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Why Grease: Live! Had to Censor Some of Its Most Famous Lyrics

here were many many similarities between the 1978 film version of Grease and the one that aired on Fox Sunday night. From costumes to dance moves, the live production aped the popular John Travolta/Olivia Newton-Johnmusical in almost every scene. But longtime fans of either stage or film version may have noticed a few lyrical differences in Fox’s show. Keke Palmer’s rendition of the lesser-known “Freddy My Love” swapped “wearing my lacy lingerie” for “carrying my wedding bouquet,” then Vanessa Hudgens ended a rousing version of “Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee” with “be cool” instead of the more profane, Italian “Hey, Fongul!” But while these changes are tiny, audiences surely sat up and took notice when Aaron Tveit’s show-stopping “Grease Lightning” edited an even more famous lyric.

Executive producer Marc Platt told AdWeek that corporate sponsors like Coca-Cola forced the show to tone down some of the language. “It’s going to be a very family-friendly show, but with the appropriate edge that it needs to have,” Platt said. That’s how “Grease Lightning”’s “the chicks’ll cream” became “the chicks’ll scream,” and “she’s a really pussy wagon” became “she’s a real dream wagon.”

Viewers may have noted Coca-Cola’s advertising popping up throughout the show. “The production will include iconic Coca-Cola signage and performers will ‘taste the feeling’ of Coca-Cola on-stage during the show,” Coca-Cola vice president Katie Miller said.

There are, of course, edges to Grease that simply can’t be rounded off. Elements like Rizzo’s pregnancy scare or the fact that so much of the plot revolves around teenage sex have to stay. But in addition to some lyric changes Grease also tried to update some of its questionable gender politics. Sure, Sandy still changes her entire look/personality to get her man. But Kether Donahue’s character, Jan, who is a running fat joke in both the stage and film productions of Grease gets a bit of a body positivity make-over. When her character says she’s on a diet because the camera “adds 10 pounds,” her would-be suitor, Putzie, encourages her not to get rid of the good parts. And later his line “I also think there’s more to you than being fat” is changed to “than being weird.”

There is one questionable line that Grease: Live decided to keep. “Did she put up a fight?” the lyric from “Summer Nights” stayed in with Aaron Tveit saying, “We're trying to just have fun with it, as opposed to suggesting that it’s something darker. Hopefully, it comes through that way.” 

Drake releases 'Summer Sixteen,' his first single off Views From The 6

The long-awaited track debuted on OVO Sound Radio

Drake just dropped "Summer Sixteen" the first single from his upcoming album Views From the 6. The rapper debuted the song during his OVO Sound Radio show on Apple's Beats 1, after teasing the release in a tweet early this morning. "Summer Sixteen" is available on Apple Music and iTunes right now.Drake is taking some playful jabs at two of his favorite rappers, Jay Z and Kanye West, over the track produced by Noah "40" Shebib, Boi-1da, and CuBeatz, rapping "I used to wanna be on Roc-A-Fella, then I turned into Jay / Now I got a house in LA / Now I got a bigger pool than Ye / and look man, Ye’s pool is nice / Mine's just big is what I'm saying."

Even the human inspiration machine that is DJ Khaled makes an appearance at the end of the track. It's an excellent start to what is easily the most important album of Drake's career.

This is the latest major exclusive Drake has dropped on Apple Music, thanks to an exclusive deal with the streaming service. His mixtape with Future, What a Time to Be Alive was previewed the last time Drake hosted OVO Sound Radio, and his Meek Mill diss track "Charged Up" and the hit single "Hotline Bling" also made their debuts on Beats 1.

As for Views From The 6, Drake says the album will be released this April.

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SAG Awards 2016: Take that Oscars -- diversity's the big winner tonight

Members of the Screen Actors Guild proved far more inclusive than their film academy counterparts Saturday night, honoring a diverse array of actors during their annual awards show at the Shrine Auditorium — and making a pointed contrast to #OscarsSoWhite.

Most of the awards being accepted by people of color were for television performances with one prominent exception — Idris Elba, who won the supporting actor prize for his role in the Netflix film “Beasts of No Nation.”

Elba's failure to secure an Oscar nomination helped fuel this year's continued backlash against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which for the second year in a row did not nominate any people of color for its 20 acting nominations.

FULL COVERAGE: Screen Actors Guild Awards

The SAG Awards are determined by the 116,741 SAG-AFTRA members. Balloting was open amid the Oscars diversity controversy, closing on Friday — just one day before the telecast.Elba, who later in the evening won a second award for his turn as a self-destructive detective on BBC America's TV crime drama “Luther,” summed up the tone of the evening onstage with this play on words: “Welcome to diverse TV.”

The night also added a bit of intrigue to the Oscar race for best picture. The journalism drama “Spotlight” took the movie ensemble award, one week after Adam McKay's anarchic financial meltdown dramedy “The Big Short” won the top honor from the Producers Guild.

That suggests it's a two-way race at the Oscars Feb. 28, since the choices by these two guilds frequently point to the academy's ultimate winner.

Screen Actors Guild Awards: Live coverage | Best and worst dressed |Complete list | Full coverage | Red carpet

Leonardo DiCaprio won lead actor movie honors for his turn as bloodied, bear-battling trapper in “The Revenant.” Brie Larson took the lead actress award for the committed mother in “Room.” Both have been heavy favorites this awards season, collecting many prizes, including Golden Globes from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.

“I just feel deeply honored that I'm getting to represent a film that I think is an artistic epic, the kind of film that we don't see coming from the Hollywood studio system very often,” DiCaprio said. “And all this recognition means we're going to see more films like this, so there's a level of satisfaction.

But the talk of the evening, onstage and behind the scenes, was the show's strong display of inclusivenes“Look at this stage,” “Orange Is the New Black” star Laura Prepon said, motioning to the show's diverse cast while accepting the TV comedy series award. “This is what we talk about when we talk about diversity. Different race, color, creed, sexual orientation.”

In addition to Elba, other winners included Queen Latifah for playing blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO's “Bessie,” Viola Davis for her lead turn on ABC's “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Orange Is the New Black” actress Uzo Aduba.

“And they won because their performances were effective,” Davis told The Times backstage. “They won because the actors have craft, they have a level of excellence that reaches people — and we're actors too. We're artists, too, we deserve to be a part of it and I think you saw that tonight.”

“You know what it feels like?” Aduba added. “It's amazing to see actors have the opportunity to celebrate other actors' work and to feel empowered by the voting process so they can see whatever actor they want reflected up there. And I'm honored to have been chosen by my peers."rom the outset, the show made a point of presenting the diversity of its membership and nominees. The ceremony opened with several actors — Rami Malek, Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Tambor, Anna Chlumsky, Kunal Nayyar — talking about what it means to be in their profession.

SAG Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams said the actor-focused awards show has “worked very hard to reflect the real world.” Williams noted its roster of presenters and nominees as proof of that.

“We try to represent a wide range of what the world looks like,” Williams said.

“This is what happens when you have the SAG group — a group of very diverse people who understand the work that we all put in and that we all deserve the same opportunities,” Queen Latifah told The Times backstage. “That's about it. I feel very positive about this day.”

One of the evening's most moving moments came when Tina Fey and Amy Poehlerpresented Carol Burnett with SAG's Life Achievement honor. Introducing the legendary comedian, whose classic variety series, “The Carol Burnett Show” ran on CBS from 1967 to '78, Fey and Poehler noted with humor how comedy is much more difficult than drama, mostly because you have to say everything faster — and often with a chimp.

“Carol is better than all of us, and we're giving her an award for it,” Poehler said.

Burnett received a lengthy, heartfelt standing ovation. Onstage she recalled her career, including the moment when a network executive told her that “comedy variety is a man's game.” Her stellar career served as a lengthy, emphatic rebuttal to that remark.

Also Saturday night, about 800 miles away, the Sundance Film Festival honored Nate Parker's slave-rebellion drama “The Birth of a Nation” with both the grand jury and audience prizes in the U.S. Dramatic competition, striking another blow for diversity in film.

The SAG Awards have proved over the years to be a reliable indicator of the outcomes of the Oscar acting races. In the last three years, all four of the SAG Awards acting winners have gone on to win the Oscar.

With Elba's snub at the Oscars, there will be at least one different winner this year.

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‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Masters Friday With Est. $11M+; Now Punching $41M+ Opening – Friday PM Update

20th Century Fox also has the spoil of claiming the No. 2 film as its New Regency title The Revenant stays strong with an industry estimated $3.27M Friday and sixth weekend of $11.6M, down just 27%. Cume by Sunday should be $137.4M As the northeastern seaboard thaws, many distributors are expecting decent holds for last weekend’s films as audiences are hunkering to head back to the cinema. This is true especially with last weekend’s crop — The Boy, The 5th Wave and Dirty Grandpa — registering second weekend declines between -38% and -43%.Disney’s The Finest Hours  is looking to open with $10.5M in third at 3,143 venues after a $3.5M Friday. Not the best of starts for a movie that carries an estimated budget between $70M-$80M. These seafaring films always have the water against them during production, hence their lofty budgets. Despite the fact that it’s a smart ensemble with Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Eric Bana and Ben Foster, none of them individually have the marquee power yet of a Channing Tatum or a Leonardo DiCaprio; stars which could sail this pic to a taller wave. Another obstacle for Finest Hours per RelishMix: None of the stars practice social media. Facebook conversation has been dominated by two things: the red carpet premiere and the Q&A with the cast.  That said #Pinenuts have taken over the Q&A with all kinds of questions for Pine, some about Finest Hours, but most related to his favorites, from wine to vacation spots and Star Trek.  On the upside, Finest Hours is coming in with an A- CinemaScore tonight, so this ship might steer to better grosses.3RD UPDATE, Friday 9:54 PM: Word of mouth on Kung Fu Panda 3 is just as strong as its previous installment with the DreamWorks Animation sequel earning an A CinemaScore tonight.  Projecting off of east coast cash registers which recently closed, non-20th Century Fox estimates have KFP3 at an opening day of $11.3M and an opening weekend of $41M at 3,955 theaters. While that’s less than the $47.7M 3-day of KFP2, keep in mind it’s winter and only 4% of all K-12 schools are off per Rentrak. Nonetheless, it’s still too early to call the weekend on KFP3. During this time of year, animated films make their bread off of Saturday and Sunday matinees. One industry calculation projects a 60% hike on Saturday for KFP3 or $18.1M. All of this could spike by late Saturday night. PLF, 3D pricing are also working in KFP3‘s favor this weekend. KFP3 carries an estimated production cost of $120M-$140M.Weinstein Co.’s service deal of the Natalie Portman western Jane Got a Gun is coming in lower than expected with $250K off 1,210 theaters for a FSS of $750K. The pic came to fruition at the 2012 Cannes film festival, originally from a Black List script by Brian Duffield with director Lynne Ramsay attached. Following her departure from the film on its first day of production,Warrior director Gavin O’Connor took over the film. Portman, who lives in Paris, made her way over to the states for the NYC premiere with co-star Joel Edgerton and made pit stops at Good Morning America and The Tonight Show. The pic’s financier Straight Up Films are handling P&A for Jane. Triple note that the 38% Rotten Tomatoes score for Jane is only off of 13 reviews. The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and The New Yorker are among the few who have seen it.Other notables include A24’s Room at 795 locations pushing its total cume to $9.6M by weekend’s end thanks to its Oscar nominations for best picture, director, adapted screenplay and actress Brie Larson. That’s an 85% uptick in its total gross since Oscar nom day. Of all the films to get a boost from their Oscar noms, many pointed to Room to go boom since it was still in limited release.

Lazer Team in play at 25 locations is seeing an estimated Friday of $45K and a FSS of $144K. Rooster Teeth in connection with a crowd sourcing company Tugg crowed that the film racked up $1M in pre-sales with screenings also in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.

On social, RelishMix measured Kung Fu Panda 3’s SMU at 374M. Broken out that’s 112M Facebook reach, 8.2M followers on Twitter, 3.7M Instagram followers and a monstrous 250M total YouTube views.Many views on YouTube are holdover clips driving impressions.  However, the biggest bounce in views has come from Dreamworks TV’s YouTube channel with 28.5M views for KFP3. By comparison, DWA’s Home had an SMU of 304M on its release date of March 27, 2015.  This SMU includes the substantial social following for stars Rhianna and Jennifer Lopez and their Vevo music video views.  KFP3’s social activity is about on par or slightly ahead of Home on social, which opened at $52.1M. The EOR earned, owned ratio of reposting videos is 9:1, which is very good for a family/animated film Dreamworks TV’s YouTube channel has dropped 22 clips on YouTube for the film of all shapes and sizes. KFP3‘s cast has a combined social media pull of 89.4M comprised of Jackie Chan, Bryan Cranston, Seth Rogen, Jack Black and Lucy Liu.The top 15 films for the weekend of Jan. 29-31, 2016:

1). Kung Fu Panda 3 (DWA/FOX), 3,955 theaters / $11.3M Fri. / 3-day cume: $41.1M /  Wk 1

2). The Revenant (FOX), 3,330 theaters (-381) / $3.27M Fri. / 3-day cume: $11.6M (-27%) / Total cume: $137.4M / Wk 6

3). The Finest Hours (DIS), 3,143 theaters / $3.5M Fri. / 3-day cume: $10.5M / Wk 1

4). Star Wars: The Force Awakens (DIS), 2,556 theaters (-809) / $2.7M Fri. / 3-day cume: $10.3M (-27%)/ Total cume: $894.9M / Wk 7

5). Ride Along 2 (UNI), 2,412 theaters (-780) / $2.3M Fri. / 3-day cume: $8M (-36%) / Total cume: $70.5M / Wk 3

6). The Boy (STX), 2,671 theaters (0)/ $2.2M Fri. / 3-day cume: $6.7M(-38%)/Total cume: $20.4M/ Wk 2

7). The 5th Wave (SONY), 2,908 theaters (0) / $1.88MFri./ 3-day cume: $6.4M(-38%) /Total cume: $19.59M/ Wk 2

8). Dirty Grandpa (LGF), 2,912 theaters (0)/ $2.1M Fri. / 3-day cume:  $6.4M(-43%)/Total cume:$21.6M /Wk 2

9). Fifty Shades of Black (OR/IMG), 2,075 theaters / $2.2M Fri. / 3-day cume: $6.3M / Wk 1

10.) 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (PAR), 2,803 theaters (-114) / $1.8M Fri. / 3-day cume: $5.8M (-35%) / Total cume: $42.4M / Wk 3

11). Daddy’s Home (PAR), 1,718 theaters (-1,071) / $812K Fri. / 3-day cume: $3M(-39%)/ Total cume: $143M / Wk 6

12). The Big Short (PAR), 983 theaters (-368) / $790K Fri. / 3-day cume: $2.6M(-19%)/ Total cume: $60.5M / Wk 8

13). Brooklyn (FSL), 748 theaters (-214) / $447K Fri. / 3-day cume: $1.5M(-14%)/ Total cume: $30.2M / Wk 13

14). Room (A24), 795 theaters (-67) / $294K Fri. / 3-day cume: $978K (-27%)/ Total cume: $9.6M / Wk 16

15). Spotlight (OR), 715 theaters (-315) / $274K Fri. / 3-day cume: $953K (-25%)/ Total cume: $34.5M / Wk 13

Notables:

Jane Got a Gun (TWC), 1,210 theaters / $250K Fri. / 3-day cume: $750K/  Wk 1

Lazer Team (ROO), 25 theaters / $45K Fri. / 3-day cume: $144K/  Wk 1

2nd UPDATE, Friday 12:10PM: DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 3 via 20th Century Fox is on its way to a $13M opening day and a weekend that’s in the $44M-$45M range. That’s not too far from the opening of Kung Fu Panda 2 which played over Memorial Day weekend 2011. That film also posted a Friday that was $13.1M (if you add in its $5.8M Thursday then you get to $18.9M) and its 3-day take was $47.7M. Again, matinees will determine if this threequel cracks $50M. KFP2 improved upon KFP with moviegoers earning an A Cinemascore to the first title’s A-. KFP2 in relation to its opening posted a 3.5 multiple in the end of $165.2M. KFP3 with critics is earning a 79% fresh score which files behind KFP (87%) and KFP2 (81%).

Among the new titles, Disney’s Finest Hours is looking at a $4.5M Friday and an opening weekend in the low teens. Critics are giving the sea ship disaster film a 60% fresh Rotten Tomatoes grade. Open Road/IM Global’s Fifty Shades of Black looks to whip $4M today with a $10M three-day. The tweeds can’t stand it with an 11% Rotten Tomatoes score…but then again, when did they ever appreciate satire or gross out? 20th Century Fox/New Regency’s The Revenant is also looking to gross $10M for the weekend, putting its cume through six weekends at $135.8M by Sunday.Weinstein Co.’s release of Natalie Portman’s western Jane Got a Gun from director Gavin O’Connor is playing at 1,210 theaters and is looking at a $400K Friday and a FSS of $1.3M per rival distrib sources.  Currently, Jane got a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score. More updates and analysis later this evening.

1st UPDATE, Friday 8:10AM: DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 3 from 20th Century Fox did not screen last night, but Walt Disney’s period sea disaster film The Finest Hours and Open Road’s Fifty Shades of Black did. Disney is reporting $375K in Thursday preview B.O. last night for the Chris Pine-Casey Affleck-Ben Foster-Eric Bana ensemble pic, while Open Road/IM Global’s satire Fifty Shades of Black grossed $275K.

Finest Hours B.O. yesterday is slightly better than McFarland which made $260K and turned in a $11M opening ($44.5M stateside cume) and Million Dollar Arm which drew $250K and a $10.5M FSS (final domestic $36.5M). The film directed by Craig Gillespie carries an estimated production cost of $80M. The New York Times reports that post-production took a year as the director tried to get the waves correct with 1K VFK shots.It will be a while before we get a sense of how well Kung Fu Panda 3 will be doing: Only 4% of K-12 schools are out today, and animated family films show their mettle in Saturday matinees. The first Kung Fu Panda posted an opening day of $20.3M and the second one inclusive of a $5.8M Thursday did $18.9M, however, that was made off the backs of summer moviegoers.Fifty Shades of Black was financed by IM Global for an estimated $5M. The previous Marlon Wayans collaboration, the A Haunted House comedy series with director Michael Tiddes and scribe Rick Alvarez, racked up $84M worldwide across two films, with each costing between $2.5M-$4M before P&A.

B.O. analysts expect both The Finest Hours and Fifty Shades of Black to open to $10M-$11M in a marketplace that will be thawed by Kung Fu Panda 3 with a FSS in the $40M range.

Yesterday, 20th Century Fox/New Regency’s The Revenant topped the B.O. charts with $1.5M and a running cume prior to its sixth sesh of $125.8M.

Disney’s Star Wars: Force Awakens was third with $1.3M and a six week cume of $884.6M. Episode VII will cross the nine-century mark late next week. Last night, New York’s famed Ziegfeld Theatre dropped its red curtain for the final time after 46 years following the 10PM showtime for the J.J. Abrams movie. The midtown Ziegfeld is (was) Manhattan’s last remaining single screen. Last week it was reported that the theater was losing $1M a year and that Cablevision was released from its longtime lease on the venue by landlord Fisher Brothers, who found a new tenant. The new occupants, who operate Gotham Hall on West 36th Street, will unveil the Ziegfeld Ballroom in the fall of 2017, which will include a 10,000-square-foot ballroom as well as mezzanine meeting rooms. So there’s a chance that film premieres will live on there.

Lionsgate’s Dirty Grandpa was pulling up third yesterday with $950K and a first week’s cume of $15.2M.

Radio host, mayor, convicted felon Vincent 'Buddy' Cianci Jr. dies at 74

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Former Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr., the wisecracking political rogue who presided over the revitalization of Providence during two stints in office cut short by criminal charges and a prison sentence for corruption, died Thursday. He was 74.

WLNE-TV, said Cianci was taping his weekly TV show, "On the Record with Buddy Cianci," on Wednesday evening when he had severe stomach pains and was taken by ambulance to The Miriam Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said he died Thursday morning. She did not release the cause.

Despite his criminal record, Cianci was beloved by many in the city who credited him with resurrection of Providence from a decaying, Industrial-age relic to a 21st-century city with gondolas plying newly uncovered rivers. His bare-fisted style of politics made Cianci larger than life even in a tiny state known for the outsized personalities of its public figures. He recently announced his engagement to model Tara Marie Haywood.

Mayor Jorge Elorza, who defeated Cianci in his 2014 comeback bid for mayor, ordered flags in Providence flown at half-staff and said the city is making arrangements to recognize his memory.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Mayor Cianci's family and loved ones during this difficult time. Mayor Cianci's love for the City of Providence is undeniable and his mark on the city will not be forgotten," Elorza said in a statement.

Cianci spent 21 years in office and was elected to six terms during two stints as mayor, starting in 1974 and ending in 2002 with his federal corruption conviction.

During that time, he used his outsized personality to sell his city - and himself - to a national audience. With a quick wit, political smarts and flair for spectacle and legendary toupee, Cianci was able to attract national attention to the capital of the nation's smallest state.

He started his own line of pasta sauce and managed to have it put on display in the window of Cartier on Fifth Avenue in New York. He became a darling of national TV and radio shows and rubbed elbows with luminaries such as Frank Sinatra. He said often in his later years that his proudest achievement was raising the self-esteem of the people of Providence.

"He's the most talented politician that New England has produced since John Kennedy," former University of Rhode Island political scientist Marc Genest said in a 2002 interview.

Cianci began his public career as a state prosecutor on the attorney general's anti-corruption task force and made a name for himself going after members of the powerful mob families.

In 1974, at 32, he capitalized on a rift in the dominant Democratic Party to win the mayoral post as a Republican. His first three terms were marred by scandal. Twenty-two city workers and contractors were convicted of corruption charges, including Cianci's chief of staff and city solicitor. The mayor was never charged.

Personal problems sidetracked Cianci's career in 1984.

He pleaded no contest to attacking his estranged wife's alleged lover with an ashtray, lit cigarette, and a fireplace log. As a condition of his plea deal, he was forced to resign.

Cianci took a job as a talk-radio host on a local station and regained the mayor's office in 1990. The second coming of Cianci coincided with the "Providence renaissance."

Rivers that had run through underground culverts were reclaimed. People flocked to a downtown that just decades ago had been a dangerous, seamy zone. The city became a beacon for tourists and gained a hip reputation.

Cianci soaked up the attention.

But beneath the glitter, the city was rotting. Buddy's Providence was a town for sale, federal prosecutors said, where even routine dealings with City Hall - such as applying for jobs or bidding on contracts - meant greasing a few palms.

The charismatic mayor became ensnared in an FBI investigation into City Hall corruption, code-named "Operation Plunder Dome." In 2001, he was indicted on charges he orchestrated bribes for jobs, contracts and contributions to his campaign fund.

Cianci vehemently proclaimed his innocence: "I have said to you before, there are no stains on this jacket, and I assure you there still are no stains on this jacket," he said after the indictment.

In a circus-like trial in 2002 that lasted seven weeks and featured a local who's who list of wise guys and mob wannabes, a jury found Cianci guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy. The judge compared him to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at sentencing.

Cianci maintained his innocence, and appealed. But those failed, and he served 4 1/2 years behind bars.

"I love this city. It's a very, very saddening thought to be separated from it," he told The Associated Press the morning he left for prison. "My whole life, personally and professionally, has revolved around it. How do you walk away from that? I'm not sure you do. ... Providence is a part of me."

In a 2011 memoir, he acknowledged misusing his office while maintaining he was innocent of the charges brought against him.

"I used my public power for personal reasons. I admit it," Cianci wrote. "It probably wasn't the right thing to do, but it certainly felt good."

He was released from prison in 2007, and decided to leave behind his toupee, which he then jokingly referred to as "the squirrel." He would later call his prison term a "bump in the road."

He then resumed his career as a radio talk show host and TV commentator, but the draw to politics was strong.

"All the things that they celebrate in this city are the things that I did," Cianci said in 2014 as he contemplated a comeback bid for mayor.

Despite being diagnosed with cancer the same year, he chose to jump in, running as an independent.

Faced with the possibility of a Cianci return to office, several Democratic candidates dropped out to consolidate support behind Elorza, a political newcomer. The idea of a new Cianci administration was so objectionable that even the Republican candidate donated $1,000 to Elorza and then voted for him.

Cianci lost, but still pulled in 45 percent of the vote.

In November, Cianci returned to City Hall for his first significant visit since his conviction. He told The Associated Press he was filled with nostalgia as he walked through the halls where he built his career.

"For some reason, it looks smaller," he said.

As a portrait was unveiled that showed Cianci in his younger days, he flashed the wit that helped propel him into the national consciousness.

"It's not the first time I've been framed," he quipped.

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Dilma Roussef calls on Brazil society to unite against Zika virus

President Dilma Rousseff has called on the whole of Brazilian society to help combat the spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects.

Ms Rousseff said national mobilisation was needed to eliminate the mosquitoes that spread the virus, and urged community groups and unions to help.

Zika is thought to cause a form of infant brain damage, microcephaly.

Three to four million people could be infected with Zika in the Americas this year, experts have warned.

Ms Rousseff rejected comments made by her health minister earlier this week, who said Brazil was badly losing the fight against the virus.

But Brazil is the country worst affected by the Zika outbreak, with 270 cases of microcephaly confirmed by the health ministry and 3,448 being investigated.

• Zika: What you need to know
• 'The worst day of my life'

Concerns have arisen about Brazil's ability to safely host this year's Olympic Games in the capital Rio de Janeiro. Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, has said steps are being taken to protect the event.

The IOC said it will issue guidelines later on Friday for athletes and visitors taking part.

Abortion petition

A group of Brazilian lawyers, activists and scientists is to ask the country's supreme court to allow abortions for women who have contracted the virus.

Abortions are illegal in Brazil, except in health emergencies or cases of rape or, since 2012, another brain condition known as anencephaly.

• The women postponing IVF
• The mosquito menace explained

Brazilian women "should not be penalised for the consequences of flawed policies", it says.

The group behind the microcephaly supreme court plea also won the exception for anencephaly in 2012.

Debora Diniz, a law professor at Brasilia University, told the BBC the disease disproportionately affected the poor.

She said: "It is important to remember, when we talk about abortion and reproductive rights in general, that we have a social class split in Brazil - wealthy women will access safe abortion, legal or illegal, and poor women will go to the illegal market or continue to be pregnant."

No vaccine

Most people do not develop symptoms of the Zika virus but may pass the virus on to their children. There is no known cure or vaccine. The US says it hopes to begin human vaccine trials by the end of 2016.

Officials from the US National Institute of Health (NIH) said they had two potential Zika vaccines in development. One that is based on an experimental West Nile vaccine could be repurposed for Zika and enter clinical trials by the end of 2016, the NIH said.

WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said Zika had gone "from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions". She has set up a Zika "emergency team" following the "explosive" spread of the virus.

The team will meet on Monday to decide whether Zika should be treated as a global emergency.

Zika was first detected in Uganda in 1947, but has never caused an outbreak on this scale. Brazil reported the first cases of Zika in South America in May 2015.

WHO officials said between 500,000 and 1.5 million people had been infected in Brazil, and the virus has since spread to more than 20 countries in the region.

What is the Zika virus?

• Spread by the Aedes aegyptimosquito, which also carries dengue fever and yellow fever
• First discovered in Africa in the 1940s but is now spreading in Latin America
• Scientists say there is growing evidence of a link to microcephaly, that leads to babies being born with small heads
• Can lead to fever and a rash but most people show no symptoms, and there is no known cure
• Only way to fight Zika is to clear stagnant water where mosquitoes breed, and protect against mosquito bites

'The Division' Beta Starts Today On Xbox One, Tommorow On PC And PS4

For anyone who missed a post-blizzard glimpse of a disaster-ravaged New York last weekend, you’ve got another chance this weekend thanks to Ubisoft. We’re about to get our first large-scale glimpse into The Division, the company’s post-apocalyptic third-person MMO about teams of soldiers trying to do their best to maintain order in a nightmarish New York while getting some sweet loot in the process. Or maybe it’s the other way around. The closed beta starts today, January 28th, on Xbox One, and tomorrow on PC and PS4.

Console gamers got their first glimpse of a mainstream MMO last year with Destiny, andThe Division looks like it’s going to follow firmly in that mold: an action/RPG with stat-based guns that display little damage numbers when you hit something. There also seems to be a similar mix of story missions and exploration, though everything I’ve seen so far points to a much more robust sandbox to contrast with Destiny’s relatively confined missions.

You can access the closed beta by pre-ordering the game, or with some of the codes given out on social media. You can also sign up for a waitlist here. That means it will be harder for the next few days to do double duty as advertisements, like the popular Star Wars: Battlefront open Beta did a few months ago, but should still hopefully provide the fine tuning necessary for a smooth launch. MMOs are famous for rocky starts, but the modern gaming industry is less and less forgiving of that sort of thing.

The game takes place after a smallpox epidemic effectively wipes out all basic services across the United States, activating sleeper agents of the titular Division trained to survive and rebuild society without central authority. Players will be able to play through a few story-based missions around New York’s Chelsea Pier, as well as play around with character customization and some PvP action in what they’re calling “The Dark Zone.”

Check back here for more thoughts as the game progresses, but I’m cautiously optimistic. While I haven’t been enthralled with some of the PvP gameplay I’ve seen so far, I love the idea of a 1:1 New York, and I tend to think that the console space needs more MMOs in general. We’ll see how things go soon.