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	<title>Onyx World Class Events &#187; Past Events</title>
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		<title>Superbowl Sunday February 5th @ SAI SAI &#8211; Biltmore Hotel</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/special-salute-to-legacy-of-mavericks-flat-friday-january-6th-600-pm-200-am/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/special-salute-to-legacy-of-mavericks-flat-friday-january-6th-600-pm-200-am/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:03:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=3705</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Join
Roland Wirt &#124; Marc Gaspard &#124; Don Derbigny
Orenda Waters &#124; Kevin Rouse &#124; SSVentures &#124; Mike Heath
for
Superbowl Sunday
February 5, 2012
Doors open at  1pm
The New York  Giants
vs.
The New England Patriots
 
 
 

SAI  SAI @

Millennium Biltmore Hotel
501 South Olive St
Los Angeles, CA  90071
We&#8217;re showing  the game on a giant plasma TV
just like [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Join<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;">Roland Wirt <span style="color: #800000;">| </span>Marc Gaspard <span style="color: #800000;">| </span>Don Derbigny<br />
Orenda Waters <span style="color: #800000;">| </span>Kevin Rouse <span style="color: #800000;">| </span>SSVentures <span style="color: #800000;">| </span>Mike Heath<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">for<br />
</span><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-large;">Superbowl Sunday<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-large;">February 5, 2012<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">Doors open at  1pm</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">The New York  Giants<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">vs.<br />
</span><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">The New England Patriots<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">SAI  SAI @<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;">Millennium Biltmore Hotel<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">501 South Olive St<br />
Los Angeles, CA  90071</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">We&#8217;re showing  the game on a giant plasma TV<br />
just like the movies and we also have  plasmas<br />
throughout the club.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">All well drinks, beers and wines are  $5<br />
during game and food specials all night.</p>
<p></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Best of all there&#8217;s No  Cover Charge if you RSVP<br />
$10.00 at the door<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Music by:<br />
<span style="color: #800000;">DJ Sidney  Thompson</span></span></strong></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Don&#8217;t Miss 1st Friday </span><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">@</span><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"> Cicada<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">February 3<span style="color: #800000;"> |</span> March 2<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thelooponline.com/email/cicada0203.html" target="_blank">click  here</a><a href="http://www.thelooponline.com/email/cicada0203.html" target="_blank"><br />
</a></span></strong></p>
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</span><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"> </span></strong></div>
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<hr style="text-align: center;" />
<p><span style="font-family: Lucida Sans; color: #ffffff;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="font-family: Lucida Sans; color: #ffffff;">RSVP</span></strong></span><br class="spacer_" /></span></p>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;">
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			<li id="li--2" class=""><label for="cf_field_2"><span>Email</span></label><input type="text" name="cf_field_2" id="cf_field_2" class="single fldemail fldrequired" value=""/><span class="emailreqtxt">(valid email required)</span></li>
			<li id="li--3" class=""><label for="cf_field_3"><span>Event</span></label><input type="text" name="cf_field_3" id="cf_field_3" class="single" value=""/></li>
			<li id="li--4" class=""><label for="cf_field_4"><span>Number of tickets requested</span></label><select name="cf_field_4" id="cf_field_4" class="cformselect" >
				<option value="1" selected="selected">1</option>
				<option value="2">2</option>
				<option value="3">3</option>
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				<option value="5">5</option>
				<option value="6 or more">6 or more</option>
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		<item>
		<title>Gayle Jhonson Jazz at Sea / Fantasea Yacht Club, Friday, November 4, 2011, 7:30PM</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/chris-botti-in-concert/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/chris-botti-in-concert/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:01:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=7816</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Friday, November 4, 2011, 7:30PM
Jazz at Sea / Fantasea Yacht Club 
4215 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA


Click Below for Additional Info:

http://onyxworldclassevents.com/rsvp-here-jazz-at-sea-fantasea-yacht-club/


]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-7817" href="http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?attachment_id=7817"><strong>Friday, November 4, 2011, 7:30PM</strong><br />
Jazz at Sea / Fantasea Yacht Club </a><br />
4215 Admiralty Way<br />
Marina del Rey, CA</p>
<dl></dl>
<hr />
<h4>Click Below for Additional Info:</h4>
<div>
<div><a href="../rsvp-here-jazz-at-sea-fantasea-yacht-club/"><span style="color: #ff0080;">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/rsvp-here-jazz-at-sea-fantasea-yacht-club/</span></a></div>
</div>
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<p>Gail Jhonson is a Philadelphia-bred jazz pianist who has performed with  artists like Bobby Womack, Pink, Norman Brown, Vanessa Williams, Bobby  Lyle/featuring Mindi Abair, Dave Koz, Jermaine Jackson and Sheila E.</p>
<p>She got her first break performing with Morris Day of The Time and currently  stays quite busy as the music director, keyboardist and vocalist for smooth jazz  super star guitarist and vocalist, Norman Brown.</p>
<p>Born and raised in the city of Philadelphia, Gail Denise Jhonson began piano  lessons in elementary school. Proving to be a gifted student, at age 14, she  played her first gigs on the organ with numerous local Funk and R&amp;B  bands.</p>
<p>In 2004, “Keep The Music Playing, her highly acclaimed debut contemporary  jazz album, brought her into the international recording spotlight.</p>
<p>Led by the hit singles Heaven and Just For Kicks the CD received strong  support from the music industry.</p>
<p>In 2005, the highly successful and much anticipated Norman Brown’s Summer  Storm Tour was launched with special guest Peabo Bryson, Everett Harp &amp;  Brenda Russell.</p>
<p>Major success followed with the 2006 Summer Storm 2 Tour with special guest  Patti Austin, Alex Bugnon and Paul Taylor.</p>
<p>Her early influences include Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder  and Joe Sample, and she has shared the stage with Ray Parker Jr. Vesta, Howard  Hewitt, Brian Culbertson, OC Smith, Paul Jackson Jr., Pamela Williams, Phil  Perry and Milli Vanilli.</p>
<p>Website: <a title="www.GailJhonson.com" href="http://www.gailjhonson.com/" target="_blank">www.GailJhonson.com</a></p>
<div>“Jhonson  brings all of her many talents…as soul-lifting  spiritualist, next-gen  feminist inspiration, big-picture band leader and Philly  street-corner  rhythmist. There is, in this wordless interplay, an empowering  moment  as Jhonson more than holds her own, despite working in a genre with   precious few women bandleaders.” – Nick Deriso</div>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ledisi @ Club Nokia</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/ledisi-club-nokia/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/ledisi-club-nokia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:50:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stanley-Stain</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=8560</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[LEDISI
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10
CLUB  NOKIA
LOS ANGELES CA
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>LEDISI</strong></p>
<p><strong>THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="venues/club_nokia.htm">CLUB  NOKIA</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>LOS ANGELES CA</strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Marsha Ambrosius @ Nokia</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/marsha-ambrosius-nokia/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/marsha-ambrosius-nokia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:08:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stanley-Stain</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=8547</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MARSHA AMBROSIUS
MONDAY,  OCTOBER 17 
CLUB NOKIA
LOS ANGELES CA
&#160;
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>MARSHA AMBROSIUS</strong></p>
<p><strong>MONDAY,  OCTOBER 17 </strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="venues/club_nokia.htm">CLUB NOKIA</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>LOS ANGELES CA</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>20 Yrs After Magic&#8217;s HIV Anouncement</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/20-yrs-after-magics-hiv-anouncement/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/20-yrs-after-magics-hiv-anouncement/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:19:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=8516</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Magic Johnson Foundation will celebrate 20 years of community empowerment  with Point Forward Day, a national day of awareness and action.
On Nov.  7, 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced to the world that he’d acquired HIV  and would be retiring from professional basketball. He subsequently launched the  foundation, and has been [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Magic Johnson Foundation will celebrate 20 years of community empowerment  with Point Forward Day, a national day of awareness and action.</p>
<p>On Nov.  7, 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced to the world that he’d acquired HIV  and would be retiring from professional basketball. He subsequently launched the  foundation, and has been a seminal figure in HIV/AIDS awareness  since.</p>
<p>Now, 20 years to the date of the announcement, a press conference  will be held Nov. 7 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to launch the  anniversary campaign. Events will also be held in Oakland, Sacramento, Harlem,  Miami, Cleveland, Suburban Washington, D.C., Columbia, S.C. and Bennettsville,  S.C.</p>
<p>“It is time for the Magic Johnson Foundation to communicate the  impact we have had in urban communities across the U.S.,” Amelia Williamson,  interim president of the Magic Johnson Foundation, said in a statement. “Point  Forward Day is about getting involved and giving back like Magic has done. It is  time for all of us to stop spectating and start doing! Through our continued  work in educational empowerment, it is our hope to cyclically cultivate, inspire  and help to achieve self-sufficiency in underserved communities.”</p>
<p>Among  those expected to join the campaign are basketball stars Dwyane Wade, Kobe  Bryant and Steve Nash as well as music stars Ludacris and Faith Evans, among  others</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>ROOTS in Concert</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/roots-in-concert/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/roots-in-concert/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:40:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=8501</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ROOTS
Saturday, September 17th
House of Blues
West Hollywood, CA
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>ROOTS</strong></p>
<p><strong>Saturday, September 17th</strong></p>
<p><strong>House of Blues</strong></p>
<p><strong>West Hollywood, CA</strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sonny Rollins in Concert</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/sonny-rollins-in-concert/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/sonny-rollins-in-concert/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:11:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=8491</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sonny Rollins
Thursday, September 22nd
UCLA Royce Hall
Los Angeles, CA, US
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sonny Rollins</p>
<p>Thursday, September 22nd</p>
<p><a href="/venues/527606-ucla-royce-hall">UCLA Royce Hall</a></p>
<p>Los Angeles, CA, US</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones To Receive Honorary Oscars</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/james-earl-jone-awarded-honorary-oscar/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/james-earl-jone-awarded-honorary-oscar/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:46:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=8434</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith have been picked  to receive honorary Oscars.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says the three will be  honored with Oscar statuettes at the Governors Awards in November. The academy’s  Board of Governors voted Tuesday to recognize the entertainment industry  [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith have been picked  to receive honorary Oscars.</p>
<p>The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says the three will be  honored with Oscar statuettes at the Governors Awards in November. The academy’s  Board of Governors voted Tuesday to recognize the entertainment industry  veterans.</p>
<p>Winfrey will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which honors  philanthropic and humanitarian contributions. The 57-year-old media mogul, who  was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for 1985?s “The Color Purple,”  supports various charitable and educational causes, including her own namesake  foundations and Academy for Girls in South Africa.</p>
<p>Jones and Smith will receive honorary Oscars for their outstanding  careers.</p>
<p>Jones has appeared in more than 50 films. The 80-year-old actor – voice of  Darth Vader – was nominated for an Academy Award in 1971 for “The Great White  Hope.” His other credits include “Field of Dreams,” “Patriot Games” and “The  Hunt for Red October.”</p>
<p>Smith was NBC’s first makeup man when he started his career in 1945. He won  an Oscar in 1984 for his work on “Amadeus” and was nominated again in 1989 for  “Dad.” Known as the “godfather of makeup,” he also worked on “The Godfather,”  “The Exorcist” and “Taxi Driver.” Smith also helped train many of today’s top  movie makeup artists.</p>
<p>Smith, Jones and Winfrey will receive their statuettes on Nov. 12 at the 3rd  annual Governors Awards dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood &amp; Highland  Center, just above the Kodak Theatre, where the Academy Awards are presented.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Players Reject NBA&#8217;s Offer, Threatening Season</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/michael-vick-shines-in-eagles-pre-season-opener/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/michael-vick-shines-in-eagles-pre-season-opener/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:36:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://onyxworldclassevents.com/?p=8429</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NBA players delivered a resounding but risky response to one more ultimatum from  NBA Commissioner David Stern: See you in court.
The players&#8217; association rejected the league&#8217;s latest proposal for a new  labor deal Monday and began disbanding, paving the way for a lawsuit that throws  the season in jeopardy.
Negotiating went nowhere, so [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>NBA players delivered a resounding but risky response to one more ultimatum from  NBA Commissioner David Stern: See you in court.</p>
<p>The players&#8217; association rejected the league&#8217;s latest proposal for a new  labor deal Monday and began disbanding, paving the way for a lawsuit that throws  the season in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Negotiating went nowhere, so now the union is going away.</p>
<p>And Stern said &#8220;nuclear winter&#8221; is coming.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re prepared to file this antitrust action against the NBA,&#8221; union  executive director Billy Hunter said. &#8220;That&#8217;s the best situation where players  can get their due process.&#8221;</p>
<p>And that&#8217;s a tragedy as far as Stern is concerned.</p>
<p>&#8220;It looks like the 2011-12 season is really in jeopardy,&#8221; Stern said in an  interview aired on ESPN. &#8220;It&#8217;s just a big charade. To do it now, the union is  ratcheting up I guess to see if they can scare the NBA owners or something.  That&#8217;s not happening.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hunter said players were not prepared to agree to Stern&#8217;s ultimatum to accept  the current proposal or face a worse one, saying they thought it was &#8220;extremely  unfair.&#8221; And they&#8217;re aware what this battle might cost them.</p>
<p>&#8220;We understand the consequences of potentially missing the season; we  understand the consequences that players could potentially face if things don&#8217;t  go our way, but it&#8217;s a risk worth taking,&#8221; union vice president Maurice Evans  said. &#8220;It&#8217;s the right move to do.&#8221;</p>
<p>But it&#8217;s risky.</p>
<p>Hunter said all players will be represented in a class-action suit against  the NBA by attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and David Boies &#8211; who were on opposite  sides of the NFL labor dispute, Kessler working for the players, Boies for the  league.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mr. Kessler got his way, and we&#8217;re about to go into the nuclear winter of  the NBA,&#8221; Stern told ESPN. &#8220;If I were a player &#8230; I would be wondering what it  is that Billy Hunter just did.&#8221;</p>
<p>The league already has filed a pre-emptive lawsuit seeking to prove the  lockout is legal and contends that without a union that collectively bargained  them, the players&#8217; guaranteed contracts could legally be voided.</p>
<p>During oral arguments on Nov. 2, the NBA asked U.S. District Judge Paul  Gardephe to decide the legality of its lockout, but he was reluctant to wade  into the league&#8217;s labor mess. Gardephe has yet to issue a ruling.</p>
<p>Two years of bargaining couldn&#8217;t produce a deal, with owners&#8217; desires for  more competitive balance clashing with players&#8217; wishes to keep the salary cap  system largely intact. The sides last met Thursday, when the league offered a  revised proposal but told the players there would be no further negotiating on  it.</p>
<p>Stern, who is a lawyer, had urged players to take the deal on the table,  saying it&#8217;s the best the NBA could offer and advised that decertification is not  a winning strategy.</p>
<p>Players ignored that warning, choosing instead to dissolve the union, giving  them a chance to win several billion dollars in triple damages in an antitrust  lawsuit.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is the best decision for the players,&#8221; union president Derek Fisher  said. &#8220;I want to reiterate that point, that a lot of individual players have a  lot of things personally at stake in terms of their careers and where they  stand. And right now they feel it&#8217;s important &#8211; we all feel it&#8217;s important to  all our players, not just the ones in this room, but our entire group &#8211; that we  not only try to get a deal done for today but for the body of NBA players that  will come into this league over the next decade and beyond.&#8221;</p>
<p>Fisher, flanked at a press conference by dozens player representatives and  superstars including Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, said the decision was  unanimous. But there were surely players throughout the league who would have  preferred union leadership put the proposal to a vote of the full membership,  with many ready to go back to work.</p>
<p>The sides still can negotiate during the legal process, so players didn&#8217;t  want to write off the season just yet.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to make any assumptions,&#8221; union VP Keyon Dooling said. &#8220;I  believe we&#8217;ll continue to try to get a deal done or let this process play out. I  don&#8217;t know what to expect from this process.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hunter said the NBPA&#8217;s &#8220;notice of disclaimer&#8221; was filed with Stern&#8217;s office  about an hour before the news conference announcing the move. Now, the NBPA is  in the process of converting to a trade association as the fight shifts to the  courts.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fact that the two biggest legal adversaries in the NFL players dispute  over the NFL lockout both agree that the NBA lockout is now illegal and subject  to triple damages speaks for itself,&#8221; Kessler said in an email to The Associated  Press. &#8220;I am delighted to work together with David Boies on behalf of the NBA  players.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hunter said the bargaining process had &#8220;completely broken down.&#8221; Players made  numerous economic concessions and were willing to meet the owners&#8217; demands of a  50-50 split of basketball-related income &#8211; a transfer of about $280 million  annually from their feeling the league&#8217;s desires to improve competitive balance  would hurt their guaranteed 57 percent under the old deal &#8211; but only if the  owners met them on their system wishes.</p>
<p>&#8220;This deal could have been done. It should have been done,&#8221; Hunter said.  &#8220;We&#8217;ve given and given and given, and they got to the place where they just  reached for too much and the players decided to push back.&#8221;</p>
<p>Over the weekend, Stern said he would not cancel the season this week.</p>
<p>Regardless, damage already has been done, in many ways.</p>
<p>Financially, both sides have lost hundreds of millions because of the games  missed and the countless more that will be wiped out before play resumes. Team  employees are losing money, and in some cases, jobs. And both the owners and  players eventually must regain the loyalty of an angered fan base that wonders  how the league reached this low point after such a strong 2010-11 season.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s horrible,&#8221; said Ty Agee, president of the Beale Street Merchants  Association in Memphis, Tenn. &#8220;This is bad. Personally, I don&#8217;t believe they  will be able to fix it. This is really, really bad.&#8221;</p>
<p>And it was seemingly destined. Hunter said he believed years ago owners were  going to lock out the players until they could force through the changes they  sought. Given that, he has been criticized for not disbanding the union sooner  in hopes of creating some leverage that the union never had.</p>
<p>The proposal rejected by the players called for a 72-game season beginning  Dec. 15.</p>
<p>On Sunday, the league made a very public push on the positives of the deal &#8211;  hosting a 90-minute twitter chat to answer questions from players and fans,  posting a YouTube video to explain the key points and sending a memo from Stern  to players urging them to &#8220;study our proposal carefully, and to accept it as a  fair compromise of the issues between us.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the memo, posted on the league&#8217;s website, Stern highlighted points of the  deal and asked players to focus on the compromises the league made during  negotiations, such as dropping its demands for a hard salary cap, non-guaranteed  contracts and salary rollbacks.</p>
<p>Union officials repeatedly have said the system issues are perhaps more  important to them than the split of basketball-related income, but owners say  they need fundamental changes in both to allow for a chance to profit and to  ensure more competitive balance throughout the league.</p>
<p>The previous CBA expired at the end of the day June 30. Despite a series of  meetings in June, there was never much hope of a deal before that deadline, with  owners wanting significant changes after saying they lost $300 million last  season and hundreds of millions more in each year of the old agreement, which  was ratified in 2005.</p>
<p>Owners wanted to keep more of the league&#8217;s nearly $4 billion in basketball  revenues. And they sought a system where even the smallest-market clubs could  compete, believing the current system would always favor the teams who could  spend the most.</p>
<p>The NBA&#8217;s last work stoppage reduced the 1998-99 season to 50 games. Monday  marked the 137th day of the lockout; the NFL lockout lasted 136 days.</p>
<p>In its labor battle, NFL players tried to get the courts to overturn the  lockout and let players return to work. Although a Minnesota judge initially  ruled in favor of the players, that ruling was put on hold by the 8th U.S.  Circuit Court of Appeals.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given the rulings that came down in the NFL case, which are not binding in  the 2nd circuit but would be influential, right now the owners are not in a bad  spot,&#8221; said antitrust attorney David Scupp of Constantine Cannon in New York  City. &#8220;It could very well be that the players have an uphill battle toward  getting that lockout enjoined. If they can do that, then it might swing things  in their favor.&#8221;</p>
<p>But time is not on anyone&#8217;s side.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you look at what happened with the NFL case, that whole legal battle  surrounding the temporary injunction was resolved relatively quickly, and it  still took a few months,&#8221; Scupp said. &#8220;There&#8217;s not a few months to spare this  time around.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>AP Sports Writers Rachel Cohen in New York, Howard Fendrich in Washington,  Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis and Tim Reynolds in Miami and freelance writer  Clay Bailey in Memphis contributed to this report.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: twitter.com/Briancmahoney</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Kobe, Howard lead NBA All-Star Voting</title>
		<link>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/lebron-im-optimistic-nba-season-can-be-saved/</link>
		<comments>http://onyxworldclassevents.com/lebron-im-optimistic-nba-season-can-be-saved/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:04:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Onyx</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Past Events]]></category>

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The NBA announced Thursday Orlando&#8217;s Dwight Howard and the Los  Angeles Lakers&#8217; Kobe Bryant led the voting for  this year&#8217;s All-Star Game.
Both will start in the mid-season contest Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla.
Howard received 1,600,390 votes and will be joined in the Eastern Conference  starting lineup by Carmelo Anthony of New  [...]]]></description>
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<p>The NBA announced Thursday Orlando&#8217;s <a title="Dwight Howard" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Dwight_Howard/">Dwight Howard</a> and the Los  Angeles Lakers&#8217; <a title="Kobe Bryant" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Kobe_Bryant/">Kobe Bryant</a> led the voting for  this year&#8217;s All-Star Game.</p>
<p>Both will start in the mid-season contest Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla.</p>
<p>Howard received 1,600,390 votes and will be joined in the Eastern Conference  starting lineup by <a title="Carmelo Anthony" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Carmelo_Anthony/">Carmelo Anthony</a> of New  York, <a title="LeBron James" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/LeBron_James/">LeBron James</a> and <a title="Dwyane Wade" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Dwyane_Wade/">Dwyane Wade</a> of Miami and  defending NBA regular-season MVP Derrick Rose of Chicago.</p>
<p>James, who was voted the most valuable player in the 2008 All-Star Game, will  be making his eighth consecutive start.</p>
<p>Bryant garnered 1,555,479 votes and will equal the NBA record by appearing in  the All-Star contest for the 14th straight year. <a title="Shaquille O'Neal" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Shaquille_O%27Neal/">Shaquille O&#8217;Neal</a>, <a title="Jerry West" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Jerry_West/">Jerry West</a> and <a title="Karl Malone" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Karl_Malone/">Karl Malone</a> have been the only others to pull off that feat.</p>
<p>Four of the Western Conference starts will come from the NBA&#8217;s two Los  Angeles teams. Bryant&#8217;s teammate <a title="Andrew Bynum" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Andrew_Bynum/">Andrew Bynum</a> will start, as  will <a title="Blake Griffin" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Blake_Griffin/">Blake Griffin</a> and <a title="Chris Paul" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Chris_Paul/">Chris Paul</a> of the Los Angeles  Clippers.</p>
<p>Oklahoma City&#8217;s Kevin Durant will round out the West&#8217;s starting lineup.</p>
<p>The reserves for the game have yet to be announced.</p>
<p>Read more: <a href="http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2012/02/02/Howard-Bryant-lead-NBA-All-Star-voting/UPI-51721328236032/#ixzz1lJPAzbRb">http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2012/02/02/Howard-Bryant-lead-NBA-All-Star-voting/UPI-51721328236032/#ixzz1lJPAzbRb</a></p>
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