It’s Elmo for today! I think we will be having a Sesame Street overload until their big day on November 10.

I want Ernie and Bert tomorrow or The Count.

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Elmo Google Doodle

Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 Episode 3 – In this 3rd part of HBO’s award winning series, we learned about Miguel Cotto’s best friend Brian Perex and how they’ve met. Also, Manny Pacquiao told his story on how he met Buboy Fernandez, his assistant trainer. It’s all access, from the Philippines, to Puerto Rico, to Las Vegas.

HBO’s Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 is a four-part series that is being aired every Saturday. Episode 4 will be aired on the eve of the fight on Friday.

The Pacquiao vs Cotto bout will be on November 14 at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas Nevada.

You can watch the previous episodes via the links below:

• Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 Episode 1

• Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 Episode 2

For those of you who missed Episode 3 of Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 it will be re-aired on HBO on:

Nov. 7 (11:45 p.m. ET/8:45 p.m. PT), Nov. 8 (11:15 a.m., 8:15 p.m.), Nov. 9 (7:30 p.m.), Nov. 10 (2:00 p.m., 11:30 p.m.), Nov. 12 (11:30 a.m., 10:30 p.m.), Nov. 13 (9:00 p.m.) and Nov. 14 (10:30 a.m.)
We will update this page once the video becomes available.

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Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 Episode 3

It’s Oscar the Grouch this time on Google’s home page!

Happy 40th Anniversary Sesame Street!

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Oscar the Grouch Google Doodle

Britain’s  David Haye will try to beat Russian giant Nikolay Valuev in a WBA Heavyweight title match Saturday night (November 7).

Standing at 7 feet and 2 inches, Valuev is the tallest and heaviest boxer in history. This is like a David and Goliath match and will definitely test Haye’s capabilities as a boxer.

The 29-year-old Haye, a former cruiserweight champ, weighed in Friday at a career-high 218 pounds while Valuev, 36, tipped the scales at a massive 315.9 pounds.

The popular view in the boxing world is that the Russian is too big and too good for the challenger. Haye is in his prime, quick and heavy-handed, but there are question marks over his stamina. If he doesn’t get the Beast from the East out of there early, he has a problem.

In a recent interview, the British fighter said: “This is the craziest fight of my life, in terms of preparation and the fight itself.”

Valuev has never been floored in his 51 professional heavyweight bouts and has a remarkable record of 34 knock outs out of 50 wins. And in this fight dimensions will definitely matter. The Russian has a 9-inch height advantage and 7-inch reach gain. Size, not great boxing skills, has made the 36-year-old a world champion in a time of few brilliant performers.

But all this fuss means nothing to the Haye, who is confident that he can KO the giant. However, we must take note that David knocked down Goliath using a sling and a rock…not his fists.

If you like watching big men bash each other around, then tonight should be to your taste. David Haye vs. Nikolai Valuev world heavyweight title showdown will be screened live and exclusively on Sky Box Office (Sky channel 743) from 9.30 PM-12 PM.

You can go here for the Live Updates of the Haye-Valuev bout: Live Boxing

UPDATE:
The new WBA World Heavyweight Champion is David Haye.

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David Haye vs. Nikolai Valuev

Real Madrid will try to maintain their impressive recent record against Atletico Madrid when the derby rivals collide at Estadio Vicente Calderon. Los Blancos are only a point behind Barcelona after the Catalan giants dropped two points against Osasuna last weekend.

Both teams have identical forms from their last respective 5 games in all competitions, but the last time Real lost to Los Colchoneros at the Manzanares was back in 1999.

Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo will consult his former specialist in the Netherlands after his ankle problem failed to show signs of improvement. The 24-year-old winger sustained the injury in September and aggravated it playing for Portugal last month.

CR9’s absence in the derby is atrocious given the significance of the match, but should he be able to make a recovery on the current timetable, at least he will be fit in time to face Barca later this month.

The match kicks-off at 22:00 CET (4:00 p.m. ET).

UPDATE: Kaka and Marcelo scored first-half goals and Gonzalo Higuain added a third on 64 minutes as Real held on for a 3-2 win at Atletico despite going down to 10 men in the 66th minute.

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La Liga: Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid

FC Barcelona faces RCD Mallorca at Camp Nou tonight aiming to bring back the form that appears to have disappeared in the past week.

Other than a 6-1 thrashing of Real Zaragoza two weeks ago, the Catalan giants have been shut out twice and scored just one goal in its other three matches. The tandem of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi haven’t really delivered a goal tally that Barca’s dominant football deserves.

Dani Alves has been missing for several weeks, but returned to action on Wednesday to face Rubin Kazan in the Champions League. That means Pep Guardiola will have a full squad at his disposal ahead of tonight’s clash.

UPDATE: Goals from Pedro, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi helped Barca cruised to a 4-2 victory over Mallorca to keep them at the top of La Liga.

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La Liga: FC Barcelona vs. RCD Mallorca

Does anyone know what is going on with Sammy Sosa? He looks completely different!

Sammy and his wife, Sonia, attended the 2009 Person of the Year Honoring Juan Gabriel on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

We have no idea what transformation the former baseball superstar is going through, but it’s obvious that there’s something wrong with his pigmentation.

UPDATE: Sammy’s new pale look could be the result of vitiligo-like symptoms caused by steroid use.

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Sammy Sosa’s New Pale Look

According to reports, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is entertaining offers from the Memphis Grizzlies to join their coaching staff and help train their centers.

Abdul-Jabbar though is under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after having tutored Andrew Bynum over the past several seasons.  But the L.A. Daily News reported earlier that Abdul-Jabbar’s interaction with Bynum has decreased and he would take a lesser role with the Lakers this season. Both sides are trying to iron out a working arrangement.

Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.  He attended the Grizzlies’ practice last October 25.  He also met with the Grizzlies players and management.  Grizzlies team officials had no comment regarding his presence but did ask for and receive permission from the Lakers to speak with him.

The Griz have three centers — two of whom are considered projects — who could benefit from Abdul-Jabbar’s knowledge and experience.  The players are Marc Gasol, Hamed Haddadi and rookie Hasheem Thabeet.

“It’s a matter of how much time Kareem will give to us,” Grizzlies team owner Michael Heisley said. “We’re trying to come to an understanding of how Kareem will work. I want to make sure we’re getting somebody who will give attention to these kids and help them. He’s got a lot of commitments.”

The 62-year-old is credited with teaching Bynum’s post skills and footwork. Bynum grew into one of the brightest young centers in the NBA. Former Griz Pau Gasol also benefited from Abdul-Jabbar’s influence while with the Lakers.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Memphis Grizzlies?

Arsenal can creep above the Red Devils this evening if they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium.

The Gunners, who are just three points behind Manchester United, are the division’s in-form team. They are unbeaten in six Premier League games, winning 16 points from a possible 18.

The Wolves, on the other hand, are 17th in the league table on ten points after 11 cycles. But even if they have scored only four times at home so far this season, they have conceded just six home goals. That defensive record will give them confidence as they welcome Arsene Wenger’s side tonight.

Arsenal will be without the injured Gael Clichy and Nicklas Bendtner, while Sylvan Ebanks-Blake returns to the Wolves forward line in place of the injured Chris Iwelumo.

The match kicks-off at 17:30 UK.

UPDATE: The Gunners moved into second place in the EPL after crushing Wolverhampton 4-1 with another fine attacking display.

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Premier League: Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Rihanna, in an interview by Dianne Sawyer on the 20/20 program last Friday, November 6, revealed details regarding the assault of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown on her. She confirmed that Brown punched her, beat her, choked her and threatened to kill her. In a twist, however, she informed that abuse was also a part of her upbringing, similar to that of her former boyfriend.

A text message from a girl that Brown previously dated was the root cause of their argument that led to the incident that night. Rihanna said that he lied about the message and that she would not let Brown off the hook.

“It escalated into him being violent over me, and it was ugly” the Grammy Award winning singer told. She continued saying that he went on to punch and bit her repeatedly. She was then choked until she had trouble breathing. He then threatened to kill her. Rihanna however said to Sawyer “he was saying it to scare me.”

“It was ugly. I fended him off with my feet…but it was not like, it was not like a fight with each other. I just…I really just wanted it to stop,” she continued.

She finally then decided to call to the police.

“I was bleeding, I was swollen in the face,” she revealed. “So there was no way of me getting home, except for, my next option was to get out of the car and walk. Start walking in a gown, in a bloody face. So I really don’t know what my plan was.”

She clearly pointed out that Brown was not under the influence of alcohol during that night.

A month later, Rihanna briefly reunited with Brown. She had wanted to protect Brown, especially after he revealed that he was an abuse victim as a child. She had been able to relate with the issue as she grew up in an abusive environment. However, she was conflicted as she attempted to help Brown. During that time Brown asked her if she hated him. She said she didn’t but that she resented him. It was at that point that she realized that she had to end their relationship.

Rihanna’s father severely abused and hit her mother “numerous” times. Her mother went to the point of having a broken nose. She would attempt to break the fights. The singer thought to herself, “I’m never gonna date someone like my dad. Never.”

Video: Rihanna Full Interview On 20/20

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Rihanna Reveals Details of Chris Brown Assault (video)

Big-spending Manchester City, currently in 4th place in the English Premier League, will be eager to win this match after a run of four consecutive draws.

Though the Citizens have not lost on the EPL stage since September 20, they have not won a game for more than a month now. And Mark Hughes knows his side cannot be considered genuine top four challengers if they continue to drop points at the rate they have been doing lately.

Despite Burnley facing another intricate away clash against City, it is a game that manager Owen Coyle is looking forward to. In a recent interview he said: “We know it will be difficult, we are under no illusions about that, but I really believe it’s a game we can win points from.”

These teams have never met in the EPL but in the last seven meetings in the Football League, the Citizens have won four and drawn three.

City should be buoyed by the return of African internationals Emmanuel Adebayor and captian Kolo Toure who were greatly missed against last weekend’s clash with Birmingham. However, Brazil’s Robinho remains absent with a calf problem.

The Clarets, on the other hand, are still without Martin Paterson, Chris McCann and Jay Rodriguez through injury as they try to claim their first point on the road.

Game time is 15:00 at the City of Manchester Stadium.

UPDATE: The Citizens were held to a fifth consecutive draw in the Premier League after finishing up 3-3 with Burnley.

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Premier League: Manchester City vs. Burnley

Jason Rodriguez, 40, opened fire last Friday in his former office, killing one person and injuring 5 others. The shooting happened at the office of Reynolds Smith & Hill in the 8th floor of Gateway Center in Orlando, where he worked as an engineer for 11 months before the company fired him 2 years ago. According to the company spokesperson Mike Bernos, Rodriguez was terminated last June 2007 due to his poor performance.

Orlando Police officers found him in his mother’s home 3 hours after the incident where he peacefully surrendered and said that he did the shooting because the company “left him to rot”.

According to Rodriguez, the termination made him look incompetent. He was left unemployed for one and a half year before working for a Subway sandwich shop. When the store couldn’t give him enough working hours, he later filed for bankruptcy and just recently told a judge that he was making less than $30,000 a year and owed nearly $90,000 in debt.

He also claims he is so broke that he doesn’t even have the money to visit his 8-year-old son who lives with his ex-wife in a nearby city just 30-minutes away.

During his arrest, Rodriguez apologized for the shooting: “I’m just going through a tough time right now. I’m sorry,” officers quoted him as saying.

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Fired employee shoots ex-coworkers in Orlando

Are you a Google product lover? Or do you simply use their products for their functions? Whatever the case is, Google has recently launched a new “product” to manage all products – the Google Dashboard.

Yes, the Google Dashboard is a product but not one that is unique. Its main purpose is to serve as the hub and medium to all the other Google products that you are currently using. It also contain links to widely used pages such as the “settings” page or the “profile” page. In other words, the Dashboard is introduced to make our lives a little bit more easier.

Personally, this is fine but not so life-changing. Try it out and see for yourself.

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Google Dashboard

Marissa Mayer, Google’s Vice President of Search Product and User Experience has been named as one of Glamour Magazine’s Woman of the Year for 2009.

She is a Woman of the Year because: “She has been a powerhouse of creativity and business acumen for one of the world’s most innovative companies. Marissa Mayer is leading the way in keeping America number one.” —Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and 2002 Woman of the Year

Marissa has been featured in various publications, including Newsweek (”10 Tech Leaders of the Future”), Red Herring (”15 Women to Watch”), Business 2.0 (”Silicon Valley Dream Team”), BusinessWeek, and Fast Company. In 2008, at 33, Marissa became the youngest woman ever to be included on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list (#50).

Marissa Ann Mayer (born on 30 May 1975) acts as a gatekeeper for their product release process, determining when or whether a particular Google product is ready to be released to users. She has become one of the public faces of Google, providing a number of press interviews and appearing at events frequently to speak on behalf of the company.

Other women on the list includes Rihanna, Marie Shiver, Stella McCartney, Amie Poehler, Serena Williams, Jane Aronson, Susan Rice, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, The Women of Iran’s One Million Signature Campaign and Maya Angelou with special recognition to Michelle Obama.

[Glamour via TechCrunch]

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Marissa Mayer is one of Glamour’s “Woman Of The Year”

Today, New York City will host a parade as a tribute to the 2009 World Series Champion New York Yankees— their record-setting ninth trip down the so-called Canyon of Heroes.

The Fall Classic ended Wednesday night with the Bronx Bombers winning their 27th championship by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3.

Hideki Matsui was awarded MVP honors for his extraordinary performance, which included a two-run homer off Pedro Martinez that set an early tone for Joe Girardi’s side. It was the first time that title has gone to a Japanese-born player or a full-time designated hitter.

It will be a sunny but very chilly out in NYC. Beginning at 8 a.m., streets in the vicinity of the parade formation area will be closed to prepare for the celebration.

Fortunately plenty of extra trains and ferries are scheduled. Metro-North will run three additional Hudson and Harlem Line trains to/from Grand Central for fans who want to attend the parade.

Alex Rodriguez, Matsui and the rest of the team will be swimming in a sea of confetti and congratulatory cheers at Battery Place at around 11 a.m., before going north to Chambers Street and ending at City Hall Plaza for a few victory remarks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg will present the Yankees with the keys to the city.

Though there is limited space for the ceremony and tickets are required, a huge screen will be placed near the City Hall for the public to watch.

The city’s last ticker-tape parade honored the Giants when they captured Super Bowl XLII. The said spectacle cost around $331,000, all but $24,000 of which was covered by NYC & Co., the city’s marketing arm.

For those who are not lucky enough to attend the festivities, there are still options. A lot of TV and radio stations will broadcast the event live and it will also be streamed online on numerous websites. You can watch the Yankees Parade 2009 live online (live stream video) here.

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Watch the 2009 Yankees Parade Live Online (Live Stream)