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As we expected, the 2017 Super Bowl halftime performance is going to be one for the books. Would you expect anything less from Lady Gaga?

The Joanne singer shared a teaser video on Twitter that took us behind-the-scenes into the making of the show. This is an absolute dream come true for Gaga, as she reveals in the clip, “I’ve been planning this since I was 4, so I know exactly what I’m going to do. For me, it’s all about giving to the fans and bringing people together that wouldn’t normally come together. The thing is, it’s such a big world stage in terms of how many people see it and it’s been done so many times.”

 

 

The Big Apple-born musician definitely has huge shoes to fill as artists like Prince, Beyoncé, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen have all performed at past halftime shows. But we have no doubts that Gaga will make her own footprint in the performance’s history books. She isn’t worried either.

“I think the challenge is to look at it and say, ‘What can I do differently?,” the musician divulged. “How can I elevate certain little things here and there, and also make it about the music?’ This is where I’m supposed to be.”

We know her performance will be 12 minutes, but we have no idea what songs she will include. And she’s definitely been working hard, training every single day.

Gaga also provided a sneak peek into a rehearsal with her dancers in an Instagram post earlier this week.

“Super Bowl rehearsal is so fun,” read the Boomerang’s video’s caption. “We built a tent in my backyard with a dance floor to practice! We love you monsters, can’t wait to perform for u!” We’ve never wanted to be somewhere else so badly.

RELATED: Lady Gaga Builds an Outdoor Dance Floor for At-Home Super Bowl Practice

Super Bowl LI will take place on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET So mark your calendars and get your party plans ready!

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — NFCA members have once again banded together in the fight against cancer, raising $380,633 in support of the Association and American Cancer Society’s annual StrikeOut Cancer initiative.

The University of Michigan was the top fundraiser overall, collecting $130,416.12. The Wolverines’ efforts coincide with their annual Michigan Softball Academy. Growing significantly each year in the fight against cancer, the Softball Academy is a combination of an adults-only softball clinic at the University’s Wilpon Complex and a silent auction at the Junge Family Champions Center. 

Since partnering with the American Cancer Society and its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer effort in 2007, head coach Carol Hutchins and her Wolverines have raised over $1 million to support breast cancer research and outreach, becoming the first women’s collegiate team to reach that mark.

Following Michigan is LSU, which raised $87,198.32 in its Geaux Teal campaign and annual “Strikeout Ovarian Cancer” game. Also reaching the five-figure fundraising mark were Travel Ball organization Virginia Glory ($50,000) as well as Division III programs Virginia Wesleyan ($27,281) and William Peace ($27,000). 

Glory founder and president Suzy Willemssen hosted the annual Glory Strikeout Cancer Invitational, which topped all travel ball and youth fundraisers for the second straight year. All net proceeds from the event go to Children’s National and will directly help children in their fight to survive cancer.

The Marlins’ annual fundraiser, spearheaded by head coach Brandon Elliott, was held in conjunction with the school’s Spring Alumni Weekend. In 2019, head coach Charlie Dobbins and his William Peace softball squad teamed up with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Vs. Cancer program to raise awareness and funds for local children with cancer.

Martin Luther  / Truman / Granada Huntley East Chain School District (GHEC) Jaguars ($6,321), NAIA’s Bethel University (Ind.) ($2,795 / pictured top) and Division II’s Colorado School of Mines ($2,675 / pictured left) led their respective membership categories.

Numerous other schools either raised money or awareness by hosting a single event or by coordinating a season-long campaign to battle cancer. The schools that registered with the NFCA were entitled to a special package of StrikeOut Cancer items, which included NFCA StrikeOut Cancer eye black, tattoos, wristbands and more.

In 2019, the NFCA’s New Jersey High School Leadoff Classic was found in honor of the late Immaculate Heart Academy head coach and 2019 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee Anthony LaRezza. The proceeds of the tournament went to cancer-stricken children through Tackle Kids Cancer.

The winners receive Louisville Slugger bats with the color tailored to their specific cancer fundraiser. The bats were generously donated by Slugger’s parent company Wilson Sporting Goods, Inc.

Top Fundraisers

Overall – University of Michigan (Breast Cancer) – $130,416.12 (Carol Hutchins)

NCAA Division I – Louisiana State University (Cervical & Ovarian Cancer) – $87,198.32 (Beth Torina) 

NCAA Division II – Colorado School of Mines (Breast Cancer) – $2,675.00 (Leah Glasgow)

NCAA Division III – Virginia Wesleyan University (All Cancers) – $27,281.00 (Brandon Elliott)

NAIA – Bethel University (All Cancers) – $2,795.00 (Scott Reese)

High School – Martin Luther  / Truman / GHEC Jaguars (All Cancers) – $6,321.00 (John Oothoudt)

Travel Ball/Youth – VA Glory (All Cancers) – $50,000.00 (Suzy Willemssen) 

Click Here: COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 2019

(PERTH, Australia) — Australia’s national carrier Qantas on Friday successfully completed a 19-and-a-half hour non-stop flight from London to Sydney, which was used to run a series of tests to assess the effects of ultra long-haul flights on crew fatigue and passenger jetlag.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took off from London’s Heathrow Airport on Thursday morning and touched down at Sydney Airport 45 minutes behind schedule at 12:30pm on Friday.

The 17,800 mile (11,060 mile) journey was part of Project Sunrise — Qantas’ goal to operate regular, non-stop commercial flights from Australia’s east coast cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York.

Last month, Qantas completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Sydney, which took 19 hours and 16 minutes.

Another New York to Sydney flight is expected next month to round out the project.

Click Here: COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 2019

There were 52 people — mostly Qantas employees — on board. They participated in various experiments, including using wearable technology devices to track sleep patterns, food and drink intake, lighting and physical movement.

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A final decision on whether the ultra-long haul flights will become a commercial reality is expected by the year’s end, with the service potentially launching by 2022.

It was the second time a commercial airline has flown the route. The first was in 1989, with a journey time of 20 hours and 9 minutes.

Ahead of the flight, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the airline wants to improve comfort on long-haul flights.

“We know that travelers want room to move on these direct flights, and the exercises we encouraged on the first research flight seemed to work really well,” he said.

“So, we’re definitely looking to incorporate on-board stretching zones and even some simple modifications like overhead handles to encourage low impact exercises,” he added.

Joyce and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed the arrival of crew and passengers as the airline celebrates its centenary year.

Nearly four years ago, Hideo Kojima felt alone in the world. The celebrated video game auteur had just left Konami, his corporate and creative home of 30 years. “I had nothing around me,” says Kojima, 56, “but a dream and a passion to create.” As he worked to build Kojima Productions, the company he started after leaving Konami, he realized that, in fact, he had spent his life building connections with fellow creative types, like Guillermo Del Toro and F. Paul Wilson. “Suddenly, I realized I wasn’t alone.”

He stumbles over his words while he speaks under stage lights during an event feting Death Stranding, his long-anticipated, extremely weird, extremely Kojima game. “The game’s about connecting the world,” he says, trying to explain what Death Stranding means. He tells the audience — a collection of Sony Music and RCA executives — about knots, of all things. “What I want to say is that I’m connected to everyone and this connection I don’t want to lose. That’s why I created a knot, so that I will never be parted from you ever. Thank you so much.”

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The audience laughed and clapped while Kojima handed off the mic. People drank and schmoozed. Death Stranding stars Norman Reedus and Lindsay Wagner posed for pictures. Kojima talked to an endless stream of people. Everyone wanted his time. Dame Helen Mirren even stopped by.

Despite all that attention, Kojima told me he struggles with loneliness. “I feel always lonely in society,” he says in an interview before the event, speaking through a translator provided by his company. “There are so many people who play games feeling like that, like they don’t belong in this society. They don’t really feel comfortable.” He wants players to share that deep sense of isolation as they play Death Stranding. “You’re all alone playing the game,” Kojima says. “And you’re trying to connect this fractured society by yourself. The world is beautiful, but you’re small, just a tiny speck. You feel hopeless and helpless and powerless. You feel so lonely.”

Death Stranding is a little like an acid trip — you can try to explain it with words, but only having the experience for yourself can really convey what it’s like. In the game, out now for PlayStation 4 and coming soon to PC, players control Sam (Norman Reedus), a courier in a world where death is broken. Ghosts roam the wastelands between the remnants of American cities. No one trusts anyone else. It’s up to Sam to reconnect people by delivering packages and hooking them up to an advanced internet called the “Chiral Network.” It’s weird and I loved it, but I also know some players won’t enjoy the mix of metaphysics, surrealism, and hours spent climbing mountains and doing other mundane tasks.

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Along with loneliness, death is a core theme here. As Sam crosses America, he encounters ghosts, or “Beached Things,” that try to pull him into the world of the dead. As the game continues, Sam gets covered in handprints where the dead have touched him. Other characters have a similarly dysfunctional relationship with death. Heartman, a scientist you meet later in the game, stops his heart every 21 minutes to explore the afterlife in search of his lost family. The villainous Higgs believes death is beautiful and wants everyone to get there as quickly as possible. Kojima’s personal take is that the dead are never truly gone from our lives. “You just can’t see them,” he says, “but you’re connected.”

Indeed, Death Stranding’s biggest theme is connection, and Kojima sees a world in disarray. The election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote in the U.K. directly inspired the game. Video game creators are often reluctant to talk politics, but Kojima doesn’t mince words. According to him, all art, games including, is inherently political — our connections make it so. “We are living in the world,” he says. “Politics is always involved. I can’t create art … while trying to be blind about it. I put myself out in a game. Those parts will come out. If someone doesn’t do that in their works, it means that [they] don’t care about politics at all or maybe is just a weird person.”

Despite its morbid themes, there are signs of life here that betray Kojima’s optimism. As Sam makes his way across America, he builds structures that help him on his quest — a rope to descend mountains, a ladder or bridge to cross a river. If the player leaves these things behind, other players can find and use them too — it’s a kind of hybrid single player/multiplayer experience. You’ll never see another player, but you might see their left-behinds — artifacts that let you know you’re not alone. “Just knowing that, you won’t feel alone anymore,” Kojima says. And while I played the game, I could press a button to make Sam shout. If another player was in the same area as me in their own game world, they would shout back. I couldn’t see them, but just hearing their voice made me feel less alone.

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Kojima told me that, while his game asks plenty of big questions, it doesn’t answer all of them — in part because he’s still trying to work out what the answers are. But he’s hopeful that players come away from Death Stranding feeling renewed. “I want players to think about these things and have the energy to live on the next day,” he says.

Kojima isn’t a luddite — it would be hard for someone in the gaming world to eschew technology completely. But he believes that innovations like social media have made it so easy to communicate that people forget to consider the humanity on the other end of a message. “We’re in an era of individualism,” he says. “Everyone is fractured. Even on the internet. It’s all connected, all around the world, but everyone is fighting each other.”

That, he believes, has caused people to feel even more lonely, despite how easy it is to connect with one another. “Right now, communication is too direct,” Kojima says. “That’s the root of it. We’re not thinking about others.” I asked him how we change that. “I don’t have the complete answer,” he says. “I really want people to play Death Stranding and answer themselves. I’m not giving up on it. Social media isn’t just bad things. It really helped me to connect directly to people I would never have had the opportunity to. I feel lonely on it, but I can’t say no.”

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Mercedes confirms Canadian GP engine upgrade

November 15, 2019 | News | No Comments

Mercedes chances of maintaining its 100 percent win rate in Montreal just got stronger with confirmation it will be introducing an engine upgrade this weekend in Canada.

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Mercedes is the last engine manufacturer to update its engine this season, with rivals Ferrari, Renault and Honda having already implemented upgrades at previous rounds.

Mercedes’ new-spec power unit will also be supplied to customer teams Racing Point and Williams.

    Wolff: Mercedes success rooted in optimal ‘merging’ of engine and chassis

The update comes at a venue known for the power-sensitive nature of its track.

Earlier this week, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff expressed his concerns over his team’s potential performance at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve given the track’s characteristics.

“In the past six races, we were very strong in the corners but lost time on the straights,” said the Austrian.

“This will make Canada a huge challenge for us as the track characteristics could favour our opponents – there are many long straights, and fewer corners in which to make up laptime.”

Something tells us Toto was being just a tad conservative in his assessment. Perhaps even sarcastic…

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British GP: Thursday’s build-up in pictures

November 15, 2019 | News | No Comments

It’s on to Silverstone, one of Grand Prix racing’s original homes and the site of the British Grand Prix, the tenth round of the Formula World Championship.

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As per the sport’s usual schedule, the race weekend kicked off with media day for which we’ve collected a batch of pics!

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Williams F1 deputy team principal Claire Williams reckons that Formula 1 is on the wrong track in seeking to expand the number of races on the calendar.

Up until 1999, the sport traditionally scheduled 16 Grand Prix races during a season. That increased to 17 in 2000, and then expanded further to 18 during the 2004 season.

The following season saw a one-off expansion to 19 races, which didn’t happen again until 2010. Two years later saw the first 20-race season, and in 2016 the tally reached 21 for the first time, which is the number that Williams now considers to be the upper limit.

But commercial rights holders Liberty Media have spoken openly about adding more races to the calendar. There are 22 events currently mooted for 2020, with the addition of the Netherlands and Vietnam to the calendar and Germany dropping out.

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That’s not gone down well with Williams. “As long as we keep a cap on the number of races, 21 is about the maximum number in my opinion,” she said last week.

Traditional arguments for limiting the number of races tend to focus on the workload for team personnel and the cost of constantly travelling the globe. But Williams suggested it was also simply bad business for F1 as a whole by stretching the sport’s appeal too thin.

“Personally I would like to see fewer races,” she added. “You take down supply and increase demand – that’s basic economics.

“If you put too many races on the calendar it is too much for people to consume,” she continued. “There is so much competition in the market against other sporting events and other media.”

Williams agreed that the stress and strain for the pit crew and engineers being away from their families for long periods was another big concern for her as a team boss.

“If you increase the number of races on the calendar, the pressure that puts on your team from a performance perspective – and what they are capable of doing it with a work/life balance – is difficult.”

She added that this was especially difficult for a smaller squad on a relatively restricted budget, such as Williams.

“For smaller teams it is very difficult to think about how we manage a calendar with [more than] 21 races on it,” she said.

“We have incremental costs of swapping personnel. For example, do we need rather than two race engineers, four race engineers?

“There are costs of transporting freight around the world too,” Williams added. “You have to think about how much are those races being sold for, do they put a huge amount in the pot?

“I would be opposed to having more races on the calendar,” she summarised emphatically.

Other team principals have been more relaxed about the possibility of longer seasons, although Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner highlighted another potential issue relating to the number of power unit allocations per year.

“I don’t think there’s a big upside, but at least there is no downside,” he said. “[But] we need to find out and we need to keep it to three engines.

“If you introduce a fourth engine, it doesn’t make sense for us financially,” he admitted. “If they are confident we can do it with three engines, then I am fine with [extra races].”

“So long as there is no financial downside, yes we make the effort.”

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Hungarian GP: Sunday’s action in pictures

November 15, 2019 | News | No Comments

It was another thrilling Sunday at the races for Formula 1, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen keeping everyone on their toes from start to finish.

Browse through our massive gallery and have another look at the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix.

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the freedom Lewis Hamilton enjoys away from F1 is a crucial component of the five-time world champion’s on-track success.

Hamilton’s glitzy jet-set existence away from Grand Prix racing, like his endeavor into the world of music and fashion, are well chronicled.

The Brit has often been criticized for his extravagant distractions or propensity to travel across the Atlantic between races for a leisurely stay in Los Angeles or wherever he wants to party.

But evidence has yet to emerge that Hamilton’s lust for life has in any way impacted his level of performance. As far as Wolff is concerned, the 34-year-old’s lifestyle is not only not detrimental, it’s actually beneficial.

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“Most important is to acknowledge that we are all different individuals and we need different frameworks in order to perform well,” Wolff told BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

“Lewis is somebody who needs to be able to pursue his other ambitions and interests.

“And rather than putting somebody in a box and saying, ‘This is how a racing driver needs to behave – you need to be on time, you need to avoid jet lag before the race, or don’t record music overnight when you are jet-lagged but try to sleep,’ I realised very early on that giving him the freedom of pursuing his interests, we were able to extract more performance on track.

“I have the feeling that he needs to get his mind off motor racing.

“If he’s able to do a fashion show that excites him, or record some music, or do some snowboarding with his friends, he forgets about the racing side, and he can come back stronger and more energised.”

Wolff acknowledged that accommodating Hamilton’s sometimes risky lifestyle was a process that took some time. But the end result has been massively profitable for both team and driver.

“I realised in previous roles that you need to be able to accept that we all function in a different way,” Wolff said.

“And sometimes the most creative people, the ones that are able to outperform others and perform on a different altitude, are the ones that live a different life. And you just need to be able to embrace that.

“When you take the analogy to a very popular sport in the UK – rugby – you need the solid members of the team that keep the team going.

“But you realise that probably the geniuses score the tries, and these are the ones that are sometimes not easy to integrate in a structure that needs process,” the Austrian added.

“But with Lewis, we love who he is and he is clearly an absolutely outstanding athlete, and we have been able to embed him in the organisation.

“And he has been able to inspire us and drag us with him.”

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Barring an unforeseen event or set of circumstances, George Russell says he will remain with Williams until the end of his three-year contract.

Williams’ depressed level of performance has so far confined Russell to the tail end of the grid where the young Briton is left to battle teammate Robert Kubica.

However, after twelve races, Russell has emerged as the overwhelming victor of that intra-team fight, a credential that has showcased his undeniable talent.

As a Mercedes protégé, Russell has inevitably been linked to a seat with the Silver Arrows squad.

While team boss Toto Wolff remains very attentive to the 21-year-old’s performance and results, the chances of a move to Mercedes in the near future, or to another outfit powered by the German manufacturer, are remote.

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“The matter of the fact is as Claire [Williams, deputy team principal] said, I signed a three-year contract with Williams,” Russell explained, quoted by Motorsport.com.

“So, unless anything drastic happened, I see no reason why I wouldn’t be here for the following couple of years.”

For Russell, Mercedes’ support in his formative years in F1 acts as a virtual backstop, providing him with a small sense of security.

“I know in Mercedes, as long as I’m performing, they will support me and it does relax you as a driver because you can fully focus on the job at hand,” he added.

“If you have one bad weekend, they’re not going to snap at you and ask what the hell went on there.

“They’ll offer support and advice for how not to be in the same situation again. It’s a really great way of doing things.”

As Mercedes weighs its options for 2020, with either incumbent Valtteri Bottas or reserve driver Esteban Ocon set to partner Lewis Hamilton, Wolff has made clear that Mercedes will exercise patience with Russell rather than risk “burning” its young protégé with an early promotion.

Yet Russell believes he could handle a step up to F&’s dominant team.

“Kvyat beat Ricciardo in his first year at Red Bull,” argues Russell.

“Verstappen won in his first race with Red Bull, Charles [Leclerc] is giving Vettel a run for his money in his first year.

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“I obviously really and truly believe in myself. If I ever were to get an opportunity, it would be stupid to think I can go in there and beat Lewis at the first race.

“In my opinion he’s the best driver on the grid. But I feel like the potential’s there, and you always learn with every single race, every single year.

“If the opportunity were to come, I feel absolutely confident I could take it with both hands and quickly learn as much as possible and be there ready to really deliver after a couple of races.”

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