Defoe ready to be England's saviour from the bench at Euro 2012

 Captain Gerrard was one of several walking wounded after yesterday's bruising 1-0 Wembley victory, in their final warm-up friendly before Euro 2012.

The Liverpool midfielder was withdrawn late on through cramp, after a typical all-action display, but he got off lightly compared to Gary Cahill, John Terry and Joleon Lescott.

The FA will shortly reveal whether England's injury jinx has struck again, with Cahill set to have a second scan on the injury he suffered last night and Terry set for a scan on his hamstring.

Lescott finished yesterday's game with a bleeding head wound bandaged up, while concerns remain over the status of Scott Parker's Achilles.

However, Gerrard shrugged off concerns yesterday's game had been too physical for comfort.

The 29-year-old could yet do the same again in Poland and Ukraine and he said: 'I'll try my best.

'It's important to have that at a tournament - not only players that actually start the game, players that can come on and make an impact - especially in tournaments when some games go down to extra time.

'You get to semi-finals and, hopefully, finals and then fatigue kicks in.'

He added: 'You've got to just stay focused on the bench. You might get a chance to win the game - you never know.

'So, it's important just to keep sharp, watch the game as you're not playing and get on and try to make an impact. I believe I can do that.'

Defoe has struggled to hold down a starting place at Spurs and may not even have been in the England squad had Fabio Capello still been manager.


Saturday's game was the frontman's first for his country for more than a year.

'It has been a while,' said Defoe after his 47th cap - a record 30 of which have been earned as a substitute

'It's always nice to play for your country. I was delighted to get on.'

He added of his close shave: 'When I got the shot off, I thought it was in. But, I suppose I'll take that. Hopefully, when I get over there, that one will go in.'

Defoe's last trip to a major championships two years ago saw England feted as one of the favourites.

Not so this time around, but he said of the current squad: 'It's probably a better mix.

'A lot of the younger lads have come through, which is really good to be honest - a lot of energy.
Main man: Danny Welbeck's goal boosted his chances of starting against France

Main man: Danny Welbeck's goal boosted his chances of starting against France

'After the season, we had a little rest - 10 days off - so I think that helps as well.

'There's always going to be pressure, not only in championships - the games in general. We're a great footballing nation. We've got great players.

'It's important for the players to just enjoy it. This is why you play football - to play for your country and to play in major tournaments.

'The manager said to us, "Go there and just enjoy it and do the country proud'.

'There's a really good feeling representing your country at a major tournament. Having played the one before, having experienced it, you just want it again.

'Hopefully, this time around, we get off to a good start and we do well because I think everyone deserves it.'

Kathryn Joosten

Kathryn Joosten,December 20, 1939 – June 2, 2012 was an American television actress best known for her regular role as Karen McCluskey in Desperate Housewives, for which she won two Emmy Awards, and for her recurring role in The West Wing as Dolores Landingham.

In 2005 and 2008, Joosten won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series for her portrayal of Karen McCluskey in Desperate Housewives.

It was not until the mid-1990s that Joosten made the move to Hollywood, where she took guest roles in television series such as Roseanne, Home Improvement, Picket Fences, Murphy Brown, ER, Seinfeld, Frasier, Just Shoot Me!, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dharma & Greg, Las Vegas and The Drew Carey Show. In the 1997 episode of Frasier, 'Roz's Turn', Joosten appeared as Vera, the mother and personal secretary of Frasier's conniving agent, Bebe Glazer, played by Harriet Sansom Harris. The pair would later be reunited to play opposite neighbors in Desperate Housewives.

In 1999, Joosten took the role for which she is best-known, as Delores Landingham, secretary to President of the United States Josiah Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen) in The West Wing. Joosten played the role for two seasons, until her character's death in a car crash in 2001. She would return to the show twice more in flashback episodes.

Joosten's role on The West Wing gave her an entrance into more significant guest roles on notable television series. Since 2001, she appeared on TV in such shows as Scrubs (appearing in "My Old Lady", which won a Humanitas Prize as well as reappearing in two later episodes), My Name is Earl, Spin City, The X-Files, Judging Amy, Monk, Charmed, Will & Grace, Malcolm in the Middle, Grey's Anatomy, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Reba, So Little Time, Gilmore Girls, The Closer and a recurring role as one of the less intimidating incarnations of God seen by the title character (played by Amber Tamblyn) on the TV series Joan of Arcadia.

Health

Joosten has appeared in numerous television commercials such as those for V8 and Fiber One. In 2007, in an appearance on The View, she revealed that she was a lung cancer survivor, after many years of smoking (which she subsequently quit), and gave some tricks for trying to beat the habit of smoking. Coincidentally, her guest roles on My Name is Earl and Grey's Anatomy revolved largely around her character attempting to quit smoking.

In 2001, she quit her 45 year smoking habit when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. In September 2009, Joosten was diagnosed with lung cancer for a second time. She subsequently underwent surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy, and was officially declared cancer-free in January 2010.

Joosten made a guest appearance on CBS daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful on Feb. 7 as part of the show's 6000th episode, which featured several other real-life lung cancer survivors discussing their experiences with two of the show's characters played by Susan Flannery and Jack Wagner who are also dealing with lung cancer.

Joosten was named the national spokesperson for the Lung Cancer Profiles campaign on behalf of Pfizer.

Death

Joosten died of lung cancer on the morning of June 2, 2012. Her death happened 20 days after the onscreen death of her character Karen McCluskey on the final episode of Desperate Housewives.

Euro 2012

2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012, will be the 14th European Championship for national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament will be hosted by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012. It is the first time that either nation has hosted the tournament. This bid was chosen by UEFA's Executive Committee in 2007.

The final tournament features 16 nations, the last European Championship to do so (from Euro 2016 onward, there will be 24 finalists). Qualification was contested by 51 nations between August 2010 and November 2011 to join the two host nations in the tournament. The winner of the tournament gains automatic entry to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Brazil.

Venues

Eight cities have been selected by UEFA as host venues. In a return to the format used at Euro 1992, Euro 1996 and Euro 2008, each of the four groups will be based around two stadiums each.

The host cities Warsaw, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań, Kiev, Lviv are all popular tourist destinations, unlike Donetsk and Kharkiv (the latter having replaced Dnipropetrovsk as a host city in 2009).

The obligatory improvement of the football infrastructure includes the building of new stadiums: six of the eight venues are brand new stadiums currently being constructed ready to open in advance of the tournament; the remaining two (in Poznań and Kharkiv) have undergone major renovations to improve them.Three of the stadiums will fulfill the criteria of UEFA's highest category stadiums.

Host selection

The joint Poland–Ukraine bid was chosen by a vote of the UEFA Executive Committee at a meeting in Cardiff on 18 April 2007, defeating both Italy and a Croatia–Hungary bid. Poland–Ukraine became the third successful joint bid for the European Championship, after those of Belgium–Netherlands (2000) and Austria–Switzerland (2008). Italy had been considered favourites to win the hosting but incidents of fan violence and a match fixing scandal were widely cited as factors behind their failure.
Participating teams

The finals will feature sixteen national teams, as has been the format since 1996. Some European football associations were in favour of expanding the tournament to 24 teams, although the number of UEFA members had hardly increased since the last tournament extension in 1996 (53 in April 2006 compared to 48 for Euro 1996). In April 2007, UEFA's Executive Committee formally decided against an expansion for 2012.

Twelve of the sixteen finalists participated at the previous tournament in 2008, with England and Denmark returning having last participated in 2004. The Republic of Ireland return after an absence of 24 years to make their second appearance at a European finals. One of the co-hosts, Ukraine, make their debut as an independent nation, having previously won the inaugural competition in 1960 as part of the Soviet Union.

Euro 2008 winners Spain have qualified to defend their title. They will compete to win an unprecedented third consecutive major tournament, having won both UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Broadcasting

In January 2012, it was announced that TP (Polish Telecom) and Orange had successfully completed the first phase of tests of the technology infrastructure and services to be provided during the competition to bring connectivity to over twenty locations in Poland (host cities, stadiums, hotels for UEFA representatives) and between Poland and Ukraine.

According to UEFA requirements, TP will ensure approximately 2х70 Gbit/sec data communication speed from Polish stadiums and 2х140 Gbit/sec between Poland and Ukraine. This is required due to the fact that the matches are planned to be broadcast in HD quality. The multilateral production will utilise 31 cameras to cover the action on and around the pitch at every match, with additional cameras following activities around the game, such as team arrivals at the stadiums, interviews, and media conferences.

The official Euro 2012 broadcasting centre will be located at the Expo XXI International Centre in Warsaw.

Logo and slogan

The competition slogan, Creating History Together (Polish: Razem tworzymy przyszłość, Ukrainian: Творимо історію разом / Tvorymo istoriyu razom), was announced along with the logo. The slogan reflects the fact that Poland and Ukraine were united in the past as one country and now represent ambitions of two eastern nations to perform the best tournament in the history of European Championship.

The official logo for the tournament was unveiled at a special event at Mykhailivska Square, Kiev, on 14 December 2009. It takes its visual identity from Wycinanki or Vytynanky, traditional form of paper cutting practised in rural areas of Poland and Ukraine. The art form symbolises the nature of the rural areas of both countries. As part of the event, landmark buildings in the eight host cities were illuminated with the tournament logo.

Trophy

The Henri Delaunay Trophy began a journey through the host cities seven weeks before the start of the tournament. A hundred days before the first match a 35.5-metre-high (116 ft) hot air balloon in the shape of the trophy was flown in Nyon, Switzerland and will visit 14 cities throughout the host countries, reminding spectators of the impending tournament. 20 April 2012 was started Trophy Tour during which will visit Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Poznań, Kraków, Katowice and Łódź cities. After Polish cities, Trophy will visit seven Ukrainian cities: Kiev, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Odesa.

Merchandising

UEFA signed a worldwide licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to help promote the tournament. Warner Bros. agreed to license the following to the third parties: Accessories, Apparel, Automotive accessories, Baby personal care and accessories, Bags, Computer accessories, Drinking vessels, Footwear, General souvenirs, Home textiles, Houseware products and accessories, Jewellery, Publications, Sports accessories, Stationery and writing instruments, Toys and games.Music

The official Euro 2012 song is "Endless Summer" by the German singer Oceana. In addition, UEFA has retained the melody that was composed by Rollo Armstrong of Faithless on its behalf for the 2008 tournament.

The official Polish song for the tournament is "Koko Euro Spoko" by the folk band Jarzębina. The Republic of Ireland has also produced an official song: "The Rocky Road to Poland" recorded by a collaboration of Irish performers has already reached number 1 in Ireland. In Spain, the broadcasting company Mediaset España commissioned the song "No hay 2 sin 3", performed by David Bisbal and Cali & El Dandee and produced by RedOne.

Claimed problems in preparation

In January 2008, UEFA president Michel Platini warned the organisers of the need to avoid "critical slippages" in their preparations, prompting Scotland to volunteer as an alternative host twice. However, by June 2008, UEFA stated they were "not discussing any plan B in terms of new countries" hosting.
Ukraine reported several problems which threatened their ability to co-host, including delays in the renovation of Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, and difficulties funding infrastructure work after the economic crisis struck. After an inspection in April 2009, Platini re-affirmed that Ukraine would remain co-host, hinting that most matches could go to Poland. Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, stated that his country would be capable of the task, but was committed to the original plans, as was the PZPN.
In September 2009, Platini announced that "Ukraine has made sudden progress in their efforts to stage the tournament, and it was soon confirmed that their four cities (Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kiev and Lviv) would host matches. Kiev was also confirmed to host the Final.
An interview Platini gave to the German FA in May 2010, suggesting that Germany and Hungary could replace Ukraine unless improvements were made, cast new doubt on their readiness. However, by August, Platini revisited that and stated "You can consider that the ultimatum no longer exists, and that he was optimistic about preparations in both countries and saw no major obstacles. After a UEFA delegation visited Ukraine in September 2011, he stated the country was "virtually ready for Euro 2012".

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Desperate Housewives actress Kathryn Joosten dies

The actress Kathryn Joosten, best known for playing nosey neighbour Karen McCluskey on the hit US TV show Desperate Housewives, has died aged 72 after a long battle with lung cancer.

The actress won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of Mrs McCluskey, the cranky but loveable pensioner who kept a close eye on her Wisteria Lane neighbours on Desperate Housewives.

The show ended its run on ABC last month with a ji series finale in which Joosten's character passed away. Her character's battle with cancer was a storyline in the show.

Joosten also appeared on NBC's The West Wing as Mrs Landingham, the president's trusted secretary.

Over the years, she had roles in a number of other popular shows, including a recurring part on Dharma and Greg and guest spots on shows including Ally McBeal and Scrubs.

She had previously portrayed Delores Landingham, the secretary to fictional US President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, on The West Wing.

Joosten's family said in a statement that the actress was "surrounded by love and humour 'til the end", adding: "We are laughing through our tears."

Joosten did not begin her acting career until the age of 42, having worked as a psychiatric nurse at a medium security hospital unit in Chicago.

But after getting divorced and hearing her mother's deathbed regrets at not having pursued her dreams, Joosten decided to revisit her childhood passion for acting and became involved with her local community theatre.

She then worked as a street performer at Disney World in Florida before moving to Hollywood in the mid-1990s and winning small roles in shows including Murphy Brown, Frasier and The Drew Carey Show.

The West Wing brought wider recognition. "Some people in Hollywood think of me as a model for dramatic mid-life transitions - from suburban housewife to Emmy-winning actress," she said.

"But I never plotted out a master plan for following my dreams."

Her other roles included one of the recurring Gods in Joan of Arcadia and Claire in Dharma and Greg.

Her part in Desperate Housewives earned her the Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series in 2005 and 2008, and she was nominated again in 2010.

She encouraged the show's creator Marc Cherry to give her character lung cancer in order to raise awareness. The show ended in the US just three weeks ago after eight years on air.

Robert Pattinson - Pattinson: I'm Not Buff Enough For Action Movies Robert Pattinson - Pattinson: I'm Not Buff Enough For Action Movies

The 26-year-old British actor, who shares sex scenes with co-star Patricia McKenzie, says: “I don’t really have a problem with those scenes or nudity in general.

“I think it’s more complicated for actresses who are worried about how those scenes can be exploited by the media and how naked photos are constantly getting posted on the internet.”

But even confident R-Patz had problems at one stage while making the film, directed by horror maestro David Cronenberg.

He says: “The sex scenes with Patricia were more difficult.

“It was kind of strange but in the script we were supposed to climax at the beginning of the scene then have this discussion afterwards.

“But David had the brilliant and inspired idea to have us talk while we were having sex.”

He said: ''If there is a way to maintain a career doing small, interesting movies I would take that option. I'm not buff enough for robot movies.''

Robert also revealed he lacks confidence in his abilities and isn't expecting anyone to go wild for his latest movie 'Cosmopolis''.

He told Empire magazine: ''That's my biggest problem, confidence. I'm taking baby steps and hoping people will keep employing me. I can't see tons of people watching 'Cosmopolis' and screaming at it. It would be amazing if they did.

Robert, 26, has previously admitted he locked himself in his hotel room for a fortnight prior to shooting the drama movie - which sees him play Eric Packer, a multi-billionaire Wall Street CEO - because he was worried about the role but was calmed down by director David Cronenberg who reassured him that his talent would bring out the best in his alter-ego.

He said: ''The preparation, I kind of spent two weeks in my hotel room worrying and confusing myself. I remember the weekend before we started shooting, I called David to talk to him about it, to ask him 'one question' like, 'Want to talk about the movie for a bit?'

''So then I went round to David's house and he said, 'It doesn't really matter. Let's just start, then something will happen.' I think Eric Packer's impossible to approach like you would a normal character.

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Conservative Party chairman Baroness Warsi 'claimed £165.50 a night in House of Lords expenses despite staying in a £75 a night Premier Inn'

Tory Cabinet Minister Baroness Warsi has spent more than £14,000 of taxpayers’ money on trips abroad – despite having no Government role in foreign affairs.

She made 14 visits in two years, including five to Pakistan and others to Bosnia, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, India, Rome, Uzbekistan and Malaysia.

The Tory Party co-chairwoman is already facing an inquiry into expenses claims of £165.50 a night for staying in a London flat owned by friend and special adviser Naweed Khan. Mr Khan joined her on some of the overseas trips.

Eight of the visits cost taxpayers £14,292, while the bill for the six most recent has yet to be revealed.

Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Michael Dugher said Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim Cabinet member, took more trips than any of her colleagues. He sought assurances that the Minister without Portfolio was not using them to conduct Party business.

Mr Dugher said: “While lecturing everybody else about austerity, Baroness Warsi appears to have run up a hefty bill by jet-setting abroad with her political adviser. Can she explain why? We also need reassuring that she has not been conducting party business.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “As a Muslim who is fluent in Urdu, Punjabi and Gujarati and who can read and write Arabic, Baroness Warsi is a massive asset in representing the British Government abroad.

The peer denies these allegations and has referred herself to Paul Kernaghan, the Lords Commissioner for Standards, who is expected to carry out an investigation.

Warsi has also been criticised for failing to declare to Parliament that she had been receiving thousands of pounds in rent since moving out of her Wembley flat.

She additionally faces the prospect of a police probe, after the Met received a complaint from a member of the public.

Warsi said: 'I believe the membership of the House of Lords is a privilege, which is why I have at all times sought to ensure that my conduct, including claims for overnight accommodation and subsistence, is in accordance with both the letter of the law and the spirit of the rules.

'That is why I have referred the allegations relating to my claims for overnight allowances to the Commissioner for Standards in the House of Lords, thereby enabling the Commissioner to carry out an investigation that would otherwise be time-barred.'

Separately, the Mail On Sunday today revealed that Warsi made two trips to the Middle East that were funded by the Saudi Arabian government.

Both trips were to Saudi Arabia and Warsi was joined on one of them by her husband.

She has declared both trips in the House of Lords register but no costs have been disclosed.

Warsi added that her husband had 'met his own costs'.

So far, the prime minister has backed Warsi despite calls for her to resign.

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Myleene Klass' hubby Graham Quinn ends marriage after just six months

Myleene Klass has reportedly been dumped by her husband after just six months of married life.

The couple, who have two children, met when Graham Quinn was enlisted as a bodyguard to Pop Stars band Hear'Say and they were engaged five years ago before finally tying the knot last October.

But according to The Sun, Myleene was left heartbroken when Quinn ended the relationship on her birthday in April.

A friend is quoted by the newspaper as saying: "She's heartbroken. It's an awful situation.

"She's shocked at the sudden way Graham left. It's going to take her a long time to recover."

A further source claims the split "came as a massive shock" to Myleene and added: "Graham has barely been in touch since. It seems he work up one day and realised he didn't want to be married any more.

'Myleene had no idea that Graham was going to leave her. They only got married a few months ago and she thought everything between them was great.

'It came as a massive shock to Myleene and she’s heartbroken.'

But if her smiles at Hyde Park’s Jubilee Festival yesterday are anything to go by, it would seem Myleene has come to the conclusion she is better off without him.

The source added to The Sun: 'Graham has barely been in touch since.

'It seems he woke up one day and realised he didn’t want to be married anymore.

'Her friends are angry with him, especially as she’s been left holding the babies. It’s an awful situation.'

The couple had been together for 11 years and have two daughters together, Ava, four, and one-year-old Hero.

They met when Graham became her bodyguard for pop group Hear’Say and married in secret following a five-year engagement in October last year.

Meanwhile, Myleene’s TV host friend Lauren Laverne has called on fans to send their support at this delicate time.

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Cameron: budget errors left government 'ploughing into brick

Back in mid-March, just days before his vital Budget, George Osborne was so confident of it being a success that he took himself to America to join David Cameron at a White House dinner. A chancellor with a Budget to finalise traditionally spends the week before it cloistered with his senior officials, burning the midnight oil at his desk in the Treasury on Whitehall.

“I wasn’t surprised he went to Washington,” says one of the Chancellor’s Labour opponents, who has studied him closely. “George Osborne is such a political junkie that there was no way he would be able to resist the glamour of hanging out with Obama when he should have been concentrating on getting his Budget right.”

At the time, those who questioned the wisdom of Mr Osborne’s trip were told to calm down. Relax, it will all be perfectly fine, said the Chancellor’s supporters. Many of the biggest decisions couldn’t be taken until the last minute, after consultation with the Liberal Democrats, when Mr Osborne was back from Washington. Understand, said the Osbornites, that Coalition budgets are different from budgets in which one party is in charge.

The Chancellor’s Budget was certainly different. More than six weeks on, the Government is still struggling to clear up the mess. One wit joked last week that the next Budget should be written in pencil, so that it is easier to rub out afterwards. What was supposed to be an upbeat “package for growth” has destroyed Mr Osborne’s carefully cultivated reputation as his party’s master strategist. The Chancellor today is a diminished figure trying to figure out a way to get back on track.

The measures "at the heart of the budget" remained in place, he said – lifting the threshold at which people start to pay income tax and cutting the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p.

It has been reported on the ConservativeHome website that Osborne, as the Guardian reported before the budget, wanted to cut the top rate of tax down to 40p but was blocked in the final negotiations by Cameron and the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg. Osborne had intended to say the government would cut the top rate to 40p by the end of the parliament.

Some of the current tensions between No 10 and 11 flow from the dispute, even though those tensions are mild compared with similar rows in the Labour era.

But the Mail on Sunday has reported that Osborne's parliamentary aide, Sajid Javid, warned him him that the budget, including the granny tax, would be a disaster. Osborne had told him it was too late to change anything.

A Conservative MP writing on condition of anonymity in the same paper accused Osborne of being a part-time chancellor with little grasp of the detail. The author also claimed that Osborne's supporters in parliament were alienating colleagues by acting as his "narks" (informants).

The anonymous MP writes: "It is completely wrong for whips to be answerable to a particular minister, instead of the prime minister. But that is 'Gideon's Gang' for you. His prospects of succeeding Cameron are receding fast: shares in Osborne have fallen through the floor."

Some form of capital spending package is being prepared by the Treasury either in the form of Treasury guarantees for spending backed by pension funds or a straight capital spending programme. The Bank of England may sanction a further round of quantitative easing this week if service sector figures slide further this week.

A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times found only 18% think Osborne is doing a good job while 58% think he is doing a bad job. That compares with a 34%/60% rating for Cameron. The public is evenly divided on whether the U-turns show a listening or incompetent government.

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