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Ex-Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin talked to our Christina McLarty about her new Skweez Couture shapewear collection exclusively at Lord & Taylor, which debuted today, and the reality star turned fashion mogul couldn't hold back her enthusiasm over the new line.

"I've been working on it for a year," explained Zarin. "I'm so grateful to Lord & Taylor and their team for supporting me and putting it in. I'm beyond overwhelmed."

The Housewives alum also explains the meaning behind the name (if it isn't obvious enough) and its lace design concept. This new venture is one of Zarin's many endeavors since her ill-fated dismissal from the popular reality series. Although she admits the change to be "scary," the business savvy celeb is keeping her eyes on what the future holds.

"Right now I'm really focused on Skweez Couture," Zarin said. "As far as television goes, I am doing other things, but I can't announce it yet."

See if Christina got her to crack regarding those TV plans, her thoughts on Taylor Armstrong and more in the video! Skweez Couture is available at your local Lord & Taylor department stores.

t feels like the Detroit Red Wings wrapped up their series against the Phoenix Coyotes ages ago. In reality it was only four days ago, but it feels much longer for two reasons: 1) Detroit still doesn’t know its second-round opponent; and 2) Washington is the only other team that has finished its series so far.
To say the least, the Red Wings were ahead of the pack when they swept the Coyotes. Only on Saturday did the Capitals become the second team in the 2011 NHL playoffs to advance to the second round. They finished up the Rangers for a 4-1 series win, but that’s it for teams that have advanced. The San Jose Sharks had a chance to wrap up their series, but they lost at home to the Los Angeles Kings. That series, like every other non-Red Wings series in the Western Conference and every non-Capitals series in the Eastern Conference, is headed to a sixth game.
What this all means for the Red Wings is that they won’t find out their opponent for the second round until late Monday night (when the Sharks play again) at the earliest. Which team they will play in the Western Conference semifinals depends on what both the Vancouver Canucks and Sharks do against the Blackhawks and Kings, respectively. Below is a look at the different scenarios.
Canucks win, Sharks win: If Vancouver and San Jose manage to hold serve when all is said and done, the Red Wings would be the third-highest seed remaining. This would leave them playing the Sharks, and San Jose would have home-ice advantage. Just like against Phoenix, this scenario would produce a rematch from last year’s NHL playoffs in the same exact round.
Canucks win, Sharks lose: If San Jose chokes away a 3-1 series lead and the Canucks don’t choke away what once was a 3-0 lead, the Red Wings would get home-ice advantage in the next round. Vancouver would take on the Kings, the seventh seed in the West. The Red Wings would draw the winner of the Anaheim Ducks/Nashville Predators series, which Nashville currently leads by a 3-2 margin.
Canucks lose, Sharks win: If Vancouver pulls off one of the greatest choke jobs in sports history and loses in seven games to the Blackhawks and San Jose dispatches of LA, the Red Wings would once again get home-ice advantage. Like the previous scenario, they would be the second-highest remaining seed, so San Jose would play Chicago and the Red Wings would draw either Nashville or Anaheim.
Canucks lose, Sharks lose: If both Vancouver and San Jose choke enough to get themselves eliminated, the Red Wings would come out of the first round as the highest remaining seed. Obviously that would give them home-ice advantage, and it would also give them a matchup against the No. 8 Chicago Blackhawks. This would be the most interesting matchup for the next round in my opinion, as you would have a big rivalry and the storyline of Detroit sweeping Phoenix while Chicago had to battle to seven games to overcome a 3-0 deficit against the West’s top seed.
As for when the Red Wings will finally get to start the next round, it’s looking more and more like they will be waiting until Friday. There are bound to be at least a couple series headed to a seventh game with six set for a sixth game. In the West, it’s possible all three of the remaining series could go to a seventh game. What that means for the Red Wings is that they could end up playing a team just a couple days after they won a Game 7 to move on. Last year, the Red Wings were in that situation, as they took seven games to beat Phoenix and had to start their series against San Jose just days later. This year it looks like they will wind up getting more than a week off, whereas their opponent will be playing on very little rest.

Even though it’s not college basketball’s March Madness, the NBA playoffs have been pretty entertaining.Haven’t they?This week, I watched as Memphis knocked off San Antonio, New Orleans stung the Lakers and Oklahoma City beat Denver in the Western Conference best-of-seven opening round games. I also checked out the Knicks take Boston to the wire before bowing by two points in the Eastern Conference. All of the games were competitive right down to the final seconds.That’s what NBA playoff basketball is all about. The regular season is a marathon, but the playoffs are a sprint. Win [the series], or go home.My 3-year-old granddaughter, Aiyanna Marie Phillips, who was watching the games with me was equally impressed. “Pop-Pop, they jump in basketball, but I like football better,” she said. “I want some of your sandwich.”Well, all right.Anyway, the Philadelphia 76ers, who find themselves down 2-0 against the Three Amigos, I mean, Miami Heat, improved immensely from last year. Just the fact that the Sixers made the playoffs is a testament to the solid job Doug Collins and his staff have done this year.Watching Monday night’s 94-73 demolition, however, spoke volumes just how far the Sixers have to grow and improve to be competitive with Miami. I feel that Sixers chairman Ed Snider, president Rod Thorn, GM Ed Stefanski and Collins should see what solid free agents out there would want to announce “The Decision” about coming to Philly. Also, they could get lucky in the draft. You just never know.To be brutally honest, though, the Sixers will be hard-pressed just to win a game in this series. They couldn’t hit shots, even when they had open looks, which wasn’t too often. The Heat smothered them on defense and made them look pathetic. Philly scored 13 points (on 4-of-20 shooting) in the opening quarter, 18 in the second, 21 in the third and 21 in the last.The top-seeded Chicago Bulls, featuring my MVP candidate Derrick Rose, are fun to watch. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has his players playing in-your-face defense, which triggers their offense. Rose is a superstar surrounded by solid athletes Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer and hustle player Joakim Noah.Role players include 3-point specialist Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas and C.J. Watson.In two years, Rose went from Rookie of the Year to an all-star. He ranks seventh in scoring (25.0 points per game) and 10th in assists (7.7), making him the only player this season in the top 10 in both categories. The only other Bull to do so was …. what’s his name? Oh, yeah, Michael Jordan in 1988-89, when he led the league in scoring (32.5 points) and finished 10th in assists.

Just because you don’t get drafted doesn’t mean you can’t be the next great NFL player. I hope the incoming rookie class reads this.
Success has been in found in the draft, sure, but there have been some notably great players who weren’t taken in any of the many rounds that the NFL Draft offers.
Here is a list of the best players to never get drafted, but still made a huge impact on the field.

Three broken teeth and a fat lip didn’t prevent Martin St. Louis from helping the Tampa Bay Lightning bite back to even its first-round playoff series with Pittsburgh.
St. Louis had a goal and assist, Eric Brewer scored and added two assists, and the Lightning rebounded to beat the Penguins, 5-1, on Friday night.
Game 3 is at Tampa Bay on Monday night.
St. Louis’ performance was payback after the diminutive forward was livid that no penalty was called after he was cracked across the face by Zbynek Michalek’s errant stick in the second period of Game 1.
After a late-night trip to the dentist and two root canals, St. Louis was still unhappy but ready to move on when returning to practice Thursday.

http://www.skysports.com/

Earl Barron was in Florida for a wedding Friday night when he received a call from his agent with the news that the Trail Blazers wanted him to visit for a workout that could potentially land him a playoff roster spot.
Less than 48 hours later, he was saying goodbye to his girlfriend as he hastily boarded a plane bound for Portland.
“I told her if I don’t come back, it’s for a good cause,” Barron said, laughing, at the Blazers’ Tuesday morning shootaround. “She was really excited.”

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Barron never made it back. The Blazers signed the 29-year old, 7-foot center Tuesday morning to bolster their front court depth for the playoffs and he will be in uniform tonight when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Rose Garden with the sixth seed in the Western Conference at stake.
Barron, who has played parts of five NBA seasons with four different teams, earned the Blazers’ final roster spot after excelling during a three player workout Monday that also featured Robert Swift and Dwyane Jones.
“I think he the was most basketball ready of some of the guys that we’ve brought in,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “Because he has played this year and he’s played with a couple teams. You can put him out there right now and play him. We’ve had a couple workouts and decided that Earl would be the guy that we could go with.”
Barron has played in 19 games this season with Milwaukee and Phoenix, making six starts with the Suns. He last played on March 16, when the Bucks lost to the Orlando Magic, recording six points and three rebounds in 21 minutes.
Barron was a rookie with the Miami Heat when they won a championship in 2006, but he was not part of their playoff roster. He called the opportunity with the Blazers a dream come true.
“It’s been a dream of mine,” Barron said. “With Miami, (I) made the playoffs a couple years, but wasn’t even on the playoff roster. But it was still amazing to be there and to feel the excitement every time the ball was thrown up. To be in the arena. I was like, ‘Man, one day, hopefully i can get back out there an have a jersey on, get up and down and play in the playoffs.’ So now I think that opportunity is pretty close; it’s in reach. Hopefully … I can get out there and be able to produce and help out.”
It’s unclear how much —if any — the Blazers will count on Barron and McMillan would not elaborate Tuesday morning. But it seems unlikely will be do much more than provide depth to a team that has lacked it in the front court all season. Barron is the fifth reserve center the Blazers have signed this season.
Barron is not considered a physically imposing big man, but he features a nice mid-range jump shot and can be effective in pick-and-roll sets in the pick-and-pop. In 108 career NBA games, including 27 starts, Barron holds career averages of 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game.
What does he think he can bring to the Blazers?
“Energy and quickness for my size,” he said. “Run the floor. I’m in great shape, so help out. Help out on pick and rolls, bang a little bit down low, put a big body on some of the guys. Just go to the glass (and) try to get every offensive rebound I can; go after every loose ball and get in there and take some charges and try to do a little bit of everything. Pick and pop. Make some open jump shots. Kind of spread the floor. Make bigger guys come and guard me out on the wing and perimeter.”
Since he was released by Milwaukee, Barron has spent most of his time staying in shape on the campus of the University of Memphis, where he went to school. He played pickup games with current players on campus, competed one-on-one against friends that live in the area and did a lot of individual workouts.
“Just in case,” he said. “You always keep faith, believe (and) hope that something will come up. But I said, ‘Once the playoffs start again, that would be it.’”
Barron was contemplating going to Puerto Rico to play. But he received a call from his agent Friday night and less than 48 hours later he was saying goodbye to his girlfriend en route to Portland. Now he’ll wear uniform No. 40 in the playoffs.
“The West is pretty big, so they are going to need me to come in there and help as much as I can … off the bench,” Barron said. “I won’t be playing a lot of minutes, but the limited minutes that I do play, I’ll do my best to rebound, defend and do a little of the dirty work.”

The Los Angeles Lakers know they won’t be the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but a recent slump has kept them from locking up the No. 2 spot.
The Lakers will try to avoid their fourth straight loss Friday night when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers, looking to complete a season sweep for the first time in 22 years.
With four games remaining, Los Angeles (55-23) has a two-game lead over Dallas for the second seed in the West. Despite their current skid, the Lakers have maintained that lead because the Mavericks have dropped four in a row.
Los Angeles was eliminated from contention for the No. 1 seed after a 95-87 loss to Golden State on Wednesday. The Lakers had 17 turnovers and were held to 90 or fewer points for the third straight game.
“We looked a little heavy, a little sluggish,” said Kobe Bryant, who scored 25 points. “We looked a little fatigued. Guys have to really take care of their bodies and get rest when they need to and get re-energized a little bit.”
The Lakers have shot 41.2 percent in the last three games while connecting on only 22.8 percent of their 3-pointers. They’re also averaging 18.7 turnovers — more than five above their season average.
Those numbers alarm coach Phil Jackson as the poor performances continue to mount with the playoffs approaching.
“I’m really concerned about the way we were shooting the basketball,” Jackson said. “We need to start playing in rhythm.”
Ron Artest is one player that is in a slump. He’s averaging 5.8 points and shooting 27.6 percent in four games this month.
A loss Friday would match Los Angeles’ longest losing streak of the season, set Nov. 26-Dec. 1 — the team’s first since the 2006-07 season.
Depending on the results over the next week, the Lakers could end up facing the Trail Blazers (46-33) in the first round of the playoffs. Portland is in sixth place after a 98-87 win over Utah on Thursday, moving one-half game ahead of New Orleans and 1 1/2 in front of Memphis.
The Lakers have won three meetings against the Blazers and are trying for their first season sweep since 1988-89. They’ve won their last two visits to the Rose Garden after losing 22 of 26.
Despite his team’s lack of success there, Bryant has scored at least 32 points in his last three visits to Portland and is averaging 34.1 points his last 14 games there.
The Blazers picked up their third win in four games with Thursday’s victory. Gerald Wallace scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half as he continues to get more acclimated to the offense, and Nicolas Batum added 21.
Wallace has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games, averaging 20.1 points on 54.4 percent shooting. The Blazers are 13-8 with him in the lineup since he was acquired from Charlotte on Feb. 24.
“Gerald was big for us. Gerald knows his role and he knows where his shots are going to come from and he’s ready to knock them down,” LaMarcus Aldridge said.
The Lakers were the last team to hold Wallace to single figures, limiting him to nine points in an 84-80 victory March 20.

You can’t fault the kid for leaving. Please, I want you to stand there and tell me that millions of dollars, and the glitz and glamor of the NBA wouldn’t pull at your strings.
Liar.
I will be the sensible one, and state that Irving did what any of us would have done. The Duke standout played only a limited amount of games for Duke.
A toe injury he received in December kept him out of the lineup until the NCAA Tournament in March. Therefore, Irving was not nearly as tied to the team as other players would have been. How can you feel connected to a team that you dressed-for less than 20 times?
Then there is the money aspect. Irving has already suffered a toe injury. One more set back next season, and he gets the dreaded label of “injury risk.” That is roughly the same as getting a scarlet letter applied to your clothing.
Irving would have been untouchable. It makes sense to get as much money as you can now. The fact that he is leaving early from college is not his fault. He did not choose to go to college. His hand was forced when David Stern disallowed players to come straight from high school.
However, the real reason Irving left early, the one that you cannot argue is insane, is that Kyrie is living out a dream not many people get the chance to do.
He told Sports Illustrated the following:
“It was really a tough decision for me, personally, because both situations were beneficial to me. If I would have come back, I would have gained a lot more experience under Coach K. … That was hard to let go, especially in the culture that’s built here that I was a part of. It’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
“But on the other hand, deciding to go the NBA is just my ultimate dream. I’ve been dreaming about it for a while, and having that opportunity to be such a high pick at such a young age is an opportunity that many people won’t pass up.”
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. You can’t argue that someone made a bad decision when it is based on living out a dream. There are a very select group of people on this earth that get to do exactly what they want to do for a living.
When you come across an opportunity to make a dream a reality, you don’t ask questions. You act on it, and worry about the repercussions later. That would be about the time you grow tired from smiling all the time.

6’3″, 263 lbs with excellent speed off edge. Three- year starter in the Conference of Champions. 100+tackles and 17 sacks against NFL-level competition. Hard hitter with animalistic instincts. Has thepotential to be 10+ sack a year type rusher.
Haters will claim Reed is nothing but another Bro from the brodeo that is the University of Arizona. TheBro-haters are right, Reed is defintately a Bro, but haters don’t recognize, Bros are the shit. And as aTucson local, Reed is a different breed of Bro. Anyone who has been to the Old Pueblo knows all aboutthe T-Locs. Sure Reed loves poundin’ brews and icin’ his Bros at Gentle Ben’s or Dirtbags, loves scopingslam pieces at the Student Rec center, and loves mashin’ 3am burritos at Los Betos. But another thingBros love is sacking QBs. Nothing other than taking a one-way ticket on the Pound Town Express beatsthe rush of a huge QB sack. And sacking QBs is what Reed does best.
Bro-haters will also claim Reed doesn’t have the smarts to play in the NFL. Sure, the University ofArizona is easier to get into than LadyChief’s pants. But Bros don’t go to Arizona to study. They go therecause they got rejected from USC and UCLA and need a good place to work on their tans and pick somehigh quality slam pieces. How smart do you need to be to lower the head and blow up QBs? One trickpony? Blowing fools up is a pretty good trick to have.
Another thing every bro loves is to lift. This is a staple in their lives, and the gym is like a church. Reedis no different than his fellow bros. Getting jacked up and looking good for the ladies is a must for allbros. Another thing bros love are steroids. Juicin’ help bros get that extra edge. Look at juicin’ bros likeBrian Cushing and Clay Matthews. Both are willing to do whatever it takes and both dominate. Reed isdefinitely from this same mold.
Buffalo is in desperate need of some bros. When non-bro Ryan Fitzpatrick is your QB, you know yourteam is in trouble. A straight Bro like Brooks Reed will get all the Buffahos hot and bothered, and bringsome hype to upstate New York. And that’s what the Bills need most. Hype and cash. Bros love getting’that paper. And a bro like Reed can make it rain in Buffalo.
Being a bro is much more than getting wasted and taking bitches to Pound Town. It’s about being thebest at whatever you do. Dominating is a very bro thing to do. Brooks Reed dominates O-lineman, anddominates QBs. Definitely a bro. Buffalo will now be known as Broffalo.

Day 4 of the 2011 NFL-USO tour began at Camp Marmal in Mazar-e-Sharif, in the north of Afghanistan. The plan for the day was to “FOB hop” to several bases in the region. FOB hopping — which is a staple of NFL-USO tours — is when you visit multiple small Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in succession, flying by helicopter from one to the next. FOB hoping allows you to spend time with the troops on the front lines — the men and women waging war in some of the most remote places on Earth. And given the remoteness of many of the FOBs in Afghanistan, it is an even bigger deal than usual when celebrities such as NFL greats show up. where to buy cheap NFL Jerseys?ujersy is a good choice.Before beginning our day of FOB hopping, we had a meet-and-greet with the troops at Camp Marmal. This meet-and-greet was noteworthy for the friendly (at least I think it was friendly) argument that broke out between two soldiers to determine who is the biggest Steelers fan on base. Staff Sergeant (SSG) Boyd, a native of South Carolina, made his case first, noting that he has a sign at the front of his driveway at home declaring “Stop. Alert. You are in Steelers Country!” This is followed by a sign in his garage, “Parking Reserved for Steelers Fans Only.” SSG Boyd told us that he hadn’t missed a single Steelers game during his deployment, even though this required that he trade shifts and even take on extra shifts to adjust his schedule appropriately.In the other corner, also claiming to be the biggest Steelers fan on base, was Specialist Isiah Phillips, who said that he could prove his love for the Steelers in one easy way. He then proceeded to remove his army uniform blouse and roll up the sleeve of his undershirt, revealing a massive Steelers tattoo that covered his entire upper arm.Merril Hoge, who of course played seven years for the Steelers, was called in to settle the dispute. Merril was convinced by both parties’ argument and diplomatically called it a draw. This decision may or may not have been impacted by the fact that both soldiers had their rifles in hand when Merril offered his judgment.Following the meet-and-greet at Camp Marmal, our group divided up into two Blackhawk helicopters that would ferry us around northern Afghanistan for the day. Military helicopters always fly in tandem to provide support and protection for one another.The first FOB we visited was Ghormach, a 50 minute flight to the southwest of Camp Marmal. During the flight, we had terrific views of the stark and rugged — but beautiful — Afghanistan landscape. Flying over the country, you really get a sense of why Afghanistan has been so slow to embrace modernity, and also why it is so hard to successfully fight a war there. The country is filled with jagged mountains rising up sharply from the land below. Usually several ridge lines separate one village from the next, with the villages only being connected by a dirt road, if at all. Afghanistan is a beautiful country though, with snowcapped mountains and splashes of greenery dotting the otherwise inhospitable landscape.When we arrived at FOB Ghormach, we were greeted by First Sergeant (1SG) Franklin, who is the senior enlisted soldier on base. First Sergeant Franklin explained to us that his team had only taken command of the FOB three weeks prior. They were still working to build up the FOB and learn the terrain. There are currently 88 soldiers on base, but they plan to get up to 150 men.Day 5 of the 2011 NFL-USO found our group “FOB hopping” once again, visiting several small Forward Operating Bases in northern Afghanistan. Our itinerary for the day was an aggressive one, with a goal of visiting five different bases spread across the region. If successful, we would reach thousands of troops in a remote corner of Afghanistan. recommend directory: GARRARD #9 Jacksonville Jaguars Green NFL  Jersey.We began at Camp Spann, where we had spent the previous evening. Our quarters at Spann were tight, with Hoge, the two Millens (Matt and his son Lt Marcus Millen), Muñoz, and SSG Welsh all bunking in one room. The two young soldiers, probably exhausted from the six months they have spent conducting reconnaissance missions in southern Afghanistan, slept great. The three old guys tossed and turned for several hours, though, before deciding that their attempts to sleep were futile and engaging in conversation across the room. Matt Millen would later admit that he hasn’t slept more than a few hours in the past three days — and he wasn’t feeling tired — because he was so energized from seeing his son. Marcus Millen quipped the next morning, in reference to the chatty guys in his room, “Yeah, I slept great last night, aside from the teenage girls who chatted away all night like it was a slumber party.”After breakfast at Camp Spann, our group had a quick meet-and-greet with the Brigade Commander and Colonel who lead the troops in northern Afghanistan. CSM Grinston and COL Matlock thanked our guys for making the trip to Afghanistan and presented them with the 170th Brigade coin. The NFL greats reciprocated, presenting coins from their former teams and a limited edition Super Bowl XLV game coin from Highland Mint.We then moved to the base’s Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ) and boarded Blackhawks to set out for the day’s second stop, FOB Khelegey. Khelegey is home to Specialist Henry Trahan, who told us that his small base of 170 troops hadn’t been visited by any other celebrity entertainers during the unit’s deployment. Upon greeting Hoge, Millen, and Muñoz at the entrance to the FOB, Specialist Trahan said, “the guys on base are so excited to meet you guys. I can’t wait just to see their faces when they see you.”Our group hosted a meet-and-greet at FOB Khelegy and toured the base, chatting with the soldiers at their stations. The players interacted with the troops so effortlessly, often asking guys where they are from back home and then going on to discuss the soldier’s favorite college and pro teams. It seemed like every soldier from California was invited by Millen to drop by Anthony Muñoz’s mother’s house in Ontario, CA to try Mrs. Muñoz’s famous tamales and other Mexican treats.Following our visit to Khelegey, we were back on the Blackhawks and off to FOB Kunduz. Once again, we flew over beautiful terrain on our way over to Kunduz, with the FOB finally appearing out of nowhere after miles of uninhabited terrain. At Kunduz, we were escorted around the base by Captain Strand of South Dakota. CPT Strand and his unit just arrived at Kunduz three weeks prior and already have done a tremendous job strengthening and improving the camp.Rather than having a staged meet-and-greet at Kunduz, CPT Strand escorted us around the large base, introducing our group to as many as possible of the 1,200 troops stationed there. We visited the soldiers working in the operations center, medical clinic, maintenance shed, and even the kitchen. Everywhere we went we met dedicated soldiers who looked to excel at every mission, whether it was tutoring the Afghan National Army (ANA) or cooking dinner. recommend directory: JONES-DREW #32 Jacksonville Jaguars Green NFL  Jersey.