Ridiculous Idol Excuses (Compiled)

If there is an entertainment trend ripe for satire, it is the begging-for-attention smut routines at nationally televised music awards shows. How low can these "artists" go? Sadly, there is always another frontier. "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert was the latest offender at the Nov. 22 American Music Awards on ABC, with a routine complete with S&M bondage slaves, deep male-on-male kissing and simulated fellatio on stage.

All in front of millions upon millions of impressionable youngsters. It was another in-your-face Janet Jackson moment.

There's only one thing that makes this funny. It's the idea that somehow none of this was planned, that it was just a spontaneous eruption. ABC was embarrassed enough by Lambert to cancel a planned performance on "Good Morning America." If they expected cheers for that, they're sadly mistaken. ABC clearly wanted to avoid making its news division question the entertainment division's horrendous decision-making.

Every piece of evidence we have suggests ABC and Lambert knew exactly what they were going to do. Lambert told MTV to expect something really sexy. "I was looking for a certain sensuality," he explained about choosing his dancers, and said the S&M wardrobe was "amazing." MTV reported it would feature the sensibility of his music video for the song he performed: "Adam Lambert is fully embracing the S&M lyrics featured in his single. Greased up dancers are dolled up in leather, dog collars, nipple clamps (zoinks!) and platform boots."

The rough-sex lyrics of the song ABC approved for national consumption are very clear: "I'ma hold ya down until you're amazed/Give it to ya till your screaming my name." And this: "Baby, I'm in control/Take the pain/Take the pleasure/I'm the master of both."

For their part, ABC repeatedly told viewers to stick around for Lambert's routine. They scheduled it at the very end of show so they could suggest it was irresponsible for parents if their children caught this porny show right before the late news.

It is clearly offensive to watch ABC and Dick Clark Productions now play dumb in their official statement: "Due to the live nature of the show we did not expect the impromptu moment in question," they jointly declared after the edited West Coast version. There was no "impromptu moment" that was in question. It was the entire disgusting performance, approved and promoted by ABC and Dick Clark Productions.

CBS News jumped in to promote Lambert where ABC left off. How dumb did Adam Lambert think America was? Let's survey his comical answers.

1. Did you have any idea your performance at the AMAs would ignite this firestorm? Lambert said: "No clue. No clue at all."

2. Did you plan those sexually charged moves in the rehearsal? Lambert: "Those kind of came from more of a impromptu place. No, those were not rehearsed."

3. This was the best question from CBS interviewer Maggie Rodriguez: Now that you have had time to think about the children, your child fans, do you feel that you need to apologize to them? Lambert's absolutely classic answer: "I think it's up to the parents to -- to discern what their child's watching on television."

4. Rodriguez followed up: "Well, but they had no idea they were about to see something like that on network TV." That's where Lambert started sounding like a lawyer: "Well, you know -- and you know, just to play devil's advocate with you, Lady Gaga smashing whiskey bottles. Janet Jackson grabbing a male dancer's crotch. Eminem talked about how Slim Shady has '17 rapes under his belt.' There's a lot of very adult material on the AMAs this year and I know I wasn't the only one. I'm not using that as an excuse and I don't have any -- I didn't take any offense with those performers' choices, I'm just saying I think it's up to a parent to watch the television. It was almost 11 at night. If they're concerned with certain material, maybe TiVo it and preview it before your small child is watching it."

Oh, shut up. Rodriguez summed up Lambert's lack of regret:

5. So you don't feel that it's your responsibility to issue an apology? Lambert unfurled what could be a motto for the entertainment world in general: "I'm not a baby sitter. I'm a performer."

So we can blame Lambert, we can blame ABC, and for starting this all, we can blame Fox and "American Idol." They took up Lambert and made him a gender-bending crusader for gay liberation in entertainment. Sexual politics trumped his screechy (and let's face it, lack of) talent. Lambert's honesty about his absolute, leather-bound mission to offend came out at the CBS interview's end. He was asked if he had to do it over again, what would he do differently? "I would sing it a little bit better."

Ridiculous Idol Excuses (Compiled)

Muslim world celebrates Eid al-Adha(Compiled)

Celebrated by Muslims throughout the world on the first day of Eid al-Adha amid mixed with joy, and not April tragedies experienced by their brethren in many countries, and praying to God Almighty to bring together the nation.
وأدى المسلمون بالفلبين صلاة العيد في أجواء من السرور والبهجة، وشارك النساء والأطفال بالصلاة بأحد ضواحي العاصمة مانيلا في تجمع مهيب طغت عليه الألوان فظهر كأنه مهرجان. The Philippine Muslim Eid prayer in an atmosphere of happiness and joy, and co women and children to pray in a suburb of the capital Manila, a grand gathering was overshadowed by the colors appeared like a festival.
وفي إندونيسيا -أكبر دولة إسلامية من حيث تعداد السكان- شارك الملايين في صلاة عيد الأضحى بأنحاء البلاد، وظهر ذلك التجمع جليا بالعاصمة جاكرتا. In Indonesia - the largest Muslim country in terms of population - participated in the prayers of millions across the country, Eid al-Adha, the back of that grouping evident in the capital Jakarta.
وشهدت العاصمة القديمة لكزاخستان آلماتا صلاة العيد أداها ملايين المسلمين وسط أجواء من الفرح، انطلقوا بعدها لذبح الأضاحي. And saw the old capital of Almaty, Kazakhstan Eid prayer is performed by millions of Muslims in an atmosphere of joy, then set off for the slaughter of sacrificial animals.
Also led the Muslim masses in most Arab countries, the Eid prayer, and praying to God to collect pieces of the nation and to relieve stress and restore them to their owners, the occupied territories in Palestine, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque and free from Israeli occupation.
وشاركت جموع المسلمين حجاج بيت الله الحرام في أداء صلاة العيد في المسجد الحرام بمكة المكرمة. Participated the Muslim masses of pilgrims in the Eid prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. وتوافد الآلاف من المقدسيين والمواطنين الفلسطينيين القادمين من داخل الخط الأخضر إلى الحرم القدسي الشريف لأداء صلاة العيد، وسط انتشار لقوات الاحتلال على البوابات المؤدية إلى البلدة القديمة. The influx of thousands of Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem and from inside the Green Line to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the Eid prayer, amid the spreading of the occupation forces at the gates leading to the old town.
وفي حي الشيخ جراح بالبلدة القديمة أقيمت الصلاة في خيمة الاعتصام التي نصبتها عائلتا غاوي وحنون بعد طردهما من منازلهما واستيلاء المستوطنين عليها، حيث خطب بالمصلين رئيس الحركة الإسلامية الشيخ رائد صلاح الذي تمنعه سلطات الاحتلال من دخول المسجد الأقصى. In the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood prayer was held in the Old City in the protest tent erected by families of Ghawi and affectionate Mnazlhma after the expulsion of the settlers and the capture of them, as worshipers speeches Islamic Movement head Sheikh Raed Salah, the occupation authorities prevented him from entering the Al Aqsa Mosque.
وفي قطاع غزة المحاصر أدى الأهالي صلاة العيد، ورغم المآسي وما يشهده القطاع لم تغب الفرحة عن أطفاله حيث يشعر مشردو القطاع جراء الحرب الإسرائيلية الأخيرة وتدمير منازلهم، بوطأة العيد أكثر من غيرهم. In the besieged Gaza Strip residents led the Eid prayer, and despite the tragedies witnessed by the sector have not lost the joy of the children can feel Mushardo sector due to the recent Israeli war and the destruction of homes, holiday pinch more than others.

وتأبى فرحة العيد إلا أن تزاحم مشاعر الخوف والحزن على وجوه سكان بعض الدول الإسلامية ومنها باكستان التي تقيد المخاوف الأمنية فرحة العيد عندهم وكذلك أفغانستان وفي الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة والعراق والصومال. And avoids the joy of the feast, to vie with the feelings of fear and sadness on the faces of residents in some Islamic countries, including Pakistan, which restrict the security concerns have the joy of Eid, as well as Afghanistan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Iraq and Somalia.

Muslim world celebrates Eid al-Adha(Compiled)

Wall Street prepares to plunge (Compiled)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were set to plunge Friday in tandem with worldwide markets, as Dubai World and its debt woes threatened Wall Street's confidence.

Dow Jones industrial average, Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures plummeted, by nearly 300 points on the pre-market Dow alone, hinting that stocks could take a dive during their abbreviated session on Black Friday.

Futures measure current index values against the perceived future performance, though they're not always an accurate forecast of stock activity after the bell.

The problems stem from Dubai World, the finance arm of Dubai, which is considering a postponement of payments on nearly $60 billion in debt. The debt was used to fuel a construction boom over the last few years, including its palm-tree shaped island projects, but the Middle East nation was hit hard by a real estate crunch.

"We had a market that was pretty strong, that in one sense was looking increasingly able to shrug off bad news," said Philip Isherwood, equities strategist at Evolution Securities in London. "Suddenly, we've had a shock to the confidence."

Isherwood said the global impact from Dubai World's financial difficulties "is not so huge" and "not worth 300 points of the Dow." But it serves as a nasty "wake-up call" to investor confidence.

"There isn't an absence of risk," he said. "There is always risk. We've just been reminded of that."

Wall Street ended Wednesday on a positive note, with the Dow Jones rising 31 points to hit a fresh 13-month high.

Stocks were boosted by tumbling jobless claims, which the Labor Department said hit a 14-month low last week, and a rise in new home sales.

Retail: Retailers -- including Toys R Us, which opened its doors at midnight on Thanksgiving -- were welcoming shoppers taking advantage of "doorbuster" deals to mark Black Friday, the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Wal-Mart Stores (WMT, Fortune 500), the world's biggest retailer, stayed open Thanksgiving Day, but offered its specials beginning at 5 a.m.

While economists are calling an end to the recession, a record high jobless rate at 10.2% and a tight lending environment were likely to cause consumers to curb spending.

Companies: AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) announced late Wednesday it agreed to settle a long-standing legal battle with the insurance giant's former chairman, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg.

The parties agreed to release each other from all claims, including those filed by Greenberg against AIG for payments of future legal fees and other settlement costs.

They also agreed to submit past claims for AIG's payment of legal fees to a third party to determine how much AIG is legally obligated to pay up to $150 million.

World Markets: In Europe, London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 all fell by less than 1% in morning trading after big selloffs on Thursday. In Asia, the decline was much more dramatic. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell nearly 5% and Tokyo's Nikkei dropped almost 4%.

Money, oil and gold: The dollar gained Friday versus all major international currencies except the yen, after sliding to a 15-month low Wednesday.

Gold slipped in electronic trading, by $29.30 to $1,157.70 an ounce, after having hit a record high of $1,187 Wednesday.

The price of oil took a dive. Oil dropped $3.90 a barrel to $74.06 in electronic trading.

Wall Street prepares to plunge (Compiled)

Iran rebuked over nuclear 'cover-up' by UN watchdog (Compiled)

The UN nuclear watchdog's governing body has passed a resolution condemning Iran for developing a uranium enrichment site in secret.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also demanded that Iran freeze the project immediately.

The resolution, the first against Iran in nearly four years, was passed by a 25-3 margin with six abstentions.

Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy purposes, but the US says it is seeking nuclear weapons.

In September, it emerged that as well as its uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, Iran has a second such facility near the town of Qom. The revelation deepened Western fears about the country's nuclear ambitions.

The resolution was passed with rare Russian and Chinese backing, and the BBC's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne says it is a sign of Iran's growing isolation.

Tehran described the move as a "hasty and undue" step that could jeopardise talks on the issue.

Tehran has failed to agree to a US-backed plan under which its low-enriched uranium would be shipped overseas for processing into fuel.

This is seen as a way for Iran to get the fuel it wants, while giving guarantees to the West that it will not be used for nuclear weapons.

Iran rebuked over nuclear 'cover-up' by UN watchdog (Compiled)