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Michelle Northrop gets her hair done by Isabelle Drouin of Fusion Salon during the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame’s third annual Bridal Show on Sunday. (ERIC JENKS/)

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Matthew Skelly estimates his bride-to-be, Jodi Robillard, has a stack of 50 wedding magazines — each approximately 100 pages thick — at the couple’s Philadelphia home.he said those magazines are great for ideas, but the couple can’t plan their wedding just by looking at photographs. So Skelly and Robillard, who will wed July 28, 2012, in Queensbury, made the five-plus hour trip up from Philadelphia to attend the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame’s third annual Bridal Show on Sunday afternoon.They were two of around 500 people who strolled through the venue, which was transformed into a one-stop shop filled with more than 50 top vendors who could take care of most wedding necessities.“we only invite the best providers that cater to the brides,” said Jo Ambrosio, the museum’s facility rentals manager.Conceivably, Skelly and Robillard could have walked into Sunday’s show with no reception venue, no dress, no tuxedo, no limousine, no food and no disc jockey and left three hours later with all of the above.such an endeavor would have been incredibly stressful, Skelly said, so the couple has been slowly but steadily planning the wedding since they got engaged.“It’s insane,” Skelly said of the process, adding that he expects to spend between $25,000 and $30,000 on the celebration.having secured the majority of their big-ticket wedding items — like the venue, guest accommodations, the dress, the church and transportation — the couple spent Sunday afternoon collecting business cards for florists, hair salons and make-up artists as they try and shore up their wedding plans well in advance of their big day.“It’s stress-free when you have a long engagement,” Skelly said. “we have about a year and a half. We’re ahead of the game.”That’s no small accomplishment, considering the couple almost never became one. the two met in a chance early-morning encounter at D’Andrea’s Pizza in July 2007.Robillard, a Glens Falls native, and Skelly, a Saratoga Springs native back in town celebrating a friend’s wedding, hit it off and exchanged numbers, but Skelly lost his cell phone — and Robillard’s number — in a New York City taxi cab days later.Skelly, who was working on Wall Street, wanted to contact Robillard, but legitimately had no way of doing so until she messaged him completely out of the blue 10 months later. the two began dating shortly thereafter and eventually moved to Philadelphia.“It’s kind of a ridiculous story,” Skelly said.Sunday’s event, held about a mile and a half from where the pair first met, gave the couple a chance to meet face-to-face with local vendors, as they’ve done most of their research from a distance.“I’m excited,” Robillard said. “I think we found a place for our rehearsal dinner. They have the date available.”Kate Milos of Troy got engaged to Ryan Teal one month ago. the couple has already secured a venue and a photographer, but attended the free show to see what the area has to offer.“We’re hoping to get a lot of ideas,” she said.Douglas Koch, who runs a floral design business, said bridal shows are a good way to meet brides-to-be and network.“It’s really to spread the word of who we are and what we do,” he said.Ambrosio, who organized the show, said it’s a way to showcase the National Museum of Dance to couples who have not yet selected a venue. the facility hosts approximately 50 weddings per year, she said, generally in the summer and fall.while organizing everything under one roof certainly makes finding wedding vendors easier, Koch said it doesn’t make the planning process any less stressful.“everyone wants to make it as perfect as possible,” Koch said. “It’s not just another party. It’s a wedding day.”

• Return to Paging Mode

It’s that wonderful time of year again, yes, that’s right; it’ll soon be the holiday season. As the temperatures cool and the holiday season inches ever closer, deals and bargains begin to surface at retail outlets looking to grab your attention by offering some sweet deals. This year Sony will be joining in such festivities by offering some impressive holiday bundles for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Move.

Revealed today on SlickDeals.net, Sony appears to be preparing several PlayStation 3 bundles for the 2011 holiday season by highlighting some of the system’s biggest holiday releases – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception being the biggest exclusive release of late 2011. Of the bundles revealed, Sony is planning PS Move bundles with Resistance 3, Killzone 3, and Goldeneye 007: Reloaded as the software of choice to represent the vast features of Move functionality. There will also be a couple console/software bundles that contain Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Ratchet & Clank: All-4-One, and LittleBigPlanet 2 – find a complete breakdown of each bundle below.

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At this time none of these bundles have been officially confirmed by Sony, however, several images of each bundle have surfaced courtesy of ‘Scream777’ on SlickDeals.net – find images of each bundle here.

Computer Entertainment Bundle:

PlayStation 3 160GB Console

Ratchet & Clank: All-4-One (Software)

LittleBigPlanet 2 (Software)

30-Day Trial of PlayStation Plus

Uncharted 3 Bundle:

PlayStation 3 320GB Console

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Software)

Goldeneye 007: Reloaded ‘Double ‘O’ Edition Move Bundle:

Goldeneye 007: Reladed (Software)

Move Navigation Controller

Mayhem Edition:

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Zanzibar Football Association

The association of Zanzibar soccer clubs has strongly condemned the steps taken by Malindi FC to file a court injunction and halt the premier league.

The move has come barely a day after Malindi won the court injunction as the premiership season has just kicked off simultaneously in Pemba and Zanzibar over the weekend.

The denouncement of Malindi has been made after an ad hoc meeting of officials from all the 12 clubs competing in the premiership for the season.

The clubs association’s chairman John Gabriel told members of the press here that Malindi have erred in filing for an injunction.

He said the Zanzibar football Association (ZFA) had made an agreement with all the twelve clubs ahead of staging the mini league.

The agreement to run a mini league in a bid to transform the premiership season was approved by officials of all clubs.

Miembeni FC official Aboubakar Bobea said Malindi officials had attended the meeting and were part of the agreement that gave nod to staging of the mini league.

“how does Malindi Club query the staging of the mini league while they fielded their team to compete against the rest?” wondered Bobea.

The Miembeni official said the question of relegation has been one of the regulations in the league. He said Malindi is not the first side to be relegated.

“In the past fans and football lovers have seen other teams in the likes of Mlandege, Small Simba and Kikwajuni dropping from the top flight berth,” said Bobea.

In a joint statement, the clubs association has said Malindi crashed into the relegation tunnel following an internal leadership crisis that distorted attention of players while the league was in progress.

Bobea said Malindi officials made full use of their time in squabbles instead of focusing on how best to assist their team.

“A fully-grown up person is supposed to prepare the funeral first before crying as the situation is irreversible,” said Bobea.

KMKM’s secretary general  Sheha  Haji said he has been disappointed by Malindi’s action of seeking a court redress while the changes of the league season has been necessitated by abiding to FIFA calendar.

 All club leaders have come up with one strong voice of denouncing Malindi and have said they would not play a league that would include the team.

Zanzibar Football Association’s spokesman Hafidh Ali said Malindi has violated Chapter 19 of the football body’s constitution that discourages taking soccer disputes before the court of law.

However, Ali said ZFA respects the freedom of court and is now preparing its defence against the case filed by Malindi.

Zanzibar premiership season kicked off over the weekend in Pemba and Unguja and two matches were played; Jamhuri posting a 2-0 win over Super Falcon while Mafunzo and Mundu ended their match with barren draw.

NEON HIGH FOOD & EMBRACE present: T-E-E-D [TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS] soundcloud.com/t-e-e-d+ MORE______________________BILLETS/TICKETS:ADV: $12+SV Paypal: bit.ly/pdeKZqSAT Box Office: bit.ly/qCda6biloveneon.cahighfood.orgtwitter.com/iloveneonfacebook.com/neonandhighfoodembracepresents.com______________________T-E-E-D [TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS]soundcloud.com/t-e-e-dThe gentleman you see wearing the bizarre attire is one Orlando; producer and performer behind the creatively named Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.Originally hailing from the Greco-Roman stable, TEED has released three EPs with the Berlin and London party-starters. they are all superbly executed cross-sections of electronic mayhem. As Orlando explains, “it goes from 124 bpm to 140 bpm. it crosses lots of genres and sub-genres of dance music, and I don’t really know or care about all these genres, I think they’re a bit useless and unnecessary. It’s just dance music at the end of the day.”it was ‘Garden’ from last summer’s ‘All In Two Sixty Dancehalls’ EP that propelled TEED into the spotlight. ‘Garden’ is a gorgeous, sing-song house miniature featuring boy girl vocals (Dinosaur himself plus Luisa from Lulu and the Lampshades). Its balance of pop sensibility, sharp basslines and dance floor melancholy has charmed everyone from Annie Mac to James Holden. this was followed in November by the sonically ambitious ‘Household Goods’, championed by Radio 1, that’s made TEED one of the dance music’s brightest new talents.+ MORE______________________18+

We saw the following question from commenter ikins in last week’s Q&a thread.

Q: Why does the Post refer to military decorations as being “won” instead of “received”?

A close up view of the Medal of Honor (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post) I have complained about this to the editors for something going on 9 years (since Iraqi Freedom, in which I participated). Sometimes the reporter responds to my complaint, but it never seems to get traction in an editorial policy. The point is they are “awarded” or “received,” NEVER “won.” it isn’t a contest. Please instruct your reporters that most military folks find the concept of a decoration being “won” as disrespectful to those who didn’t survive to “win” anything – other than a posthumous Purple Heart. 

We passed ikins’s question along to Anne Ferguson-Rohrer, The Post’s multiplatform editing chief, and military reporter, Greg Jaffe. We’ve posted both of their responses below.

A: from Anne Ferguson-Rohrer, multiplatform copy editing chief

The copy editors are very sensitive to these distinctions. we have a couple of stylebook entries on this. we take the distinctions further than simply acknowledging that medals or decorations aren’t “won”; we also talk about “earn” vs. “awarded” (as in, no one particularly aspires to “earn” a medal for being wounded in action, so the Purple Heart is awarded, etc.).

There is no denying that with our expanded content, more things slip through the cracks, especially when people who don’t necessarily have extensive experience as editors are writing display type on our web and mobile platforms. we strive to hold all Post content to the same high standards, but the simple fact is that the sheer volume makes it impossible — not that we don’t keep trying. anything that isn’t quite right and is brought to our attention, we work to fix quickly — and spread the word so the same mistake isn’t made.

A: from Greg Jaffe, military reporter

We have made this mistake in a headline once that I can remember. (I think the word “won” is a easier word to cram into a headline than “earn.”) but we are very sensitive to it at the reporter level. we briefly had it in an online headline the last time a Medal of Honor was awarded but changed it within 30 minutes.

So the writer is correct that we shouldn’t use the word “won.” but I honestly don’t think we do. if someone notices, let us know and we’ll change it.

I’ve covered the military full time for 12 years now. I am pretty sensitive to military culture.

Have questions for Post editors? Submit them here or on Twitter using the hash tag #askthepost.

October 20, 2011, 10:34 AM EDT

by Lorenzo Totaro and Chiara Vasarri

(Updates with meeting on nomination in fifth paragraph, click {EXT4 <GO>})

Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi probably will nominate European Central Bank Executive Board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi as governor of the Bank of Italy, ending months of wrangling over Mario Draghi’s successor, a member of the government said.

The prime minister plans to nominate Bini Smaghi to the central bank’s Board of Directors, said a deputy minister who was informed of Berlusconi’s decision and declined to be identified. The announcement comes less than two weeks before Draghi succeeds Jean-Claude Trichet as ECB president and four months after he was first nominated for the post.

Berlusconi began a meeting in Rome with his top ministers to discuss the nomination at about 4 p.m., news agency Ansa reporter.

Naming Bini Smaghi would ease tensions with France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy originally agreed to support Draghi’s candidacy for the ECB in return for Berlusconi getting Bini Smaghi to resign from the ECB’s Executive Board to make way for a French member. Bini Smaghi has refused to step down before his term ends in 2013.

The squabbling over the nomination reflects the political gridlock that has tripped up Berlusconi at a time when the 75- year-old premier is struggling to convince investors that he can tame the euro area’s second-biggest debt. Italy’s 10-year bonds fell for a third day, with the yield reaching 5.934 percent, this highest since before the ECB began backstopping the nation’s debt on Aug. 8.

‘Internal Crisis’

The failure to pick a governor is the latest sign of “the government’s internal crisis,” said Robert Leonardi, senior lecturer in European politics at Luiss University in Rome. “it also shows the lack of leadership of Berlusconi.”

Berlusconi was also considering Bank of Italy Director General Fabrizio Saccomanni and Vittorio Grilli, the director general of the Italian Treasury.

Berlusconi was initially prepared to nominate Saccomanni, though the process bogged down as Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti pushed for Grilli to limit Draghi’s influence over the Bank of Italy, Italian newspaper Il Sole 24-Ore reported on Sept. 28. Tremonti was backed by Umberto Bossi, leader of Berlusconi’s key coalition ally, the Northern League, who said the same day that he also wanted Grilli because he’s from Milan, his party’s power base.

Berlusconi’s Shortlist

Tremonti released a statement yesterday denying a report in newspaper Corriere della Sera that he had been calling the directors of the central bank to pressure them to back Grilli.

Berlusconi said on Oct. 18 that Bini Smaghi was on his “short list,” the only candidate he mentioned by name. while Italian newspapers had reported that Draghi favored Saccomanni, the incoming ECB president, who currently serves on the ECB’s Governing Council, has worked closely with Bini Smaghi in setting monetary policy for the euro region.

“if you look at it from a European perspective, it looks like a no brainer,” said Riccardo Barbieri, chief European economist at Mizuho International Plc in London. Italy needs “to find a good job for Bini Smaghi, that’s the story, and Bini Smaghi is a very competent guy,” he said.

Bini Smaghi, a Florence native with a doctorate from the University of Chicago, began his career as an economist at the Bank of Italy’s research department. He also served a stint at the Finance Ministry under Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who later went on to become premier.

once Berlusconi makes the nomination, the central bank’s Board of Directors will issue an opinion on the candidate to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, who has to give final approval the appointment.

–Editors: Andrew Davis, Jeffrey Donovan

To contact the reporter on this story: Lorenzo Totaro in Rome at .

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Craig Stirling at

There’s no denying it any longer: Forza is king of the road. In fact, that may very well have been the case since the last iteration of the series, Forza 3, but gamers’ precious, lingering feelings towards that other “real driving simulator” held back its crowning at least for another couple laps around the track.In case you haven’t been paying attention, that other game we’re talking about is Gran Turismo, to which Forza will always be compared to. Granted, the gap between the two remains tight, and the match-up isn’t unlike choosing between the top two in any 100 Sexiest list. Whichever you choose, you win either way.so how does Forza 4 come out on top in our books? Accessibility is the clincher. Forza 4 delivers an experience that’s deep enough to satisfy the obsessive needs of armchair drivers to tweak and customize without alienating the lot of us who just want to drive all those pretty cars. Features wherein the game offers to automatically tune your car to fit a certain tournament’s specifications, or the “rewind” option to correct a mistake you commit while driving lessen the stress while still being exhilarating. whereas Gran Turismo sometimes feels like it expects you to be Schumacher right away, Forza 4 eases you in, as seen in the game’s World Tour mode. the mode’s pacing is flawless. the initial tourneys, while still competitive, allow you to get a feel for the road, and the way cars handle in this game.

As can be expected, the rides in Forza 4 feel more realistic to handle—a subtle but nonetheless important improvement from Forza 3. Hey, with GT as their rival, we really shouldn’t expect anything less. As you progress into the game, you’ll get the sense that you are learning, and all that experience will pay off as you access the mode’s latter rounds. Take the time to thoroughly learn its nuances, and soon, you’ll be turning off all the driver assist techs, for a purer, more challenging time. now we get to another important question: who’s got the prettier cars? the visual fidelity in both games is astounding. Forza 4 offers improved graphics and better lighting over its predecessory, which can be best observed when making use of the game’s cockpit view. The 500 cars in Forza 4 are just as amazing to look at as 800 of GT 5’s 1000 automobiles. so what about the other 200, you ask? Safe to say, GT 5’s 200 premium car models are still pretty much the best in the biz. apart from those though, the two games are on the same level. And while GT 5 has more cars, Forza 4’s selection is more varied, offering different models than say, 20 or so variations of the same model. it even includes Halo’s Warthog! All in all, Forza 4 offers a package that’s just as complete as GT 5, but without losing sight of the reason why we play games in the first place: to have fun. While GT 5 can be quite overwhelming for all but the most hardcore of racing simulation nuts, Forza 4 is more forgiving, more aware that sometimes, as mentioned above, we just want to drive around in all those pretty cars.    

This week we’re going to look at playing habits for call of Duty using the GameVision Brand Map.

The Brand Map is available to download from the MCV?Reports page online. 

We asked 6,722 gamers about the games, of whom 1,789 had played one in the last six months; 556 of these told us about their experience in more detail.

80 per cent of gamers who play call of Duty are male (with those aged 15 to 19 accounting for 20 per cent of all players). and, despite the age restrictions, one in five of all players (21 per cent) are aged 10 to 14. 

GameVision also asked players of call of Duty what they enjoy most about the game. The idea of ‘being part of the fight and combat’ is seen by half of players (48 per cent) as being a key motivation for enjoying the game. Online multiplayer motivations of ‘playing in a team’ (23 per cent) and ‘playing with real opponents/people’ (18 per cent) both score considerably higher than the average game. a quarter of call of Duty players cited ‘involvement in the story’ as a key motivation for play.

Whether it’s Modern Warfare, Black Ops or World at War, the call of Duty series continues to break records and cause headaches for extremely competent competition.

The multiplayer content has evolved  into one of the key components of the game. With call of Duty Elite set for release next month, Activision is expecting Modern Warfare 3 will be one of the most successful call of Duty titles and Elite will only help to expand the multiplayer experience.

Visit the MCV Reports section of mcvuk.com to purchase the brand map and to find out how many players bought DLC, how many are playing online as opposed to offline, and what other games they’re playing.

You can find this and other Brand Maps at mcvuk.com/reports.

Mortal Kombat is heading back to the big-screen.

New Line is hiring the filmmakers of the popular Mortal Kombat digital series, made earlier this year by corporate sibling Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to take on a new adaptation of the classic 1990s fighting game.

PHOTOS: 10 Broadcast and Cable TV Shows Most Watched by Men

The movie deal marks the end of a journey for Kevin Tancharoen, who will direct the new film. Tancharoen, a choreographer for Madonna and Britney Spears who directed the 2009 remake of Fame and more recently the Glee concert movie, directed a short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth as a proof of concept for a Kombat movie he tried to pitch. a huge fan of the video game (and knowing Hollywood wouldn’t give him a shot at the title), he enlisted Oren Uziel to write the short and hired actors such as Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan.

The short was viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube, and although no movie deal materialized, he was asked to direct the 10-episode web series, which debuted in April, attracting more than 50 million unique visitors.

STORY: 'Fame' Director Helms new 'Mortal Kombat' Digital Series for Warner Premiere

Off that success, Warners and new Line execs thought it was time to try to revisit a big-screen effort. (New Line made a Mortal Kombat movie in 1995, which grossed more than $70 million domestically and helped launch a directing career for Paul W. S. Anderson. a follow-up movie in 1997, however, fizzled.)

Uziel is returning to write the new movie, which is still in the development stages. there is no actor attached and the new story will not serve as an extension of the game or digital series.

STORY: Freddy Krueger Joins 'Mortal Kombat'

Dave Neustadter and Walter Hamada are overseeing for new Line.

The game’s long-standing appeal lies in being able to face off against an opponent, using various weapons and fighting styles, via human or alien avatars. the catchy title doesn’t hurt, either.

Tancharoen is repped by ICM and Anonymous Content. Uziel, who also wrote the Black List script Kitchen Sink, is repped by ICM and Circle of Confusion.

One of the most exciting things about a new season in any professional sport is the new crop of rookies set to make an impact and potentially change the balance of power.

There are more than just a few players that can do that this season in the NHL. in fact, many of the top picks from both the 2010 and the 2011 NHL Draft will make their debuts with the eyes of many watching their every move. These are the top prospects, the young studs, the future stars, whatever you want to call them. They are the rookies that everyone talks about as the sexy picks for the Calder Trophy.

That’s not what this list is about, though.

This is about the dark horses, the sleepers, the players you may not have even heard of. after all, the Rookie of the Year Award is one of the hardest to pick because you don’t know how a bunch of guys, who have never played at the highest level, will fair until you see them play.

So apologies to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Brayden Schenn, Gabriel Landeskog, Adam Larsson, Nino Niederreiter, mark Scheifele and the rest of the high draft picks that everyone is talking about. you get enough attention from the other writers, so I’m going to focus on the other rookies that you should get to know throughout the 2011-12 season because one of them might just surprise you at this year’s NHL Awards.