power, green jobs, health care and housing.

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First Women Awards - Shortlist Announced!?

First Women Awards in association with Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets

The shortlist for the 2011 Awards has been announced, featuring an outstanding collection of British business talent from across business and public sectors. This year's finalists include:

  • Jill McDonald, CEO of McDonald's UK, described as "Europe's best marketer" (Retail & Consumer)
  • Europe's top IP lawyer: Avril Martindale of Freshfields (Business Services)
  • The woman leading the development of UK's biggest coastal resort, Pamela Joseph of Bluestone Resorts (Tourism & Leisure)
  • President of the City Women's Network - India Gary-Martin (Finance)
  • The Queen of paperless tickets - Debra Charles of Novacroft (Science & Technology)

To see the full shortlist, visit the awards website.

Lisa Bryant, Women in Business Director, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets said,

"The 2011 shortlist is one of the strongest I've ever seen! Over the 6 years that Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets has supported the First Women Awards, they have recognised some incredible female business talent who are not only achieving personal success but who are inspiring and supporting future generations of business leaders. Many congratulations to everyone who was nominated and to the 2011 finalists".

The First Women Awards, in association with Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets hosted by the CBI and Real Business, takes place on June 30, 2011 at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London. The Awards are also supported by: BAE Systems, Benenden Healthcare Society, Centrica, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, ICAEW, Rolls-Royce and Harvey Nash.

To book your place at this year's Awards: 
Please click here to download a booking form or 
contact Sophie Bay on 020 7368 7126, sophie.bay@caspianmedia.com.

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Selena Gomez doesn't like hiding relationship

03 May 2011

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Selena Gomez doesn't like ''hiding'' her relationship with teen singing sensation Justin Bieber.

Selena Gomez doesn't like "hiding" her relationship with Justin Bieber.

The former 'Wizards of Waverly Place' star won't hold back from falling in love with her teen heartthrob boyfriend, but knows they have to be restrained with each other when they appear in public.

She told Seventeen magazine: "I don't like hiding. I do like to keep certain things to myself, but at the end of the day, I'm 18, and I'm going to fall in love.

"I'm going to hang out with people, and I'm going to explore myself, and I'm OK with that."

I'm going to hang out with people, and I'm going to explore myself, and I'm OK with that.

Selena initially got online death threats from young fans of 'Baby' hitmaker Justin when they first stepped out together at this year's Oscars in February and while this was disturbing, she said she can also relate to having a teen crush.

Speaking of another teen heartthrob, who starred in 'High School Musical', she joked: "Are you kidding me? I'm still thinking Zac Efron's my husband.

"But I do see the passion that a lot of these girls have, and it's beautiful. I love it. I really do. It's special."

The actress and singer also said despite them both having busy schedules, she'd love to see more of country singer Taylor Swift.

She added: "I'd love to go on vacation with Taylor. I've been able to fly to Nashville to see her, and she'll come to Los Angles a lot, but it'd be nice to get away.

"I've known Taylor for over three years now, so we're at the point where we just get each other."

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  • Selena [DVD] [1997]

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Teen Gabrielle Matthes Killed In Head-On Crash With Her Sister

gabriellematthes Teen Gabrielle Matthes Killed In Head On Crash With Her Sister

This is one of those freak accidents with a heartbreaking result.  Gabrielle Matthes, 17, was killed after a head-on collision with her own younger sister, Megan.

The Nebraska teen wasn?t wearing her seat belt when her red 2008 Pontiac G6 drove over the crest of a hill and struck the 2003 Chevrolet pick-up truck driven by her younger sister, Megan, 15.

The older sister was pinned in her car and had to be cut out with the jaws of life before being airlifted to the hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, where she later died.

Megan and her passenger, Katlyn Beu, 16, were also rushed to the hospital but their injuries were not life threatening.

The car accident is being investigated, occurring less than a mile from the Matthes? home.

Gabrielle was a senior at Freeman High School in Adams and was scheduled to graduate next week.  She was going to sing at the Freeman High School?s Spring Concert on Monday evening.

?Gabby was somebody who just almost always had a smile on her face and her smile was infectious,? the school?s superintendent Randy Page stated.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Matthes family. Such a tragedy.

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Images: facebook/news

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MET Fashion Face-Off: Rihanna vs. Gwyneth Paltrow


Rihanna and Gwyneth Paltrow. You don't get much more opposite than that when it comes to fashion, but they're both worthy contenders in this Fashion Face-Off.

At least night's MET Institute Costume Gala, the fashion icons looked every bit the part, although with dramatically different styles, as you would probably expect.

Previously, we matched up Taylor Swift and Blake Lively. Now, decide the winner of a couture clash featuring the "S&M" singer and an award-winning actress:

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MET Fashion Face-Off: Kristen Stewart vs. J. Lo


The annual Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art has been called the Oscars of Fashion, and below, a couple of style stars go toe-to-toe.

People's most beautiful woman in the world, Jennifer Lopez, turned heads in a fantastic fuchsia Gucci number, while Kristen Stewart's gown also won raves.

Who wins this Fashion Face-Off from the 2011 MET event, the Breaking Dawn star or American Idol's judge? You decide by casting your votes below ...

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Critic's choice: To save, or sever, these shows

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

  • James McDaniel, back, and Shaun Majumder star in Detroit 1-8-7, a keeper on ABC.

    ABC

    James McDaniel, back, and Shaun Majumder star in Detroit 1-8-7, a keeper on ABC.

ABC

James McDaniel, back, and Shaun Majumder star in Detroit 1-8-7, a keeper on ABC.

Readers had their say in our annual Save Our Shows poll. Now it's my turn to weigh in with a keep-or-kill wish list, knowing all too well that, when it comes to TV, wishes are seldom granted.

ABC

Keep: Detroit 1-8-7. This terrific urban cop drama is almost certain to become a victim of bad ratings, bad timing and an oddly (though sadly, not untypically) indifferent network. But it's not canceled until it is, and that's reason enough to rally behind it. Detroit was impeccably acted, intelligently written and increasingly engrossing ? and, as the only network series dealing with the real-life issues facing our large cities, it was a valuable dramatic asset.

Kill: Happy Endings.   ABC took three swings this year at finding a new sitcom to fill its open Wednesday slot and failed to get a hit. Matthew Perry's Sunshine probably was the least appropriate fit for the night, but it also was the best series, a bitter, well-cast comedy just beginning to find its voice. That leaves Happy Endings and Better With You, both a bit stale, neither as funny as the shows around them. But Better has the better cast, and at least it's never as annoying as Endings frequently is.

CBS

Kill: Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.  What CBS really needs to do is clean creative house and sweep away a host of its procedurals, starting with both Minds and throwing in Hawaii Five-0 and a random CSI. But the days when a network gave up a sure hit just because it was no longer (or never was) a good show are long gone. Still, if CBS must fill its air with procedurals, at least prove it has some idea of when enough is enough, and a good place to start is with a spinoff of network TV's most vile scripted series. It would be nice if that "most vile" label were enough to get the original canceled as well, but we all know it won't.

Keep: Blue Bloods.  The issue is less whether it will return than what will it look like. The creators have left amid disputed reports the network wants to simplify the show into another, yes, procedural. Someone at CBS might want to ask Donnie Wahlberg, of the late lamented Boomtown, what happened when NBC overplayed its simplification hand in that show's second season. The changes pushed away former viewers without attracting new ones. That can't be the result CBS is after.

NBC

Keep: Parenthood.   For all its good intentions, Parenthood has never quite jelled: Too many situations seem strained, and too many casting choices seem misjudged. But it clearly does work for some devoted fans, who have embraced its vision of family life. Since no other current show attempts to fill the family-drama niche, that's reason enough to support it. Keeping Lauren Graham on TV is a bonus.

Kill: The Apprentice.  Either Donald Trump is running for president and the show's untenable, or he's demeaning the presidency as a publicity stunt and it's even more reprehensible than it already is. Either way, the decision to cancel it is a no-brainer. Beyond that, for many in the creative community, The Apprentice symbolizes the incompetence of a now-departed management team that sacrificed long-term benefits for short-term gain. If the new bosses want to send a powerful message times have changed, this is a very good place to start.

Fox

Kill: Breaking In.  In a network drawn to tasteless cartoons such as Bob's Burgers, this live-action sitcom is innocuous, relatively pleasant and mildly amusing. Problem is, the last thing Fox (or TV) needs is another comedy that manages to hit only "mildly amusing." Bob may offend some people, but at least it makes some others laugh. And in a sitcom race, he who makes you laugh last, wins.

Keep: Chicago Code.  On TV, sometimes you have to settle for second-best. When it comes to urban dramas, we'd be better served by a second season from Detroit than Chicago, and best served by keeping them both. The two series share a big-city setting and some of the same social concerns, but where both tackle urban issues, Chicago often subordinates them to its fictional corruption tale. Unfortunately, the shows have another difference: Chicago has a shot at surviving. So root for Chicago, and hope that a second season pushes it more in Detroit's direction.

CW

Keep: Nikita.  Because it's different than most of what CW has on the air.

Kill: One Tree Hill.  Because most people would probably be surprised CW still has it on the air.

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Jessica Simpson's Chi-Town Chowdown

Caught in the Act! | Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson

Jason Merritt/Getty

• Before hitting the beach with fiancé <b>Eric Johnson back on the west coast, Jessica Simpson was in Chicago enjoying some of the Windy City's most popular eateries. First up: the Paris Club, a trendy French restaurant where Simpson shared sweet moments with Johnson and laughed with a group of friends. The party also enjoyed 10 signature menu items, including goat cheese au gratin and coq au vin during their leisurely three-hour meal. The following night, it was off to nearby Hub 51, this time with a group of 15, where the happy couple stole kisses at the table as they sampled an array of dishes (spicy tuna rolls, chicken enchiladas and lemon icebox pie). Says an onlooker of the couple: "Eric even carried Jessica's designer bag while she was getting up to leave the table."

• Gisele Bündchen put on her dancing shoes for the Spring Fling bash at New York's Hiro Ballroom, which is the unofficial kickoff to the Met Costume Institute Gala. The supermodel danced up a storm near fellow reveler Fergie, though the ladies never acknowledged each other. Fergie, meanwhile, was really getting into her moves, and drew a feverish crowd of people who wanted to dance with her. Also there: Will Smith and Jay-Z, who arrived without their wives.

• Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy got in some extra practice when Prince called the Dancing with the Stars duo up on stage during his L.A. gig to show off their moves. The feisty dance partners tore it up to his song "Kiss" and, as Alley Tweeted Sunday morning, it was "SOOO flipping FUN!!!"

Glee's Chord Overstreet, partying with rumored girlfriend Emma Roberts at the Standard Hotel in N.Y., along with his castmates Chris Colfer, Amber Riley and Kevin McHale after a Cinema Society event. Says an onlooker of Overstreet and Roberts: "They seemed close."

• By PAUL CHI, JENNIFER GARCIA, ELIZABETH LEONARD and LINDA MARX

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Katie Price 'not in love' with Leandro

03 May 2011

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Katie Price has revealed she is ''not in love'' with new boyfriend Leandro Penna but is happy in her relationship with him.

Katie Price insists she is "not in love" with new man Leandro Penna.

The former glamour model has been dating the Argentinean hunk since February after meeting him at Sir Elton John's Oscars party in Los Angeles but although they are getting on great she insists the relationship is still in its fledgling stages.

Speaking in her reality TV show 'Katie', she revealed: "I'm not in love with the guy, it's only early days. I'm independent, I don't rely on anyone. It's hard for a man, they need to gain my respect. I like to test and see how far I can go. Leo bosses me about all the time."

I'm not in love with the guy, it's only early days. I'm independent, I don't rely on anyone. It's hard for a man, they need to gain my respect. I like to test and see how far I can go. Leo bosses me about all the time.

Although she isn't ready to say she loves Leandro, Katie insists the thing she likes most about him is the fact he is a real man.

The 32-year-old beauty - who was previously married to Peter Andre and is in the process of divorcing second husband Alex Reid - added: "I've realised what a man's man is. A man's man is somebody who can do DIY, fix your car, cook, change a light bulb. Leo is a man's man. Hard to believe he's only 26."

Katie recently went to Argentina with Leandro to meet his family and while they were in the South American country they were involved in a

car accident that killed two horses.

Although she has said she isn't in love with the model, the TV star wrote "Es todo un tierno. Lo amo" which roughly translates as "It's all tender. I love him", on her twitter page in March.

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  • An Hour to Dance: Choral Music of Gwyneth Walker

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  • A Whole New World

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  • Eye to the Telescope

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