Amy Winehouse's Levine song

Amy Winehouse was serenaded by Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine on Sunday (19.04.09).

Singer Remi Nicole asked Adam to phone her friend Amy and perform one of his hits from backstage at the Coachella music festival in the US.

A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Remi was with Maroon 5 and called Amy. Adam sang his hit 'She Will Be loved'. I heard her singing along."

Adam is not the only singer keen for an audience with Amy.

'Broken Strings' star James Morrison approached the 'Back to Black' star at an awards ceremony but was left disappointed when she was too "spaced out" to talk to him.

James said: "I went up to her and said, 'I think you have an amazing talent and a fantastic voice.' She was so spaced out at the time she just looked through me.

"I don't think the conversation even registered she just said thanks and carried on looking blank."

Amy is currently on an extended break in St. Lucia in an effort to escape her partying lifestyle in London.

Tiffany CEO receives $4.2M in 2008 compensation

NEW YORK (AP) -- Michael J. Kowalski, chairman and chief executive of upscale jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co., received a 33 percent cut in compensation for 2008, partly because he declined a performance-based bonus, according to The Associated Press calculations based on a regulatory filing made Thursday.

Kowalski's total compensation packaged was valued at $4.2 million, down from $6.3 million a year ago. He received a salary of $1 million, up from $972,382 the previous year. He chose to not receive a performance-based bonus; last year he received $1.8 million.

President James E. Quinn, Executive Vice President Beth O. Canavan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer James N. Fernandez, and Executive Vice President Jon M. King also did not receive a performance-related bonus, although all individuals were eligible, as the company reached its goal of full-year earnings of $243 million.

The performance goal for fiscal 2009 is earnings of $116 million. If achieved, each of the executives is eligible to receive a maximum incentive award of 200 percent of base salary.

Kowalski, 57, who has served as CEO since 1999, also got other compensation of $322,342 -- down from $340,293 a year ago -- which included items such as a life insurance premium of $162,175, a 401(k) matching contribution of $6,750 and $2,650 for a medical exam.

Additionally, he was awarded stock-based compensation with a value of $2.9 million on the date granted.

The Associated Press formula is designed to isolate the value the company's board placed on the executive's total compensation package during the last fiscal year. It includes salary, bonus, performance-related bonuses, perks, above-market returns on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock options and awards granted during the year.

The calculations don't include changes in the present value of pension benefits, and they sometimes differ from the totals companies list in the summary compensation table of proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which reflect the size of the accounting charge taken for the executive's compensation in the previous fiscal year.

Like many other luxury companies, Tiffany has seen sales slide as Americans cut back on big-ticket purchases.

Tiffany's fourth-quarter profit tumbled more than 75 percent, as sales dropped 20 percent, partly because other competitors offered steep discounts.

Tiffany has said it will maintain pricing to protect its brand, symbolized by its famous blue box.

The New York-based company also offered a weaker-than-expected earnings outlook for 2009.

Last year, shares of Tiffany slipped 48.7 percent, and they have declined 4.8 percent so far this year.

Oral sex really does cause some throat cancers

It is a fact most men will not want to know, but research has proven that a virus which is contracted through oral sex can cause throat cancer. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University has revealed that the HPV virus poses a greater risk in contracting cancer than smoking or alcohol.

The American study of 300 people also found that that those with more than six partners were almost nine times at greater risk of contracting the disease. And those who had already experienced a previous oral HPV infection were 32 times more likely to develop cancer. HPV is the cause of roughly 70 per cent of cervical cancers. However experts said a wider study was needed to confirm the findings.

Researchers said oral sex was the main mode of transmission of HPV but could not rule out that it could also be passed through kissing. During the study, men and women who had been recently diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer had blood and saliva samples taken and were also asked about their sexual practices and family history. They found HPV16 - one of the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus - was present in the tumours of 72 per cent of cancer patients. Scientists said the majority of HPV infections had no symptoms and often did not require treatment. But they also said a small percentage of those who contracted high-risk strains may go on to develop cancer. Study author Dr Gypsyamber D'Souza told the BBC: 'It is important for health care providers to know that people without the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use can nevertheless be at risk of oropharyngeal cancer.' Co-researcher Dr Maura Gillison said that oropharyngeal cancer is still relatively uncommon and that most people who contracted HPV probably wouldn't develop throat cancer.

Story behind Adidas' lawsuit against Payless

adidas AG and adidas Canada Limited have filed a law suit in the Federal Court of Canada against Payless ShoeSource. The law suit claims, in part, that certain footwear sold by Payless infringes upon adidas’ rights in its Three-Stripes Mark. Internationally, adidas has vigorously sought to protect its rights in the famous Three-Stripes Mark and this Canadian law suit marks another step in adidas’ continued international efforts to protect this most important brand symbol.
Internationally, similar legal disputes between adidas and Payless have been ongoing for some time now. After almost 7-years of litigation between adidas and Payless in the United States, the case proceeded to trial last April. In the United States case, the jury reached a unanimous verdict last May finding that, for 267 styles of shoes, Payless had willfully infringed upon the rights of adidas with respect to the Three-Stripes Mark and/or the Superstar trade dress.
The District Court further confirmed the jury’s findings of infringement. This outcome exemplifies the strength and famous nature of the Three-Stripes Mark. While the United States litigation is now on appeal, adidas is confident that the Judgment entered in the U.S. District Court will be upheld.
While adidas would have preferred to resolve the dispute in Canada without the need for litigation, it has been unable to do so, and adidas has now filed this law suit to protect its rights in Canada.