Woman gets nearly 20 years in Ligonier bank robber
The government may have had a theory about Sarah Blair’s role in a Ligonier bank robbery, but it couldn’t prove she organized the crime without information she gave under immunity once she agreed to plead guilty, a federal judge ruled yesterday.
U.S. District Judge Alan Bloch also ruled that the government couldn’t prove without the Sheraden woman’s testimony that a shot fired at a Dollar General store two miles away just prior to the robbery on Aug. 6, 2008 was intended to draw police way from the First Commonwealth Bank on Route 30.
Bloch refused to increase her sentence for either of those reasons before sentencing her to 19 years and seven months in prison. He also ordered Blair, a career criminal whose age is either 35 or 40, according to court records, to pay more than $169,000 in restitution to the victims and sentenced her to five years of probation.
Blair said she pleaded guilty in an attempt to give the victims closure.
"I am humbly apologetic for my actions," she told the judge.
The restitution includes the $77,000 stolen from the bank,Beads necklace, about $2,bracelets,000 for property damaged during the robbery, $3,000 for therapy-related costs for one of the victims,money clips, and $86,000 to Travelers Insurance,key rings, which paid workers’ compensation claims to two bank employees who were injured.
Three other people charged separately in the bank robbery are awaiting trial: Ricardo Brown, 23, of Garfield; Lyle McKenzie Haines Milner, 21, of New Kensington; and Rahil Rahman,Atlas charm bracelet, no address or age available.
Exeter seniors look for second straight championsh
How many Class L championships has the Exeter High School girls soccer team won now?
Three. Three in the past four years — in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Exeter’s quest for a fourth — this time in the newly aligned Division I level — begins Tuesday when it hosts Hollis-Brookline.
Anna Grant, who has experienced two of those three championships, was gearing up for the season with her teammates Tuesday at an afternoon practice session.
Grant is one of nine seniors on the team, five of whom are returning seniors — Allison Wilson, Connie Boutilier, Aly George, Abby Hughes and Grant.
"We should be good,necklaces," says the 17-year-old from Stratham, who made a verbal commitment to play college soccer at Siena College this past July. "We lost some good players (to graduation), but we’re pretty much the same team. We should be pretty experienced."
Their success will depend upon everyone performing their roles and coming together as a team.
"I have a feeling everyone wants to win it," says Grant. "Everyone knows what it’s like to win."
Grant said Exeter wasn’t expecting to win the championship after losing pretty much its entire starting lineup from the 2008 team. The skill and play of their younger players,Charm bracelet, however, was a huge and welcome surprise. So was the team’s chemistry.
"We played really well as a team," says Grant.
Megan Curran returns for her 10th season as the head coach.
"We have a solid core group back," says Curran. "Expectations are high."
Three of those players have played on two of those championships and will continue their soccer careers at the college level — Walker (Northeastern University),tiffany, George (undecided) and Grant.
"They definitely have a taste of that (championship) experience," says Curran.
Grant, who received Honorable Mention All-State honors last year, returns as the team’s stopper, while Walker, who received second-team recognition for her play at sweeper,bracelets, returns to that all-important position, and Abby Short, who received Honorable Mention recognition last year as a freshman, returns as a striker.
George, meanwhile, is back at center midfield, and Boutilier returns at outside back.
Michaela Janowski, meanwhile, last year’s JV goalie, is a senior this season and expects to be the starting goalie.
"There’s a lot of people fighting for spots," says Curran,cuff Links, noting it’s still so early in the season and they haven’t had a full team practice yet this season due to injuries.
There were five injured players sitting on the sideline on Tuesday.
"Nothing serious," says Curran, noting the injuries are minor, injuries which just require rest.
"We have a long way ahead of us," adds Curran, noting that at this point of time they’re focusing on their first game of the season, and Hollis-Brookline, which has moved up from Class I to Division I, is a very good team.
"We’ll have our hands full," says Curran.
Curran is assisted by Jillian Goldman and Steve Holmes.
Handsome and inclusive Budget
from BUSINESS LINE, February 27,key rings, 2010 Presenting a broadly acceptable Budget for a country of India’s size and complexities is always a formidable task. It is especially so in such difficult and uncertain times as we are passing through these days, when the entire economy and polity are so severely buffeted by clashing sectional and sectoral demands. The Finance Minister, therefore,bangles, deserves kudos for coming out with a handsome Budget in such times. He has handled the contrary demands he faced with a deftness that can come only from long experience in public life and government.
I am sure it will be widely acknowledged that he has manoeuvred his way out of the difficult times with great adroitness. He has contained fiscal deficit to the extent feasible and that too without curtailing growth. He has given concessions where required, raised allocations for the poor, especially the rural poor, besides offering much required relief to tax-payers that should sustain demand for consumer goods in the economy.
Some duties have, of course, been raised and these will, no doubt, add to some pressure on prices. These increases were, however, largely expected, and the manufacturers and consumers had taken them into account. I think that the roll-back of incentives, talked about for so long,bracelets, has been kept within bearable limits.
Social stability As in the last Budget, the Finance Minister has once again focussed his attention on reaching the poorest of the poor. That is where the benefits of all national efforts towards boosting growth must be directed. India must begin to rise from deep below – from where all growth will ultimately come.
Also, it is only by adopting an inclusive growth paradigm that orderly and sustainable economic progress and social and political stability can be attained. If growth and its benefits do not reach the bottom, everything we have attained so far will be jeopardised. The increase in allocations for these sections and the improvements envisaged in delivering the benefits to them are,Charm bracelet, therefore, especially welcome.
Farm focus The renewed and increased emphasis on raising agricultural production and providing incentives for food storage and processing are other very important points. As we have seen, the last two years’ inflationary pressures have largely, almost solely, been the outcome of scarcity of agricultural commodities.
It is the most urgent need of the times not only to arrest negative growth in agriculture but reverse the falling trend and boost production of all commodities, including oil-seeds. The increase in allocations for this area is highly commendable. In addition, this calls for some very innovative measures all along the base and frontiers of agriculture.
Overall, I am sure Mr Pranab Mukherjee’s Budget will put India on a path that will lead to achieving the targets he has set for the country for 2010-2011 and beyond. It is a handsome and inclusive Budget which will propel the country’s ambition of fulfilling the dreams of a billion-plus population.
Mukesh Ambani Copyright 2010 Business Line
Scaasi Hits The Airwaves With Jewelry
Fifty years after Diana Vreeland urged Arnold Scaasi to add jewelry to his repertoire, the designer is back at it with a new collection for HSN.
During an interview last week in his art-laden Beekman Place apartment in Manhattan, Scaasi disappeared momentarily to dig up a photocopy of the telegram the legendary editor sent decades back praising his jewelry. This time around HSN came knocking after learning that Scaasi had done jewelry, the designer said.
And no one is more surprised than Scaasi. “Suddenly, at my age, I have a new job? valentines gifts!” he said.
While he continues to design made-to-order pieces for select clients and routinely flies back from Palm Beach, Fla., where he winters, for fittings, Scaasi has no intention to go whole hog back into fashion: “I love working, but I don’t want to work as intensely as I worked before. I do know that I don’t want to do that anymore, thank you.
“You know how everyone keeps saying women will be shopping in their closets? Well, this gives them something to wear with that old dress,” he said, holding up a $95 crystal-encrusted necklace and noting how it could be worn with a cocktail dress, evening gown or jeans and a T-shirt. “The whole idea of this is it’s amusing. You should have fun with it.”
Never one to mince words, Scaasi will no doubt have some fun when he appears on HSN at 1 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Dec. 5 for a pre-holiday blast. On-air pitches are also planned for before Valentine’s Day, as well as ones in April, and May or June. About 20 pieces ranging from $18 to $95 will be featured on each program.
Having once sold a collection of fitted $200 dresses on QVC, the designer is not flummoxed about his televised spiel even though his last one was eight years ago. “I’m going to tell them what I told you,” he said. “For $35, you can buy the pearls and for $25 you can buy the [matching] earrings. Women will buy something to tiffany bangles themselves up and to wear with that old dress to make it look new.”
All of the baubles were inspired by the more than 100 designs he produced from 1958 to 1963 — the last time he made jewelry. After Vreeland encouraged him to expand upon a compact butterfly-inspired collection of jewelry, he started working with Jacques Jewelry in 1958. The designer had a change of heart about the endeavor after reviewing his year-end sales with his accountant in 1963. When the numbers guy ran through sales for his ready-to-wear, couture, children’s clothing and furs, but neglected to mention the jewelry business, Scaasi asked, “What about the jewelry?” He was dismayed to learn that category only broke even. The fact that he was getting loads of press for those designs and was not losing money made it viable to the accountant, but Scaasi didn’t share that view.
“That’s ridiculous. Here I am spending every Saturday at the jewelers’ putting stones in plastertine, and I wasn’t making any money from it,” Scaasi said, adding he bowed out of that business in late 1963 and tipped off his friend Kenneth Jay Lane to the availability of the 125-person factory.
But next month’s debut was too inviting to pass up, given HSN’s reach. Holding a bracelet with tiffany rings pearls and crystals, he said, “It’s exactly what everyone is showing today.”
Credit: THOMAS IANNACCONE; By Rosemary Feitelberg
International glitz and glamour on show at dubai international jewellery week
Buyers are rushing to the Dubai International Jewellery Week, the valentines day jewelry and most popular event of its kind in the region, in search of spectacular international designs and bespoke jewellery pieces. “Dubai International Jewellery Week offers the widest variety of trend-setting and good value jewellery pieces from all over the world,” said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of the show which closes on Saturday (7 November 2009) and is open to both consumers and trade. “Visitors are coming to discover the latest fashions & individual designs and purchase some of the most exquisite and creative designs on the market today.”Dubai International Jewellery Week show visitors can buy everything from diamonds and pearls, to platinum and gold as well as the many options in-between with more than 300 companies from 27 countries taking part.Sushil Jain, Partner in Dialmaz of New Delhi, India, said: “We have been coming every year and I can honestly say this year has been busier for us. What we are finding both here and in the rest of the world is a shift towards value-based jewellery in the current climate.”"It certainly seems that this region has not been hit as bad as others as far as our industry is concerned, but people are looking for bargains,” said Kingston Lue, Sales Director of New Concept Jewellery, part of a 50-company strong delegation from Hong Kong taking part in the show.The show is the only event of its kind in the Middle East with three elements under one roof Jewellery Trade Dubai, Jewellery Collections Dubai and Areeq Dubai. The show is also the venue (7 November 2009) for announcing the winners of the first-ever Jewellery Design Competition. The judges include distinguished jewellery designers, Shaikha Fatima Al Qassimi and Dubai-based Lebanese designer Nadine Kanso, famous for her Bil Arabi silver rings line as well as photography.
In addition, there is a daily Asian Bridal Jewellery Fashion Show highlighting spectacular designs alongside beautiful, ornate jewellery by Dhamoni and Mahallati. Various workshops and educational activities are also taking place throughout the week which will provide exciting opportunities for industry professionals and consumers.Designer Mandi Kingsbury, a New Zealand native who splits her time between her home country and Dubai, will also be hosting a Jewellery-Making Workshop in support of multiple sclerosis (MS) Charity, ProtestMS. Loh added: “There is so much to see and do at the Dubai International Jewellery Week. Our exhibitors are finding an appreciative audience for well-priced products and the event is supporting business by helping to regain consumer silver bracelets with exclusive bargains and deals.”
Looking for Love This Valentine’s Day? It Might Cost You!
Money may not be able to buy love, but being financially stable can definitely help you stay in love. In fact, according to a recent survey by Money Management International (MMI), 73 percent of women choose financial security over attractiveness when deciding to be in a committed relationship. In addition, a whopping 82 percent tiffany and co of women believe that financial know-how is important in a potential partner.
For those looking for love, MMI’s survey results are a clear call to action: Getting your finances in order now will not only make you a more attractive prospect, but will help build a healthy relationship. For those already in a relationship, take the opportunity this Valentine’s Day to recommit yourself to building a stronger and more financially secure partnership by following these helpful suggestions:
Open the lines of communication. No matter how unromantic, having an open and honest discussion about your financial past and future is vital to your financial success. Remember that everyone has their own money style, which has been shaped by their past experiences. Approaching money issues honestly and openly gives you a much better chance at a strong, healthy financial relationship.
Make a commitment. No one cares more about your financial security than the two of you. Make a promise to each other to take joint responsibility and take steps to better your overall financial position by paying down debt and establishing a savings cushion. Establishing a savings cushion, could keep a financial setback from becoming silver rings a financial disaster. And, reducing debt allows you to make smart financial choices in the future.
Establish goals. Setting goals and keeping them are two different matters. It’s important to create goals that are both specific and achievable. Make sure your goals are equally rewarding so that you’re both working towards the same goal. Depend on each other for support, and encourage one another to stay focused and committed.
Spend quality time. Schedule a time to meet each month to discuss your financial goals and expectations. Review your budget regularly in order to identify problem areas. Don’t be discouraged by the occasional setback. Make adjustments as often as needed to ensure financial success.
“Because money matters, it’s important for couples to devote more time to improving their financial standing,” said Cate Williams, vice president of financial literacy with Money Management International. “It is a well-known fact that financial problems are one of the leading causes of disagreement for couples.”
About Money Management International
Money Management International (MMI) is a nonprofit, full-service credit-counseling agency, providing confidential silver bracelets financial guidance, financial education, and counseling services; including housing counseling, bankruptcy counseling and education, and debt management assistance. MMI has been helping consumers trim their expenses, develop a spending plan and repay debts since 1958. Counseling is available by appointment in branch offices and 24/7 by telephone and Internet. Services are available in English or Spanish. To learn more, call 800-762-2271 or visit www.MoneyManagement.org.
900,000 Children’s Necklaces and Charm Bracelets Recalled by Cardinal Distributing Co. Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
Name of Product: Children’s Charm tiffany Bracelets and “Sportswear” Necklaces
Units: About 900,000
Importer: Cardinal Distributing Co., of Baltimore, Md.
Hazard: The paint on this jewelry contains high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: The recalled necklaces have sports-themed pendants including bangles blue or green basketballs, yellow stars, “01,” and “Perfect 10.” The pendants hang from a black cord. The bracelets include green or pink painted heart- shaped charms and silver-colored charms shaped as suns, moons, stars, padlocks, keys, rattles, and fishbones.
Sold in: Vending machines located in malls, discount, department and grocery stores nationwide from January 2006 through April 2007 for 25 cents.
Manufactured in: India
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled necklaces and charm bracelets away from children and discard them.
Customer Contact: For additional information, contact Cardinal Distributing rings Co. Inc. at (800) 368-2062 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at http://www.vendingdepot.com.
TO ACCESS PHOTOS, GO TO WWW.CPSC.GOV
Firm’s Recall Hotline:(800) 368-2062
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Credit: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Milwaukee County proposal would save cash by using electronic bracelets instead
The 350 work-release inmates who spend nights at the tiffany jewelry Milwaukee County Community Correctional Center would instead be placed under electronic surveillance and the center closed, under a 2008 county budget proposal.
The move would save the county some $2.5 million a year, mostly in staff costs, said Ron Malone, who oversees the center and the county House of Correction. And the global positioning system bracelets offenders would wear 24 hours a day would provide better security than the current system, Malone said.
Some judges, however, have concerns.
The GPS idea has merit, but unless done right could result in higher costs and community safety problems, said Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Kitty Brennan. Without sufficient staff available to monitor inmate movements in the community — and police available to quickly respond to rule violations — the change won’t work well, warned Brennan, the county’s chief judge.
She said the idea should be studied more and not rushed to implementation next year.
“It’s like everything else — you don’t get something for nothing,” she said. She favors silver bangles combining GPS monitoring with an expansive array of programming in a new building near the courthouse to help inmates make the transition to freedom.
The Community Correctional Center, at 1004 N. 10th St., opened in 1990 in the former St. Anthony Hospital. Inmates typically stay overnight for a month or two, but are allowed out to go to school, jobs or treatment programs during the day. The building is divided into five areas, with two to four inmates in each dormitory-style room.
Under the change proposed by Malone and backed by County Executive Scott Walker, the center would be phased out in early 2008, saving some $2.5 million through elimination of 36 correctional officers. Most would likely be transferred to the House of Correction, to help fill vacant jobs and cut overtime, officials said.
The GPS equipment would be leased for about $148,000 a year, creating the large savings, according to county figures. Thirteen officers would still be available for monitoring the inmates released on the GPS devices, as well as another 250 work-release inmates in a separate monitoring program.
Malone called the change “a bold move” that would also enhance public safety by the precise tracking of an offender’s whereabouts. The move has been considered for several years as the N. 10th St. center has become more run down, he said.
It seemed to make sense now, with greater sophistication and lower prices for the GPS silver rings equipment, said John Priebe, a county budget analyst. Vendors interested in a lease deal with the county have offered the GPS equipment at a price of about $8 per inmate a day, Priebe said.
Daytime security sought
Walker said he was sold on the GPS idea and correctional center closing when he heard a story about an inmate who had strayed from his outside job.
“That story made me realize: What value is there for someone sleeping there at night? I’m more concerned about what they are doing when they are awake,” Walker said.
The center property also is badly in need of repair, Walker said. The structure was built in 1930, and a 2005 audit found it to be in poor condition. The report said it would cost $12 million to renovate the building and $24 million to demolish it and build a new one. The property’s value was listed at $16.2 million in the report.
Jack Takerian, the county’s facilities management director, said the building was in the worst shape among large county buildings he manages.
In 2003, building inspectors responded to a series of complaints about unsanitary conditions, silver bracelets including mold, raw sewage smells and wires hanging from lights, city records show. Later, the city issued verbal orders to the county to make repairs.
Malone said his agency tried to keep the building as habitable as possible. The former hospital is not ideal for a corrections facility, he said.
The main floor of the building would stay open, at least initially, and corrections officers there would monitor inmates released with GPS devices. Later, the building would likely be sold, probably along with the adjacent county medical examiner building, Walker said. There has been discussion about possibly moving the medical examiner’s office to the County Grounds, he said.
There likely would be strong interest in the site by developers because of the nearby commercial and residential development at the former Pabst Brewery, Walker said.
Program in Waukesha
Waukesha County has implemented a so-called day reporting program that allows criminal offenders to avoid time in the Huber work-release jail there if they appear before county staff as required, and if they comply with other conditions, including electronic monitoring.
Not only does such an arrangement relieve jail congestion, advocates believe it demonstrates the potential to rehabilitate offenders without keeping them behind bars.
Dave Umhoefer of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Judge keeps boy under house arrest with monitoring ankle bracelet
A judge on Wednesday released a 14-year-old boy charged in tiffany connection with a violent home-invasion robbery despite objections by a prosecutor and a representative of the Juvenile Probation Office as well as an admission by the teen’s father that the boy doesn’t follow rules.
In making his ruling, state District Court Judge Daniel Sanchez ordered Shalom Katz to be under house arrest and wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet.
“I’m disappointed,” Assistant District Attorney Michael LeBlanc said afterward. “It’s going to be hard to tell the victims this.”
Katz’s attorney, Doug Coleur, argued that while the incident was violent — two men in their early 20s were robbed and hit in the head with baseball bats — statements by a co-defendant and an anonymous source indicate Katz didn’t participate in the beatings. Coleur also said Katz’s only other referral to the juvenile silver earrings probation department was for shoplifting in December.
“He was not the person involved with the beating with the bat,” Coleur said.
LeBlanc admitted that while the investigation into the incident continues, there is no evidence Katz wielded a bat. “As far as we know … we don’t have him exactly holding a baseball bat,” the prosecutor said.
That evidence also is reflected in the amended charges filed against Katz, LeBlanc said. While the three older men charged in connection with the invasion each have been hit with two counts of attempted murder, Katz was not. The teen will face two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of armed robbery and one count each of aggravated burglary and conspiracy.
LeBlanc said Katz faces the battery charges because he allegedly participated in the silver key rings incident.
Four males wearing ski masks kicked open the door of an office connected to a West Booth Street residence just before midnight on Dec. 29 and attacked the 10 to 12 people inside. Some of the attackers were carrying baseball bats and demanded money from those inside, who were partying.
The two men who were robbed were hospitalized with head injuries, though they since have been released.
Police arrested Katz and Aaron Dundas on Sunday. Dundas still has not been arraigned, according to a clerk at Santa Fe County Magistrate Court, who said Wednesday that police have not submitted paperwork for the 19-year-old. Dundas is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of robbery, aggravated burglary, conspiracy and tampering with evidence.
Katz’s father, Asher Katz, told Sanchez on Wednesday that his son refuses to follow rules and assured the judge he would turn in his son if the teen disobeys the judge’s order.
“I’m going to impose the ankle bracelet and confine him to his home,” Sanchez said.
Shalom Katz will have to spend 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each weekday at the Juvenile Probation Office’s day reporting program and remain at his father’s home when he’s not there. Katz attends the Tutorial School, an alternative school in Santa Fe.
In court Wednesday, Shalom Katz said he hadn’t enjoyed his time in jail. “When I was in jail, silver necklaces I saw some things that I don’t ever want to see again,” he said. “I’ve done some bad things before, but I’m not a bad kid.”
Police continued Wednesday to search for two brothers — Isaac Ortega, 22, and Arthur Ortega, 23 — who face the same charges as Dundas. Police arrested two other brothers named Ortega on Sunday and questioned them before realizing they had the wrong men and releasing them, said Deputy Police Chief Aric Wheeler.
New Mexican staff writer John Sena contributed to this story.
Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.
Rob Thomas and Usher to Ring in the Holidays
“We take pride in presenting CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON each year as tiffany jewellery we bring together musical artists from a variety of genres for a fantastic holiday concert,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president/head of programming for TNT, TBS and TCM. “This year, we’re especially thrilled to welcome a lineup of top-name performers and an equally amazing host, George Lopez. Together, they will make this a holiday celebration to remember.”
Annually attended by the President and First Lady and other Washington VIPs, CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON is a holiday musical celebration benefiting the National Children’s Medical Center. The show will be taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Sunday, Dec. 13. TNT’s Dec. 20 premiere telecast will be the network’s 11th presentation of CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON, which is in its 28th year overall. The event will be followed at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) by the network television premiere of the film The Nativity Story (2006), starring Keisha Castle-Hughes and directed by Catherine Hardwicke.
George Lopez is host of TBS’s new late-night series Lopez Tonight and one of the top five highest grossing comedians in the world. His groundbreaking sitcom, George Lopez, remains a hit in syndication and helped catapult Nick at Nite to one of the top 10 cable networks. His 2009 comedy special, George Lopez: Tall, Dark and Chicano, was the highest rated stand-up special on HBO in five years. This year, Lopez received the Teen Choice Award for Favorite Comedian. Lopez’s feature film career continues to thrive as well. Next year, Lopez has three films set for release: The Spy Next Door, Valentine’s Day and Marmaduke.
Mary J Blige is a nine-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter with eight multi-platinum records tiffany and co and more than 40 million units sold since her 1992 debut of the modern classic What’s the 411. She has helped to redefine R&B and more importantly has been an artist that uses her gift of song to lift spirits and touch lives while bringing her heart, soul and truth to those who are willing to listen. She is loved for her passionate, chart-topping hits like “Be Without You,” “No More Drama” and “Family Affair,” all of which have made her a force in music. Blige’s new album, Stronger, is due for release on Dec. 22. As a multi-faceted mogul, Blige owns Matriarch Records, which produced the soundtrack for the heavily buzzed about film Precious – Based on the Novel Push By Sapphire, and co-owns Carol’s Daughter along with Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jay-Z. Blige has worked her celebrity in the world of philanthropy, from starting with the M-A-C AIDS Fund as a spokesperson to starting her own foundation, The Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), which she co-found with Steve Stoute in 2008. FFAWN focuses on inspiring women of all walks of life to reach their full potential and is based in her hometown of Yonkers, N.Y. She recently partnered with Gucci on a charity watch, with the limited-edition black PVD twirl watch that features a face framed in black diamonds sold to benefit FFAWN. Blige has brokered a multitude of endorsement deals with companies that have sought her out to bring value to their products. Campaigns include working with such high-powered brands as AT&T, Apple, M-A-C and Chevrolet. She will soon begin to promote her own product lines that include a selection of sunglasses, starting with the Melody line and a Fragrance called My Life. One who’s star never fails to shine, Blige has become more involved with her TV bangles and film career. She most recently was a part of the cast for Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself and has appeared on such hit TV shows as 30 Rock and Entourage. Her own Matriarch Entertainment, home to Matriarch Records, has also formed a TV and film component that has begun developing projects.
Neil Diamond, whose most recent releases include A Cherry Cherry Christmas, Hot August Night NYC and the critically acclaimed #1 album Home Before Dark, has been a fixture in the music world for over four decades. This summer, CBS aired a primetime special featuring performances from his hugely popular Hot August Night NYC Live from Madison Square Garden DVD, which won the night in ratings. He has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide, with a remarkable track record of 16 Top 10 albums and 37 Top 10 singles. A Grammy-winning artist, Diamond has been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. Among his many other honors, he has received a Golden Globe(R) and 12 Grammy nominations, and he was named the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year. His many chart-topping songs include “Sweet Caroline,” “I Am…I Said,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Love on the Rocks” and “America.”
Sugarland, the country duo comprised of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, has sold more than 8 million records since exploding onto the music scene in 2004 with Twice the Speed of Life (“Baby Girl”/”Something More”). Enjoy the Ride (“Want To”/”Settlin’”/”Stay”) quickly followed in 2006, and their third studio album, Love On The Inside (“It Happens”/”Love”/”All I Want To Do”/”Already Gone”) in July 2008, which skyrocketed them to superstardom and drew fans from all genres and critics abroad. Sugarland is credited with co-writing all tracks from all three albums and co-producing the last two. In August 2009, the duo offered thanks to their loyal fans with Live On The Inside, a CD/DVD set of live tracks, covers and footage from their tour. They have performed in six European countries and toured and headlined shows tirelessly. They’ve received trophies from the Grammys, American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music, CMT Music Awards and the Country Music Association. Nettles has performed rings for the Obama Presidential celebration, and the duo performed on Oprah. Their latest album is Gold And Green, a 10-track holiday collection consisting of half standards and half originals, all of which Nettles and Bush co-wrote and co-produced. Keywords: AIDS/HIV, AT&T, Entertainment, Telecommunications, Television, Pediatrics, TNT.