And that disappointment brought down shares of other social networking companies, especially social games developer Zynga.

Facebook stock was essentially flat over the course of the day, closing at $38.23 per share, just 23 cents above its IPO price. Shares only briefly reached as high as $45 after opening at $42.05 per share and mainly hovered around $39 to $40.

Investors reactions show the IPO’s underwriters priced the stock fairly, said Lou Kerner, founder of the Second Internet Fund, which invests in social media companies.

“Investors who bought the hype were disappointed,” he said. “There was an expectation that people might bid it up. But in the end, you’ve got an eight-year-old company with a valuation of $100 billion and I think that’s pretty remarkable.”

The IPO has already been a successful one for the Menlo Park company. The IPO raised about $16 billion for the company, its early investors and employees, and became the third largest tech IPO ever, surpassing Google’s in 2004. It was also the third largest U.S. IPO of all time.

Chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg started the day by pressing a button to ring Nasdaq’s ceremonial remote opening bell, which was set up at company headquarters. That brought cheers and hugs from employees who had been there since about 7 p.m. Thursday for an all-night hackathon.

But trading didn’t start for about two hours, which was about a half hour later than Nasdaq anticipated. Traders rushed into the fray initially, with about 82 million shares traded in just the first 30 seconds.

But while there was some anticipation of a huge pop worthy of all the pre-IPO hype, especially after Bloomberg News reported that pre-orders of Facebook stock in Frankfurt reached about $70 per share, shares dropped quickly back to nearly the IPO price.

“The market was very surprised that the Facebook pop was so tepid,” said Sam Hamadeh, chief executive officer of PrivCo, a New York firm that tracks private firms.

Moreover, he said investors were also stunned that some of the underwriters had to step in with bids to support the stock and keep it from falling below the initial price.

Facebook, with more than 901 million monthly active users, is also by far the biggest of a small handful of social networking companies to go public, but its Wall Street debut hurt the sector.

Trading in social games developer Zynga of San Francisco was halted twice by market circuit breakers about mid-morning after its price suddenly plummeted by about 13 percent.

Zynga closed at $7.16 per share, down 13.42 percent.

And shares of professional social networking firm LinkedIn of Mountain View closed at $99.02, down almost 6 percent from Thursday.

Facebook’s IPO drew more widespread attention than most stock offerings because the social network has become a popular way for average consumers of all ages to share their lives with their friends.

“There are 900 million people who probably felt they’ve got a stake in this, that they participated because they are a part of Facebook,” said Victoria Ransom, chief executive officer of Wildfire Interactive, a Redwood City social media marketing company. “People feel they can relate to this. Other tech IPOs would go over people’s heads.”

“Facebook has had a little bump, but not a huge bump,” Ransom said. “One of the risks of all this hype and all this excitement would cause a bunch of mom and pop investors to jump on the bandwagon at any cost, at any price, in order to own a piece of Facebook.”

Facebook, meanwhile, owns a new company. Nearly a half-hour after the markets closed, social and mobile gifting service Karma announced on its blog that it was acquired by Facebook. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/18/BUJ91OK7IG.DTL#ixzz1vG0tOQ8n

Donna Summer performed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in 2009 in Hollywood, Fla.

Yet, even on that record, Summer was far from a cheap gimmick. Her voice had a muscularity and a purity that made it the perfect vehicle for the driving disco rhythms idealized by her great producer Giorgio Moroder.In Summer’s long string of hits, both with Moroder and without him, she established a daringly forthright sound. Her vocal style indulged no fancy runs and required no showy melismas. Instead she sang every note straight on the melody, trusting the power of her tone alone to tell the story. That tone told a tale full of confidence, awareness and, yes, sex too.

While Summer rose to power in the eroticized world of disco and dance-club culture, her voice had a gospel power and a pop clarity. In truth, she could sing anything and often did during her long career.

Her earliest exposure came in musical theater, performing in the German version of “Hair” in the late ’60s. She also performed in the Euro versions of “The Me Nobody Knows,” “Godspell” and “Showboat.” In addition, she sang with the Viennese Folk Opera in Munich.
(www.nydailynews.com)

The local D.C. musical giant, born in Gaston, N.C., and known for his group’s 1979 chart-topping hit “Bustin’ Loose,” was 75.

Earlier this month, Brown’s family revealed that he had pneumonia. He had canceled a planned performance at the newly reopened Howard Theatre in April due to health concerns.

According to the Associated Press, Brown died at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore.

From The Washington Post’s obituary: Known as the “Godfather of Go-Go,” the performer, singer, guitarist and songwriter developed his commanding brand of funk in the mid-1970s to compete with the dominance of disco.

Like a DJ blending records, Mr. Brown used nonstop percussion to stitch songs together and keep the crowd on the dance floor, resulting in marathon performances that went deep into the night. Mr. Brown said the style got its name because “the music just goes and goes.”

As NPR reported, “the name Chuck Brown might not mean a whole lot to people outside the Washington, D.C., area. That would be their loss.”

No one in D.C. can really explain why go-go hasn’t traveled beyond the city’s environs — we love it here, it’s all over our commercial R&B and hip-hop radio stations and, at least when I was in high school, a go-go in a school’s gym was the most packed party of the weekend. Chuck Brown is a local hero. A few days after he played our offices, Brown and his whole band played at the Redskins’ stadium for the halftime show.

The news of Brown’s death circulated around the nation’s capital Wednesday afternoon, prompting tributes.

District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray said in a statement:

“Go-go is D.C.’s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music, and Chuck Brown was regarded as Go-go’s creator and, arguably, its most legendary artist,” Mayor Gray said. “Today is a very sad day for music lovers the world over, but especially in the District of Columbia. Without Chuck Brown, the world –- and our city –- will be a different place. What a loss!

I am thankful that I had so many opportunities to witness Chuck’s singular talent in person, and I enjoyed each performance immensely. My heart, my thoughts and my prayers go out to his family.”
(www.huffingtonpost.com)

The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area, assuming Apple keeps other dimensions proportional. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007.

Early production of the new screens has begun at three suppliers: Korea’s LG Display Co Ltd, Sharp Corp and Japan Display Inc, a Japanese government-brokered merger combining the screen production of three companies.

It is likely all three of the screen suppliers will get production orders from Apple, which could begin as soon as June. That would allow the new iPhone to go into production as soon as August, if the company follows its own precedent in moving from orders for prototypes for key components to launch.

Apple’s decision to equip the next iPhone with a larger screen represents part of a competitive response to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

Samsung unveiled its top-of-the line Galaxy smartphone with a 4.8-inch touch-screen and a faster processor earlier this month.

With consumers becoming more and more comfortable using smartphones for tasks they once performed on laptops, like watching video, other smartphone manufacturers have also moved toward bigger displays.

AESTHETICS AND DESIGN

A likely shakeup in the design of a larger-screen iPhone could go a long way in boosting its “wow” factor, convincing fans to trade in their old iPhones for new ones, said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee.

“Not only do users pay for features, but they also pay for aesthetics and design. That’s as important, or more important, than features,” Wu said. “People love the current design — but it’s 18 months old.”

The latest iPhone 4S was introduced in October of last year and essentially has the same form factor as the iPhone 4, launched in 2010.

Samsung, which this year became the world’s largest cell phone maker, sold 45 million smartphones in the first quarter, and sales of the Galaxy phones outstripped the iPhone.

Apple was not immediately available to comment.

Apple’s move toward a larger display for the next generation iPhone was earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to being Apple’s rival, Samsung is also a major components supplier to the U.S. computer, tablet and phone manufacturer.

The share of the production of new screens that go to each of the three manufacturers working with Apple has not been determined, one source said.

Sales of the touch-screen iPhone now account for about one-half of Apple’s total sales, and the phone has been a key source of growth for the company in Asia.

A report in March by a South Korea business newspaper said Apple would use a “retina” display on the next iPhone, the same technology in its latest iPad that enhance image quality. (Reuters)

There was an audible gasp in the ballroom when Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet revealed that Maria and her partner, Derek Hough, wouldn’t make it to next week’s season finale. They were against NFL player Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd in the bottom two; Donald will join classical singer Katherine Jenkins/Mark Ballas and actor William Levy/Cheryl Burke in the final competition round.

“I learned so many things – I learned how strong I was, I learned to persevere,” Maria said sadly at the end of the show.

“She’s not just a champion of dancing, she’s a champion of life.” Derek earnestly chimed in. Yes, he really did.

Anyway, here are some other highlights from the Tuesday night results show.

* We got the backstory from Katherine’s injury Monday night, when she tweaked her back during her samba and broke down crying on the dance floor. “It was so quick, like something twinged,” she said backstage, apparently devastated more than anything that she had messed up the routine. It turned out to be a back spasm, and she healed quickly overnight — and once she learned her she was safe from elimination, she started jumping around screaming. “I’m no doctor, but her back looks better now,” Tom Bergeron remarked.

Still, that didn’t stop the producers from repeatedly airing slow-motion footage of the injury, which Brooke Burke Charvet narrated in detail, and Tom Bergeron compared to the intense study of the Zapruder film.

* The pro dancers got to give their critiques of the remaining dancers. Peta proclaims that Maria showed the most improvement (foreshadowing!); Mark thinks William’s biggest weakness is technique; Derek feels Katherine was excellent in lyrical dancing, though Mark believes she lets herself get too riled up; and Cheryl notes that athletes, like Donald, often do well on the show because they know when to peak.

* Performances included a song from Alanis Morissette; a slightly scary “Rock of Ages” medley starring Julianne Hough and Mary J. Blige (who boasted an envious bedazzled belt); and former “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood, who stopped by the rival reality show to perform her new single.

The most entertaining part, however, was when Tom Bergeron stopped to chat with former “DWTS” dancer Julianne Hough.

“How’s that boyfriend treating you?” he inquired in re: Ryan Seacrest.

“He’s treating me pretty well,” Julianne said, trying to do some sort of wink.

“He better,” Tom Bergeron replied, faux-menacingly.
(www.washingtonpost.com)

Lupe Fiasco’s name also appears on the festival’s flyer, but on Wednesday morning (May 16), the Chi-Town lyricist tweeted that despite what was printed, he would not be in attendance this year. “Not doing Rock The Bellz…thats a typo fam and friends…,” he wrote.

For the first time in nine years, Rock the Bells will expand its daylong festival to two days. The first show will take place August 18 at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California. Last year’s three-stage setup forced fans to choose between their favorite acts, who would often perform simultaneously. “We had quite a few complaints about Mobb Deep fans having to choose between Mobb Deep and Nas,” Guerilla Union boss Chang Weisberg said as an example. “We tried to deliver three stages, but it didn’t work out. So the correction? Two stages, two days, one event.”

RTB will hit the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, on August 25 and 26 and then the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on September 1 and 2. Coincidentally, the East Coast show falls on the very same weekend as Jay-Z’s recently announced Made in America multi-genre music festival in Philadelphia. Hov promises close to 30 eclectic acts in the fields of rock, hip-hop, R&B, Latin and dance music. The Made in America lineup hasn’t been announced yet, but already, the RTB bill is ripe with diverse rap talent. 2 Chainz, Tyga, Kendrick Lamar, Slick Rick, E-40, Too Short and A$AP Rocky will all be in attendance.

The announcement event wrapped up with performances by DJ Quik and Bone Thugs, who took the stage and rocked a few of their many classics, leaving fans ready for the main course this summer. Fans should checkRockTheBells.net for venue and ticket information(rapfix.mtv.com)

http://news.softpedia.com

“Gaga showing off her new engagement ring!” he writes, basically telling the entire world that the singer will soon be married.

Though she’s usually very active on Twitter, Gaga isn’t saying anything about Terry’s shock announcement, neither to confirm it nor to deny it.

Reports in the media claim that this might be just a hoax orchestrated by Terry, in which Gaga might also be involved.

“Despite a photo that seems to say to the contrary, Lady Gaga is NOT engaged,” TMZ writes, citing sources close to the star.

“Famed photog and close friend Terry Richardson posted a photo last night of Gaga sporting a huge rock, […] but our sources say it’s just a ring and Gaga is not engaged to anyone,” the same media outlet goes on to say.

What’s more, Gaga couldn’t be engaged because she’s not seeing anyone right now.

“It’s unclear if Gaga is even dating anyone right now… recent reports say she broke up with BF Taylor Kinney,” TMZ explains.

Chances are that Richardson was just trying to have some fun by generating media attention with his claim online, and that Gaga knew nothing about it, because she’s not in the habit of deceiving her fans like this.

Engaged or not, she will probably go on the record with a statement on her Twitter very soon, so rest assured you’ll find out about it here.
(news.softpedia.com)

"Swamp People" star Mitchell Guist, right, died Monday in Louisiana. He is pictured here with his brother Glenn

He was aboard a boat near Belle River Landing in the southern part of the state when he appeared to have a seizure, said Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack, citing an unidentified man who was with Guist.

The reality show star then fell on the boat.

The man who was with Guist towed both his boat and Guist’s boat back to the landing, called 911 and performed CPR, said Waguespack.

Guist was transferred to the Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City, where he was pronounced dead.

“We are extremely saddened to report that our friend and beloved member of the ‘Swamp People’ family, Mitchell Guist, has passed away earlier today. Mitchell passed on the swamp, doing what he loved. We appreciate your respect for the Guist family’s privacy and hope you join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to his brother, Glenn, and the rest of the Guist family,” the History Channel said in a statement.

Glenn Guist is also a cast member on the show.

“Swamp People” is the popular History Channel TV series that chronicles the lives of alligator hunters in Louisiana.

(CNN) –

Let the back-stabbing begin.

The helpful captions inform us it’s night. Thanks, we often confuse darkness and light. Everyone is in a mood to reflect on how far they’ve come. Alicia is feeling bittersweet at having had to get rid of Tarzan, one of her minions, but it’s all good. And she’s very impressed with herself.

And then it’s morning — we don’t get captions for that. Kim and Sabrina get tree mail and talk strategy. Oops, Kim asks about getting rid of Chelsea because people will vote to give her the money. Sabrina is shocked. She thought they had a bond. Sabrina starts wondering if she might be on the chopping block if Chels wins immunity.hen Sabrina, and bringing up the rear, Kim and Christina. Alicia goofs by untying other people’s bags, which Jeff points out. Chelsea is the first to get all five of her puzzle pieces.

Kim comes from behind to put the puzzle together and then tries to figure out the clue, which tells them to count skulls, words and pieces to figure out the lock combination. Kim races to the top to try her combination, but the numbers are wrong. Alicia heads to the top, but her numbers are wrong, too. With Chelsea also trying, Kim finally gets it right and wins immunity.

Back at camp, Kim is happy she won, but feels odd. Her head is about to explode. Everyone she sends to the jury is either a vote for her or against her.

Chelsea discusses her plan to go to the final three with Kim and she is so happy that Kim is on her side, even though Kim thinks Chelsea could win. Chelsea also expects Kim to give her the idol, and Kim is now regretting letting Chelsea know about it.

Kim tells Sabrina they will vote out Alicia. Alicia is certain Kim will vote with her to get Chelsea out. Wow, everyone totally trusts Kim, so whomever is voted out probably isn’t going to be too pleased with Kim.

At Tribal, Jeff asks Alicia about the mood around camp. She says it was very quiet. Chelsea agrees. Fewer people means it’s easier to plot.

Kim says it’s hard at the end of the day because she likes all of the women, and it’s not just a decision tonight, but you have to think about tomorrow and the next night.

Kat, who was voted off two tribals ago, won’t even look at her former tribemates when they talk about loyalty.

Jeff gives the women last chances to talk to Kim before the vote. Alicia says she’s been loyal; Christina says she will be a good soldier; Sabrina says she’s good. Really. She’s fine. Chelsea says she knows Kim thinks a lot of people on the jury are angry at her, but she has a chance to prove something to them by her vote tonight.

So, who’s it going to be? Jeff goes to tally the votes, and no one plays a hidden idol. Fourteenth person voted off and eighth member of the jury, Alicia, who is a bit surprised. Kat whispers to the jury that Kim backstabbed both her and Alicia.

Alicia says she’s not a bad loser, and that her biggest regret is that she gave her away her power by voting off Tarzan, which is debatable. But she’s proud of Kim for the game she played. She also takes the opportunity to berate Christina. Why do they hate this woman?

Back at camp, Kim apologizes for playing Christina, who says she understands it’s a game. She thought she was solid with Kim and Alicia, but she thinks maybe she can convince them to take her to the final three.

Chelsea thinks it might not be a good idea to take Christina after all.

Christina gets the tree mail and says she hasn’t been giving it her all in challenges, but she is now.

And it’s time for the dead torch march, saying goodbye to those who were voted off. Oh survivors, we hardly knew you.

Finally, it’s time for the last immunity challenge. And it’s a tough one. Using a long metal arm, survivors have to maneuver wooden bowls through an upright maze structure and stack them. The structure is on a spring, which will wobble if touched. First one to have 10 bowls stacked, wins immunity. Kim takes an early lead, but she drops one and Christina catches up.

But as usual, Kim is a rock and wins immunity. Jeff tells them two will join Kim in the finals; one will join the jury.

The women return to camp and Christina talks to Kim, saying there is no need for a blindside, so tell her if she’s being voted off. Kim tells her, sorry, but it’s you. She is cool with it, but her response makes Kim rethink her plan. Sabrina will likely get more votes than Christina would, so maybe she should consider that. As they march off to tribal, Kim says she’ll do what she needs to do.

Jeff asks if it was crazy at camp, and Sabrina says no, the cards were laid out. Well, who is it, Jeff asks? Christina says it’s her, and there was no need to scramble because Kim, Sabrina and Chelsea are tight. Sabrina says if she thought she was on the chopping block, she’d be fighting until the end.

The women do some voting, Jeff does some tallying and the it’s adios Christina. So despite Jeff trying to stir things up, the vote is drama-free and we have our final three.

With nothing to do but wait for the jury to abuse them, the gals head back to camp where they enjoy their last night in paradise, and by paradise, we mean a camp without Tarzan and he smelly drawers. As the sun rises, Sabrina is sitting on the beach weeping, reflecting on life and all that she has been given. She’s a teacher, but she recently got laid off. She wants to tell her students about how the beach felt, what it looked like, and how they can live beyond a few streets of Brooklyn.

She pulls herself together and the trio head out to find a breakfast feast.

Chelsea admits she didn’t expect to be there at the end. Kim says it’s been a rough year for her. She went through a divorce and was shaken by the experience.

And the next thing we know, it’s the final tribal council. Jeff calls in the jury and reminds Kim, Chelsea and Sabrina that they’ve gone as far as they can and now the power is with the jury. Then it’s time for the survivors to make their opening statements.

Chelsea stands to make her to address. She talks about the need to have a pair for strength, and says she had Kim. Things switched when the tribes changed. She had an emotional connection with Jonas and hated voting him off. She says they might be mad at Kim because Kim had a personal relationship with those she voted off. Chelsea tried to avoid that, so OK, we get it. Apparently it’s better not to name the lobsters before eating them.

Kim says she loves this game, and reminds them it is a game, like poker. She played hard and strategized until she was blue in the face. She’s proud of what she did, but every time she voted someone off, it took a toll on her. She would think of their families and what they wanted to do with the money. But she’s known her family longer and what she did, she did for them. She probably wouldn’t change anything of her actions.

Sabrina rambles a bit, sort of blaming Kim and Chelsea for the votes. Then she tells the jury about losing her job, saying it is necessary for her to win.

The first juror up is Jonas, who lays the ground rules. When he addresses them, he wants them to answer “Yes, Master Jonas.” Kidding.

Jonas says he loves Sabrina, but she sucked at challenges. Then he says Chelsea is the hottest survivor, ever, but he wants to know the biggest move she made on her own, not because Kim told her. Chelsea says it was her idea to take out Kat. Hey thanks, now Kat doesn’t hate Kim. As much.

Kim played a flawless game, Jonas says, except for not taking Christina with her to the final three. Kim reasons that it wouldn’t have made any difference if the jury was already against her.

Christina wants to know who Kim would have gotten rid of if it had been a two-person final. Kim says she thinks she has a better chance against Sabrina, so would have voted out Chelsea.

And why, Christina asks, does Chelsea hate people? Chelsea says she doesn’t. She just thought with her head, not her heart, which may have made her look cold.

Jay congratulates them. He then turns on Sabrina about being lazy in challenges and around camp. She says she’s very pushy, so she tried to dial it back.

Mike asks Kim what a blindside is. She says taking someone out when they don’t expect it. Do you think you perfected it, Mike asks? Not really, Kim says. Mike says Kim’s may have made a mistake by taking the blame for every blindside, or she may have won the respect of the jury. Only time will tell.

Tarzan wants to thank God for moments of wild adventure, and thanks the women for keeping him around so that his wife could step foot on this island. And then he goes all romantic about his wife. Chelsea thanks him for showing her how true love can be and that she won’t settle for anything less.

Leif tips his hat to the women, but says it was hard getting voted off. He wants to know how it went down. Kim says she couldn’t figure out if she could trust him, and she was afraid he would vote her off. Sabrina blames Kim for delivering the message to vote him off, and she felt too bad to tell him.

Alicia compares herself to Kim, and says she was a kingpin and had her pawns. Alicia thinks she would have more chances of winning than any of them.

Troyzan offers congratulations, and says he doesn’t hate their guts. His biggest issue is with Kim. Answer his question correctly, he says, and prove to him she is deserving. His question is about the moment that derailed his chances. Kim says it was taking Jonas out. Troyzan won’t say whether that was the right answer or not, and hey, we didn’t even understand the question. But he ends up voting for Sabrina, so guess it wasn’t the right answer.

Kat is destroyed. When she was little, had two open heart surgeries, and she needs to have another one in order to have children. She didn’t want to say that before, because she didn’t want to show weakness. But life is short, don’t be angry. She forgives them.

And now the jury votes and Jeff is reading the votes. And it’s Kim. We agree. She totally rocked.

That’s it “Survivor” fans. We’ll be back next season with a new cast of fools and plenty of snark.
(www.mercurynews.com)

Alicia thinks Chelsea should go, too, and no bad feelings, but she hopes Chelsea sucks at the challenge, which involves racing across a balance beam maze, then across a rope net gathering puzzle pieces. The puzzle will give clues to a combination, which will raise a flag and give you immunity. And they’re off.

Chelsea and Alicia make it through the maze first,

The birds most likely got caught in fishermen’s nets and drowned, and then were thrown back into the sea by the fishermen, AFP reported.

“It’s a horrible scene. They are spread across some six kilometers of beach,” San Antonio natural history and archeology museum director Jose Luis Brito told UCV radio.

Carcasses of gray petrels, pelicans, gannets and cormorants stretch from Cartagena to Playa de Santo Domingo, reported Geekosystem.

Environmental groups blamed oil exploration work, according to the AFP report.

Earlier this month thousands of dolphins and pelicans were found dead in Peru, which neighbors Chile.

Scientists suspect the deaths were caused by warming ocean temperatures changing the marine ecosystem, the Washington Post reported.

When the water warms, anchovy the birds feed on seek out cooler, deeper waters around Chile. The birds follow the anchovy there and the influx of birds means more are likely to get caught in fishermen’s traps, Geekosystem explained. At the same time, the birds in Peru are starved for food.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2-000-dead-birds-found-beaches-chile-article-1.1077026#ixzz1umQECPzB