MUNICH (Hollywood Reporter) - For the first time in recent memory, Germans spent less time in front of their TVs in 2007 than they did the year before, according to a new survey.

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PERTH (Reuters) - The United States made it two wins out of two at the Hopman Cup on Monday when Tomas Berdych retired through illness midway through the mixed doubles of their encounter with the Czech Republic.

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BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - For years, anyone needing a nicotine fix in a German pub or French cafe didn’t even have to light up — the air was already so full of smoke that they only had to open their mouth and inhale.

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NEW YORK (Billboard) - What’s the biz to do when the top-selling album of 2007 was a Christmas project released in November, Josh Groban’s “Noel,” and the second-best was a soundtrack to Disney’s “High School Musical” movie sequel?

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TORONTO (Billboard) - In a strong year for Canadian talent, acts ranging from alt-rock band Arcade Fire to polka king Walter Ostanek have tallied up no fewer than 20 Grammy Award nominations among them.

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DENVER (Billboard) - Rock band Radiohead’s decision to release its new album “In Rainbows” by itself — online, without a record label’s help and at any price the user chose — rocked the industry last fall.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Baltimore Ravens sacked long-time head coach Brian Billick on Monday, a day after finishing a disappointing 5-11 season.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internet-based calling company Vonage Holdings Corp said it has agreed to settle a patent dispute with Nortel Networks with no payment of damages, sending its share up more than 8 percent.

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CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - World number two Rafael Nadal made a losing start to his new season on Monday when he and his partner Bartolome Salva-Vidal were defeated in their opening doubles match at the Chennai Open.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brendan Shanahan’s overtime goal sparked the New York Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

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PERTH (Reuters) - Tennis authorities have a tough task to stop match-fixing because it is too easy to fix results, said Martina Navratilova.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Washington Redskins rolled into the playoffs with a 27-6 home win over the Dallas Cowboys on the final day of the regular season on Sunday.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - With the New England Patriots’ unbeaten regular season installed in the record books, the NFL spotlight swings to the runup for the Super Bowl which kicks off with wild card weekend Saturday and Sunday.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - As if 2007 could get any worse for Lindsay Lohan, now this: Moviegoers tagged her with the year’s worst performance by an actress.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Portland Trail Blazers rolled to their 13th consecutive victory on Sunday with a crushing 97-72 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

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LONDON (Reuters) - The Archbishop of Canterbury has followed the Queen’s lead in posting his annual message on YouTube, where his green theme for the New Year is “God doesn’t do waste”.

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DUBLIN (Reuters) - A jumps race at Tramore in south-east Ireland on Monday ended in farce with nine of the jockeys banned for five days.

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DENVER (Billboard) - There is a reason people still buy CDs more than they do digital albums. Actually there are several, but viruses that come along with music via peer-to-peer sites (P2P) and a concern over digital rights management (DRM) aren’t the only culprits.

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MIAMI (Reuters) - Miami Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller was fired on Monday by executive vice-president of football operations Bill Parcells.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cell phone maker Motorola Inc and Metrologic Instruments Inc have settled all outstanding patent infringement disputes, the two companies said in a joint statement on Monday.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - Bill Belichick returned to Giants Stadium on Saturday to cap a perfect season and answer critics who wondered if the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl successes were tainted.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alexander Ovechkin contributed four goals and an assist to lift the visiting Washington Capitals to an 8-6 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hit movies starring Nicolas Cage and the Chipmunks led a strong slate of diverse crowd pleasers at the North American box office on Sunday.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Philadelphia 76ers traded forward Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz in exchange for unhappy guard Gordan Giricek and a future first-round draft pick on Saturday.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Detroit Pistons, inspired by guards Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, claimed a 98-92 road win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, their eighth straight victory.

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PERTH (Reuters) - Serena Williams made a belated arrival at the Hopman Cup on Sunday, pronouncing herself ready to go for her first match against the Czech Republic on Monday.

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BORMIO, Italy (Reuters) - American Bode Miller blew away the field to claim his first World Cup win of the season in Saturday’s men’s downhill, according to provisional results.

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood is poised to end the year with a record $9.7 billion in domestic movie receipts, up 4 percent from 2006, but the gain will be fueled largely by higher ticket prices, box office tracking service Media By Numbers said on Thursday.

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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Having nicely established her big-screen credibility with the summer hit “Knocked Up,” Katherine Heigl tries a little further “Grey’s Anatomy” moonlighting on for size with “27 Dresses.”

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BUFFALO, New York (Reuters) - The NHL will start 2008 by returning to its outdoor roots in a bid to take the sporting spotlight when the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the Buffalo Sabres in the Winter Classic on Tuesday.

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NEW YORK (Billboard) - Just when it seemed erosion of music sales during the holiday season couldn’t get worse, December snowstorms compounded the retail industry’s misery.

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CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - Spanish world number two Rafael Nadal will start his 2008 season against Frenchman Mathieu Montcourt in the first round of the Chennai Open ATP event starting on Monday.

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NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Look for these five artists to make a big splash on the touring scene in 2008.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New England Patriots will look to pen the perfect ending to a magical season on Saturday when they take on the New York Giants in a regular-season finale that could land them in the NFL record books.

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NEW YORK (Billboard) - The next Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube: There are millions of dot-coms out there, all claiming to be the next bonanza.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Kylie Minogue, the Australian singer and actress who has battled breast cancer, was honored by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Saturday, with other awards given to sportsmen, entertainers and businessmen.

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WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Former world number one Lindsay Davenport, who gave birth to her first child in June, will face fellow American Laura Granville in the Auckland Open first round following the draw on Saturday.

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DETROIT (Reuters) - A season that began with so much bravado and promise for the Detroit Lions will end like so many others on Sunday — with a whimper instead of roar.

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BOSTON (Reuters) - The Boston Celtics will hit the new year with the NBA’s best record and a belief that more is still to come. “We haven’t played our best basketball and I think most of the guys in this locker room will say that,” veteran guard Ray Allen said recently after his team’s home victory over the Orlando Magic.

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MIAMI (Reuters) - Former New York Yankees player Jim Leyritz was arrested on charges of drunk driving and manslaughter on Friday after a woman died in a Florida car crash.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Zach Parise scored the only goal of the shootout to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, their third straight victory.

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DETROIT (Reuters) - Richard Hamilton scored 23 points and delivered nine assists to fire the Detroit Pistons to a 114-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday, their seventh win in a row.

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LONDON (Billboard) - In recent years, female singer/songwriters such as Amy Winehouse, KT Tunstall and Corinne Bailey Rae have broken internationally out of the U.K. But the emerging class of 2008 suggest the trend has only just begun. Here are four artists to watch for.

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Late-night TV host David Letterman reached a deal on Friday with the union for striking screenwriters that will let his show return to the air next week while bringing his writing staff back with him.

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If you have finally decided it is time to create a website for your company you may be wondering whether or not you should design it yourself or hire it out. Too many people in today’s society believe they can do everything on their own. And, while you probably can design your own website you really do not want to if your goal is a professional appearance and an increase in traffic. So, you should consider a company that knows how to effectively design a website. And, if it is a company that knows a little something about software design then all the better. An Arizona web design company is really a good idea because they have the knowhow and the knowledge to create a website and software that will work for your company. If you have a Scottsdale e-commerce website then it is especially important to focus on having a great design. You may want to check with a Scottsdale web design company to get some quotes on how much a particular software design would cost and you should do the same with website design. Getting quotes is the only way you will be able to determine if a particular company is right for you or not.

When it comes to training options for the ACT 2008 software there are actually many options available to you. For example, you may choose to take an ACT 2008 course where you actually attend in person and have an instructor teaching you about the software and what you need to know. This is a really good option for those individuals who have recently begun studying the ACT software and who respond well to regular class meetings and an instructor who can answer any of their questions immediately. Other people are finding that they really prefer using an ACT 2008 CBT on their computer at home or at work. People are more accustomed to doing things on their own these days and actually prefer teaching themselves. For these people, the online ACT 2008 training or the training CDs are especially beneficial. There are millions of people using ACT because it has been around for so many years. As a result, it is likely that your employer requires you to use ACT or you are interested in applying for a job that requires ACT knowledge. If this is the case then it is highly recommended you take a training course so that you will be knowledgeable in this program.

Everyone knows the importance of a healthy body, and a nutritious diet. When you can’t obtain all of the vitamins that your body needs to stay healthy, nutrition supplements can be a great way to get caught up. WorldHealthDepot.com is a website that offers a variety of discount vitamins and supplements.

Xlear Nasal Wash combines the unique properties of xylitol and saline nasal spray to help wash, hydrate and moisturize the nasal passage. Normal spray decongestants come with a high risk of addiction as the blood vessels in the nasal cavity become adjusted to the drugs. Xlear’s patented, non-addictive solution helps relieve irritations caused by pollutants, allergens, and bacterial infections of the nasal passages.

MangoXan is a nutritional health beverage made from the exotic Mangosteen fruit and other pure fruit juices. Mangoxan is different from any other fruit juice - this one enhances your health in amazing ways with the help of xanthones and other antioxidants.

The Right C is a superior absorption vitamin C pill that is combined with Riboperine metabolites. Since it enters the body through four different pathways, twice as much is absorbed compared to Ester-C, promoting much greater antioxidant activity. It is non-acidic so it is gentle on the stomach, even at high doses. For the best in diet weight loss products, visit WorldHealthDepot.com.

OSLO (Reuters) - British soul singer Amy Winehouse has been summoned to a court in Norway to explain why she was caught in possession of marijuana in October, Norwegian and British media reported.

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NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - About 38 percent of U.S. consumers are watching TV shows online, 36 percent use their cell phones as entertainment devices and 45 percent are creating online content like Web sites, music, videos and blogs for others, according to a new-media survey from Deloitte & Touche.

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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Paramount Pictures will end the year as the top Hollywood studio in terms of market share at the North American box office, thanks largely to its uneasy alliance with DreamWorks, which produced the year’s No. 3 movie “Transformers.”

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - HarperCollins is rushing into print a manuscript it recently received from slain former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the New York Post reported on Friday.

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CHICAGO (Reuters) - The slumping Chicago Bulls on Thursday named assistant coach Jim Boylan to replace the fired Scott Skiles to lead the team for the remainder of the season.

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