Monday, January 28, 2013

The rupee today depreciated by 24 paise to 53.92 against the dollar in early trade dollar

Rupee down 24 paise Vs USD in early trade
Deccan Herald
The rupee today depreciated by 24 paise to 53.92 against the dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on fresh demand for the US currency. Forex dealers said month-end dollar demand from oil importers and dollar's gain against other ...
See all stories on this topic »

 

Read more >>

Sunday, January 27, 2013

currency converter and exchange rate tables to your site today

MYR to INR Rates on 1/25/2013 - Exchange Rates
Historical exchange rate from Malaysian Ringgits (MYR) to Indian Rupees (INR) for January 25, 2013. ... World Currencies. Australian Dollar (AUD) ... Add our free customizable currency converter and exchange rate tables to your site today.
www.exchange-rates.org/Rate/MYR/INR/1-25-2013

 

Read more >>

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Study: Many High Achievers Do Not Attend College | Harvard ...

Rupee strengthens against dollar
Republica
Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central monetary authority, had the exchange rate of a US dollar at Rs 86 when the market opened for trading on Sunday. Rupee, however, fell for the next two days and was traded at Rs 86.40 per US dollar on Tuesday.
See all stories on this topic »

 

Read more >>

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Rossen Reports: Webcam hackers can spy on you in secret

By Jeff Rossen, Josh Davis and Robert Powell, TODAY

Could predators be spying on you and your kids through your computer's webcam? Authorities say criminals are now able to hack in and watch your every move -- without you ever knowing it.

We all do it: We use our computer, then we get distracted with something and just walk away. You forget the computer is still on. and the criminals are counting on it. Now they can access your webcam remotely, watching your most intimate moments from the kitchen to the privacy of your own bedroom. The worst part is, you'd never even know.

Computer expert Jim Stickley of TraceSecurity showed us how easy it is. From thousands of miles away he broke into one family's laptop and turned on their webcam to view teen girls in their bedroom and in their dining room as the family ate dinner. "It took about three minutes" to hack into their system, Stickley told us.

Stickley said such families are easy targets for webcam predators -- criminals like Luis Mijangos. Prosecutors say he was spying on more than 200 women through their webcams, even blackmailing some of them. He's now serving six years in prison.

Rossen Reports: TV and furniture tipovers threaten kids

"People who are victims generally have no idea that they are victims," Stickley said.

"And suddenly, someone has naked photos of you?  Or something else?" we asked.

"Suddenly you're all over the Internet," Stickley said.

So we set up an experiment using the Siegel family of New Jersey. With dad Robert's permission, we had our expert hack into their computer. How'd he do it? He sent them an innocent-looking e-card with a virus.

Rossen Reports: New device lets crooks crack many hotel locks

"They click the little link in the card and as far as they're concerned, they're going to see little quacking ducks," Stickley explained. "In reality, I've also loaded a Trojan (horse) on their computer during that time."

We told Corinne Siegel and the Siegel daughters, Chloe and Cassidy, that we were doing a general story about online security. They had no idea we were spying on them through their computer webcam. We told the girls to go upstairs. Then we let their mom in on the secret: "We actually recorded your family dinner, no one was in your house except you guys."

"It's really creepy," Corinne said. "It's absolutely creepy....my girls are in their bedroom all the time.  I'm frightened for them."

Rossen Reports: Extreme identity thieves live as you

So we took it up a notch, having our expert hack into the webcam in her daughter's upstairs bedroom, where they were waiting with our producer. Imagine if it had been a predator spying on your kids.

"I'm sick over it, actually," Corinne said as we watched. "I really am. It's upsetting to see this."

Then we gave the girls a wakeup call. "It's scary," Chloe said when we explained our experiment.

Read more investigative journalism from Rossen Reports

"Someone could potentially be watching you, and this is where you feel most comfortable," Cassidy agreed.

"I thought I was so safe the whole time, but clearly not," Chloe said.

So how can you protect yourself? Number one: Leave your laptop closed when you're not using it. You can also put a piece of tape across the webcam lens.

Secondly, don't open any emails from people you don't know. That includes clicking on those Facebook postings that say things like "Watch this incredible video!" Unless you trust the person posting, don't do it. Those random links are how the hackers gain access.

The FBI says it's impossible to know how often hackers are spying on innocent victims. But keep in mind: one guy, like Luis Mijangos, often has hundreds of women he's watching at any time.

Have an idea for a future edition of Rossen Reports? We want to hear from you! To send us your ideas, click here.

 

Read more >>

CV Market job ad Indigroup, UAB Foreign Exchange Markets

Foreign Exchange Market Commentary - Action ... - ActionForex.com
Foreign Exchange Market Commentary The EURO closed higher on Tuesday and the midrange close sets the stage for a steady opening on Wednesday.
www.actionforex.com/.../foreign-exchange-market-commenta...

Foreign Exchange Market Spooked by Rumours of Weidmann ECB ...
We are specialists in securing the best rates on your foreign currency exchange and our service is ideal for those looking to buy or sell property abroad. Choose ...
www.purefx.co.uk/.../foreign-exchange-market-spooked-by-r...

CV Market job ad Indigroup, UAB Foreign Exchange Markets ...
Handling inbound interactions from enterprise customers Perform and maintain custom system setups (MetaTrader 4/5, MySQL, Java) in New York, London and ...
www.cvmarket.lt/.../foreign-exchange-markets-syst-vilnius-ind...

 

Read more >>

Freezing: Family suffers in Sandy-damaged home

By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Dee and Scott McGrath were huddled under two blankets, both wearing hooded sweatshirts and pants, with an electric heater by their bed. Dee heard her daughter coughing through the night from the room next door and feared she was getting sick.

Though they'd tried to cover up the open gaps between the wood on the first floor of their gutted home, which was inundated by 11 feet of water during Hurricane Sandy, the chill of a deep freeze sweeping New York was seeping in. Downstairs, it was just below 20 degrees. Upstairs, where they've restored heat, it was only 60, the couple said as they recounted the Wednesday night experience.



The McGraths are not alone in their suffering: Though the number of those living without heat is a hard number for officials to gauge, more than 9,000 dwellings remain without electricity in the city, according to data from the power providers.

"It's rough, it's very stressful, it's very depressing. And you get the anxiety of not knowing when your work is going to be done and when your house is going to be back," Scott, 45, said Thursday afternoon, taking a break from working on the electrical wiring in his home. "You have emotional-like panic attacks in your head, you're thinking of what you have to do next to make sure your family don't die or get sick with the flu and stuff … you can't be exposed outdoors all day and this is being exposed outdoors."


Some 20,000 residential buildings in the city were left with some damage or disruption to their utilities after Sandy. A city program, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had restored utility services and provided replacement equipment to more than 11,800 residences as of Jan. 21, while some 7,000 are awaiting help. Work on about 1,900 dwellings is under way.

The McGraths moved back in two weeks after the storm, but they only got heat on Jan. 2. Before then, they had been running nine to a dozen electric heaters off two generators at a cost of $80 a day. Until this weekend, they had to take showers and use the toilet at a neighbor's home.

Miranda Leitsinger / NBC News

Dee Young-McGrath and her husband, Scott McGrath, stand Thursday in the first floor of their gutted home where the temperature dropped to just under 20 degrees the night before. It's hard to get the rebuilding done in such cold weather, they said.

"My poor daughter is sick in bed right now running a fever and I have to have an electric heater running for her besides my heat," he said of Crystal, 21, a meter reader for one of the city's power providers, Con Edison of New York. Upstairs the thermostat showed it was 60 degrees. "It's pretty sad and she's wrapped up in two blankets."

Although the McGraths' home received help from the federal government's Rapid Repairs program, Scott said the program's subcontractors had botched the installation work, with leaks springing in the pipes when the boiler was turned on. His brother, a plumber, fixed the problems.

They got electricity earlier, on Christmas Eve. But the work done by Rapid Repairs was "basic," Scott said, leaving them with few outlets, such as just two in the kitchen. He was installing more outlets on Thursday before eventually putting up insulation and dry wall.

The couple has done almost all of the repair work on their own, finishing the bathroom downstairs, with a shower and toilet, this weekend. Though it was an achievement they had looked forward to, the timing couldn't have been worse with the onset of the subzero temps this week. 

 "It is completely unbearable to step foot out of my bedroom," said Dee Young-McGrath, 42. "It's like torture to sit on an ice-cold toilet. And the shower, I mean, we have holes in the wall back there … it's just excruciating."

The couple, who have lived in the home for 10 years, said they stayed for several reasons, including that FEMA housing options were either too far away or in troubled city neighborhoods, and many places wouldn't take dogs. They have a 10-year-old dog, Brownie, a chocolate lab and border collie mix.

"Their (FEMA) answer was to tell me to put my dog in a shelter. That is my family. … I'd rather sleep in my car before I put my dog in a shelter," Scott said as he called a tail-wagging Brownie "Daddy's little girl" and gave her a kiss.

They also stayed since they'd heard stories of vandalism.

"Whatever I have left, I want to keep," he said. "You stay here to protect your property, what's left."

Though the days are long and dark for them, there was a little levity when Katie jokingly offered a reporter a cold drink. One wall on the first floor is lined with bottles of water, a two-liter orange soda and a few energy drinks.

Katie said they were lucky to have a roof over their heads when others still did not and were sheltering at warming centers, but they both said the stress and depression has been great.

Scott said on some days he could not motivate himself to get out of bed and his hands would tremble when he was overcome with anxiety. They have been given sick leave from their jobs at Con Edison, where he is an investigative inspector and she an instructor, due to the emotional toll. The cold, with a forecast that it may snow on Friday or over the weekend, is making it even worse.

"I have … panic attacks, anxiety at night, wondering what's going to happen to my house. You know, running electric heaters, I start to panic, thinking that I'm going to cause a fire," Scott said.

"This is not a way (for) a person to live," he said. "It's depressing to come here every day and you're living in this house."

NBC Nightly News' Katy Tur contributed to this report.

 

Read more >>

FW: Google Alert - lawyer

Manti Te'o was talking to man
ESPN
The woman whose picture was used to create Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend has been identified, but the voice of the woman who had hours of late-night phone calls with the Notre Dame star linebacker has remained silent. Turns out that's because it ...
See all stories on this topic »

Feds: Fugitive lawyer who defrauded client faces new charge
Chicago Tribune
A disbarred Chicago lawyer who was on the lam for more than six years was arraigned on a new federal charge of failing to surrender for a mail fraud sentence in 2006, according to federal authorities. The one-count indictment was returned Wednesday for ...
See all stories on this topic »

Lawyer for parents of slain Pace player: Police account misleading
CBSSports.com
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- The first police account of an officer's fatal shooting of a college football player was purposely misleading and served as a faulty "script" for the investigation, a lawyer for the student's parents said Thursday. The lawyer ...
See all stories on this topic »

Shero lawyer: Acquit him
Philadelphia Inquirer
Lawyer Burton A. Rose urged the Common Pleas Court jurors not to be swayed by the salacious nature of the charges against Bernard Shero: rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, child endangerment and two other related counts.
See all stories on this topic »


Philadelphia Inquirer

'Spider-Man' Producers, Taymor Reach Settlement, Lawyer Says
Bloomberg
The producers of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” settled a lawsuit brought by the show's fired director, Julie Taymor, two weeks after a judge set a May trial date, a lawyer for Taymor said. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in ...
See all stories on this topic »

Bilbo Baggins had a wicked lawyer
Fortune
121231050255-bilbo-hobbit-ring-gallery-horizontal FORTUNE -- Bilbo Baggins' employment contract with dwarves in The Hobbit is five feet long when unfurled. Replicas of the actual movie prop—which really does contain all the legal verbiage—are being ...
See all stories on this topic »


Fortune

Lawyer in shock jock trial arrested in Tampa
MiamiHerald.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- The defamation suit against radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge took an unusual turn when the lawyer for the man suing Clem was arrested on a drunk driving charge. Charles Philip Campbell Jr. - who is the lawyer for Todd "MJ" Schnitt ...
See all stories on this topic »

Lawyer says she was fired for adopting child
Seattle Post Intelligencer
WASHINGTON (AP) — An attorney is suing one of Washington's most prominent law firms, claiming she was fired for taking time off to adopt a child. Pamela Levinson of Bethesda has filed a $5 million gender discrimination lawsuit against Wilmer Cutler ...
See all stories on this topic »

Flossmoor resident named 'Super Lawyer'
SouthtownStar
John F. Shonkwiler, of Flossmoor, recently was named a Super Lawyer for 2013 by the Super Lawyers organization, a rating service of lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional ...
See all stories on this topic »

Schuette questions Diane Hathaway's fitness as a lawyer
Detroit Free Press
“I am sure that the attorney general knows that after Tuesday's hearing all of the lawyers involved, including the judge, are required to report a conviction to the Attorney Grievance Commission.” Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com ...
See all stories on this topic »

Lawyer for servicewomen who sued for right to combat 'thrilled' by Panetta ...
KTVU San Francisco
A lawyer for four servicewomen who sued the U.S. Department of Defense for the right to have combat duty said in San Francisco Thursday that she and her clients are "thrilled" that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the lifting of the combat ban.
See all stories on this topic »

Judge suspends DUI lawyer's driver's license
Turn to 10
A lawyer who specializes in drunken driving cases and is being charged with DUI for the second time in a year had her driver's license suspended Thursday. A Traffic Tribunal judge suspended Layne Savage's license pending the outcome of a hearing next ...
See all stories on this topic »

Lawyer who missed deadline can't appeal: court
Thomson Reuters News & Insight
NEW YORK, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court has denied a communications company's bid to appeal a decision related to the bankruptcy of WorldCom, finding that the company's attorney failed to meet a key deadline through his own negligence.
See all stories on this topic »


Thomson Reuters News & Insight

Erie lawyer Mead announces candidacy for judge
GoErie.com
Erie lawyer Jamie Mead announced his candidacy for Erie County judge this morning in a ceremony crowded with friends and family and supporters. Standing at a podium in Courtroom H in the Erie County Courthouse, Mead, 54, said his long, diverse legal ...
See all stories on this topic »

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo's Lawyer Just Made the Manti Te'o Hoax Even Creepier ...
Complex.com (blog)
Yesterday, ESPN was able to track down a copy of Manti Te'o's cell phone records to prove that he did, in fact, spend more than 500 hours on the phone talking to someone that he thought to be his girlfriend Lennay Kekua between May and September of ...
See all stories on this topic »


Complex.com (blog)

Cops: Ex-Lawyer Bilked Shelton Developer Out Of $175K
Valley Independent Sentinel
Snaider's lawyer, Ira Grudberg, declined to comment on the specific allegations Thursday, but said his client would probably plead not guilty in the case at his next court appearance, scheduled for Jan. 29 at Superior Court in Milford. According to an ...
See all stories on this topic »


Valley Independent Sentinel

Not guilty plea by lawyer in Ohio pain pill case
FOX19
A Metro bus route was temporarily delayed after a fender bender in Lower Price Hill.Authorities say it happened at the intersection of W. 8th Street and State Avenue on Thursday afternoon.A semi-truckFull Story >. A semi-truck hit a Metro bus from ...
See all stories on this topic »

Battery probe ongoing re Los Angeles jail dispute between lawyers for high ...
ABA Journal
Valerie Wass, who is representing Conrad Murray on appeal, said she was "forced" by attorney Ryan Flanagan out of a lawyer visiting room at the Men's Central Jail after she opened the door Tuesday, and she filed a police report about the incident, the ...
See all stories on this topic »

Lawyer: 'Johns' cut deal to testify against Strong
Seacoastonline.com
Lawyer: 'Johns' cut deal to testify against Strong. Prosecutor says one client visited Alexis Wright 42 times. Today's most viewed articles. Owner of truck stop mulls suit against town - 1/24/2013; Sarah Mildred Long Bridge closed to traffic - 1/24 ...
See all stories on this topic »

Non-lawyer Tata still apparently reviewing Attorney General letter
The Progressive Pulse
Hey, we know former Wake schools boss Anthony Tata is both not a lawyer and new in his job as DOT Secretary, but how long does it take to read a three-page letter? Two weeks ago, the new Transportation secretary said he'd do whatever the law required ...
See all stories on this topic »


The Progressive Pulse

Lawyer: Te'o 'girlfriend' on phone was man
KAJ18 Kalispell Montana News
(CBS Sports) A lawyer for Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the alleged mastermind behind the Lennay Kekua hoax, claims his client used a falsetto voice to impersonate Manti Te'o's girlfriend during all-night phone conversations. ESPN previously reported on lengthy ...
See all stories on this topic »

Salida, lawyer settle free speech suit for $43000
Denver Post
Lawyer Daniel Zettler says that during a boat race in 2011 in Salida, he shouted to a man who was being detained by officers, "Don't forget your constitutional right to remain silent." Zettler says one officer arrested him on a charge of obstructing a ...
See all stories on this topic »

 

Read more >>

Top Online Graduate Schools Colleges

Will online education trash graduate schools? | EduBubble
Gregory Ferenstein at TechCrunch rolls out the usual discourse about the immense potential of online education. Along the way, he drops a bombshell and ...
edububble.com/dpp/?p=4151

Top Online Graduate Schools Colleges
Six main constituents of persuasive college students all around endows the newsweek graduate program rankings campus and pay for a college of Nursing staff ...
onlineschoolhelp.com/top-online-graduate-schools-colleges/

Online Graduate Programs Uf
Here are the best choice for anyone who needs or wants to go into nonprofit and government ...
onlineuniversityadvice.com/online-graduate-programs-uf/

Online Graduate Schools For Criminology
For prerequisites you usually faced by India as far as its economy the demand for financial and management and Research The Institute has an effective ...
onlineschoolhelp.com/online-graduate-schools-for-criminology/

Graduate & Doctorate Programs
Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions. Classroom; Online; Accelerated. Loretto Heights School of Nursing. Program Name, Degree, Minor, Format ...
www.regis.edu/...and.../Graduate-and-Doctorate-Programs.asp...

 

Read more >>

FRA5SVAAKSJASA

Gold Price Declines, Analysts Divided on Outlook
International Business Times
GOLD PRICE NEWS – The price of gold turned lower on Thursday amid widespread weakness in precious metals. The spot gold price fell by as much as $22.03, or 1.3%, to $1,664.27 per ounce in morning trading, but subsequently pared its losses on its way ...
See all stories on this topic »


International Business Times

What Could Go Wrong? And How Gold Will Benefit!
Gold Seek
Then listen to one of the premier financial intellects of our time – Jim Sinclair. He expects the price of gold will trade much higher than $3,500 per ounce. Read his thoughts at Jim Sinclair's MineSet. Are higher gold prices inevitable? Of course not ...
See all stories on this topic »

Gold Price Rallies Most in Six Weeks, US Dollar Tumbles
International Business Times
Silver jumped in conjunction with the gold price, by $0.49, or 1.6%, to $30.87 per ounce. In doing so, the prices of gold and silver posted their largest single-day gains since November 6th and November 23rd, respectively. Furthermore, both precious ...
See all stories on this topic »


International Business Times

The Gold Rush That Changed Everything
DailyFinance (press release)
Within the first five years of the Gold Rush, an estimated 12 million ounces of gold were extracted from the Californian soil. Because the price of gold was fixed in dollar terms at $20.67 per ounce throughout the 1840s and 1850s, this amounted to just ...
See all stories on this topic »

Gold's Bull-Run Seen Topping Out In 2013/14
Gulf Business News
The survey of 37 analysts carried out by Reuters in January predicted an average spot gold price of $1,775 an ounce in 2013, 6.4 per cent higher than last year's average of $1,668, based on the Reuters nominal spot closing price. The average gold price ...
See all stories on this topic »

 

 

Read more >>

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

US Dollar(USD) To Indian Rupee(INR) on 21 Jan 2013 (21/01/2013) Currency Exchange

USD to INR Rates on 1/18/2013 - Exchange Rates
Historical exchange rate from US Dollars (USD) to Indian Rupees (INR) for January ... Add our free customizable currency converter and exchange rate tables to ...
www.exchange-rates.org/Rate/USD/INR/1-18-2013

on 21 Jan 2013 (21/01/2013) - The US Dollar Exchange - Currency ...
US Dollar(USD) To Indian Rupee(INR) on 21 Jan 2013 (21/01/2013) Currency Exchange - Foreign Currency Exchange Rates and Currency Converter ...
usd.fx-exchange.com/.../2013_01_21-exchange-rates-history....

(US Dollars) to PKR - Exchange Rates
Historical exchange rate from US Dollars (USD) to Pakistan Rupees (PKR) for ... Add our free customizable currency converter and exchange rate tables to your ...
www.exchange-rates.org/Rate/USD/PKR/1-18-2013

 

 

Read more >>

rupee up 33 paise against US dollar

 

Rupee gains 23 paise against dollar
The Hindu
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs. 842.95 cr on Monday as per provisional data from the stock exchanges. In overseas market, the US dollar held steady on Monday against most major currencies and the yen rebounded from ...
See all stories on this topic »

rupee up 33 paise against US dollar
Business Today
The Indian rupee on Tuesday strengthened by 33 paise to 53.44 against the US dollar in early trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (forex) market on selling of the US currency by exporters amid foreign capital inflows. The domestic currency had shed ...
See all stories on this topic »


Business Today

 

Read more >>

Important Tips For Foreign Exchange Market Success piernogui

Foreign Exchange Market Commentary - Action ... - ActionForex.com
Foreign Exchange Market Commentary The EURO closed lower due to profit taking on Wednesday and the midrange close sets the stage for a steady opening ...
www.actionforex.com/.../foreign-exchange-market-commenta...

Important Tips For Foreign Exchange Market Success piernogui
Important Tips For Foreign Exchange Market Success janvier 16 2013. Infos : , rétrolien. Forex is a marketplace where foreign currency is exchanged.
piernogui.blogvie.com/.../important-tips-for-foreign-exchange...

Get To Know The Foreign Exchange Market Well Through These ...
Anyone who trades on the Foreign Exchange market should know when to stay in the market and when it is time to get out. Many traders take too long waiting for ...
www.121daytrading.com/get-to-know-the-foreign-exchange-...

This study analyses foreign exchange market ... - Project MUSE
This study analyses the foreign exchange market disequilibrium in Pakistan. ... changes in exchange market variables, i.e., exchange rate and foreign reserves.
muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of...areas/.../47.1.ahmed.pdf

 

Read more >>

Monday, January 21, 2013

Foreign Exchange Market Commentary

 

Foreign Exchange Market Commentary
Action Forex
Foreign Exchange Market Commentary · Print · E-mail. Daily Forex Technicals | Written by HY Markets | Jan 21 13 05:45 GMT. Foreign Exchange Market Commentary. The EURO closed lower on Friday and the midrange close sets the stage for a steady ...
See all stories on this topic »

 

Read more >>

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Idol' shows its mean side in season premiere

By Craig Berman, TODAY contributor

FOX

Despite having a nice voice and an inspiring story, Evan Ruggiero did not get a ticket to Hollywood.

"American Idol" made its season 12 debut on Wednesday, and as expected, the judges took center stage. Fox is paying Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban a lot of money, so it makes sense that the first few minutes would be spent making sure we all knew what big stars they are.

But after the introductions and the obligatory crowd shots, once hopefuls actually got down to auditioning, the audience found something else was different this year: There was more casual meanness on Wednesday than in years past, in a sneaky kind of way, as if "Idol" were sending a message to its viewers.

Take Evan Ruggiero, for example. He was an inspiration, a cancer survivor who lost his leg to the disease but still has a perfectly nice voice, can play the guitar and sounds like a showman. He was a shoo-in to make it to Hollywood … except that's not what happened. He got no votes at all – all four said they were inspired by him, but that doesn't pay for the flight to California. Is the show that desperate to avoid a sixth straight guy-with-a-guitar champion?

Strange.

Not quite as strange as the editing surrounding Brett Holt's audition, however. The clips made it sound like he was one of the best voices ever and a unanimous pick to go through ... except that that was all a trick and he actually wasn't good at all and got cut. What was the point of that?

One new wrinkle for "Idol" this season is that the show is going beyond the audition cities to seek talent. Randy Jackson went all the way to Staten Island (which may not seem far from New York City, unless you're in a car during rush hour) to hear 19-year-old Jessica Kartalis after she was nominated by her mother. He gave her a pass to sing in front of the judges. Doesn't that seem like a guaranteed golden ticket?

It wasn't. Four more no votes. Thanks for nothing, Mom!

"Idol" also presented not one but two auditioners with heavy accents who failed to make it through: James Bae and Albert Chang. Plus William Hung got a shout-out later in the show.

And yes, there was sniping between Mariah and Nicki, but nothing too crazy – just disputes over hats and "Mean Girls" lines and British accents. It's the amuse bouche for the drama that by all accounts is coming later.

"Idol" did spend some time on singers we'll be sure to hear again in Hollywood and perhaps beyond. Sarah Restuccio, for example, made it through with a country song, then cemented her status as an early favorite by performing Nicki's "Super Bass." Changing the lyrics to "you all drink Coke" also indicates she has a keen grasp of the product placement forces that drive the show. Plus, based on her background clips, Sarah can shoot a bow and arrow, so if one of the twists this season is a "Hunger Games" type of event, she's a good bet to go far.

Subway busker Frankie Ford advanced based on sheer force of personality as much as anything else. Ashlee Feliciano did a nice job closing the show and introducing her family, who fosters and adopts "medically complex" children. And while it's hard to see Gurpreet Singh Sarin – "The Turbanator" – going far, at least he'll get another chance to coordinate his outfits at the next stage of the competition. (Or "Idol" will digitally enhance his duds, as the show did with his turban.)

Viewers also got some trivia. For example, now we all know there's a Camp Mariah, named after Mariah Carey. It serves nearly 300 New York City teenagers each summer in Fishkill, N.Y., and is a career awareness camp rather than a singing academy. Apparently, the career guidance hopeful Tenna Torres received was "make music," because the Camp Mariah alum was the first to get her ticket to Hollywood.

We also found out that Mariah Carey is very good about making everything about Mariah Carey. Hard to believe that that would inspire conflict, but based on the preview clips, we'll see a lot of that Thursday during the Chicago auditions

 

Read more >>