Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) Cut to Market Perform at BMO.

Cabela’s, Inc. (NYSE: CAB) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

China Mobile Limited (NYSE: CHL) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) Started as Buy at Argus.

D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

GFI Group (NASDAQ: GFIG) Raised to Outperform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) Started as Overweight at Barclays.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) Started as Hold at Jefferies.

KB Home (NYSE: KBH) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE: KSS) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) Started as Buy at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) Cut to Sell at Argus.

Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Weight Watchers International Inc. (NYSE: WTW) Started as Overweight at Barclays.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox.  We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

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JON C. OGG

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 204points to 12,759.15 (-1.57%), the NASDAQ fell more than 40 points (-1.36%) to 2,910.32, and the S&P 500 fell -1.54% or nearly 21 points to 1,343.36.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) started as ‘buy’ at Nomura; Yandex N.V. (NASDAQ: YNDX) started as ‘neutral’ at UBS; lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) cut to ‘market perform’ at Bernstein; and Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NYSE: NLY) cut to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Black Diamond Inc. (NASDAQ: BDE) is down -2.1% at $8.74; Fuel Tech Inc. (NASDAQ: FTEK) is up 0.18% at $5.61; Halcon Resources Corp. (NASDAQ: HK) is down -4.6% at $10.27; Verifone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY) is up 7.5% at $50.03; Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) is up 2.7% at $46.79 after posting a new 52-week high of $47.42 earlier today; Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) is up 10.8% at $8.20; Stage Stores Inc. (NYSE: SSI) is down -4.6% at $13.69; and Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) is up 4.7% at $43.43.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Vermillion Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML) is up more than 111% at $2.81. The medical device maker received a code-change approval from the American Medical Association that incorporates one of the company’s devices. More coverage here.

Encore Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: EBTX) is up more than 35% at $20.23 after posting a new 52-week high of $20.61 earlier this morning. The bank holding company has been acquired by privately held Cadence Bancorp for about $250 million ($20.62/share).

XOMA Corp. (NASDAQ: XOMA) is up about 30% at $1.89. The biopharmaceutical firm has announced pricing on a share offer of around 29.7 million shares and warrants.

Oncothyreon Inc. (NASDAQ: ONTY) is down nearly -41% at $4.98. The biopharma company reported a significant fourth-quarter EPS miss this morning, along with available cash that will keep the company in operation for about another 12 months.

Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ZLTQ) is down more than -32% at $7.50 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.46 earlier. The medical technology company posted a dismal fourth-quarter earnings report this morning.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
• 7:30 a.m. – Challenger Gray & Christmas job-cut report
• 8:15 a.m. – ADP employment report
• 8:30 a.m. – Non-farm business productivity and unit labor costs report
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
• 3:00 p.m. – Consumer credit

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Paul Ausick

Today I’ve got a sick new jam for all the bass heads out there to start their weekend right, the lead track off a brand new EP Full Clipfrom rising producers AFK & DKS. Titled Shining, the song wastes no time getting into the electro grime with a female vocal based drop that transitions to the low and dirty bass you all love. You might have remembered a snippet of Shining from Datsik’s UMF Mix a while back and it’s great to see the full track rages as hard as the original clip. Kick back and enjoy!

AKF & DKS – Shining (MP3) (Mediafire)

After the first half hour of trading, Dick’s Sporting Goods is up more than 9% at $39.83. Volume is already more than double the daily average. Volume has already double the daily average. The sporting goods retailer reported lagging sales, but offset that with a new $200 million share buyback program.

Tractor Supply is up more than 7.5% at $78.42, after posting a new 52-week high of $80.11. Volume has already surpassed the daily average. The farm and ranch retailer reported better-than-expected earnings last night and raised 2011 EPS guidance.

Sanderson Farms is up more than 6% at $50.33. Volume is heavy, at about 70% of the daily average already trading hands. The poultry producer is likely getting a boost from the latest federal report on crop prices, especially corn, which is expected to be both abundant and cheaper.

Williams-Sonoma is down nearly -13% at $34.02. Volume is already 4x the daily average. The home furnishings company cut its sales guidance and announced a new stock repurchase program this morning.

Infosys is down nearly -9% at $51.76. Volume is already 3x the daily average. The India-based business outsourcing company missed the consensus estimate for fourth-quarter EPS.

Paul Ausick

Ellis Goulding – Lights (AFK & DKS Remix)

This package has been purely filthified by Xilent’s new “Skyward EP,” DKS’s new double sided record “Chaos / Illusion,” and Robocop’s “We Move At Midnight” single record, which also has a nasty remix by SPL. Get them all at Beatport!

Also, this package has a track off Skream & Benga’s FREE, yes free, new EP presented by Scion A/C. Some real old school bass there, you can download the whole thing from this link here.

Skyward II (Original Mix) – Xilent

Any Steppers – Benga

Chaos (Original Mix) – DKS

We Move At Midnight (Original Mix) [Feat. Julia] – Robokop

Sunlight (HULK Remix) – Modestep *DOWNLOAD*

…Last thing… Check out this new Dillon Francis Dubstep Remix for Chuckie, pretty interesting step-to grime don’t you think?

Who Is Ready To Jump (Dillon Francis Remix) – Chuckie *TEASER*

-Westhead (@RDWesthead)

The Hour of Twilight is now!

Every Saturday morning, Kronedog talks about the past week regarding World of Warcraft, new updates, whats going on in Azeroth, and other gaming news as well. If you missed out the past week, Kronedog has your back.

If you’re anyone who’s anyone you probably already know that patch 4.3 hit only a few days ago on the 29th. Hour of Twilight is here and Blizzard really went all out with this content patch. Here’s what good ole’ Blizz gave us :

1. Raid Finder
2. Dragon Soul Raid (LFR, Normal, and Heroic)
3. Three new Heroic Dungeons (Well of Eternity, End Time, and Hour of Twilight)
4. Transmogrification
5. Void Storage
6. Valor Changes
7. Fangs of the Father
8. New Darkmoon Faire

Yup, the count is high, but the content I assure you is quality. Shall we begin?

Raid Finder

The LFR system has been a controversial topic for Blizzard ever since the dungeon finder came out in patch 3.3 since people have been asking about it, although at the time there were no intentions for such a tool. Now the system has come to full fruition and players actually really like it. The reasoning behind this tool was to allow a greater number of players to experience the raid content. Take myself for example, I didn’t raid one bit in 4.2 and didn’t have any of the gear but a day into 4.3 I was in Dragon Soul doing just fine. Overall, it’s nice to have this in the game.

Dragon Soul Raid (LFR)

As I’ve not yet done normal DS, I can’t really comment. Although I have downed the first 4 bosses in the LFR [The Siege of Wyrmrest Temple] and I can first say this raid is very forgiving. I haven’t raided since January when tier 11 was still pretty ridiculous, so keep that in mind. The fights are easy but I’ll admit the mechanics are pretty sweet. If you haven’t done this yet and you’re at the minimum ilvl requirement, I strongly recommend trying the raid out. There’s definitely a ton of baddies in this system which isn’t a surprise. If you’re looking for a challenge go do normal Dragon Soul with your guild or a pug. It is puggable but keep in mind most want at least 7/7 FL or other HM experience to join the group.

New Heroic Dungeons

With the release of the patch, we were given three whole new dungeons. End Time, Well of Eternity, and Hour of Twilight. All three dungeons are of the same difficulty and require a minimum ilvl requirement of 353. So basically have full Zandalari gear and a piece of 4.2 valor and you’re probably more than ready. These dungeons didn’t prove as difficult as previous Cataclysm heroics did at their respective release. I remember Heroic Deadmines being much harder then these new dungeons but then again, that was when everyone was pretty much doing heroics in blues and maybe a few pieces of 359 epic gear.

Regardless of all that!; The new dungeons are great. They’re something new and the gear rewarded is pretty nice in its own rights. My personal favorite is Well of Eternity. Watching those demons of the burning legion march out of that portal in endless hordes, is something that should get your attention fast. It is just cool, very cool actually. Plus, you get to fight alongside Illidan. Who wouldn’t want to fight with Illidan?

Since I’m a WoW lore geek, I got really into these dungeons. I haven’t read the latest Cataclysm book “Aspect of the Twilights” but I think I may… very soon. After I finish reading Rise of the Horde

Again, kudo’s to you Blizzard on the new dungeons. I know I sound like I’m praising Blizzard, I’m just genuinely excited about everything this patch offers compared to the rest of Cataclysm.

Transmogrification

Transafication mog cation WHAT? Yup, Transmogrification is here my friends and we now disguise ourselves with gear from the past and look how you want to look while keeping your current gears stats. All you need is the gear, go to the Transmog npc in your respective capital city and boom!

There is a few catches though… First off, the gear has to be something that you could normally wear. For instance, a Death Knight cannot transmog himself to look like a clothie. Blizzard didn’t want that so they added restrictions. You cannot transmog Legendary items, nor any kind of Field Marshal gear unless you earned the Field Marshal Feat of Strength back in vanilla.

Transmogrification adds a lot of flavor to the game. Day one of 4.3 and I saw so many people at level 85 running around in old tier sets. It inspired me. I’ve been trying to get the full purple judgement set for my DK and have had no luck the past 30 days running it for the Legs and Shoulders. Soon enough though, soon enough! Oh and yes, I do want a Paladin look alike set for my DK! Only because it’s purple…

Void Storage

Void Storage is simple, just another way to store away mass amounts of collected gear. The prices can get a bit ridiculous if you try putting in a lot but I give props to the developers who implemented this into the game because seriously, we need more space. The game is seven years old now, people who have been playing since classic in no way can save all their gear.While yes, we do have the bank, the space is limited. Personally I feel Void Storage will become more useful down the road since it also goes hand in hand with Transmogfrication. Simply store all your sets in the Void Storage and you’re set.

Valor Changes

Once again, Valor has changed but only slightly. I don’t really want to go into full detail since it’s really just number based so here’s what Bashiok posted:

Changes coming in 4.3:

• Looking for Dungeon — 150 VP per run, with a cap of seven runs per week. All Cataclysm heroic dungeons introduced in 4.0, 4.1, and 4.3, will provide 150 Valor per run.
• Looking for Raid — 250 VP per run, with a cap of 500 per week. The 4.3 raid, Dragon Soul, will be split into two separate raids for the Raid Finder. While individual bosses do not drop Valor when using the Raid Finder, you will receive 250 Valor for completing each Dragon Soul raid. Each boss will only drop loot for you once per week, but you will continue to get the 250 Valor for completing each Raid Finder raid, up to the 500 cap.
• 10 player raid boss — 100 VP. There are nine bosses per week, counting Baradin Hold.
• 25 player raid boss — 100 VP. There are nine bosses per week, counting Baradin Hold.
• Valor Points cap at 1000 per week.

Fangs of the Father

“They wanted to hold me, to keep watch over me – a prisoner in all but name. But I will NOT be held accountable for the sins of my father. My destiny will be my own.”- Wrathion, the Black Prince

Fangs of the Father… aka Rogues’ new Legendary daggers. Just like the last Legendary weapon, Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa’s Rest, their is a quest line you must embark and build your daggers stronger and stronger until they become full power as Legendary daggers.

I don’t really have much to say on this except yay, more Legendary weapons that DK’s can’t use. I really shouldn’t complain since Shadowmourne is basically a Legendary for Death Knights. What I can say is I already know I’m going to hate Rogues so much this PVP coming up season. Many rogues including my brother already have the first set of the daggers and damn they’re strong! Not excited to get danced on by a Rogue using the Legendary ones. Well at least Rogues have something to be happy about right? Moving on.

New Darkmoon Faire

Step right up, don’t be afraid because the brand spankin’ new Darkmoon Faire has arrived! Join in on the festivities and you may even be rewarded kindly.

I’m glad they finally made a use out of the Darkmoon Faire. I mean yes, it’s always been around and had its purpose but lets be honest, who really cared? The guys up at Blizzard knew this and decided to do something about it and completely revamped the Darkmoon Faire. It’s still only once per month but now the Fairgrounds are on an uknown isle that you can get to by taking a port from an old Darkmoon Faire spot. Many new fun additions have been added along with gear and two new mounts. More stuff to farm… I haven’t experienced the new Faire for myself but coming in a couple days, I’m going to go all out like a spoiled little brat child

In Conclusion

What are you waiting for? Log on and have some fun with patch 4.3. It may seem a little overwhelming at first with all the new features but it’s not that bad and you’ll adapt fast. It’s still a little weird seeing everyone running around in different gear I’ll be honest.

Blizzard did a great job with the Deathwing patch and I’m pretty sure it surprised quite a few people. I know this was a long post but c’mon, the patch isn’t even a week old. Things will get more interesting starting Tuesday with Heroic Dragon Soul opening up and also the start of Season 11 PVP! I’m going to be farming BG’s like its no ones business.

If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment and let me know what your goals are for patch 4.3 if you have any. My goal is to reach a 2300 RBG rating on my Death Knight and honestly have as much fun as I can. Don’t forget Mists of Pandaria is only looming beyond the horizon.

~Kronedog

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) is down nearly -9%, at $22.67. Valero and other refiners’ stocks got hit with a narrowing of the gap between WTI and Brent crudes, as well as an announcement by Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB) that it is buying a 50% stake in the Seaway pipeline from ConocoPhillips Corp. (NYSE: COP) and reversing the pipeline’s flow to carry 150,000 barrels/day of crude from Cushing, Oklahoma, to the Gulf Coast.

Western Refining Inc. (NYSE: WNR) is down more than -13%, at $13.47, and Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: MPC) is down about -11%, at $32.91.

Novagold Resources Inc. (AMEX: NG) is up more than 23.5%, at $10-.89. The company has appointed a new CEO to start in January and also announced that it would spin-off a subsidiary, NovaCopper, to current NovaGold shareholders.

Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX) is up more than 3%, at $1.37. The company announced that it has fully retired $35 million in senior convertible notes.

Amtech Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ASYS) is down more than -17%, at $8.59. The company issued a statement that it expects to post $21-$23 million in sales for the third quarter, where analysts had been expecting revenue of $50 million.

Unilife Corp. (NASDAQ: UNIS) is down about -12.5%, at $4.17. The company priced a secondary stock offering of 8.25 million shares at $4.35, well below yesterday’s closing price of $4.76.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank president Sandra Pianalto and New York Fed president William Dudley are giving speeches tomorrow afternoon. Here’s a list of other noteworthy events (all times Eastern):

• 8:30 a.m. – Housing starts
• 8:30 a.m. – Initial unemployment benefits claims
• 10.00 a.m. – Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank’s October business outlook survey
• 10:00 a.m. – E-commerce retail sales
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas status report
• 1:00 p.m. – 10-year TIPS auction
• 4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply report

Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) Reiterated Buy with $18 target at Argus.
Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (NYSE: APD) Reiterated Buy at BofA/ML.
Chimera Investment Corporation (NYSE: CIM) Cut to Sell at Wunderlich.
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) Maintained Underperform at Credit Suisse; Reiterated Buy with $22 target at Argus.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) Raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Gentiva Health Services (NASDAQ: GTIV) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (NYSE: PAA) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) Raised to Neutral from Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Sunoco Logistics, LP (NYSE: SXL) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
TIBCO Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TIBX) Started as Market Perform at BMO Capital; Started as Market Outperform at JMP Securities.

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JON C. OGG

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 17 points to 12,096.39 (0.14%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 29 points (1.09%) to 2,686.20, and the S&P 500 rose 0.48% or more than 6 points to 1,257.80.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) raised to ‘buy’ at BofA/ML. Other action included Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) reiterated at ‘neutral’ by Argus; Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) target raised from $25 to $28 at Argus; Alimera Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: ALIM) cut to ‘neutral’ with a $2 target at Credit Suisse.

Here are today’s big post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is down about -2.25%, at $57.57; Beazer USA Homes Inc. (NYSE: BZH) is down about -0.5%, at $2.21; Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) is up nearly 2.5%, at $48.44; Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE: DKS) is up nearly 5.5%, at $41.73; TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) is up about 1% at $61.16; and Saks, Inc. (NYSE: SKS) is up 2.5%, at $10.46. For a more detailed look at today’s retail earnings, see our earlier story.

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

Moneygram International, Inc. (NYSE: MGI) is up about 616%, at $18.68. The company announced a 1-for-8 reverse stock split this morning, shrinking the number of outstanding shares from 1.3 billion to 162.5 million. The stock closed yesterday at $2.61, and posted a new 52-week high this morning of $19.61.

Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX) is up nearly 30%, at $1.31. There is no direct news from the company, but the price jump is very likely related to an announcement yesterday from Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) that it was building a new plant in Canada that would double its annual production of ethanol.

Netlist, Inc. (NASDAQ: NLST) is up more than 24%, at $2.92. The company has signed deals with both IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) under which Netlist’s cloud memory product undergo qualification testing for use with the two companies’ servers.

FriendFinder Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFN) is down more than -20%, at $1.50, after posting a new 52-week low of $1.42. The company has been notified of a class-action lawsuit charging that it made false statements related the number of shares of stock subject to the 180-day lock-up period following the company’s IPO last May.

Meritor, Inc. (NYSE: MTOR) is down more than -17%, at $6.58. The company reported solid earnings today, but cut next year’s revenue guidance by about 10%.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Richmond Federal Reserve Bank president Jeffrey Lacker and Boston Fed president Eric Rosengren are giving speeches tomorrow. Here’s a list of other noteworthy events (all times Eastern):

• 7:00 a.m. – Mortgage purchase applications
• 8:30 a.m. – Consumer price index
• 9:15 a.m. – Federal Reserve industrial production index
• 10:00 a.m. – Housing market index
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report

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Paul Ausick

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44569823/ns/world_news-europe/

You may have noticed I never got around to posting a recap of last week’s results show. Well I’m sure by now everyone knows that there actually weren’t any results resulting from the results show. For the first time in eight season, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe and his cohorts on the judges panel, Mary Murphy and guest judge Megan Mullally decided not to eliminate anyone from the competition. Contemporary dancer Mitchell Kelly had been forced to sit out the night’s performances due to a shoulder injury, and seeing as it was the very first week I suppose Nigel and Co. felt that the audience deserved a chance to see the entire Top 20 all perform before anyone was cut.

And so, here we are. Week Two, and it’s time for the Top 20 Performance…again.

Our guest judge this week was none other than the legendary Debbie Reynolds. Singin’ In The Rain is one of my all-time favorite musicals, and I was curious to see how she would respond to these kids and the diverse styles they’d be demonstrating*.

(*Mostly she just wanted to kidnap them and take them home with her, but I don’t think it was in a predatory way.)

First dance…

Ryan & Ricky
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Mandy Moore
Music: “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer
This week, rather than 8-second bios, the partners get to reveal secrets about each other to millions of television viewers. This could never be a bad idea. Ricky lets the world know that Ryan has freakishly fast growing leg hair (eww), and in return Ryan exposes Ricky’s real name: Roderick. He hates it, but I’m pretty sure Ryan got the short end of that stick tonight. As for their performance… meh. I feel like Mandy Moore has been one of the better choreographers in past years, though I can’t think off the top of my head right now of what routines she’s done that I’ve loved. But tonight’s routine, all about sex, sexual tension, and sex, isn’t particularly memorable either. Ryan tries to transform her slightly scary grin from last week’s dance into a sexy grin here, and it’s not a good idea. She’s obviously talented, but her stagecraft can be distracting. Ricky on the other hand did wonderfully, considering the moves he was given to work with. Perhaps it didn’t help that I’m just not a fan of the song choice. I’ve heard that song more than enough for this lifetime, I vote for a moratorium please.

Caitlynn & Mitchell
Style:  Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Music: “Turning Tables” by Adele
Mitchell is back! Well, for the first time I guess. And his shocking secret about his partner? Her boots turn her feet blue. Um, sir… I think that says more about her footwear than her, but whatever. She fires back with his zebra-print Snuggie. Wow… let’s just move on. The dance tells the story of two lovers on the verge of breaking up, and it’s pretty great. It’s a “prop” dance in as much as both dancers begin in separate chairs, which they commence to dance in, on, around, and over. Caitlynn is just as passionate and powerful as she was last week, but I’m overjoyed we get to see Mitchell because he is so lithe and graceful and was absolutely committed to the role. The highlight of the dance was probably her leap from the chair across the stage and into his arms. I’m always moved by the trust these partners must develop for each other in so short a time. Although Mitchell does end up punching her in the face at one point. I told you he was committed to the role.

Missy & Wadi
Style:  Cha-cha
Choreographer: Jean-Marc Genereux
Music: “Cannibal” by Ke$ha
Missy apparently has video evidence that Wadi uses feminine hygiene products to remove the hair from his chest. Wadi demonstrates how Missy laughs, kind of a stuttery, choppy laugh, which of course MAKES her laugh, which makes HIM laugh… it was kind of funny. Their choreographer this week is Jean-Marc Genereux, who has a great personality that meshes well with this couple. Unfortunately the music he chooses is scientifically formulated to make me hate this number. Neither dancer manages to capture the hip movements necessary for a cha-cha, but sadly Wadi is the only one singled out for this by the judges. I agree that of the pair he seemed to struggle with the moves the most, but I felt pretty badly for him as he was criticized while his partner was praised. Still, once we’re past the sort of honeymoon glow of the first week it really does become time for the judges to start making some more honest and constructive critiques.

Iveta & Nick
Style: Bollywood
Choreographer: Nakul Dev Mahajan
Music: ”Baawre” from Luck By Chance (Soundtrack)
Seems Iveta likes to talk to herself in the mirror, while Nick can’t stop wearing shorts all day, every day. What makes these stories funny is Nick’s impersonation of Iveta’s accent, and her mocking him for his skinny little chicken legs. The dance is good, fast like a proper Bollywood dance should be. Both dancers did pretty great. The problem here is the same as last week: Iveta is so accomplished in so many different styles that it really wasn’t much of a surprise that she would do well. Whereas Nick, a tap dancer, seemed to have the steeper learning curve, and the fact that he did such an amazing job kind of singles him out for the lion’s share of the praise. Plus he’s just got such a great personality.

Miranda & Robert
Style: Hip hop
Choreographer: NappyTabs (Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo)
Music: “Break Ya Neck” by Busta Rhymes
In the duel of embarrassing secrets, Robert wins this round. Miranda calls him a grown man whose still obsessed with professional wrestling (yes, that IS embarrassing). But he gets to out her secret crush on one of the other dancers (Tadd), which seems to genuinely embarrass her. Well played, sir. Now, speaking of embarrassing… NappyTabs come up with what had the potential to be the most ridiculous, asinine dance in the show’s history: the story of one woodpecker teaching a younger woodpecker how to fly and… peck? Seriously. I’m not making this up. And coming on the heels of my comments last week about Robert needing to move away from the sort of goofy, “Woo Man” schtick, I was ready for this to be a garish, campy train wreck. But as it turns out it was actually pretty good. Far from the best thing the husband and wife choreo team have ever done, but it wasn’t awful. Both dancers were fast AND strong, hitting the punctuation beats with appropriate force. Since this is Roberts style, the surprise here was how well Miranda did. And it all paid off with Debbie Reynolds doing a nice Woody Woodpecker laugh, so there’s that.

Clarice & Jess
Style: Contemporary
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Music: “Cathedrals” by Jump Little Children
Clarice sleeps with her eyes open. That’s just slightly disturbing, but not particularly funny.  Jess draws stick figure orchestras, which is perhaps one of the most unique, original “fetishes” I’ve ever heard of. Unfortunately the choreography isn’t particularly unique OR original. It’s about a royal wedding… or something like that. Jess is so short he’s outsized by his partner, which makes the number of lifts he had to perform sort of silly. It wasn’t an issue of strength, I just don’t think he has the mass to really pull off lifting her over his head. They both do wonderfully when they are moving separately, longing for each other from across the stage. But it was just a tad clumsy when they were in physical contact. I love the song choice though.

Jordan & Tadd
Style: Viennese waltz
Choreographer: Jean-Marc Genereux
Music: “Fade Into Me” by David Cook
Jordan isn’t the brightest crayon in the box? Cue reel clip of her misreading her plane ticket to Vegas. Oh yeah? Well Tadd is obsessive-compulsive in a way that would make him a perfect match for my sister-in-law: he folds his shirts immaculately, puts them each in a separate ziploc bag, and packs them in color sequence. Like… a box of crayons?? Weird. Anyway, the dance. Jordan is undeniably graceful, and her moves are smooth and elegant and as flowing as her beautiful sparkly gown. But the revelation here is b-boy Tadd absolutely NAILING the lines and curves of the waltz. It was truly stunning how well he adapted to the style.

Melanie & Marko
Style: Jazz
Choreographer: Mandy Moore
Music: “Sing With A Swing (Raf Marchesini Radio Edit)” by DKS
Adorable little Melanie has an adorable giggly overreaction when anyone touches her ears. Marko, brave young man that stood up to a robber and sports a bullet in his shoulder for his efforts, reads a lot of romance novels. Perhaps I’m biased, but both these facts just make this couple even more endearing. However, as much as it pains me to say, this routine is probably my biggest disappointment of the night. NOT because of the dancers, who are both extraordinary. But the choreography, a bubbly little jazz number with hats, just is not challenging enough for this pair. There was far too much standing still, waggling their knees or swiveling their arms. Not nearly enough complex interpersonal choreography. It wasn’t bad, just not nearly good enough for my favorite couple of the competition.

Sasha & Alexander
Style: Hip hop
Choreographer: NappyTabs
Music: “Coming Home” by Diddy-Dirty Money & Sasha Grey
Sasha apparently sweats like a dude. Alexander likes to look at himself in the mirror. Umm…
This routine is like the bookend piece to NappyTabs extraordinary Season 4 “No Air” piece, danced so beautifully by Katee and Joshua. Where that one was the story of a man leaving his girl to go off to war, tonight we get the happy ending of the man returning home to the woman he loves. Personally I preferred the former routine (and dancers), but there’s no denying the emotional power of this set, particularly coming as it does right after President Obama’s announcement that he would begin bringing military personnel home. Alexander’s slow-motion march in the background as the music first starts is striking. But the strength of the dance belongs to Sasha, who threw herself full force into it, truly expressing the overwhelming joy at the reunion. It was moving, and indeed both Debbie and Mary were brought to tears by it.

Ashley & Chris
Style: Jazz/Broadway
Choreographer: Spencer Liff
Music: “Please, Mr. Jailer” by Rachel Sweet
According to Ashley, Chris has a creepy smile. I don’t seen it. Chris says Ashley doesn’t have quite the level of swag she likes to think she has. I’m a 40+ year old white guy from Seattle, so I can’t comment on swag. But the dance was freaking phenomenal. Again, it’s a “prop” routine, which I have a tendency to love. This one is the story of a woman visiting her man in jail. The prop is a large row of cell bars separating the dancers. At first it seems like it will be awkward, as the staging makes it difficult for the studio audience to see Chris’ performance behind Ashley. First time I’ve been thankful for the manic, circling camera operators they’ve had the past few seasons. Ashley is elegant, and just a tad wanton, as she struts and kicks in front of the cell. But Chris is kind of a monster, using the cell bars to lift himself up, swing, suspend himself in all sorts of gravity-defying poses. Me likey!

And that’s how it went down. Overall, despite a couple of real gems, I think the whole night suffered from subpar choreographer. This seems to be a really strong group of dancers, and they all could have benefitted from stronger pieces. And sadly, due to last week’s act of mercy allowing all ten couples to stay, tomorrow night we will be saying goodbye to TWO couples, four dancers. Who do you think it will be? Do you agree or disagree with my take on the choreography? Any suggestions for future guest judges? Let us know by leaving a comment here on the blog, or send us an e-mail at gobbledygeek@yahoo.com.

A hotel or motel around noon can be pretty quiet. I don’t know the checkout and arrival times at the Sofitel, but usually guests follow the rules so they don’t get charged an extra day, and staff does most of the maintenance around mid-day. People don’t book a hotel room to sit around in it. They’re tourists, or working, or on their way somewhere.

One question I have is what the suite looks like. Writer Wendy Kaminer answers that basic question, and debunks some of the dumber statements going around…

Bernard-Henri Levy asks “how a chambermaid could have walked in alone, contrary to the habitual practice of most of New York’s grand hotels of sending a ‘cleaning brigade’ of two people, into the room of one of the most closely watched figures on the planet.” Ben Stein can’t understand how an unarmed man might “force” a woman to have oral sex, adding that Strauss-Kahn was “in a hotel with people passing by the room constantly.”

Well, the Sofitel is a good hotel but not quite a grand one (it’s not the Four Seasons or the Mandarin) and, as a regular guest there, I can attest that it is not common practice to send a “cleaning brigade” into the room (although fortunately, I am not among the “most-watched figures on the planet.”) Having spent a night in the same suite or a similar one occupied by Strauss-Kahn (it was complimentary, the hotel was overbooked), I can also attest that people are not “passing by constantly.” In fact, virtually no one passes by. The suite is at the end of a hall, and it is expansive, with a foyer, large living room, bedroom, and a long hallway between bedroom and master bath. A maid might easily knock loudly without being heard, enter in the belief that no one was home, and find herself trapped.

It helps to have some facts. Another fact is that the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit that is used in the state of Rhode Island includes a set of swabs to be used for oral DNA collection. If this kind of assault was so implausible, why is there a written procedure for evidence collection?

I appreciate Wendy Kaminer’s post, though I think she under-estimates the personal cost the victim is suffering for her testimony. She has had to leave her job and apartment and go into hiding with her teenage daughter. Any friendships and connections she has made since coming to the US are disrupted, her daughter can’t safely go to school. She is already been named and accused of being foolhardy, a prostitute and other things. She will have to face the best lawyers money can buy. She has been described as a shy, devout woman who came to the US as a refugee.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, if innocent, has been terribly wronged. But I think the facts will work against him. I’m grateful that Wendy Kaminer has applied some firsthand reporting and cleared away some of the nonsense and speculation.

Aixtron SE (NASDAQ: AIXG) Cut to Sell at Canaccord Genuity.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Ener1, Inc. (NASDAQ: HEV) Cut to Sell at Wunderlich.
GNC Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNC) Started as Market Perform at BMO; Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs; Started as Overweight at Morgan Stanley; Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse; Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMY) Raised to Neutral at HSBC.
Huntington Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: HBAN) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Huntsman Chemicals Corp (NYSE: HUN) Maintained Strong Buy and Value at Zacks.
JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) Raised to Outperform at RBC.
New York Community Bancorp (NYSE: NYB) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. A (NYSE: QIHU) Started as Buy at Citigroup (late-Tuesday).
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) Reiterated Buy and $42 target at Argus.
Universal Technical Institute (NYSE: UTI) maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
The Williams Companies (NYSE: WMB) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks. 

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, dividend trends, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

1812-076 Plus ( Surface Mount ) Gold Plated

• 1812-076 Plus is a unique telephone intercom system that allows homeowners to use their telephone as an intercom to speak to guests at the front door or gate
• Visitors are easily identified by voice communication and can be granted or denied access directly from a touch-tone telephone
• The 1812 Plus has several advanced features: new processor, stores up to 27 phone numbers and offers a crystal clear high definition digital voice circuit
• INCLUDES: 16 VAC power transformer

For pricing CLICK HERE

For more information about 1812 Plus please refer to the Manual

1812-089 Plus ( Surface Mount ) Stainless

• 1812-089 Plus is a unique telephone intercom system that allows homeowners to use their telephone as an intercom to speak to guests at the front door or gate
• Visitors are easily identified by voice communication and can be granted or denied access directly from a touch-tone telephone
• The 1812 Plus has several advanced features: new processor, stores up to 27 phone numbers and offers a crystal clear high definition digital voice circuit
• INCLUDES: 16 VAC power transformer

For pricing CLICK HERE

For more information about 1812 Plus please refer to the Manual

• Connects directly to your existing C.O. (Central Office) phone line. No additional monthly expense for a separate telephone line to the entry system.
• Digital voice circuit for cyrstal clear communication.
• Unique double ring identifies calls from the 1812.
• Two relays allow control of two doors or gates.
• Answer machine bypass feature allows the homeowner to call the 1812 from an off site location and “by-pass” a home answering machine to perform programming operations.
• Built-in call waiting so calls from the access system are never missed – even if you’re on the phone.
• Call forwarding – never miss an access system call, even if you’re away from your home. And you can even create a time zone for when you want your calls to be forwarded.
• Dial-out function provides up to 27 alternate phone numbers for the system to call.
• Do-not-disturb feature allows the homeowner to set times when the access system will not ring the house phones.
• Program up to four “hold-open” time zones to keep your door or gate open during certain times of the day.
• Program up to 50 individual five (5) digit entry codes. You can even time zone restrict certain entry codes.
• Program up to 10 temporary entry codes with start and end dates and time zone restrictions. Great for allowing service companies entry to your property.
• Special intercom programming mode allows the 1812 to be connected directly to a PBX or KSU phone system.
• 1812 Plus
• Call waiting.
• Call forwarding with time zone restrictions.
• Unique double ring.
• Built-in clock / calendar.
• Do-not-disturb feature.
• Four “hold open” time zones.
• Answer machine bypass feature.
• 50 5-digit entry codes with time zone restrictions on some codes.
• 10 Tempory entry codes with start and end dates.
• Intercom mode for use with PBX and KSU phone systems.
• Camera ready.
  • Hands free, full duplex digital audio circuit.
  • 1812 Plus Capacity:
    Interfaces with a single phone line
    27 dial-out phone numbers
    Two relays for door or gate control.
  • 1812 Plus Programming Method: System keypad or touch-tone telephone.
  • 16 VAC, 20 VA (250 ma) power transformer provided.
  • FCC (US): DUF6VT-12874-OT-0
  • DOC (CAN): 1736 4507 A
  • Complies with UL 294; ETL Listed.
  • Surface mount dimensions: 6.25″H x 10″W x 5.25″D.
  • Surface curved mount dimensions: 6.75″H x 11″W x 6.25″D
  • Flush mount dimensions: 9.25″H x 12″W x 4.5″D.
  • Wall mount dimensions: 7.325″H x 10.75″W x 3.5″D

For more information about 1812 Plus please refer to the Manual

1812-147 ( Color Camera Kit ) for DKS entry system

• The Doorking DKS 1812-147 color camera kit can be used with Doorking telephone entry systems

For pricing CLICK HERE

1812-145 ( Color Camera Kit ) for DKS entry system

• The Doorking DKS 1812-145 color camera kit can be used with Doorking telephone entry systems

For pricing CLICK HERE

2600-588 (Heater Kit) for DKS telephone system

• The Doorking DKS 2600-588 heater kit can be used with Doorking telephone entry systems

For pricing CLICK HERE

1812-197 (Secondary Keypad) for entry systems

• Flush mount secondary keypad
• The Doorking DKS 1812-197 secondary / slave keypads can be used with Doorking telephone entry systems

For pricing CLICK HERE

1812-082 (Secondary Keypad) for entry systems

• Surface mount secondary keypad
• The Doorking DKS 1812-082 secondary / slave keypads can be used with Doorking telephone entry systems

For pricing CLICK HERE

1812-106 ( Housing ) Gold Plated

• The Doorking DKS 1812-106 is a gold plated housing for 1812 telephone intercom systems

For pricing CLICK HERE