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  • #freshpresslive – feb 10/12

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  • #freshpresslive – Feb 8/12

    Natalia discusses what’s new with Pharrell Williams and her thoughts on Karl Lagerfeld’s mean comments towards Adele’s weight. She also shows a roster of animals behaving like humans and, wait until you see the new size of coffee available at Starbucks!

  • #freshpresslive – Feb 7/12

    Natalia dishes the latest news on the Juno Awards nominees, the upcoming Spiderman 3D film starring Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield and is Katy Perry hooking up with Tim Tebow? Watch today’s episode to find out.

  • Small Talk – The Kooks (2 of 2)

    When The Kooks are in the studio they’re focused and most importantly, sober. Watch Hugh and Luke explain their reasoning below.

  • Small Talk – The Kooks (1 of 2)

    The Kooks released a new album called “Junk of the Heart,” and you would think Hugh and Luke would be very excited about it. Well, they seemed rather indifferent to be honest. We spoke about that and why they don’t care about critics.

  • #freshpresslive – Feb 2/12

    Natalia dishes the latest in entertainment news on Joan Rivers, Lana Del Rey and a brand new trailer for the movie Hunger Games.

  • #freshpresslive – Feb 1/12

    Natalia talks about how Snooki might be pregnant, Nicolas Cage’s Cage Rage, Elisabetta Canalis is dating Steve-O and more for Feb 1, 2012.

  • #freshpresslive – Jan 31/12

    Natalia dishes the news on Miley Cyrus breaking her tailbone, a 100 year old woman who plays the Nintendo DS to stay young and Houston, Texas contemplating a statute of Beyonce.

  • #freshpresslive – Jan 30/12

    David Beckham debuts a new line of underwear, the worst dressed celebrity – Shy’m and Matthew Broderick is back as Ferris Bueller with a brand new commercial airing during the Super Bowl on Feb 5th 2012.

  • Small Talk – Daniel Radcliffe (1 of 2)

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  • Small Talk – Graffiti6 (2 of 3)

    Next time you’re struggling to make conversation, try asking this question: “If you could invite anyone (living or dead) to the perfect house party, who would it be?”

  • Small Talk – Graffiti6 (1 of 3)

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  • Small Talk – Nick Carter (3 of 3)

    Nick plays World of Warcraft. Not only that, he’s the head of his guild, demonstrating that it IS possible to juggle being a hardcore gamer with being a top-selling recording artist.

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  • Small Talk – Nick Carter (1 of 3)

    There were great questions about music, fitness, the backstreet boys but the most popular question, however, was about his underwear. In this clip Nick talks about his his ‘Haynes’ and covering his fans with glow in the dark paint.

  • Small Talk – Hedley (2 of 2)

    When releasing new music today, half the battle is online promotion. However, contests, signed merch and giveaways aren’t always the best solutions. When working on their latest album, Hedley came up with a brilliant idea, they decided to make trailers.

  • Small Talk – Hedley (1 of 2)

    It’s hard to prepare for an interview with Hedley. So in this interview, we threw caution to the wind, got a 24 of beer and broadcast the interview live on our USTREAM (andPOP.tv). Eventually Jacob, Dave and @jordans_life ended up talking about hairy legs, their newest music video and more.

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  • Small Talk – Neverest

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Sports Column: Young, Exciting, and Frustrating

Posted by andPOP Staff on October 31st, 2005

Young, Exciting, and Frustrating? Your 2005/2006 Toronto Raptors

With the pre-season behind them, the Raptors seem to have overcome much of the negative reaction towards this year’s draft and actually have many fans excited about the prospects for the team in the near future.

Not only are rookie forwards Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham looking like very solid first round picks, but free agent pickup Jose Calderon could be the first true point guard the team has had in several years. Jose was one of the top point guards in Europe but is a rookie to the NBA game. And even the embattled Rafael Araujo, the big center picked in the first round last year, has shown signs of improvement after a good summer workout program.

With Chris Bosh, an emerging young superstar, as the centerpiece, the Raptors have a nice core of talent, which also includes fan favorite Matt Bonner, Morris Peterson, Jalen Rose, Eric Williams, Mike James and the return of the most beloved Raptor ever ? Alvin Williams.

On top of this, the team holds the rights to two exciting players currently playing in Europe, big man Uros Slokar and guard Roko Ukic.

Rebuilding brings the youth, energy, skill, and excitement fans crave, but will also likely deliver inexperience, inconsistency and frustration throughout this season. It could be a roller coaster of emotions. Fans with a vision to the future should enjoy watching the group of young players evolve and learn to play together this season. More casual fans who just want a winning record and the excitement of a playoff series may not enjoy this year as much, although the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference could be attainable for the Raptors.

The Eastern Conference

Miami and Detroit will both certainly challenge for the Eastern Conference title again this year. Don?t overlook the talent, depth, and coaching of Indiana, who are poised for a great season, after all the struggles with injuries and player suspensions following last season’s infamous “Brawl at the Palace.” These three teams are tested and proven.

Two other teams have improved themselves on paper, and look ready for breakout years. The Cleveland Cavaliers have surrounded LeBron James with great shooters and may be on the verge of playoff success. The New Jersey Nets have great talent on the perimeter and should also have a solid season. Both should make the playoffs if no significant injuries hit them but neither team would appear to have what it takes to truly compete with the three main contenders.

Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Washington should also make the playoffs but their talent is thin enough that one key injury could drop them out of the race entirely. So realistically, there are one or two spots left up for grabs with teams such as Chicago, New York, Boston, Toronto, and Orlando all fighting for the right to be beaten badly in a first round playoff series against a top Eastern club. At this point, there does not seem to be significant separation between any of these teams. Most will end up in the draft lottery next summer. The team that gets the best draft position may be the true winner among this group.

The Western Conference

The West is all about the San Antonio Spurs. They clearly have the best talent, most experience, and most capable coaching staff in the West. And with big question marks surrounding the next best teams from last year, Phoenix and Seattle, there just doesn?t appear to be a legitimate threat to knock off a healthy Spurs club. The Houston Rockets could be the wild card team in the West and get as high as the second seed if Phoenix struggles without Amare Stoudemire for several months.

If the Spurs struggle and somehow get upset in the playoffs, look for the East to regain the title. The Eastern teams are just more complete than any Western club other than the Spurs.


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