Lebron in elite group with third MVP

MIAMI -- Calling the honor "overwhelming" but pointing to a "bigger goal," LeBron James on Saturday became the eighth player in NBA history to win the MVP award three times.

James accepted the trophy and will get to show it off to Miami Heat fans Sunday afternoon when he's presented with the prize again by commissioner David Stern before Miami faces Indiana in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.

"Heat Nation, we have a bigger goal," James said. "This is very overwhelming to me as an individual award. But this is not the award I want, ultimately -- I want that championship. That's all that matters to me."

James won the award for the third time in four seasons. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone have won at least that many MVP trophies.

Abdul-Jabbar won six times, Jordan and Russell five times each, Chamberlain four times. Now, they're the only players with more than James.

Middle say 'I do' to gay marriage?

President Barack Obama's announcement Wednesday in support of marriage for gay couples answered one key question: Where does he and so his party stand? Now the big question is: Are Americans in the middle ready to accept this?

That answer can be yes, based on our four years of extensive research into that precise question if marriage supporters heed three crucial lessons about how the middle views this issue.

First, the "rights" frame is wrong. One word emerged during our nine rounds of research that described how Americans in the middle view marriage: commitment.

In fact, when undecided Americans were asked what marriage means to them, "commitment" came up four times as often as the word "love." "Rights" never came up not once. To folks in the middle, marriage is about making a promise to care for each other for a lifetime, through better or worse.

They often focused on the latter because that is what makes marriage unique from other relationships. To them, marriage is about one thing: the obligation and responsibility that comes with making a public promise of lifetime commitment.

Second, the middle needs to know that gay couples want to join the institution of marriage not change it.

In our polling, folks in the middle weren't sure why gay couples want to marry. When asked why "couples like them" might want to marry, the middle's answer grew out of their conception of the institution, with nearly six in 10 saying it is "to publicly acknowledge their love and commitment to each other."

But why do gay couples want to marry? A plurality said it is "for rights and benefits like tax advantages, hospital visitation or sharing a spouse's pension." Another 25 percent said, "I don't know."

Given that marriage advocates have long made their case by focusing on the rights and benefits of marriage, it only follows that many Americans in the middle are confused about gay couples' motivations.

But this misconception is dangerous. Most couples don't marry for tax advantages and visitation rights they marry for profound reasons of love and commitment. Among those who felt gay couples want marriage for other reasons, their feelings toward marriage for gay couples were skeptical.

By: LANAE ERICKSON HATALSKY and JIM KESSLER

Xperia Neo L will be Sony's first ICS phone, but only for China?

While your Xperia might not have gotten its planned Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade just yet, Sony's come clean on its first phone to wield Google's latest straight from the factory: the Xperia Neo L.

Appearing on the company's Chinese website, we wouldn't expect a redux of the mostly 2011 hardware to go on a world tour anytime soon. Those buying will be treated to a 4-inch FWVGA (854 x 480) screen that's a smidge bigger than the original yet still carries a 1GHz worth of Snapdragon coupled to 512MB of RAM.

Unlike the archetype, though, the camera gets downgraded to a 5 megapixels in the rear while retaining the same VGA shooter in the front. Naturally there's no word on price or availability, but at least for diehard fanboys can have their ice cream and eat it too.

Justin Bieber: 18th Birthday

Justin Bieber reached driving age two years ago. But only now, as he turns 18, is he getting the car of his dreams.

Celebrating his milestone birthday Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Bieber is presented by his manager with none other than a Fisker Karma - the highly coveted, ultra-exclusive plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan.

"You work really really hard," his manager, Scooter Braun, tells him. "I always yell at you, 'Don't get anything flashy!' You know, we're not about that. Be humble, be humble. And I kind of broke my own rule."

Braun adds: "We wanted to make sure, since you love cars, that when you're on the road you are always environmentally friendly. And we decided to get you a car that would make you stand out … I think you know where I'm going, and you're kind of freaking out right now. That's a Fisker Karma."

Bieber looks shocked as he walks over to the vehicle, the most-wanted car in the world. "That's for me?! That's crazy!" he says.

Leonardo DiCaprio got the very first Fisker Karma ever made, and Al Gore and Colin Powell were among the first people on the waiting list for one.

Bieber also has a gift for fans on Thursday, announcing that his new single, "Boyfriend," will be out March 26.

Taylor Kitsch wondered whether his John Carter director

Taylor Kitsch wondered whether his John Carter director "had a vendetta" against him while filming.

The 30-year-old Canadian-born actor plays the eponymous leading role in the upcoming Andrew Stanton helmed science-fiction action film. John Carter is a legendary comic superhero, created by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912, who battles wars on Mars.

Throughout shooting, Taylor filmed extremely physical scenes under Andrew's direction.

The actor laughed about what a toll the hardcore sequences took on his body.

"There were many times when I personally thought that [Andrew] had a vendetta," he joked to Cover Media.

"But he made a great point when we were filming, I don't know whether that was to motivate or what, but it was 'The more we beat you up, the more you're going to be liked!'"

Taylor trained rigorously to take on the challenges of this role.

"To say the least, this was by far the most exhausting thing I've ever been a part of," he shared.

Taylor is aware of the great importance of his role. He is hopeful that his performance will satisfy both diehard comic book fans and general movie lovers.

"I think it's just being honest to the character," Taylor explained.

"It's funny, once I first got the role, you're in the mix for a while, and for months on end I was saying to myself if I got the role, I was going to get 'comic book big.' But then when I got the script and the role I wanted to get the happy medium between the escapism and also staying real. So I'm very happy with the happy medium we have."

John Carter is released in UK cinemas from March 9 2012.

Fat chance you may say but I overcame Obesity

After my daughter's birth I was busy nursing and taking care of her that I neglected my appearance. I guess this is something all of us do for a while after delivery. As a new mom you're busy enjoying motherhood and juggling house work, office as well as the new born. There is no time for grooming yourself and that is the time your treacherous body cheats on you. I put on weight and before long I was weighing 160 pounds. I was always short of breath and running around the house made me tired and weary through out the day. My temper was bad and my husband had a hard time wondering what's wrong with me. I couldn't fit into my clothes and had to sheepishly move towards the plus size counter at the store. I had severe back pain due to overweight and it was a task to get up from bed in the mornings. With physical obesity combined mental stress and I was on the verge of a breakdown.

I met my GP who advised me to start a diet program to lose weight. I tried but there was no sign of shedding the pounds. Meanwhile my low back pain continued and made life miserable for me. That is when my husband held my hand gently and talked to me about yoga. He showed me a few videos on You Tube and I was intrigued by this wonderful art form. Though skeptical I thought let me try, after all I've nothing to lose. The first few sessions went off well and I started to feel better mentally.

Yoga helps you to be agile
The basic yoga poses like padmaasan, suryanamaskar, trikonasana, paschimottanasana, pranayam gave me flexibility and I found myself being more agile. I started with the basic yoga poses and moved on to the intermediate level after two months. In these two months I could feel myself getting lighter and mentally I was more focused and relaxed than before.

Combine diet with yoga
Along with yoga I controlled my diet. I stopped eating sugar, starch and fats. Instead I devised a meal plan where I had a raw diet day, fish day and fruits evening in my menu. Instead of bacon and eggs for breakfast I substituted it with fruits and fresh cranberry/orange juice. Munching on carrots and nuts between meals kept the urge to chomp fries at bay.

Tuna fish for lunch along with salad, dressings with olive oil saw to it that I didn't add to the kilos. Following a strict yoga and diet regimen helped me to become flexible and shed the kilos. I came down to 120 pounds within two months. My back pain vanished like magic and I could fit into my old clothes. I felt so happy that I continued with the same diet and yoga sessions. Within four months I was looking my ravishing self and my husband just couldn't take his eyes off me. With inner glow thanks to yoga and a new haircut and shapely me, I am eagerly awaiting Valentine's Day. I am sure my husband will surprise me with gifts galore! Viola!!

Author Bio- Latasri is passionate about yoga, fitness and weight loss. On her website she makes available weight watchers coupons and Bistro md coupons, two meal replacement plans for fitness and weight loss.