Tonight's Music:Paramore and Ke$ha;Golden State Downs Utah

Two contrasting music videos are offered tonight:Paramore's new release "Ain't It Fun" and Ke$ha's 2012 TV performance of "Blow" on Australia's "Sunrise" morning show.Paramore's fun gimmick for this project involved trying to break the most world records in a music video,which,according to website RecordSetter.com,they indeed achieved,breaking such records as:1.fastest time to smash 30 clocks with guitars;2.longest scream while riding in a convertible;3.fastest time to run backwards holding stuffed animals while blindfolded;4.most vinyl records broken in one minute.It certainly succeeded as a publicity stunt,garnering more than two million views on YouTube.As of time of publication,it had also received 60,917 likes.
The real question in music is,whether this or any track can stand on its own,without a gimmick to promote it.*
In the Ke$ha video,she is seen working hard to present her song live on a confined,hot television set,with a gaggle of fans looking on from behind.This seemed to be successful also-not because of a gimmick,but because of the strong effort she made in a challenging setting,performing without a gaffe.Surprisingly,it had only 21,795 YouTube views and 115 likes.*
An environmental concern is raised by Paramore's smashing of clocks with guitars on what appeared to be a rural bridge.Components of the smashed objects could conceivably fall into a waterway or onto another sensitive area.*
Golden State Warrior fans had no concerns as they watched Stephen Curry score 44 points,including 8 threes,in the Warriors' 95-90 victory over the Utah Jazz Friday night.It was Curry's fifth career 40 point-game and his second of the season.
In other NBA action,the Oklahoma Thunder beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-95,led by Kevin Durant's 29 points.Former President Bill Clinton was on hand.You can't imagine the speed of his release,Mr.Clinton said,and his basketball intelligence keeps showing up.He's a great player.*
Weather for Sunday's Super Bowl shouldn't be a problem at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.At game time it will be 40 degrees F,droppping to 32 during the game.

Mickelson's Great Start;Lakers End Road Woes

Phil Mickelson continued his dominance at the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Friday,pretty much coasting to a 17 under par 65.His superlative performance was only marred when he botched the 18th hole,where he double-bogeyed,derailed by a water hazard.Nonetheless,Mickelson,42,had a magnificent day overall,and felt that he was playing really well.
Also playing well before the huge,raucous Arizona crowd of more than 100,000 golf fans at Scottsdale were Bill Haas,with his 13 under par 64;and Keegan Bradley,who shot a 12 under par 63.
The atmosphere was more like that of an NFL football game than a typically polite golf tournament.TPC Scottsdale is singularly boisterous among PGA Tour venues.Weekend attendance will surely top that of the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
In NBA action Friday night,the Los Angeles Lakers ended an eight game road slump by besting the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis 111-100.The crowd of 18,547 saw the Lakers nearly drop another away game when the Timberwolves drew within 4 points of the Lakers in the fourth period.A strong showing by Pau Gasol,however,helped save the night for Los Angeles,as he refurbished their lead with several baskets.
Gasol led the Lakers with 22 points,12 rebounds,2 assists and 3 blocks.Koby Bryant added 17 points,7 rebounds and 8 assists;and Steve Nash contributed 17 points,7 rebounds and 7 assists.Bryant said we're playing pretty well.All in all,we're pretty pleased with the performance,playing for each other.I like where we're at right now.
For the Timberwolves,Alexey Shved led with 18 points,4 rebounds and 6 assists;followed by Derrick Williams with 15 points and 9 rebounds;and Nikola Pekovic with 14 points and 9 rebounds.
It was 3 degrees F outside Target Center,while much further south the Mid-Atlantic region felt their own bitter winds and low wind chills on Friday as the seesaw temperature regimen of this winter continued.

Heat Hot;Market Cool

The Miami Heat overpowered the New York Knicks 99-89 Friday night at American Airlines Arena in Miami,bringing their record up to 14-5.After missing six games with a bad ankle,Dwayne Wade returned to the court for Miami.The story here is Dwayne Wade,said commentator and NBA great Magic Johnson.He makes everybody on the Heat team that much better.Wade scored 28 points on the night.
New York's Billy Walker was outstanding from a distance,shooting a career high seven three-pointers,ending up with a total of 21 points.As a team,the Knicks hit a remarkable 18 threes on the evening.They did little else well,however,missing their star Carmelo Anthony,who was sidelined with wrist and thumb injuries.
The market was nondescript this week,with the broadly based S&P 500 Index basically flat with a tiny weekly gain of 0.07%.Several mixed earnings reports were received from the likes of Ford,3M and AT&T,and GDP growth was a disappointing 2.8,missing the estimate of 3.0 for Q4 2011.So far this earnings season,only 59% of reports have exceeded estimates,which is below average.
Next week,earnings from Exxon Mobil,Pfizer,Qualcomm and Sony are on the calendar,as well as the important monthly readings from the Institute for Supply Management and the January employment report.The sports scene will be in the grip of pre-Super Bowl excitement as the New York Giants and New England Patriots complete their preparations for the mega American football game.
The S&P futures dropped 2.80 Friday evening,and bond index futures rose.
Exxon Mobil(XOM),Pfizer(PFE),Qualcomm(QCOM),Sony(SNE)

Market Disses Jobs Report,Egypt

The stock market was seemingly little concerned about a disappointing employment report,as well as an unfolding crisis of global import,as it logged modest gains for the week that was.The Dow added 2.27,while the NASDAQ gained 3.07 and the S&P 2.7 respectively.The paltry jobs growth of only 36,000 in January,when what is needed is well into six figures,and the struggle of Egyptians against authoritarian rule were set aside in favor of strong manufacturing and service sector data from the Institute for Supply Management,as well as a stable European situation.
Winter weather could not be dismissed at the Dallas Super Bowl site,where six people were injured by ice falling off the roof of Cowboys Stadium;nor in Scottsdale,where the Phoenix Open was delayed by yesterday's frost and subfreezing temperatures.Americans Tommy Gainey and Mark Wilson led the portion of the second round completed on Friday at -11,while Australian Geoff Ogilvy notched a third place with a -9.Phil Mickelson will play his second round Saturday.
The S&P futures warmed up 3.90 Friday evening,and the ten year Treasury futures tacked on more interest.Next week,Kraft Foods and Disney will be among those reporting earnings.
Kraft Foods(KFT),Disney(DIS)