Travis Garland

Or perhaps it is "American Idol" that believes in Travis Garland, because they welcomed the 20-year-old singer on a high-profile results show to perform his new hit "Believe."

Garland was originally part of the boyband NLT (Not Like Them), which also featured "Glee's" Kevin McHale (Artie). Garland struck out on his own and has used an endorsement from blogger Perez Hilton to really make it big.

What did you think of Garland on "American Idol"? Are you going to buy his single "Believe," which was penned by Jessica Simpson, interestingly enough. Garland's album is set to debut later this year, but getting to perform on the penultimate "American Idol" results show is a pretty good jumping-off point.

BlancheLincoln

Willie Holmes moved to Arkansas last year to push Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D) on the union membership bill known as "card check." He lost, but he stayed to sway her vote on health care.
That did not go his way, either, but Holmes is still here. On Tuesday, he sat with four colleagues in the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 155 union hall and waited for the votes to roll in. He was hoping that, this time, Lincoln would fall.

Holmes is a field director for Working America, an AFL-CIO operation that played a big role in keeping Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D) competitive with Lincoln, a well-known and well-financed incumbent.

"If people say they're voting for Blanche Lincoln," Holmes said, "we try to change their mind."

Working America started eight weeks ago with six organizers. At its peak, the group sent 45 paid workers a day to knock on doors, Holmes said. In all, the group spoke to about 90,000 people in 27 towns and sent 1.75 million pieces of pro-Halter mail.

A pairing of the Service Employees International Union and the Communications Workers of America reached an additional 85,400 prospective voters who agreed to discuss the Senate campaign, said Jon Youngdahl, SEIU national political director.

SEIU, which has only 1,000 members in the state, spent more than $1.5 million, including a $1 million television buy, Youngdahl said. The national AFL-CIO spent $3 million or more on Halter's behalf, spokesman Eddie Vale said.

The effort was fruitful: Lincoln and Halter are heading to a June 8 runoff.

That pleased Halter, who said Tuesday evening that his campaign was "on the way to a very, very good night."

"Three weeks from today," Halter said, "we're going to finish the job."

Call of duty black ops world premiere

Now that we have had the world’s first reveal trailer for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops title – we can’t help but feel that one main addition was missing from the trailer – the possible mention of zombie mode.

It is no secret that Nazi Zombies in CoD: World at War was the best thing in the game, as if offered gamers a completely different experience from the usual single and multiplayer modes.

As we watched the trailer and in turn the new characters and weapons, there was no mention of a return for zombies. Has Treyarch decided that a zombie mode does not ‘fit’ into the Black Ops title, or are they saving a reveal for E3 in June.

Hopefully it is the latter, as I have to say that I was a big fan of the zombie mode in WaW. A future CoD title from Treyarch without zombie mode just doesn’t feel right now.

Maybe the team are planning a standalone release for their zombie add-on, separate from the Black Ops disc, or it could come as future DLC content. Now that would be something to look forward to.

Give us your thoughts on this. Were you disappointed in no zombies during the trailer, or are you more concerned about the core single and multiplayer elements of the game?

2010 nba draft order

Here is the 2010 NBA Draft Order. The 2010 NBA Draft will take place on June 24, 2010, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The first 14 picks were decided at the NBA Draft Lottery, won by the Washington Wizards, who moved up from the fifth spot. The Philadelphia 76ers moved up four spots from sixth to second in the lottery.

The rest of the picks were decided by reverse order of standings.
First Round:
1. Washington Wizards
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. New Jersey Nets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Sacramento Kings
6. Golden State Warriors
7. Detroit Pistons
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Utah Jazz (via Phoenix, New York)
10. Indiana Pacers
11. New Orleans Hornets
12. Memphis Grizzlies
13. Toronto Raptors
14. Houston Rockets
15. Milwaukee Bucks (via Chicago Bulls)
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Denver, Charlotte)
17. Chicago Bulls (via Milwaukee Bucks)
18. Miami Heat
19. Boston Celtics
20. San Antonio Spurs
21. Oklahoma City Thunder
22. Portland Trail Blazers
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Philadelphia, Utah)
24. Atlanta Hawks
25. Memphis Grizzlies (via Denver Nuggets)
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Phoenix Suns)
27. New Jersey Nets (via Dallas Mavericks)
28. Memphis Grizzlies (via LA Lakers)
29. Orlando Magic
30. Washington Wizards (via Cleveland Cavaliers)

Joe Sestak

Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak defeated Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic Senate primary, a large-scale political upset that ends the career of one of the enduring figures in Pennsylvania politics.

"This election is about you," said Sestak in his victory speech. "This is what democracy looks like: a win for the people, over the establishment, over the status quo, even over Washington, D.C."

Specter, who is 80 years old and has served since 1980 in the Senate, called it a "great privilege" to have served in the Senate and added that he would "be working very, very hard for the people of the commonwealth in the coming months."

Specter had built a reputation over his decades in Congress as a quirky but effective legislator. He played a prominent role in a series of Supreme Court confirmation hearings -- including those of Robert Bork and Justice Clarence Thomas -- from his perch atop the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In other Pennsylvania news, former Congressional aide Mark Critz (D) soundly defeated businessman Tim Burns (R) in a special election in a southwestern Pennsylvania House race to replace his late boss -- Rep. Jack Murtha (D) -- a race that had drawn considerable national attention from both parties.

Across the country, ophthalmologist Rand Paul soundly defeated Secretary of State Trey Grayson to claim the Republican Senate nomination in Kentucky while state Attorney General Jack Conway claimed the Democratic nod. In Arkansas, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D) and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter will face each other in a June 8 runoff after the incumbent failed to break 50 percent tonight. On the Republican side, Rep. John Boozman was running very close to the 50 percent mark, keeping the possibility alive that he would bypass a runoff despite a crowded GOP field. In Oregon, former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) easily won his party's nomination to seek his old office while former NBA player Chris Dudley led the Republican field.

The marquee contest of the night -- without question -- was in Pennsylvania where Specter's career came to an abrupt end.

Following his party switch last spring, Specter was seen as a strong favorite in his primary fight against Sestak. President Barack Obama did quite a bit for Specter -- appearing at a rally with the incumbent and appearing in radio and television ads for him in the Philadelphia area in the final weeks of the campaign. Obama resisted making a final stop in the last 48 hours of the race -- traveling instead to Youngstown, Ohio to make the case for his economic stimulus package.

Sestak overcame his early deficit in polls by tying Specter closely to George W. Bush in one particularly devastating ad -- reminding Democrats of their trust issues with the newest member of their party.

Sestak will move onto face former Rep. Pat Toomey (R) in the general election. Toomey said that he and Sestak have "clearly very different approaches to our view on public policy."

The story early in the night was Paul's strong victory.

Paul, unlike some other Republican candidates for office, wholeheartedly embraced the tea party crowd, channeling the energy captured by his father, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, during the 2008 presidential race.

"I have a message from the tea party," said Paul at his victory speech. "We've come to take our government back." He added: "this tea party movement is a message to Washington that we are unhappy and we want things done differently."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) had endorsed Grayson as had a number of other GOP establishment figures including former Vice President Dick Cheney. In recent days, however, McConnell had made clear that he would back either Republican -- a recognition of Paul's frontrunner status.

"Dr. Paul ran an outstanding campaign which clearly struck a chord with Kentucky voters," McConnell said in the wake of Paul's across-the-board victory.

Grayson quickly called for the Republican party to unite behind Paul. A unity rally is scheduled for Saturday.

Conway, who trailed for much of the race, came from behind to oust Mongiardo in an extremely close contest.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (N.J.) compared Paul to the outgoing senator, citing retiring Sen. Jim Bunning's (R) "erratic behavior" and drawing parallels to Paul.

Arlen Specter

If Democrats wanted to defeat Republican Senate nominee Patrick Toomey, he argued to voters, they'd need a fighter, one who happened to have spent the past 45 years as a Republican. In what was probably the final campaign of a storied career, the Republican-turned-Democrat eschewed the conventional wisdom of this election season -- that incumbents were endangered, the electorate angry and restless, experience no longer in vogue. Instead, Specter bragged about his three decades of senatorial seniority and his ability to deliver federal dollars to his state.

"Remember Popeye, who used to say, 'I am what I am'? I don't think anyone could dress me in different attire. I am what I am," Specter told reporters before the polls closed.

Specter is still what he is, but on Tuesday, Pennsylvania's Democratic voters ended one of the most colorful national political careers of the past several decades. Specter's gamble that Democrats would embrace him for what he was didn't pay off, as his primary opponent, Rep. Joe Sestak, claimed momentum in the closing days of the race and never looked back.

Specter, who had turned blurring political and societal lines into an art form, was left to ponder his gamble.

His campaign blamed the defeat on the fervent anti-incumbent mood that is sweeping the country, in both parties, as demonstrated by the defeat this month of three-term Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) at his party's nominating convention and last week's primary defeat of veteran Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W. Va.).

"It's everywhere," Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa.), Specter's longtime friend and close political adviser, said after Specter's concession speech.

Rendell said that the opponent did not matter, and that the only thing Sestak did right was picking a "great ad" company, a reference to the Sestak consultants who previously worked for Rendell.

Specter and his 30 years of incumbency became a "lightning rod" for voters angry about the lasting effects of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Rendell said, adding that the party switch played into voters' distrust of career politicians.

"Switching parties is always tough," the governor said.

Turnout was very light in Specter's most critical region, his home town of Philadelphia. There, with more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, fewer than 160,000 voters had cast ballots. While Specter was winning those votes by a two-to-one margin, the total number for the incumbent was shaping up to be more than 100,000 fewer votes than Rendell collected here in his competitive 2002 primary.

Specter's advisers blamed a malaise among Pennsylvania's Democrats. But Specter loyalists may find clues to his demise in the senator's shifting alliances.

Nbc.com biggest loser

As I said in the episode, Makeovers are my favorite. I love being a part of the moment when the contestants get to sit back, take a break from the game, from the working out, from everything, to really appreciate what they have accomplished.
They all looked so fantastic. In fact, when i came to shoot their family reveal, I saw Michael, Koli & Sam hanging out behind the crew trucks I was telling them all how great they look and chatting with them when I realized they were kinda chuckling. And that's when I realized I had walked RIGHT PAST Daris, that I hadn't even recognized him! He said it had been happening all day.
Ahsanti was so wonderful. I loved meeting her, and hearing her perform live. She was great! And man we got a show. She sang a bunch of songs and was even taking requests. We all got up and were dancing, rockin' out to her music. It was a really fun night.
and YES. it was FREEZING... the whole episode it seems. How incredible was that challenge? Daris & Koli squaring off for 2 hours? it was so intense. Only for all of us, watching, we were so cold!
Sam's elimination totally got to me. After we shot it, I tweeted about it. People always ask me how i manage not to cry, well, listening to everyone talk about Sam, hearing Sam tell Koli how he felt, and actually Koli had a lot to say to Sam to, all of which was so emotional and sincere, it totally choked me up. And Sam & Stephanie couldn't be cuter. I love them together. They are so sweet & in love. I'm so happy for them. I loved Steph's comment "i have a case of the Sams." Ha. adorable.

One thing I've learned in my seasons - anyone can win. Age, gender, size... none of it matters in comparison to the will to do it. so... who do you think is out? who's your favorite right now to win it all?

a few new pics at the end from makeovers:

Prop 100 Results

Proposition 100 looks to pass easily for the state of Arizona, with a 2-1 margin. With the passing of Prop 100, the residents of Arizona will allow a 1 cent sales tax increase on every dollar spent. The increase in sales tax in the state of Arizona will help to better fund the Arizona’s public safety as well as education.

According to the Secretary of the State of Arizona, with 41.1 percent fo votes counted already, the Prop 100 tax increase was passing with a 64.1 percentage to a 35.9 percentage. These results were at 8:50 pm with 14 counties of Arizona’s 15 counties already reporting.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer told about 200 supporters at Madison Middle School in Phoenix "Doing the right thing almost always means doing the hard thing, and today, (voters) did the hard thing.

Lee Dewyze Hallelujah

American Idol is quickly coming ton an end and one of the best performances that we have seen thus far was Lee Dewyze singing Hallelujah. From his inflection to the tone it was perfect.

Lee Dewyze truly has what it takes to win American Idol. He has the looks, the charisma, and most importantly he has the vocals chords that rival those of Bono of U2 and that Greenday lead Billie Joe Armstrong. The WireUpdate staff would like to predict now that tonight’s performance is what catapults Lee towards winning the competition.

We would like to know what you thought of Lee’s performance tonight on American Idol. Scroll down below and leave your comment.

Dancing with the stars results may 18

Dancing with the Stars the results show revealed who got voted off during the May 18, 2010 elimination round. With only seven points separating the top performance from the bottom, the celebrity contestants were counting heavily on votes from their fans to carry them through to next weeks Dancing with the Stars finals.

Nicole Scherzinger and Evan Lysacek tied for the top position on the Dancing with the Stars leader board last night, with a score of 59 from the judges. Erin Andrews took second position with a score of 56 and Chad Ochocinco landed at the bottom with a score of 52. It was anyone's guess as to who would get voted off Dancing with the Stars on May 18th.

These four Dancing with the Stars semi-finalists have been fan favorites from the beginning. However, there are only three slots available for the Dancing with the Stars finale. In the end, one celebrity contestant must be voted off.

The contestant voted off Dancing with the Stars on May 18, 2010 was Chad Ochocinco.

What did Chad Ochocinco think of his Dancing with the Stars experience?

"This was awesome, I enjoyed the journey," Ochocinco said. "I met some wonderful people, and I got some great criticism that's only made me stronger. In my eyes, I have already won."