Wool is hot at huge Utah outdoor gear trade show

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Wool instead of synthetic fleece, carbon skis and a spoon-shaped sleeping bag are among the hottest products at the world's largest expo for outdoor equipment and apparel, where vendors are vying for a share of the $289 billion Americans spend every year on outdoor gear, travel and services.

The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market show that runs through Saturday is a merchandise bazaar for a lifestyle of outdoor adventure. Bringing together 1,000 of the world's manufacturers and distributors, it is a showcase for the latest gear and fashions before they hit the mainstream.

One hardware company, Salt Lake City-based Black Diamond, put models on stage late Thursday for its inaugural 24-piece line of jackets and stretch-woven pants. It plans to jump into wool a year from now.

Wool was rubbed out by fleece decades ago, but many exhibitors said it's back without the itch, still warm and quick to dry and it doesn't hold body odors, a big drawback of fleece.

"Natural fibers is where it's at," said Matt Skousen, of Everest Designs. "It's the real deal. Wool has had millions of years to figure itself out."

Skousen founded Everest Designs with his Nepalese wife, Choti Sherpa. They hire workers in Nepal to stitch beanies from New Zealand wool, run the company out of Missoula, Mont., and were hoping for a sales boost at a trade show also crowded with Merino wool sweaters, undergarments and socks.

Shoppers aren't allowed inside the expo and no cash sales are conducted. Instead, the four-day show brings together retailers making orders for next year's inventory. Suppliers range from industry giants like Patagonia and Mountain Hardwear to perhaps the smallest player, a former Army Ranger hawking "Combat FlipFlops" from his duffel bag.

Matthew Griffin, who calls himself a micro-manufacturer, didn't have a booth of his own.

New products range from sunglasses with magnetic pop-out lenses to a thermo-electric camp stove that does double duty boiling water and charging electronic devices.

Another company showed off a line of sleeping bags with a roomy hourglass shape for camper comfort.

"Nobody sleeps like a mummy," said Kate Ketschek of New Hampshire-based NEMO Equipment Inc., which is receiving industry attention for its extra-wide Spoon Series of sleeping bags, an alternative to mummy and rectangular bags. She called it a "completely new category" of sleeping bags, made for side sleepers.

The jam-packed expo underscores a thriving corner of the economy. Outdoor-gear sales grew 5 percent annually throughout recent years of recession, analysts said.

The show favors Utah, a place of rugged mountains and canyons and a cottage industry for innovators like DPS, a maker of expensive carbon-fiber skis that recently shifted production from China to safeguard and refine its technology.

Stephen Drake was an English major from New York in 2005 when he launched DPS with $100,000, a trip to China and a design for a featherweight carbon ski.

"Man, we were in over our head," said Drake, 36, who teamed up with an engineer. "It's almost ridiculous what we tried to do with so little money, building carbon skis with new technology." DPS now handcrafts several thousand pairs a year for retail prices up to $1,300 from a factory in Ogden.

That's too much for a ski, said Mark Wariakois, founder of Voile, which sells a hybrid-carbon model for $600 adopted by backcountry professionals in the Rocky Mountains. Voile laminates 3,000 skis and snowboards a year at a factory in a Salt Lake City suburb.

"Everybody is trying to figure out how we make these big skis" for that price, said Wariakois. "We make all of our own tools. That's probably the biggest secret to our success."

Attendance is up 40 percent since 2006, with more than 20,000 flocking to Winter Market, said Nielsen Expo Outdoor Group, the organizer. A twin show in August brings out a larger crowd and is dominated by equipment for water sports.

Nielsen announced Tuesday it was keeping the shows in Salt Lake City through August 2016. The decision suspended a political standoff that had the Outdoor Industry Association threatening to leave over Gov. Gary Herbert's policies. Herbert, a Republican, unveiled a 59-page "vision" for outdoor recreation in the state, which calls for the creation of a state office devoted to the $5.8 billion economic sector.

The Outdoor Retailer show has taken place in Utah since 1996 and pours $40 million annually into the local economy.

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Veteran showman Dick Van Dyke reflects on lifetime’s work

(Reuters) – From “Mary Poppins” to “Night at the Museum” and his own long-running TV comedy, Dick Van Dyke has done it all during a show business career spanning seven decades.

On Sunday, Van Dyke, 87, gets a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles, just a year after his 1960s “Dick Van Dyke Show” co-star Mary Tyler Moore received the same honor.

Reuters spoke to Van Dyke about his career, his thoughts on today’s comedies and being a newlywed in his 80s.

Q: Was it really as much fun working on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” as it seemed?

A: “It was just absolutely wonderful. (Co-star) Morey Amsterdam used to say it was like going to a party every morning. It was the perfect improv group. I think it was the best five years of all of our lives.”

Q: Do you have a favorite episode?

A: “‘Coast-to-Coast Big Mouth,’ where Mary gives away that Alan Brady, Dick’s boss (played by show creator Carl Reiner) is bald, is one that comes to mind. I tend to like the ones that I had the most fun on, and I think the one I recall immediately is ‘Where Did I Come From?,’ the story of Richie’s birth, and all the hijinks that happen with the nervous father. A lot of crazy things happened, a lot of slapstick, which, of course, I love to do. It was a farce, but I just had so much fun on that one.”

Q: How have sitcoms changed since “The Dick Van Dyke Show’s” run from 1961-66?

A: “I think the big change is that 10 minutes of every 30 are commercials. We had 28 minutes to tell our story. Today they get 20 minutes. It’s just a one-line joke and a canned laughter, and a one-line joke and a canned laughter. I won’t say it’s bad, it’s just that I have trouble understanding it.

“It seems to me that relationships are what’s missing. I think back to ‘All in the Family,’ when you knew what those relationships were and the comedy that came out of that. Today it’s just one line after another, and they seem to try to cover too much in the way of story in a short time. Then I think they signal when they’re trying to be funny, and the minute I catch someone trying to be funny, then I won’t laugh.”

Q: What do you watch on television?

A: “I have to admit, I don’t get the comedies today. Maybe it’s just my vintage. Actually I stick pretty much with the news, and I love ‘Jeopardy!’ I watch Al Jazeera. They have news that you can’t find anywhere else. They do great documentaries, too.”

Q: Do children tend to recognize you from your earlier roles in film classics such as “Mary Poppins” (1964), or for your more recent work in the 2006 family film “Night at the Museum“?

A: “It’s just thrilling. I get little kids who recognize me from ‘Mary Poppins,’ and it just delights me because it’s our third generation. I was in the market the other day and a woman said to her daughter, ‘Honey, that’s the man who played Bert.’ And she ran over to her little brother and said, ‘I just met Bert’s grandpa!’ So to be recognized by kids is just wonderful. Kids have all seen ‘Mary Poppins,’ almost every family has a copy of it, and the children have come up and sung all the words from the songs of ‘Mary Poppins‘ for me. It’s amazing.”

Q: You’re a member of the barbershop quartet, Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix. Where do you perform?

A: “We sing mostly at fundraisers and benefits. We also sing the opening theme song from “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Morey Amsterdam wrote the lyrics, but I don’t think they’ve ever been published. I sing with guys half my age in the group, so they keep me young. A couple years ago we sang at Ford’s Theater for the president, so that was a big thrill for us.”

Q: You married makeup artist Arlene Silver last February. You two met at the SAG awards seven years ago. How’s married life treating you?

A: “Absolutely wonderful! She sings and dances, so there is a lot of that going on around our house. She’s a joy and she just lights up my life!”

(Reporting by Jill Jacobs in New York; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Eric Beech)

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Penalty could keep smokers out of health overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of smokers could be priced out of health insurance because of tobacco penalties in President Barack Obama's health care law, according to experts who are just now teasing out the potential impact of a little-noted provision in the massive legislation.

The Affordable Care Act — "Obamacare" to its detractors — allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums starting next Jan. 1.

For a 55-year-old smoker, the penalty could reach nearly $4,250 a year. A 60-year-old could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of premiums.

Younger smokers could be charged lower penalties under rules proposed last fall by the Obama administration. But older smokers could face a heavy hit on their household budgets at a time in life when smoking-related illnesses tend to emerge.

Workers covered on the job would be able to avoid tobacco penalties by joining smoking cessation programs, because employer plans operate under different rules. But experts say that option is not guaranteed to smokers trying to purchase coverage individually.

Nearly one of every five U.S. adults smokes. That share is higher among lower-income people, who also are more likely to work in jobs that don't come with health insurance and would therefore depend on the new federal health care law. Smoking increases the risk of developing heart disease, lung problems and cancer, contributing to nearly 450,000 deaths a year.

Insurers won't be allowed to charge more under the overhaul for people who are overweight, or have a health condition like a bad back or a heart that skips beats — but they can charge more if a person smokes.

Starting next Jan. 1, the federal health care law will make it possible for people who can't get coverage now to buy private policies, providing tax credits to keep the premiums affordable. Although the law prohibits insurance companies from turning away the sick, the penalties for smokers could have the same effect in many cases, keeping out potentially costly patients.

"We don't want to create barriers for people to get health care coverage," said California state Assemblyman Richard Pan, who is working on a law in his state that would limit insurers' ability to charge smokers more. The federal law allows states to limit or change the smoking penalty.

"We want people who are smoking to get smoking cessation treatment," added Pan, a pediatrician who represents the Sacramento area.

Obama administration officials declined to be interviewed for this article, but a former consumer protection regulator for the government is raising questions.

"If you are an insurer and there is a group of smokers you don't want in your pool, the ones you really don't want are the ones who have been smoking for 20 or 30 years," said Karen Pollitz, an expert on individual health insurance markets with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. "You would have the flexibility to discourage them."

Several provisions in the federal health care law work together to leave older smokers with a bleak set of financial options, said Pollitz, formerly deputy director of the Office of Consumer Support in the federal Health and Human Services Department.

First, the law allows insurers to charge older adults up to three times as much as their youngest customers.

Second, the law allows insurers to levy the full 50 percent penalty on older smokers while charging less to younger ones.

And finally, government tax credits that will be available to help pay premiums cannot be used to offset the cost of penalties for smokers.

Here's how the math would work:

Take a hypothetical 60-year-old smoker making $35,000 a year. Estimated premiums for coverage in the new private health insurance markets under Obama's law would total $10,172. That person would be eligible for a tax credit that brings the cost down to $3,325.

But the smoking penalty could add $5,086 to the cost. And since federal tax credits can't be used to offset the penalty, the smoker's total cost for health insurance would be $8,411, or 24 percent of income. That's considered unaffordable under the federal law. The numbers were estimated using the online Kaiser Health Reform Subsidy Calculator.

"The effect of the smoking (penalty) allowed under the law would be that lower-income smokers could not afford health insurance," said Richard Curtis, president of the Institute for Health Policy Solutions, a nonpartisan research group that called attention to the issue with a study about the potential impact in California.

In today's world, insurers can simply turn down a smoker. Under Obama's overhaul, would they actually charge the full 50 percent? After all, workplace anti-smoking programs that use penalties usually charge far less, maybe $75 or $100 a month.

Robert Laszewski, a consultant who previously worked in the insurance industry, says there's a good reason to charge the maximum.

"If you don't charge the 50 percent, your competitor is going to do it, and you are going to get a disproportionate share of the less-healthy older smokers," said Laszewski. "They are going to have to play defense."

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Online:

Kaiser Health Reform Subsidy Calculator — http://healthreform.kff.org/subsidycalculator.aspx

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Sundance heats up with a slew of sex-themed films

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The Sundance Film Festival has never been sexier.

The annual independent-film showcase has featured a slew of sexually themed movies in its various categories this year. There are stories about women using sex to work through their mid-life crises, narrative and documentary examinations of pornography and its players, and coming-of-age stories in which sex plays a central role.

Festival founder Robert Redford says the on-screen sex of today is often devoid of the romance that was essential in late 1960s, when he first started making movies.

So what has inspired the Sundance sexual revolution? Stars and filmmakers weigh in on their sexy fare.

— "When I got in the film business in the early '60s, it was a romantic time. Sex and romance were pretty well tied together; sexuality was pretty well expressed through romance. Times have changed, so now, 40, 50 years later, we see that sexual relations have moved to a place where it doesn't feel like there's so much romance involved. The romance is not part of the equation, because relations have changed, and they've changed because of changing times, and because of new technology. People are texting rather than dating and all that kind of stuff. So what we do, we just show what's there." — Sundance founder Robert Redford.

— "It's relevant because people just started having sex. So I think because of that, because everyone just started having sex, it's extremely relevant right now." — Kristen Bell, star of dramatic contender "The Lifeguard."

— "Sex is trendy." — Actress Mamie Gummer, who co-stars in "The Lifeguard."

— "It's provocative. ... Filmmakers, I think you want to take people out of their comfort zone, and I think sex does that when you talk about it." — Tony Danza, who appears in the premiere film "Don Jon's Addiction."

— "I wanted to tell a story about how we work as human beings, and let's face it, that's what drives a lot of us. And what I was trying to get at with 'Don Jon's Addiction' is, yeah, let's talk about sex but let's really talk about it and not just go through the same cliches that we always go through. ... Those of us (who) — and we all do — consume this media, whether it's movies or porn or the news or, you know, the Bible, we consume these pieces of media and we form these rules for ourselves, these notions of how things are supposed to be. And to me, there's nothing less sexy than trying to fit in what you think you're supposed to be. What's sexy is when you're just being yourself and you're connecting in the present." — Joseph Gordon-Levitt, director, writer and star of "Don Jon's Addiction."

— "It's funny isn't it, because it's this great taboo, really. And yet it's something that is in all of our lives, if we're lucky — some of us three or four times a day. Ugh, exhausting." — Matthew Goode, a star of the premiere "Stoker," which blends sex and violence.

— "People's acceptance of new representations of sex is — I think it's a gradual thing that happens from all of these different kinds of outlets. Sundance is just one place, a nodal point in that trend." — James Franco, who produced the documentary "kink," produced and starred in "Interior. Leather Bar.," which explores leather-sex clubs and plays Hugh Hefner in "Lovelace."

— "I think there's a sexual revolution going on, maybe. ... It's kind of moving in that direction, I would like to think. I would love if America kind of appreciated sex the way Europeans do. I feel like it's really not that big of a deal. There's so much stigma attached to it. I think it's better than violence. It's better than making movies about guns and people shooting each other and blood and stuff. ... It's a huge part of our culture. It's a huge part of every day. We all do it! So why are we not talking about it and why are we not portraying that in movies? I know why, actually. There are a lot of reasons. But I personally think that we need to see more of it. I mean, it's not that scary." — Amanda Seyfried, who plays pioneering porn star Linda Lovelace in the biopic "Lovelace."

— "Sex is a part of life, and to shy away from it would not be very truthful, especially if it's a movie about Allen Ginsberg and the beat poets. I mean, to me it's a part of becoming who you are as a person. The first time you have sex is a very important part of every person's life, so I think when you're making a movie about Allen Ginsberg becoming Allen Ginsberg, probably the first time he had sex is a very important, defining moment in his life." — Actor Dane DeHaan, who co-stars in dramatic contender "Kill Your Darlings."

— "If I track what might be the source of it now, it's that the civil rights movement of our era has to do with sex and sexuality. And so there's been this sort of repositioning of it as a central issue as opposed to a titillating side issue. It's a core issue to do with what and who we are. And to speak of it as anything but that is to diminish our humanity, really. And once that is cracked open, it applies to absolutely everyone, which is why the movement that starts with a gay and lesbian movement is actually a movement that is everyone." — Robin Weigert, who plays a woman who becomes a prostitute as a way of working through a mid-life crisis brought on by a baseball to the head in the dramatic contender "Concussion."

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AP Entertainment Writer Ryan Pearson and AP Movie Writer David Germain contributed to this report.

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AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy .

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Wrigley rooftops offer Cubs billboard revenue

Rooftop owners around Wrigley Field have come up with an idea they hope will get things moving on the ball park's renovation. ( Source: WGN - Chicago)

The rooftop clubs outside Wrigley Field unveiled a plan Friday to put digital signs on their buildings and give the revenue to the Chicago Cubs.

Representatives of the clubs said it is a better alternative to the team's plan to put up signs in the outfield that could potentially block the views from the rooftops and hurt their businesses.

"We believe this is common sense plan is a win-win for the community, rooftops, City Hall and the Cubs," said Beth Murphy, owner of Murphy's Rooftop.

The rooftop owners said they expect their businesses to contribute more than $185 million to the local economy in the next 20 years, $70 million of which would be earmarked for the Cubs. A sign detailing their estimates ended with the words, "Destroying one business to benefit another is not the answer."

Dennis Culloton, a spokesman for the Ricketts family, said that the rooftop owners should discuss their plan with the team "instead of holding press conferences."

A representative of the team, Cubs marketing specialist Kevin Saghy, tried to attend the press conference but was asked to leave the room during the video presentation of the rooftop plan. Saghy brought a tape recorder but did not wear any credentials to indicate he was a Cubs representative.

"A deadline is fast approaching for the team and the city of Chicago to move forward," Culloton said.

Culloton also said the team would bring in more money from advertising atop the back wall of the bleachers than ads on the rooftop buildings.

"Inside the ballpark is going to be infinitely more valuable than advertising outside the ballpark," Culloton said.

Culloton also reiterated the call of Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts for the city to free up the team to run the ballpark without a slew of restrictions.

"The Ricketts family and the Chicago Cubs want the right to run their business so they can continue to be good stewards of Wrigley Field and in doing so save the beloved ballpark for future generations," he said.

Ryan McLaughlin, a spokesman for the rooftop owners, said Cubs representatives were familiar with the general outline of the plan before today's press conference. Murphy presented it a community meeting Wednesday with Ald. Thomas Tunney, 44th, neighborhood groups and Cubs representatives present, he said.

Tunney suggested Friday the rooftop plan could be a part of the overall effort to rehab Wrigley.

"The advertising proposal from the rooftops can be part of the larger picture for preserving Wrigley," Tunney said in a prepared statement.

"I remain committed to working with the Cubs and small businesses in the neighborhood.  Most importantly, we will continue to engage our residents in discussions concerning Wrigley Field and their quality of life."

asachdev@tribune.com

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Chicago man gets 35 years for role in Mumbai terror attack

David Coleman Headley, the terrorist who played a key planning role in the Mumbai massacre that killed more than 160 people in 2008, was sentenced today in Chicago’s federal court  to 35 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber could have imposed a life sentence but chose the sentence recommended by federal prosecutors who wanted Headley rewarded for his extensive cooperation in spite of his help in the deadly attacks in India.

Before imposing the 35-year prison term, the judge said he wanted to make sure Headley, 52, is "never in a position again to commit a terrorist attack."

Leinenweber was skeptical of a letter that Headley recently wrote to him. "I don't have any faith in Mr. Headley when he says he's a changed person," the judge said.

Headley should be "under lock and key for the rest of his life," Leinenweber said.

In the letter, Headley claimed he was learning to embrace "American values" and coming to grips with how he was convinced to plan terrorist attacks under the guise of religious obligation, Leinenweber said.

"Mr. Headley's letter to the judge expressed his sincere remorse," Robert Seeder, one of Headley's attorney, told reporters after the sentencing. "He did explain in that letter what led him to this and how sorry he was. And I think we'll leave it at that."

During the hearing, another defense attorney told the judge that Headley "literally saved lives" by providing valuable information that "no one else knew" about terrorist activities. "He has never minimized his role," attorney John Theis said. "He has accepted responsibility."

Theis told reporters later he had asked the judge for a specific sentence for Headley, but he declined to reveal the length, saying the request was made under seal.

Before the sentence was handed down, a victim of the terror attack told the judge how surprised she was by the youth of the terrorists who stormed into a hotel’s first-floor cafe while she was eating there.

Linda Ragsdale, a Nashville woman who was shot in the back during the 2008 rampage, recalled wondering how a man as young as her son could kill innocent people.  Holding back tears, Ragsdale described a barrage of bullets so intense that "waves of heat clouded" her vision.

"I know what a bullet could do to every part of the human body," Ragsdale said. "I know the sound of life leaving a 13-year-old child. These are things I never needed to know, never needed to experience."

Ragsdale also read from a statement written by another survivor of the shooting at the Oberoi Hotel who said it would be an "appalling dishonor" if Headley was sentenced to the 30 to 35 years in prison recommended by federal prosecutors.

But former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, making a surprise appearance at the sentencing hearing, told Leinenweber he should consider the “unusual nature” of Headley’s cooperation even though Headley was involved in a “very, very heinous crime.”

On the night of his arrest at O’Hare International Airport, Headley “freely admitted” his role in the Mumbai massacre within half an hour of being given his Miranda rights, Fitzgerald said.

Headley, 52,  appearing amid heightened security in Leinenweber’s courtroom, faced up to life in prison. He pleaded guilty to scouting out sites to be targeted in the terrorist attack that killed more than 160 people – including six Americans -- in India’s largest city. He also admitted playing a similar role in an aborted plot to storm a Danish newspaper and behead staffers in retaliation for printing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

Federal prosecutors have cited Headley’s extraordinary cooperation for seeking a sentence of 30 to 35 years in prison.

Headley, who was arrested at O'Hare as he prepared to fly overseas, detailed the inner-workings of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani terror organization that planned the Mumbai attacks. His information led to charges against seven terrorist figures, including his childhood friend from a Pakistani school, Tahawwur Rana, a former Chicago businessman.

Headley was the key witness at the trial of Rana, who was convicted of aiding the Denmark plot and providing support to Lashkar.  Judge Leinenweber sentenced him  last week to 14 years in prison, about half what prosecutors sought.

Headley, an American citizen of Pakistani descent, came to the United States at age 17 and was twice convicted of drug smuggling in the late 1980s. He later agreed to work as an informant for the DEA. Headley also revealed during testimony  at Rana’s trial that there was an overlap between his work for the DEA and his early days with Lashkar.

Headley became involved with Lashkar, a radical group that opposes Indian rule in divided Kashmir, around 2000, attending training camps between 2002 and 2005. He had moved to Chicago by 2009 and reconnected with Rana.

Though embraced by Rana’s family, Headley lived a very different life that included multiple wives and apparently indoctrinating even his children with his ideologies. His 5-year-old son once dropped to the ground in a Chicago park and pretended to fire a weapon after a soccer coach yelled "shoot, shoot!" to him during a game, Headley testified at Rana’s trial.

The charges against Headley and Rana likely represented the most significant terrorism case brought during Fitzgerald’s nearly 11 years as Chicago’s chief federal prosecutor.

Bomb-sniffing dogs checked the coats and bags of all the spectators entering Leinenweber’s courtroom today.  At one point, more than 100 people had lined up to attend the sentencing.

asweeney@tribune.com

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RIM shares rise on report of Lenovo interest

TORONTO (Reuters) - Shares of Research In Motion Ltd rose 3 percent on Thursday after a report quoted China's Lenovo Group as saying a bid for the BlackBerry maker was among the options for boosting its mobile business.

"We are looking at all opportunities -- RIM and many others," Lenovo Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming told Bloomberg in an interview at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "We'll have no hesitation if the right opportunity comes along that could benefit us."

Wong said Lenovo has spoken to RIM and its bankers about various combinations or strategic ventures, the Bloomberg report said.

Any bid for RIM, which Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has described as a national "crown jewel," would face a rigorous review by the government to determine whether the deal would bring a "net benefit" to Canada.

Earlier this week, RIM shares surged to a 13-month high after Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said RIM may consider strategic alliances with other companies after next week's launch of devices powered by a new operating system.

In an interview with a German newspaper on Monday, Heins said RIM's review could potentially lead to the sale of its handset business or the licensing of its software to rival smartphone companies.

Analysts expressed skepticism about a Lenovo bid for RIM.

"Anybody who's serious about buying a company doesn't go talking it up...It sounds to me like a comment made more for publicity's sake than a serious approach for RIM," said Charter Equity analyst Ed Snyder. "It is a very long shot at the best. There's so many hurdles. One is regulatory of course."

Earlier this week, Canada's Industry Minister Christian Paradis told Reuters that the Canadian government might go to the extent of even reviewing a sale of RIM's handset business, following the comments made by RIM's CEO.

"I think third parties are always interested in making acquisitions, but to conclude that they (Lenovo) are going to buy RIM is a stretch," said RBC Capital Markets analyst Paul Treiber.

ALL OPTIONS EXAMINED

RIM announced a far-reaching strategic review last May under which it was expected to examine all options, from software licensing deals to an outright sale of the company.

After the comments from Lenovo, a RIM spokesman said the company had nothing new to report on its strategic review at this time.

"We continue to examine all available options to create new opportunities, focusing on areas where we will be more effective partnering rather than going it alone, and ultimately maximizing value for all stakeholders," said RIM spokesman Nick Manning.

The company, once a pioneer in the smartphone industry, has struggled in recent years as its aging line-up of devices lost market share to Apple Inc's iPhone and devices based on Google Inc's Android operating system.

RIM hopes its new touch-screen and keyboard devices, powered by its new BlackBerry 10 operating system, will help it claw back market share.

Shares of RIM were up 3.1 percent at $17.88 in midday trading on the Nasdaq. The Toronto-listed shares were up 3.5 percent at C$17.90. RIM is a volatile stock, and moves of 3 percent and more are not uncommon.

A spokesman for Lenovo said the comments made during the Bloomberg interview were consistent with previous statements on Lenovo's M&A strategy.

"Lenovo is very focused on growing its business, both organically and through M&A. When inorganic ideas arise, we explore them to see if there is a strategic fit," Lenovo spokesman Brion Tingler said in an e-mail.

RIM shares are down almost 90 percent from an all-time high of over C$148 in 2008, but the stock has rallied in the last four months as the launch of the BlackBerry 10 devices nears. Its shares have nearly tripled in value since dipping as low as C$6.22 in late September.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha in Toronto and Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Gevirtz)

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Azarenka eludes chokehold, gains Australian final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Sloane Stephens sat for nine minutes, mostly staring at the court and trying to forget the curious timing of Victoria Azarenka's medical timeout. She may have been the only one trying to ignore it.

The 19-year-old American had just saved five match points and broken Azarenka. But she knew she had to hold serve to stay in her first Grand Slam semifinal whenever Azarenka — the No. 1 player and defending Australian Open champion — returned to Rod Laver Arena.

The restless murmuring in the crowd gave way to slow claps. Why had Azarenka chosen that very moment for a medical break?

Azarenka eventually hustled onto the court, and Stephens won only three more points, losing 6-1, 6-4.

"I almost did the choke of the year," Azarenka said in a frank admission during an on-court interview. "At 5-3, having so many chances, I couldn't close it out."

The crowd that had cheered wildly for Stephens, only 25 hours after she ousted an injured Serena Williams, gave Azarenka tepid applause as she left the court. She'll face 2011 finalist Li Na in the final Saturday night. Given the support Li enjoyed in her 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova, there's no question which player the crowd will favor in the title match.

Azarenka's immediate post-match remarks suggest she panicked after failing to convert five match points, her forehand misfiring. She had little trouble finishing the match after she came back, and the No. 29-seeded Stephens had cooled off.

"I just felt a little bit overwhelmed. I realized I'm one step away from the final and nerves got into me for sure," Azarenka said.

The 23-year-old Belarusian said she was later compelled to explain that she misunderstood the question in the on-court interview, and she wanted to dispel the perception that her medical timeout amounted to little more than gamesmanship.

"I understand the point of people maybe not understanding what I said; me not understanding what I've been asked," she said during an official news conference more than two-thirds devoted to questions on her medical timeout. "So I'm just glad that I'm here, you know, to make everything clear.

"You know, I think you cannot really judge by (a) few words. The situation had to be explained."

Medical staff said Azarenka had timeouts for treatment of left knee and rib injuries. The rib needed to be manipulated because it was affecting her breathing. Tournament director Craig Tiley said Azarenka hadn't broken any rules.

Azarenka hadn't helped herself in a second television interview after the match when she said she couldn't breathe.

"I had chest pains," she said. "It was like I was getting a heart attack."

She tried to allay any negative perception with her explanation that the choking was related to shortness of breath from the rib injury, not her faltering game.

"When you cannot breathe you start to panic," she said. "I was really panicking, not because I couldn't convert my match point. That's not the case. I mean, I'm experienced enough to go over those emotions. But when you cannot breathe, when something's really blocking you, the stress — that was the stress I was talking about.

"What I said — that I was stressed out and choked — was not because I couldn't finish my shot. It was just so stressing me out the pain that I had that, maybe it was overreaction, but I just really couldn't breathe."

Azarenka had retired during previous Grand Slam matches, including a fourth-round match against Serena Williams at the 2009 Australian Open. But with a second major title so close, and the fact she needed to reach the final to retain the No. 1 ranking, she desperately didn't want to quit this time.

For her part, Stephens seemed sympathetic. She had to wait through a medical timeout Wednesday when Williams received treatment for a sore back — the 15-time major winner injured herself after leading by a set and a break. Another rival earlier in the tournament took a long break between sets for other reasons.

"I mean, when you take a medical break or timeout, obviously it's for a reason," she said. "I mean, just another something else that happens. If it was one of my friends, I would say, 'Oh, my God, that sounds like a PP, which is a personal problem. Other than that, it's just unfortunate."

Besides, Stephens said, it didn't affect the outcome of the match.

"No, not at all. She played obviously a really good match," she said. "First set she played awesome; got close in the second. It didn't go my way, but I wouldn't say at all what happened affected the match."

Novak Djokovic dispensed with No. 4-seeded David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the night match, saying he "played perfectly" to reach his third consecutive Australian Open title match. Then he dispensed some medical advice of his own.

The Serb, who won the Australian titles in 2008, 2011 and 2012, wore a white shirt with a red cross on the back, pretending to be a doctor to treat Henri Leconte during a legends doubles match at Rod Laver Arena.

He's relaxed now that he has an extra day to prepare for Sunday's final. Djokovic will next play the winner of Friday's semifinal between No. 2 Roger Federer, a four-time Australian Open champion, and No. 3 Andy Murray, the U.S. Open champion.

Djokovic lost only seven points in 11 service games against Ferrer, and hit 30 crisp, clean winners in an almost flawless performance.

"I cannot remember the last time I played so well," Djokovic said. "I've played many great matches, but this one stands out. Hopefully, I can play the same level on Sunday."

He played confidently in the first two sets, and was sublime in the third. Even Ferrer, who has now lost five Grand Slam semifinals and never reached a championship match, was surprised.

After hitting a forehand a fraction wide of the line and losing his challenge in a review, Ferrer double-faulted to give Djokovic match point. The errors were a measure of just how much pressure Djokovic was applying.

Right after his semifinal, Djokovic started playing mind games leading to the final.

"Federer-Murray, when they're playing it's always very close," he said, confirming he'd be closely watching the match. "I wouldn't give the role of the favorite to either of them. I expect to enjoy it. Whoever I play against, I'm going to be ready."

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Beyonce lets others do talking on lip-synch drama

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Beyonce‘s lips remained sealed on Wednesday over her headline-making rendition of the U.S. national anthem at President Barack Obama‘s inauguration, leaving others to do the talking over whether she lip-synched to a pre-recorded track.

Celebrity magazine Us Weekly quoted a source saying the Grammy-winning artist was disappointed by the controversy she stirred by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Monday’s solemn ceremony using a backing track – and drew a comparison to late Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.

As some of America’s singing stars offered sympathy and understanding, an inaugural official, who declined to be identified, told CNN that Beyonce “did not sing live.”

“Because she didn’t have time to rehearse with the U.S. Marine Band, she decided to use her recording with the Marine Band,” the official told CNN on Wednesday.

The U.S. Marine band said in a statement on Tuesday that no one in the band “is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded.”

Us Weekly meanwhile quoted a different, also unidentified source, as saying “She did sing, but used a track.”

“She didn’t think there was anything wrong with it,” the source told the celebrity magazine‘s website on Wednesday.

“Pavarotti has done it! It was freezing out, and if she messed up just one note, that would have been the story … Everybody uses these tracks, and the music director advised it,” the Us Weekly source added.

Pavarotti lip-synched his last performance, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, because of the bitter weather and his failing health, according to orchestra conductor Leone Magiera in a 2008 book. The Italian tenor died in 2007 of pancreatic cancer at age 71.

Beyonce‘s publicist has declined to comment on the furor, but Aretha Franklin and Jennifer Lopez chimed in with their support.

“When I heard the news … that she was pre-recorded I really laughed,” Franklin, 70, who sang live at Obama‘s first inauguration in 2009, told ABC News.

“I thought it was funny because the weather down there was about 46 or 44 degrees and for most singers that is just not good singing weather … she did a beautiful job with the pre-record … next time I’ll probably do the same.”

Lopez told Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” on Tuesday that many performers resort to using pre-recorded tracks.

“You know, sometimes it happens,” Lopez said. “When you’re in certain stadiums and in certain venues, they do pre-record things because you’re going to have that terrible slapback.”

Beyonce, 31, was giving her first major public performance since giving birth to a baby in January 2012. On Sunday, she had posted on Instagram photo of herself in a recording studio holding the sheet music for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

She is due to take the spotlight again next month by performing, live, at the February 3 Super Bowl halftime show.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Music News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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US hit by new stomach bug spreading around globe

NEW YORK (AP) — A new strain of stomach bug sweeping the globe is taking over in the U.S., health officials say.

Since September, more than 140 outbreaks in the U.S. have been caused by the new Sydney strain of norovirus. It may not be unusually dangerous; some scientists don't think it is. But it is different, and many people might not be able to fight off its gut-wrenching effects.

Clearly, it's having an impact. The new strain is making people sick in Japan, Western Europe, and other parts of the world. It was first identified last year in Australia and called the Sydney strain.

In the U.S., it is now accounting for about 60 percent of norovirus outbreaks, according to report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Norovirus — once known as Norwalk virus — is highly contagious and often spreads in places like schools, cruise ships and nursing homes, especially during the winter. Last month, 220 people on the Queen Mary II were stricken during a Caribbean cruise.

Sometimes mistakenly called stomach flu, the virus causes bouts of vomiting and diarrhea for a few days.

Every two or three years, a new strain evolves — the last was in 2009. The Sydney strain's appearance has coincided with a spike in influenza, perhaps contributing to the perception that this is a particularly bad flu season in the U.S.

Ian Goodfellow, a prominent researcher at England's University of Cambridge, calls norovirus 'the Ferrari of viruses' for the speed at which it passes through a large group of people.

"It can sweep through an environment very, very quickly. You can be feeling quite fine one minute and within several hours suffer continuous vomiting and diarrhea," he said.

Health officials have grown better at detecting new strains and figuring out which one is the culprit. They now know that norovirus is also the most common cause of food poisoning in the U.S.

It's spread by infected food handlers who don't do a good job washing their hands after using the bathroom. But unlike salmonella and other foodborne illnesses, norovirus can also spread in the air, through droplets that fly when a sick person vomits.

"It's a headache" to try to control, said Dr. John Crane, a University of Buffalo infectious disease specialist who had to deal with a norovirus outbreak in a hospital ward a couple of years ago.

Each year, noroviruses cause an estimated 21 million illnesses and 800 deaths, the CDC says.

For those infected, there's really no medicine. They just have to ride it out for the day or two of severe symptoms, and guard against dehydration, experts said.

The illness even got the attention of comedian Stephen Colbert, who this week tweeted: "Remember, if you're in public and have the winter vomiting bug, be polite and vomit into your elbow."

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Online:

CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr

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