Obama campaign raises $70 million in third quarter

By Tom Hamburger and Melanie Mason, Washington Bureau

Reporting from Washington— 

Campaign fundraising tallies continued to dribble out Thursday, with President Obama's effort announcing a $70-million haul in the third quarter and party committees releasing their latest totals.

Obama's campaign easily exceeded its $55-million goal, but it came in at less than its second-quarter take in part because of the cancellation of more than a dozen fundraisers when the president was pinned down in Washington by the summertime debt crisis. Nevertheless, the tally outdistanced anything raised by the GOP candidates.

Of the $70-million total, $42.8 million was raised for Obama for America, the president's campaign committee, and $27.3 million went to the Democratic National Committee, which has a higher maximum contribution limit for individuals.

At this point in the 2004 campaign, President George W. Bushhad raised $50.1 million for his reelection effort, then a record for a fundraising quarter in a preelection year.

Most of Obama's money — 98%, according to the campaign — came from small donations of $250 or less. In the last three months, more than 600,000 people gave money to the reelection effort.

Fundraising totals for Obama's GOP challengers also have trickled out in recent days, ahead of the Saturday filing deadline.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced last week he raised $17 million in August and September. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) took in $8 million from more than 100,000 individuals. AndMitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, will likely bring in $14 million, according to advisors. The rest of the GOP field has not divulged numbers.

Among other fundraising entities, the Republican National Committee said this week it had raised $9.3 million in September alone, a record for a nonelection year. The committee said it had $11.4 million in cash on hand.

For all the money sloshing around in the traditional campaign finance structure, the significance of those receipts is undercut this election cycle by the emergence of "super PACs" — including one announced Thursday that will raise unlimited amounts for Republican congressional candidates.

Super PACS, an outgrowth of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision last year, allow corporations, unions and individuals to contribute unlimited sums to organizations supporting a favored candidate or group of candidates as long as the new groups do not coordinate with the official campaigns. Campaigns, in contrast, operate under sharp restrictions on the size and source of donations.

Last year, outside groups such as American Crossroads played a notable role in shaping congressional elections by backing GOP candidates and causes in key districts. The Karl Rove-backed group, along with its nonprofit affiliate Crossroads GPS, raised more than $70 million for the 2010 cycle. For 2012, the group set a $240-million fundraising goal.

This year saw the emergence of super PACs aligned with specific candidates, including, at the presidential campaign level, Obama, Perry, Romney, Paul, Michele Bachmann and Jon Huntsman Jr.

The new addition is the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican group that will launch on Nov. 2 with a fundraiser headlined by "special guests" House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Whip Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.

This is a second foray into super PACs by the chairman of the fund's board of directors, former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota. Last year, he formed American Action Network, which promotes conservative causes.

"I always welcome another group to work with," said Carl Forti, a veteran Republican operative who serves as political director of American Crossroads and leads Restore Our Future, a Romney-aligned super PAC.

Democrats on Capitol Hill have formed similar organizations to raise funds for congressional candidates, and last week an aide to Cantor announced that he too was starting an outside group to back GOP candidates.

At least one group has formed to advocate for a single candidate: The Deseret News of Salt Lake City reported last month that supporters of Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) have organized the Strong Utah PAC to help the longtime senator fend off a primary challenge from the party's tea party flank.

A Democratic political consultant, David DiMartino, said the new money was upending the nature of congressional elections.

"In the current environment, any individual running for office has to be concerned that the campaign may be waged on issues completely out of their control," he said.

Steve Jobs Through the Years

Steven Paul Jobs, 56, died Wednesday at his home with his family. The co-founder and, until last August, CEO of Apple Inc was the most celebrated person in technology and business on the planet. No one will take issue with the official Apple statement that “The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

It had taken a while for the world to realize what an amazing treasure Steve Jobs was. But Jobs knew it all along. That was part of what was so unusual about him. From at least the time he was a teenager, Jobs had a freakish chutzpah. At age 13, he called up the head of HP and cajoled him into giving Jobs free computer chips. It was part of a lifelong pattern of setting and fulfilling astronomical standards. Throughout his career, he was fearless in his demands. He kicked aside the hoops that everyone else had to negotiate and straightforwardly and brazenly pursued what he wanted. When he got what he wanted — something that occurred with astonishing frequency — he accepted it as his birthright.

Steve Jobs’ Greatest Achievements

Steve Jobs Through the Years

If Jobs were not so talented, if he were not so visionary, if he were not so canny in determining where others had failed in producing great products and what was necessary to succeed, his pushiness and imperiousness would have made him a figure of mockery.

But Steve Jobs was that talented, visionary and determined. He combined an innate understanding of technology with an almost supernatural sense of what customers would respond to. His conviction that design should be central to his products not only produced successes in the marketplace but elevated design in general, not just in consumer electronics but everything that aspires to the high end.

As a child of the sixties who was nurtured in Silicon Valley, his career merged the two strains in a way that reimagined business itself. And he did it as if he didn’t give a damn who he pissed off. He could bully underlings and corporate giants with the same contempt. But when he chose to charm, he was almost irresistible. His friend, Heidi Roizen, once gave advice to a fellow Apple employee that the only way to avoid falling prey to the dual attacks of venom and charm at all hours was not to answer the phone. That didn’t work, the employee said, because Jobs lived only a few blocks away. Jobs would bang on the door and not go away.

For most of his 56 years, Steve Jobs banged on doors, but for the past dozen or so very few were closed to him. He was the most adored and admired business executive on the planet, maybe in history. Presidents and rock stars came to see him. His fans waited up all night to gain entry into his famous”“Stevenote” speeches at Macworld, almost levitating with anticipation of what Jobs might say. Even his peccadillos and dark side became heralded.

His accomplishments were unmatched. People who can claim credit for game-changing products — iconic inventions that become embedded in the culture and answers to Jeopardy questions decades later — are few and far between. But Jobs has had not one, not two, but six of these breakthroughs, any one of which would have made for a magnificent career. In order: the Apple II, the Macintosh, the movie studio Pixar, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. (This doesn’t even include the consistent, brilliant improvements to the Macintosh operating system, or the Apple retail store juggernaut.) Had he lived a natural lifespan, there would have almost certainly been more.

Steve Jobs die at 56

Wife and family with Jobs at final moments in Palo Alto

* Outpouring of grief, tributes around the world

* Legacy as one of greatest American visionaries

By Poornima Gupta and Edwin Chan

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Steve Jobs, the transcendent Silicon Valley entrepreneur who reinvented the world's computing, music and mobile phone industries and changed the daily habits of millions around the globe, died on Wednesday at the age of 56.

His death after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer sparked an immediate outpouring of tributes as world leaders, business rivals and fans alike lamented the tragedy of his premature passing and celebrated his monumental achievements.

"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.

Fans paid homage to Jobs outside Apple stores around the world, from Los Angeles to Sydney. Outside one store in New York City, mourners laid candles, bouquets of flowers, an apple and an iPod Touch in a makeshift memorial. In San Francisco, they held up black-and-white portraits of Jobs on their iPads.

Many websites, including Apple's own, were transformed into online memorials, a testament to the digital creativity that Jobs inspired.

"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor," said Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Bill Gates, who once triumphed over Jobs but has seen his legendary status overtaken by the Apple (AAPL.O) co-founder in recent years.

Jobs was surrounded by his wife and immediate family when he died in Palo Alto, California, Apple said late on Wednesday. Other details were not immediately available.

Jobs stepped down as CEO in August and handed the reins to long-time operations chief Tim Cook. With a passion for minimalist design and a genius for marketing, Jobs laid the groundwork for the company to continue to flourish after his death, most analysts and investors say.

But Apple still faces challenges in the absence of the man who was its chief product designer, marketing guru and salesman nonpareil. Phones running Google's (GOOG.O) Android software are gaining share in the smartphone market, and there are questions over what the next big thing is in Apple's product line. 

LEGENDARY ENTREPRENEUR

A college drop-out and the son of adoptive parents, Jobs changed the technology world in the late 1970s, when the Apple II became the first personal computer to gain a wide following. He did it again in 1984 with the Macintosh, which built on the breakthrough technologies developed at Xerox Parc and elsewhere to create the personal computing experience as we know it today.

The rebel streak that's central to his persona got him tossed out of the company in 1985, but he returned in 1997 and after a few years began the rollout of a troika of products -- the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad -- that again upended the established order in major industries.

A diagnosis of a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 initially cast only a mild shadow over Jobs and Apple, with the CEO asserting that the disease was treatable. But his health deteriorated rapidly over the past several years, and after two temporary leaves of absence he stepped down as chief executive and became Apple's chairman in August.

Jobs' death came just one day after Cook presented a new iPhone at the kind of gala event that became Jobs' trademark. Perhaps coincidentally, the new device got lukewarm reviews, with many saying that it wasn't a big enough improvement over the existing version of one of the most successful consumer products in history.

Apple on Wednesday paid homage to its visionary leader by changing its website to a big black-and-white photograph of him with the caption "Steve Jobs: 1955-2011."

The flags outside the company's headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop flew at half mast. Employees left flowers on a bench and a mourner played music on bagpipes in an impromptu tribute.

Cook said in a statement that Apple planned to hold a celebration of Jobs' life for employees "soon".

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve," Apple said in a statement.

"His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."

The announcement of Jobs' death came after almost all trading in U.S. stocks had finished for the day. Apple's stock was last quoted at $377.22, a tad lower than its Nasdaq close of $378.25.

Outside Jobs' house in Palo Alto, neighbors and friends left flowers and drew messages with markers on the sidewalk. "Thanks for changing the world," read one.

A low fence surrounded a lawn filled with apple trees.

"He was special for the area, like part of the family," said Robert Blum, who brought flowers with his eight-year-old son, Daniel.

NET WORTH $7 BLN

Jobs, in his trademark uniform of black mock-turtleneck and blue jeans, was deemed the heart and soul of a company that rivals Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) as the most valuable in America.

Forbes estimates Jobs' net worth at $7 billion. It was not immediately known how his estate would be handled.

His health had been a controversial topic for years and a deep concern to Apple fans and investors. Even board members have in past years confided to friends their concern that Jobs, in his quest for privacy, was not being forthcoming enough with directors about the true condition of his health.

Born in San Francisco, the Buddhist and son of adoptive parents started Apple Computer with friend Steve Wozniak in his parent's garage 1976.

Six years ago, Jobs had talked about how a sense of his mortality was a major driver behind that vision.

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," Jobs said during a Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005.

"Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Chicago Bulls: The Starting Two Guard May Not Be the Issue in Chicago

The Chicago Bulls went 62-20 in 2010-11. That was with a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Keith Bogans.

Wait, Keith Bogans?

Really?

At this point in time, it is no surprise to people that Keith Bogans was the odd ball compared to the rest of the starting rotation, but perhaps he was still the right fit. I do agree that the Bulls need to find another scorer, but should we be so quick to dismiss Bogans as a viable starter for the Bulls?

Remember, this Bulls team went 62-20 with starters Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missing a combined 57 games. 57 of 82 is a pretty nice chunk of the season to be missing at least one, and sometimes two of your primary players.

If Noah and Boozer stay healthy next year, not something they have yet to prove over their careers, who knows how well the Bulls could play all season long. Noah has been improving his skills overseas, while Boozer has been relatively quiet on his position since announcing he would explore options.

Either way, I just want to see them healthy because their injuries perhaps cost the Bulls eight or nine wins.

Still, the Bulls managed to win many games while the two were out. Keith Bogans did not miss one game the entire season, making him and Luol Deng (ironic) the only two players to start all 82 games.
Would it be smart to bring back Bogans?
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Now, I don't see Bogans being an answer as a scorer, but each player has their function on the team. Bogans is clearly there for his defense and durability. He knew his role last season, and if you ask me, he played it close to perfection. Nobody expected Bogans to come in and score ten points a night, and I am sure he didn't either. Bogans only shot the ball on average four times a game.

I do believe the Bulls will explore all their options once they are able to, and they will have a few roster spots open up. The Bulls starting rotation played perfect last season, and their bench was one of the best in the league.


The Bulls do have to consider their financial decisions when regarding the two spot. Considering the money they just gave Noah, Boozer and Deng a few years ago, the Bulls don't exactly have money to spend.

With that in mind, remember that Rose's contract is up after the 2011-12 season, and I don't expect him to expect anything other then the maximum. A starting caliber free agent may not be the best financial option.

They could explore another scorer, perhaps a solid addition to come off the bench or fill in for starter minutes.

The Bulls could also find an ideal sixth man. They have not had one since Ben Gordon left, so the addition of a guy like Nick Young or O.J. Mayo could fulfill that role well. That would require some sort of trade (or sign and trade with Young) for the Bulls to free up some sort of money for 2012.

Should the Bulls alter their starting five?
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

I think the sixth man role is the Bulls' true problem.

Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer are not reliable first options off the bench. They are great players, but they are not immediate impact players like Ben Gordon was night in and night out.

The Chicago Bulls should consider not damaging the chemistry within their starting rotation, but rather build a new threat to fit between the starters and the bench mob.

The Bulls have a good thing going with their set rotations, so just remember this: You shouldn't fix what is not broken.

Facebook’s revenue soared to US$1.6 billion in the first half of 2011.

The social networking giant posted net income of $500 million in the first half of 2011, according to “a source with knowledge of its financials.” Facebook has taken its user base to a whopping 750 million and has established itself as one of the biggest players in the display advertising world, TAKING one-third of all impressions served in the U.S. (more than Yahoo, Microsoft, Google, and AOL together).
The company founded by Mark Zuckerberg out of his dorm room in 2004 has grown into one of the internet’s most formidable firms. While its finances aren’t publicly known, information has occasionally made its way out.

Earlier this year, Goldman Sachs prepared a private share offering of Facebook to its clients, distributing some of the social network’s financial information. Those documents suggest Facebook earned $433 million on $1.2 billion in revenues during the first 9 months of 2010. While quarterly figures weren’t released, assuming Facebook’s sales were equal in every quarter, the social network made 800 million in the first two quarters of 2010. (Read Goldman Sachs Limits Facebook Share Offer To ‘Offshore’ Investors, Fears Breaking U.S. Law).


Goldman itself invested in Facebook, giving it an unofficial Wall Street-stamp of approval and a valuation of about $50 billion. Shares in Facebook trade on secondary markets where the valuation has been pushed above $80 billion. Markets expect Facebook to go public in the short-term, as its ever-rising number of shareholders puts pressure on regulators to ask management to release more financial information. The SEC requires any company with more than 500 shareholders to disclose its finances. (Read JPMorgan Starts ‘Social Media Fund’ To Invest In Twitter, Facebook, Other Public Companies).



Reuters cites sources expecting Facebook to go public in 2012. Facebook, which declined to comment, is facing increased competition from Google in the social sphere. The search-giant recently released Google+ which reportedly added more than 10 million members in its first two weeks to become the world’s fastest growing social network.


If the recent report is true, Facebook is proving that it is increasingly better at monetizing the opportunities it has made for itself, as Zuckerberg prepares his company to dispute the Google’s claim to the Internet’s number one spot.

Cowboys most valuable NFL franchise

The Dallas Cowboys are the NFL's most valuable franchise at $1.85 billion, according to Forbes magazine's annual survey.

That also gives the Cowboys the highest worth of any U.S. team, and makes them second only to Manchester United of the English Premier League, valued at $1.9 billion, among franchises worldwide.

The New York Yankees are worth $1.7 billion, according to Forbes' most recent baseball calculations.

More on the Cowboys

Calvin Watkins, Tim MacMahon and Todd Archer have the Dallas Cowboys blanketed for ESPN Dallas. Blog
Cowboys Center
ESPN Dallas » Hot Button »


Following the Cowboys in value among NFL teams are the Washington Redskins ($1.55 billion), New England Patriots ($1.4 billion), New York Giants ($1.3 billion) and New York Jets ($1.223 billion).

Altogether, 15 teams are worth $1 billion; the others are Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Green Bay, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Denver, Pittsburgh, Miami and Carolina.

The survey is based on the 2010 season. Team values are through this year's lockout, but total revenues and profits are not.

Dallas' value increased 2 percent from last year's rankings. The biggest jump was made by the Giants, up 10 percent, after they moved into their new stadium in 2010. The Jets, who share that stadium with the Giants, were up 7 percent, as were the Super Bowl champion Packers, who are community-owned, and the San Francisco 49ers.

Eighteen teams increased in value, five remained the same -- including the Redskins -- and nine decreased in worth. Coincidentally, the biggest drop was made by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5 percent), who are owned by the Glazer family that also owns Manchester United.

Least in value, Forbes reports, are the Jacksonville Jaguars ($725 million).

The average team value is $1.036 billion.

Dallas also had the highest revenues, $406 million, well ahead of Washington at $352 million. Lowest was Oakland at $217 million.

The Cowboys also led with $119 million in operating income, followed by Washington with $65.6 million. Two teams had negative operating income, Detroit (minus $7.7 million) and Cleveland (minus $2.9 million).


Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Eddie Murphy go to the Oscars 2012

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the coveted, highly anticipated host of the 2012 Oscars will be comedian and actor Eddie Murphy. Now this is not an easy gig.

Last year, the Academy tried to make the telecast more youthful by having young Hollywood superstars Anne Hathaway and James Franco co-host – a decision critics bashed after the show fell flat and Franco seemed to show a lack of interest in his hosting gig.

Now the Academy is putting its faith in Eddie Murphy, who also follows in the footsteps of past comedian/entertainer hosts like Bob Hope, Whoopi Goldberg and Steve Martin.


So far, it seems like Hollywood is on board with Eddie too. I caught up with Whoopi at the season premiere of “The View” and she thinks Eddie would be a great choice. She says, “You have to have a funny person. You have to have somebody that loves the movies, you have to have somebody who’s engaged and I think Eddie is engaged. He knows our business, he gets what the audience is like… I love the idea of Eddie Murphy.”

"Showbiz Tonight" also caught up with actor Nick Nolte (Murphy’s co-star in their classic flick “48 Hours”) at the premiere of Nolte’s new film “Warrior” and he also thinks Murphy is a great choice. “He's going to be great,” Nolte says. “You know with Eddie, it’s a pure genius. You just don't know what he's going to bring. He'll bring a lot of humor. A lot of fun to it."

I think Eddie’s got the right personality for this gig and he should be great. The question is though, is he relevant enough to draw in viewers? Although Murphy used to star in many hit movies, his biggest recent role has been “Donkey” in the “Shrek” films, although Eddie was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “Dreamgirls” back in 2006.

What do you think of Eddie Murphy as this year’s Oscar host – is it a great choice or a terrible choice? Post below and join us tonight for this debate at 11 p.m. ET/PT on HLN.

Obama's jobs plan to reflect his more modest ambition

Reporting from Washington— When he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama made a prediction breathtaking in its ambition: Americans would look back at that night in Denver as the moment when "the planet began to heal" and the country began to provide "good jobs to the jobless."

Obama will deliver another speech to the nation Thursday, with his sights significantly lower and the scope sharply curtailed.

He'll roll out a new plan to revive the economy: a mix of tax credits and targeted spending increases for school renovation and job training amounting to about $300 billion. Obama bills it as a sensible proposal that Republicans could conceivably endorse.

Some economists familiar with the plan believe it could move the needle on unemployment over the next few months.

If Congress rejects it, some of Obama's aides believe it could move the political needle in their direction. A defeated plan, they hope, could become a political trap for Republicans, allowing Obama to portray the GOP as so intent on foiling the White House that they would sabotage economic progress.

"The president will present a meaningful, responsible set of ideas to create jobs and grow the economy," a senior White House advisor said. "The Republican Congress will have a choice whether they're going to work with the president to achieve those goals or play politics. If they choose to play politics, the president will go to the country and explain who's stopping progress and why."

But in either case — as an economic proposal that might improve the jobs outlook or as a political stratagem that might help his reelection effort — Thursday's speech is a long step from the vaulting ambitions that accompanied Obama's rise.

That shift underscores the extent to which his options have narrowed.

Obama can't run for reelection as a transformational president: The country has lost nearly 2.5 million jobs in the last three years and unemployment stands at 9.1%. His healthcare overhaul could be undone by the courts before it even fully takes effect.

Nor can he come out with a proposal that would make a major dent in unemployment right away. That would require another round of stimulus, a dirty word in today's political vocabulary.

So he's left with a jobs plan of modest proportions whose chief political value is that Republicans might look obstinate for opposing it.

But Republicans see Obama's moves as signs of weak leadership. A once-audacious politician now looks timid in the face of wrenching crises, Republicans contend.

"His campaign back in 2008 sold everyone this grand theory of a transformational presidency," said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who worked for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney that year. "But what we're left with right now is just a conventional politician doing whatever it takes to get himself reelected."

But the low-key pragmatism that the White House has attempted to follow — searching for proposals that just might win Republican support — also angers many Democratic loyalists. They say that in the face of divided government, Obama isn't aiming high enough.

Many Democrats expect Republicans to oppose Obama no matter what he does, so they'd prefer that he demand a plan that would take a bolder approach to creating jobs. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), in a conversation earlier in the week with White House Chief of Staff William Daley, gave a football analogy. If the player is going to get a penalty no matter what he does, why not deliver a hard hit?

"The president's going to get hit when he introduces his proposal," Cleaver said, recounting the conversation, "so he might as well introduce something big and impactful, because they're going to come after him anyway."

Cleaver also said the president must campaign hard for the package and take the fight directly to Republicans.

On that point, Obama may accommodate. Less than 24 hours after his speech, he'll talk up the new jobs plan in Richmond, Va., the political turf of Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

White House officials maintain that the president didn't hold back on his proposal. Obama crafted a practical plan not hemmed in by political considerations, said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

Reporting from Washington— When he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama made a prediction breathtaking in its ambition: Americans would look back at that night in Denver as the moment when "the planet began to heal" and the country began to provide "good jobs to the jobless."

Obama will deliver another speech to the nation Thursday, with his sights significantly lower and the scope sharply curtailed.

He'll roll out a new plan to revive the economy: a mix of tax credits and targeted spending increases for school renovation and job training amounting to about $300 billion. Obama bills it as a sensible proposal that Republicans could conceivably endorse.

Some economists familiar with the plan believe it could move the needle on unemployment over the next few months.

If Congress rejects it, some of Obama's aides believe it could move the political needle in their direction. A defeated plan, they hope, could become a political trap for Republicans, allowing Obama to portray the GOP as so intent on foiling the White House that they would sabotage economic progress.

"The president will present a meaningful, responsible set of ideas to create jobs and grow the economy," a senior White House advisor said. "The Republican Congress will have a choice whether they're going to work with the president to achieve those goals or play politics. If they choose to play politics, the president will go to the country and explain who's stopping progress and why."

But in either case — as an economic proposal that might improve the jobs outlook or as a political stratagem that might help his reelection effort — Thursday's speech is a long step from the vaulting ambitions that accompanied Obama's rise.

That shift underscores the extent to which his options have narrowed.

Obama can't run for reelection as a transformational president: The country has lost nearly 2.5 million jobs in the last three years and unemployment stands at 9.1%. His healthcare overhaul could be undone by the courts before it even fully takes effect.

Nor can he come out with a proposal that would make a major dent in unemployment right away. That would require another round of stimulus, a dirty word in today's political vocabulary.

So he's left with a jobs plan of modest proportions whose chief political value is that Republicans might look obstinate for opposing it.

But Republicans see Obama's moves as signs of weak leadership. A once-audacious politician now looks timid in the face of wrenching crises, Republicans contend.

"His campaign back in 2008 sold everyone this grand theory of a transformational presidency," said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who worked for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney that year. "But what we're left with right now is just a conventional politician doing whatever it takes to get himself reelected."

But the low-key pragmatism that the White House has attempted to follow — searching for proposals that just might win Republican support — also angers many Democratic loyalists. They say that in the face of divided government, Obama isn't aiming high enough.

Many Democrats expect Republicans to oppose Obama no matter what he does, so they'd prefer that he demand a plan that would take a bolder approach to creating jobs. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), in a conversation earlier in the week with White House Chief of Staff William Daley, gave a football analogy. If the player is going to get a penalty no matter what he does, why not deliver a hard hit?

"The president's going to get hit when he introduces his proposal," Cleaver said, recounting the conversation, "so he might as well introduce something big and impactful, because they're going to come after him anyway."

Cleaver also said the president must campaign hard for the package and take the fight directly to Republicans.

On that point, Obama may accommodate. Less than 24 hours after his speech, he'll talk up the new jobs plan in Richmond, Va., the political turf of Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

White House officials maintain that the president didn't hold back on his proposal. Obama crafted a practical plan not hemmed in by political considerations, said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.


Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Foo Fighters And Katy Perry Pay Tribute To Mercury

Rockers Foo Fighters and singer Katy Perry have recorded special video messages paying tribute to late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury to mark what would have been his 65th birthday.

 The singing legend, who died in 1991, would have turned the landmark age on Monday (05Sep11), and to mark the special day, musicians from pop and rock grouped together to leave personal online thanks to the flamboyant icon.

 In her tribute on YouTube.com, Perry says, "You've inspired us all and you've inspired me especially. Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do."

 My Chemical Romance star Gerard Way calls Mercury "the most important frontman to (me when I was) growing up as little boy", and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins adds in his clip, "Freddie, we miss you and love you. I owe you everything, you were the first (performer in) concert I ever saw and since then I've been chasing the dream. I owe that to you."

 Other stars who marked Mercury's birthday include Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, who said he was "sorry (Mercury) was not still around to see the profound effect (he) has had on pop music".

 British stars including Brian May and his Queen bandmate Roger Taylor, singer Nicola Roberts and British royals Princess Beatrice and sister Eugenie marked Mercury's birthday at a bash at London's posh Savoy Hotel on Monday night.

 The celebrities wore a moustache in tribute to the rocker as they were treated to comedy and music throughout the evening.

 Mercury died aged 45 of Aids-related pneumonia.

Contactmusic

'Apollo 18' likely to disappoint fans of 'Paranormal'

Im not sure how I got it in my head that the new film "Apollo 18" was made by the same people who made "Paranormal Activity" 1 and 2. I guess it must have had to do with the fact that it kind of looked like "Paranormal Activity:" In Space. Regardless, I rather enjoyed the "Paranormal Activity" films, which is why I decided to go see "Apollo 18". (That, and I could not pass up the opportunity to take my mother – who lives alone when I'm at school – to see a film that would likely scare the bejeezus out of her on her "29th" birthday.)

Continuing in the fashion of the "Paranormal Activity" films, "Apollo 18" presents faux documentary-style footage that had recently been "discovered" and leaked online at the website, lunartruth.com. This "file footage" sets the premise that, contrary to official NASA reports, an 18th manned rocket was sent to the moon after the scrubbing of the Apollo space program. Also, like the PA 1 and 2, the cast was very small and only included actors that would not be easily recognizable by the audience. (Unfortunately, for them, however, the "Human IMDB" Chancellor Mills was in the theater and immediately recognized two of the three stars.)

Despite some of these similarities, Apollo 18 fell a bit short for me in some ways. For instance, the film was very short at only about 87 minutes but FELT very long because of the agonizingly slow pace. I would say it was a good third of the way into the film before anything out of the ordinary starts happening, and even when weird stuff starts happening, it's nothing more than just a few rocks rolling around on the surface of the moon. The pace does pick up steam after that, but nothing really exciting occurs until probably the last 30 minutes.

I can't really say too much more about the plot without completely ruining it for whoever is reading this, but what I will say is that the alien monster of this film is actually multiple rocks that turn into little spiders. And, while you may be thinking to yourself that this is not that scary, I'm here to tell you that it's definitely not. It's also not as creepy as the Paranormal films because all of the scary stuff is happening in space, and we do not live in space. Fact. However, "Apollo 18" does make a half-hearted attempt to bring the threat home by saying that a few hundred pounds of moon rocks had been brought to Earth and given out as gifts to foreign nations and had since gone missing or been stolen. (As in, they were given as gifts, turned back into space spiders and have been living among us like Transformers for the last 40 years.)

Perry wins top award at VMAs, but Beyonce baby tops show

Beyoncé made a pseudo-announcement before the show even got started, making the universal baby bump symbol on MTV's black carpet and thus sending Twitter into a giant baby name brainstorming session. Ever the perfectionist, she used her VMA performance to ensure that the media and her fans understood the message she was trying to send. "Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me," she said, as the music for "Love On Top" began behind her. She killed the song—even Adele approved—moving through each key change, and focusing more on her vocals than navigating any elaborate set design or executing complicated choreography. We were already exploding in cheers of approval when she dropped the mic at the end of the song, as if there's any other appropriate way for her to finish, but the subsequent removal of her sequins jacket, giant belly rub and goofy grin made it extremely clear that yes, she's pregnant! The crowd roared with approval while the camera quickly cut to Jay-Z in the front row, smiling proudly and getting many a shoulder rub by Kanye West, who was about to run out for cigars and champagne. What beef? Uncle Kanye is ready and waiting for his Godfather duties to begin.

It's a bold move for any star to take the spotlight of an award show away from the house crowd and point it directly on his or herself. And even though giving Britney Spears the Lifetime Achievement Award was just a ruse to get a famous person to introduce her—again, no host!—we see nothing wrong with Bey and Jay's Public Display of Pregnancy. For a couple that's generally so professional they verge on boring, B's mic drop and belly rub felt like a communal baby shower we were all invited to, allowing us to share the good news with the couple and let West's reactions act as the embodiment of our collective joy. Sure your privacy is precious, but fans only pester who with questions/stalk you home because they care. So welcome little Bey-Z, Jay-once! There's no question that you are already the most popular kid in school.