Fat Tuesday Brought Revelers Downtown

By WKBW News

BUFFALO, NY ( WKBW ) On "Fat Tuesday," from New Orleans to Buffalo, people lined parade routes to catch beads and party the night away. In Buffalo, bars in Allentown and the Chippewa district were full.

Channel 7's John Borsa reports that there are three things you never expect to to find in Buffalo...hurricanes, alligators, and parades in February...unless you are talking Mardi Gras. Chris Silverstein, chef and owner of the French Quarter Cafe in Allentown has been roasting gator for Mardi Gras for the past five years.

Silverstein told Eyewitness News, "The way we do it, on the spit like this, it's going to cook for a couple of hours. It's going to break down and be real tender, real smooth, it's going to melt right in your mouth." It is served like pulled pork, and so popular that it sells out. While the gators are turning, across the street at Mulligans Brick Bar, they are serving up another Mardi Gras tradition, "hurricanes." That's a classic "fat Tuesday" libation.

Amie Zinzola of Mulligans Brick Bar explained, "It contains an ounce of Southern Comfort, half an ounce of Bacardi, pineapple juice, grapefruit juice, and a little splash of grenadine." Hundreds of those will be served in downtown Buffalo, on what is being considered the second biggest Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans.

"Fat Tuesday" is the day before the season of Lent begins, where Christians fast, go meatless on Ash Wednesday and every Friday, and give up something prior to Easter.

The celebrations Tuesday began with a parade. Thousands marched through the Elmwood Village, Allentown, and the Chippewa entertainment district. ARTVOICE, the alternative news weekly has been sponsoring this WNY event for 17 years.

Almost 50 bars and nightclubs donate their admission fees to charity. This year, the cash will benefit Hospice Buffalo and the "Give For Greatness" campaign to fund cultural institutions. Megan Callahan from Give For Greatness mapped out the mission, "We're really trying to impress on Western New York that the arts just don't add an economic value, but also enrich all of our lives. It attracts new people to live in the area."

Woody Paige: Brady Quinn's quotes in GQ hide how classy he is Read more: Woody Paige: Brady Quinn's quotes in GQ hide how classy he is

By Woody Paige The Denver Post

Brady Quinn should be aggravated and exasperated. He has to blame somebody, or everybody. After all, he once had been The Mighty Quinn, the Notre Dame quarterback who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated's college football issue, finished third and fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, became an All-American and was a recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the NCAA's No. 1 quarterback and the Maxwell Award as the best college player.

But Quinn didn't win a national championship as the starter with the Irish, and his career in the NFL didn't go as planned, either.

He wasn't the first quarterback selected in the 2007 draft. The Raiders chose JaMarcus Russell. The Browns, who were expected to select Quinn third overall, took an offensive tackle instead. In fact, the distressed expression on Quinn's face at Radio City Music Hall was telecast to millions when team after team passed on him. Finally, the Browns used an acquired first-round pick, No. 22, to pick Quinn.

Russell's contract was for $61 million, $32 million guaranteed. After holding out into camp, Quinn ended up signing a five-year deal with only $7.75 million guaranteed. He made just $700,000 in the last season of the contract, 2011, and is a free agent now.

As a rookie Quinn played in one game, the last. In his second season he started in the ninth game, at home, and had the Browns ahead, but the Broncos rallied to win. Quinn was injured in his third start and didn't play again until the 2009 season, when he started nine games and lost seven.

After that season, he was traded to the Broncos (for, yes, Peyton Hillis) — and hasn't played a down of football since. Five mostly wasted years. Quinn will be 28 in October. The Broncos don't want to bring him back; no other team is considering him as a potential starter, and only a few will make offers to him as a backup candidate. Quinn believed he would be the longtime starter in Cleveland. His coach and the general manager were fired at the end of 2008. After three starts in 2009, he was benched, and returned to start at midseason for seven more games. Then Mike Holm gren was hired as Browns president, and he decided that Quinn should be gone.

Oddly enough, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels decided privately that his one-year starter, Kyle Orton, should be gone — and traded for Quinn — who believed he would have a new start as a starter in Denver. Soon, though, McDaniels drafted Tim Tebow and later was persuaded by others to keep Orton. Eventually, in 2010, McDaniels was fired, and Orton was replaced for the final three games — not by Quinn, but by Tebow.

In 2011 the Broncos' new leadership tried to get rid of Orton, and Quinn believed he could beat out Tebow as the starter. Rather, when the Broncos couldn't close an agreement with the Dolphins, Orton abruptly returned as the starter. Quinn believed he would be the No. 2 quarterback, but was demoted to third (and inactive). And when the Broncos removed Orton in the fifth game, Tebow was inserted — and remained the starter the rest of the season. Upon Orton's release late in the season, Quinn was the backup again — and misinformed media reported he would be used in the postseason game against the Steelers.

Twice, Quinn believed he would have an opportunity to play, but he stood and waited ... in vain. In the 2010 and 2011 preseasons, Quinn had the least effective statistics, overall, among the Denver quarterbacks — 54-of-98 passes completed for 610 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. People wondered why Quinn was ignored. Not a strong or an accurate passer, didn't read defenses well, not enough experience, not good enough and more hype than hope. That sounds likes a critic's description of Tebow. Except, Quinn was not deemed a leader or a winner — too soft — with the Browns, and two different staffs with the Broncos didn't seriously regard him as a starter. The Broncos had to find out about Orton, then Tebow. Plus, Quinn would be a third expensive quarterback if he played 70 percent of the snaps.

Quinn has a right to be bitter at others and himself. But his comments about Tebow to Michael Silver for the March issue of GQ were not, as many claim, spiteful or negative. The observations were quite honest — especially when he was quoted as saying wistfully: "No, I didn't have any billboards. That would have been nice." Quinn tweeted public apologies and clarifications Tuesday, but he didn't need to. Not once while he was in Denver did Quinn cause trouble. He leaves as he arrived — a quiet, classy man. Perhaps in his next locale, Quinn won't be caught in a chaotic situation and will earn his own billboard and a chance to start again. Read more: Woody Paige: Brady Quinn's quotes in GQ hide how classy he is - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_20015969#ixzz3qHLQMbPN Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

Bobby Brown leaves Houston funeral after spat

By the CNN Wire Staff

Newark, New Jersey (CNN) Singer Bobby Brown made a brief and dramatic appearance at ex-wife Whitney Houston's memorial service Saturday, leaving abruptly after being told that his entourage couldn't sit together, police sources told CNN.

Brown accused security of treating his family badly and barring him from visiting with his daughter, an account that Houston's family vehemently denied, according to a family friend.

Brown was seen arriving with several people and had sat down in the front row of a section marked off for family, before being asked to move. Brown had entered the church with other mourners, separate from Houston's family. He appeared emotionally distraught, with red eyes and head hanging as he walked up the aisle of the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. He approached Houston's casket, passed it and went back down the aisle. Ultimately, he left the church.

Security workers appeared to ask others, including celebrities and government officials, to also change seats to make room for everyone.

"My children and I were invited to the funeral of my ex-wife Whitney Houston," Brown later said in a statement. "We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions. I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continued to ask us and no one else to move. Security then prevented me from attempting to see my daughter Bobbi Kristina.

"In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene. ... I will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way I know how," the statement said." Brown was expected to attend with two guests but showed up with 10 people, a close friend of the Houston family told CNN on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

"The family approached Bobby and told him that he could stay in the area reserved for family, but that his guests would need to move to a different section to make room for Cissy (Houston) and the rest of the family," the family friend said. "Bobby said no." When Brown refused, the family asked police to intervene. "The police told Bobby that he could stay in the area reserved for family, but that his guests needed to move," the friend said. "Bobby said no, and left with all of his guests."

The family friend maintained that Brown was always invited to the funeral. "There was never a question of whether he would be invited or not," the friend said. Describing what happened at the service, the Rev. Al Sharpton posted on his Twitter account: "I am at Whitney's funeral. I spoke with Bobby Brown trying to calm him down and not distract from the services. Today is about Whitney."

Brown was scheduled to perform with his group, New Edition, later Saturday in Connecticut. Brown considers performing as therapy to get him through a difficult time, a source close to him said Sunday. He and Houston were married from 1992 until 2007, with Houston getting sole custody of their daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, when they divorced. Their daughter was born in 1993. When they married in July 1992, questions arose about whether it was a publicity stunt to help polish Brown's image as a bad boy who had weathered drug rumors and had acknowledged having three children out of wedlock. Houston scoffed at such rumors, saying that anyone who questioned their marriage didn't understand what the commitment meant to her. They married in a lavish ceremony at her New Jersey estate.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, reports begin to surface about Houston's struggles with drug addiction, health problems and her rocky marriage with Brown. Her album sales dropped, and her voice began to show signs of wear. In a now-infamous interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer in 2002, Houston admitted using drugs, but denied using crack. "Crack is whack," she said, quoting a line from a mural painted in 1986. In the same interview, Houston said, "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy." In 2004, filming began on the short-lived reality show "Being Bobby Brown." "The show aired during the worst years of the couple's crumbling marriage: drug use, lifestyle excess and bad behavior were all caught on tape, and Houston's reputation sunk to new lows," according to Biography.com. Houston later said she did the show to try to save her marriage.

In March 2011, Brown announced that he and his New Edition bandmates were reuniting and planning a new album and tour.

The group -- made up of Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe and Johnny Gill -- had reunited periodically over the years, with and without Brown. Brown's music career initially took off with New Edition, which started as an R&B boy band. He left New Edition in 1986, after hits that included "Candy Girl," "Cool It Now," and "Mr. Telephone Man." His solo career has included his 1988 multiplatinum album, "Don't Be Cruel," which featured the hit singles "Don't Be Cruel," "Every Little Step," "Rock Wit' Cha," "My Prerogative" and "Roni."

Pinal Sheriff Paul Babeu stands by job, campaign

Against a backdrop of uniformed personnel and political supporters, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu on Saturday denied allegations that he and his attorney tried to intimidate a former boyfriend into keeping quiet about their relationship and declared he would stay in the race for Congress.

Babeu, 43, who has been a rising Republican star, called the charges, first published Friday on the Phoenix New Times website, “completely false” and characterized them as a ruse to out a conservative law-enforcement leader as gay, a fact he publicly acknowledged for the first time.

News conference | Career timeline

“I’m here to say that all these allegations that were in one of these newspapers are absolutely, completely false, except for the issues that refer to me as being gay. Because that’s the truth: I am gay,” he told reporters, photographers and TV camera crews at a news conference in front of his agency’s headquarters in Florence.

Babeu vowed to stay in the 4th Congressional District race in western Arizona, but it was unclear if his defiant denials of wrongdoing were enough to stanch the damage to his political future.

Bruce Merrill, a veteran Arizona political scientist and a senior research fellow at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, said he thinks the allegations and revelations will deal a fatal blow to Babeu’s campaign.

“You can’t overcome that, if it’s legitimate,” Merrill said. “I would be surprised that he would even continue to stay in the race. That’s the end of his political career.”

Babeu’s supporters at the press conference stood by him, praising his record and character.

Chris Emmons, a police officer and commissioned officer in the military, said he has served with Babeu in different situations and he epitomizes “the warrior ethos” of “service and not self.”

“That’s what he represents for Pinal County, the state of Arizona, and one day, God willing, he will be there in Washington supporting us all,” Emmons said.

The New Times reported that a Mexican man identified only as Jose alleged that Babeu and his attorney, Chris DeRose, threatened that he could be deported if he didn’t sign an agreement not to disclose his romantic affair with Babeu, who has a national reputation as a border-security hawk. Babeu said Saturday that he had “a personal relationship” with Jose, who volunteered on his political campaign, and acknowledged that provocative photographs of himself that accompanied the story on the New Times website were authentic.

“In regards to this whole idea of deportation, at no time did I or anyone who represents me ever threaten deportation — ever,” Babeu said. “This issue was the vehicle in which this (his sexual orientation) could be brought out publicly.”

Babeu’s two main opponents in the congressional race did not hesitate in criticizing him.

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., hit him hard not only on Jose’s allegations but for answering them with a news conference on Pinal County property in his sheriff’s uniform and flanked by county personnel.

“This is about an abuse of power, a misuse of public trust, bad judgment and the continued use of official resources for personal and political gain,” Gosar said in a written statement.

State Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, zeroed in on the revealing photos that have come to light showing Babeu in different states of undress. “To take those kind of pictures of himself and to post it on those kinds of websites shows a severe lack of judgment by an elected official,” Gould said.

Babeu disputed suggestions that the photos represent a scandal comparable to the one that last year led to the resignation of U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y. Weiner inadvertently posted a graphic photo of himself on Twitter. Unlike Weiner, Babeu said, he isn’t married and isn’t lying about the photos.

“These were photos that are mine, that I sent to an individual, that was meant only for their observation,” Babeu said. “Not to be splashed on the Internet or on TV or anything like that. There still needs to be some bounds for privacy.”

In another political ramification, Babeu on Saturday severed his ties to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. Babeu was a high-profile endorsement for Romney and served as an Arizona campaign co-chairman for him. In December, Babeu introduced Romney at an event with former Vice President Dan Quayle in Paradise Valley. The Babeu controversy surfaced just a few days before Wednesday’s high-stakes Republican presidential debate in Mesa and in the crucial run-up to Arizona’s Feb. 28 presidential-preference election.

“Sheriff Babeu has stepped down from his volunteer position with the campaign so he can focus on the allegations against him,” Romney spokesman Ryan Williams told The Arizona Republic in a written statement. “We support his decision.”

Meanwhile, Melissa Weiss-Riner, Jose’s attorney, released a statement that said Jose retained her firm after he was contacted by Babeu’s lawyer and “felt intimidated and needed someone to help protect his rights.”

She described Jose as a campaign volunteer who created and maintained several websites and accounts for Babeu from roughly 2008 until late 2011.

“Jose continues to live in fear, and is currently in the process of moving again,” the law firm’s statement said. “Therefore, he is not available to speak with the media at this time.”

In an interview with The Republic, DeRose on Saturday said neither he nor Babeu ever questioned Jose’s immigration status, and he categorically denied that they threatened to deport him.

“He is as legal as the day is long,” DeRose said. “We’ve never had any reason to doubt his legal status.”

DeRose also said he never spoke to Jose and that all communication was in writing. He said on Sept. 6, he delivered an initial cease-and-desist letter to stop Jose from accessing campaign computers without permission.

The next day, Jose responded in writing, agreeing to comply, DeRose said. Several weeks later, DeRose said, they suspected that Jose was posting personal information about Babeu on various Internet sites. DeRose told The Republic on Saturday that he then asked Jose’s attorney if her client would be willing to to sign an agreement not to engage in that kind of activity. He said Jose, through his attorney, declined.

The Republic asked DeRose several times on Friday and Saturday to provide copies of his written communication with Jose’s attorney following the cease-and-desist letter, but DeRose has not provided it. DeRose said his conversations with Jose’s attorney were cordial.

“Aggression was the farthest thing from my demeanor,” DeRose said.

The allegations may affect Babeu on a larger scale.

Pete Rios, chairman of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, said he will consult the Pinal County Attorney’s Office regarding alleged abuses of power and possible misuse of county resources. An internal audit may be an option, said Rios, a Democrat and critic of Babeu’s; he did not elaborate on what resources could have been misused.

He predicted that Babeu eventually will resign.

“Clearly this is an issue that is not going away anytime soon,” Rios said. “It will be with the sheriff for quite a while and Pinal County for quite a while. We’ll see if the sheriff sees the light and that he is truly damaging his department, law enforcement and Pinal County with these allegations.”

If there is a full-fledged investigation of any allegations, it would likely be conducted by an outside agency, possibly by the Arizona Department of Public Safety or the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, said Kostas Kalaitzidis, a county attorney spokesman.

Bryan Martyn, a Pinal County supervisor and longtime friend of the sheriff’s, said he stands by Babeu and wants any wrongdoing to be exposed.

“If there are criminal allegations here, we can pursue those,” Martyn said, “but I don’t see any reason we should ask the sheriff to step down based on an allegation.”

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who like Babeu is nationally known for an unyielding attitude toward illegal immigrants, also said Saturday that he did not plan to call for Babeu to quit.

“All I can say is he’s the sheriff of Pinal County, and it’s up to him to face his issues, not me,” Arpaio said.

Arpaio added that Babeu “has been begging me to endorse him” in the 4th district primary. Arpaio supported Gosar when he ran in 2010 in the 1st Congressional District, but had said he was reconsidering his support after Gosar chose to switch districts this year. Gould also has requested his endorsement, Arpaio said.

“I don’t even think I’m going to get involved,” Arpaio said. “We’ll see what happens with Babeu.”

U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., who represents much of the district where Babeu is running, said at a Republican candidates’ forum in Sun City West on Saturday afternoon that he was unaware of the allegations. Franks said he instinctively mistrusts the New Times, a weekly newspaper with a liberal reputation, and has been impressed by Babeu’s character in the past.

Max Wilson, GOP chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said the scandal will hurt Babeu.

“I feel pretty deceived about it,” he said.

Sean Noble, a Republican political consultant, said Babeu has done little to put concerns about official misconduct to rest and needs to go.

“He has only created more questions as a result of the press conference,” said Noble, who was chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. “In my mind, he hasn’t done what he needs to do to answer the questions that are out there.”

Babeu first came to widespread national attention after appearing in a 2010 commercial for U.S. Sen. John McCain’s re-election campaign. In the spot, McCain and Babeu are walking along the border. After McCain calls for completion of “the danged fence,” Babeu turns to him and says, “Senator, you’re one of us.”

McCain could not be reached Saturday for comment on the Babeu controversy.

Republic reporters Robert Anglen, Ronald J. Hansen and Sean Holstege contributed to this article.

Bobby Brown Crying at Whitney Houston Funeral

Whitney Houston Dies: Singer Found in Beverly Hilton Hotel Bathtub

By LEEZEL TANGLAO Feb. 12, 2012

Authorities today are investigating what caused the death of legendary singer Whitney Houston who captivated audiences with her powerful voice while battling drug use and a rocky marriage with Bobby Brown.

On Saturday, paramedics raced to the iconic Beverly Hilton Hotel and found a lifeless Houston inside her hotel room bathtub, authorities said.

Members of Houston's entourage reportedly found her unresponsive body and called hotel security.

Officials tried to resuscitate the 48-year-old singer with CPR but were unable to revive her.

Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said she was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.

"No obvious signs of foul play and no obvious signs of a cause of death," Rosen said.

Los Angeles Coroner Office officials left with Houston's body around 1:50 a.m. PT.

An autopsy is expected to be conducted today or Monday, according to ABC News Los Angeles station KABC.

The singer's cause of death remains unknown according to her publicist, Kristen Foster.

PHOTOS: Whitney Houston Through the Years

The coroner's office declined to speculate how Houston died when asked about reports that she may have drowned.

When asked about drugs in the room, Ed Winter, with the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, said he could not comment on it.

Winter said he could not comment on the condition of the body and whether she was naked or not.

Just hours before her death, Houston's mother, Cissy Houston, and her cousin, Dionne Warwick, reportedly both spoke to the singer and said there was no indication that anything was wrong.

Warwick spoke to her over the phone to check that they were seated at the same table at Davis' party and Cissy Houston talked to her at around 3:15, TMZ reported.

Clive Davis Party Houston was staying at the hotel to attend music industry executive Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy bash. It is the same event where she was introduced to the record industry nearly three decades ago. Hours after her death, the party still went on but the scene was surreal. Whitney Houston's Death: Celebrities React

The Beverly Hills crime lab was parked outside as paparazzi camped out waiting for Houston's body to emerge. Her Final Days Her final days were marked by questions about her sobriety.

Houston's stay at the Beverly Hilton involved heavy partying, according to news reports. A duet with Grammy nominee Kelly Price at a party in a Hollywood nightclub earlier this week would become Houston's final performance.

Houston was there with her daughter having a good time.

But photos show a disheveled, bloated and agitated Houston leaving and she reportedly had blood dripping down her leg, scratches on her wrist and had to be escorted from the club.

PHOTOS: Whitney Houston's Last Photos But the people who knew her said she was simply sweating from her performance.

"There was nothing wrong. There was nothing wrong. She was singing, she was dancing, she was laughing, she was playing…" Price said. "I'm going to remember her just like that because that's the Whitney I always had the pleasure of being around." ABC News' Sheila Marikar, Cecilia Vega and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston Dead 2012: But How Did She Die?

Whitney Houston was found dead in her Beverly Hilton Hotel room on Saturday (February 11, 2012), aged 48.

The American singer and actress was cited by the Guinness World Records as the most 'awarded' female singer of all time. Police and paramedics were dispatched to the hotel at around 15.43pm local time, with medical staff attempting to resuscitate the singer in her room, without success. Whitney was pronounced dead at around 15.55pm. According to BBC News, Beverly Hills spokesman Mark Rosen said Ms Houston's entourage had taken over much of the fourth floor of the hotel for the evening. He said, "There were a number of people on scene who were able to positively identify Ms

Houston for us". Although it is too early to determine the exact cause of death, Mr Rosen said there was "no obvious signs of criminal intent". Houston's background was steeped mainly in soul and gospel music, and she became recognized as the voice of her generation after a string of multi-million selling albums. In 1992, she covered the Dolly Parton song 'I Will Always Love You' for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard - the version was a huge success and

appeared at No. 68 on Billboard's "Greatest Songs of All Time". In recent years, drug use slowly took its toll on the star and her vocals in particular, music critic PAUL GAMBACCINI explained, "She did have it all, but the record is there of the decline into drug use and the damage done from drug use".

Part of a famous family, Whitney's mother was gospel singer Cissy Houston, her cousin Dionne Warwick and her godmother, Aretha Franklin. In a short statement, Aretha said, "I just can't talk about it now.It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen".

Blue Ivy Carter’s First Photos: Beyonce, Jay-Z’s Baby Girl Makes Debut

For the first time, proud parents Beyonce and Jay-Z showed off their baby girl, Blue Ivy Carter, to the world.

The first photos of the superstars’ daughter surfaced today on Jay-Z’s blog, Life + Times and on a new Tumblr blog entitled “Hello Blue Ivy Carter.” Perhaps that is where we will all watch Blue Ivy grow up?

A series of five intimate images show two photos of a peaceful baby girl with a

swath of dark hair wrapped in blankets, two photos each showing Beyonce and Jay-Z by themselves holding Blue Ivy in a cream-colored onesie, and a final, touching photo of adult fingertips touching the baby’s tiny hand.

Jay-Z also included a message with the photos, which read, “We welcome you to share in our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives!! The Carter Family.” Beyonce gave birth to Blue Ivy on Jan. 8 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

Kevin Youkilis reportedly engaged to Tom Brady's sister

Well, it's not exactly on the level of the high-profile-celebrity pairing of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, but there's news of another Boston-related pairing with high-profile connections.

According to the Boston Herald's Inside Track, Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady are about to become brothers-in-law. Youkilis is reportedly engaged to Julie Brady, one of the quarterback's three sisters.

The website says that Julie Brady is a teacher in California and will move to Florida to be with Youkilis. They spent time together in Indianapolis to watch the Super Bowl, which Tom Brady's Patriots lost to the New York Giants. It will be Julie Brady's first marriage.

According to ESPN, Youkilis took part in a marriage ceremony with Enza Sambataro in 2008, but the two never were legally married before separating. Sambataro reportedly dated Hollywood Red Sox fan Ben Affleck.

Youkilis has been known as a gritty, hard-working player and an excellent fielder in his eight-year career with the Red Sox.

Twimmolation Alert: Roland Martin Gets His Ascot in Hot Water at CNN

By JAMES PONIEWOZIK

The broadcast of the Super Bowl inspired hundreds of thousands of tweets on Twitter, and a few of them just got analyst Roland S. Martin suspended from CNN. The political commentator was criticized by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and others for tweets he posted (some of them during the game, some on earlier days) that they argued were homophobic. Among them:

f a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl Ladies, if your man don’t like sports, send his azz back to the factory. He came to you defective! #rolandsrules I’m sorry. I’m not down with seeing dudes walking around with bags on their shoulders that resemble women’s handbags. #helltothenaw Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass After a few days of criticism, CNN Wednesday issued a statement:

Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being. OK, here’s where we’re all supposed to divide into Team Hell Yes, Fire That Homophobe and Team Come On, He Didn’t Say Anything Wrong. Go ahead, but first I have to say a few words for Team I Don’t Think People Always Have to Be Punished For Saying Things That Are Nonetheless Totally Obnoxious. (We’re a small and universally despised team. But we’re scrappy!)

First, I don’t believe CNN should have suspended Martin–just as I don’t think it should have fired Octavia Nasr and Rick Sanchez, or NPR should have cut Juan Williams. There’s a whole long casualty list by now of public figures cut loose over errant (and often dumb) public remarks, often on Twitter, and the only consistent rule behind it seems to be: “If you embarrass us enough and enough people make trouble for us, we’ll punish you.” Denounce the remarks, but as I’ve said before, I’d rather journalistic outlets, which are in the business of expression and ideas, err on the side of letting people screw up.

(Just to address the inevitable counterargument: Yes, CNN has the legal right to do whatever it wants with its employees and contractors. This is not a First Amendment issue.)

But that doesn’t make Martin’s tweets OK. They were obnoxious, small, stupid, and wrong. And if he has any sense of self-awareness, he’d recognize that and really apologize–not an “I’m sorry if you’re offended” apology–instead of going into defensive mode.

Maybe he didn’t have gay people specifically in mind when he talked about smacking up a dude for wearing pink or liking David Beckham’s underwear. I can’t read his mind. And I’ll take his word he wasn’t advocating literal, physical violence.

But so what? The problem with fixating on whether the comments were literally, deliberately, provably homophobic is that that implies that belittling someone for being “unmanly”–not liking football, having overly nice underwear, liking Broadway musicals, whatever–is fine as long as he’s straight. And it’s not. The real problem with remarks like Martin’s boneheaded comments is that they, and blatant homophobia, exist on a continuum that’s all about setting rules for masculinity and punishing anyone who’s outside them. It’s no good for gay men, or straight men, or women for that matter; the undertones of the tweets are as much about sexism—this stuff is for girls, this stuff is for boys—as about homophobia. Smacking up a straight guy for wearing pink may not be a hate crime, but I’d hope we’re not cool with it anyway. (Full disclosure: I am not a football fan, I carry a shoulder-bag and I own at least two items of clothing in persimmon.)

Of course, it is gay people who have been particularly singled out for getting (literally) smacked up for deviating from the norm, and–again if Martin has a lick of sense–he should see why someone wouldn’t see it as harmless fun for a CNN personality to sit on his couch on Super Sunday and crack about slapping “dudes” who like an underwear ad.

A while back, Martin defended Tracy Morgan when the comedian got in trouble for a routine in which Morgan said he’d stab his son if he came out as gay, and I suppose Martin might defend his remarks as being like those of an edgy comedian. And the fact is, “What does it mean to be male?” is a completely legitimate topic for jokes; look at sitcoms like New Girl, some of whose best material deals with the differences between heterosexual-but-metrosexual Schmidt and his male roomies.

The difference between making a joke and being a jerk is hard to quantify, but it’s all about attitude and relative power. If you’re a TV personality cracking tweets that are all about setting you up as the definer of manhood, laughing at dudes who wear pink and telling ladies to send their football-hating man back to the man factory–that are all about you pointing out people’s differences from the norm and setting yourself up as superior–you’re pretty safely in being-a-jerk territory.

A suspension, more than anything, is corporate damage control, and any apology it forces is likely to be perfunctory and insincere. (That is, more or less, the point; not changing any attitudes, but making a public statement and moving on.) What guys like Martin need above all is public shaming and mockery, like the comment from a Buzzfeed reader on Martin’s macho-fashion-arbiter tweets: “This coming from a man who wears ascots.”* He does (see picture, above); ironically, he even sells them, some of them in a shade of dare-I-say-it pink. You can see some of his line of neckwear here. I may never be able to pull that look off, but that doesn’t make me any more of a man.

*Update: Reader Irin Carmon took exception to this line on Twitter, saying, “I don’t think the response to genderbaiting should be more genderbaiting.” I don’t think Martin should be mocked for wearing ascots, which I think are frankly awesome, but for his hypocrisy—surely someone who rocks a dandyish fashion accessory should be able to recognize that there are all kinds of way to be correctly masculine. They’re no more inherently womanish than a shoulder bag or not caring about the NFL. I may not wear ascots, but let me be clear: I fully support them.

Powerball: $310 million jackpot, record cash

By Peter Mucha Inquirer Staff Writer

Powerball's jackpot rose Wednesday night to $310 million for the annuity and a record $193.4 million for the game's cash payout.

No one hit all the numbers drawn: 17, 28, 38, 39 and 51, with a Powerball of 33.

New Jersey, though, sold one of five tickets worth $1 million for matching the first five numbers. The others were sold in North Carolina Georgia, Missouri and Nebraska.

(This story will be updated if the location of the Jersey seller becomes known today.)

The $310 million jackpot, payable in 30 yearly payments, is the Powerball's fifth biggest ever, and the 12th biggest for any U.S. lottery.

All the records could fall if this jackpot rolls over.

Powerball has gone up $110 million in just one week, fueled in part by the doubling of the cost of a ticket to $2 on Jan. 15.

It's helped that rival Mega Millions has been relatively small. It went up to $41 million, $30 million cash, when no one matched all the numbers drawn Tuesday night: 17, 23, 30, 37 and 45 with a Mega Ball of 4.

The record for any U.S. annuity jackpot was $390 million, set in March 2007 by Mega Millions. A Cape May County, N.J., couple and a Georgia trucker split the cash: $233.1 million.

Only one drawing ever paid more cash: Mega Millions paid out $240 million (less taxes) to two winners, in Idaho and Washington State, who hit on Jan. 4, 2011. That drawing had the second biggest annuity ever, $380 million.

Powerball's biggest annuity ever, $365 million, won in February 2006 by food-plant workers in Nebraska, set the all-time record for a win by a single ticket.

But the cash the winners collected - $177 million - is no longer Powerball's high mark.

The new estimated lump-sum payout has soared well beyond that to $193.4 million.