The oldest daughter of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a mild stroke several weeks ago.

The school said in a statement Monday night that Debbie Krzyzewski Savarino is back at work as the assistant director of Duke’s Legacy Fund and director of external relations for the Blue Devils’ basketball office.

According to the statement, Savarino is recovering from a vertebral artery dissection that resulted in a mild stroke. School spokesman Jon Jackson says Savarino’s recovery is progressing “extremely well.”

Now that the voters have chosen Troy Polamalu over Clay Matthews for The Associated Press 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, the two stars can prove their worth against each other on the field.

In the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh safety Polamalu received 17 votes Monday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who cover the league, edging Green Bay linebacker Matthews by a hair – two votes.

Despite missing two games, in which Pittsburgh went 1-1, Polamalu became the sixth Steeler to win the award. He had seven interceptions this season along with 63 tackles, but made his mark with big plays. In a late-season victory at Baltimore, his leaping tackle forced a fumble that set up the winning touchdown.

That victory catapulted the Steelers to the AFC North title. Now, they are in the Super Bowl for the third time in six seasons, where they face Matthews and the Packers.

“I don’t imagine their game plan changing over one player,” Polamalu said. “We don’t single out anybody. Anything we achieve here is done as a team, as a whole.”

Added Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who finished third in the balloting with eight votes and won the award two years ago: “Troy brings this defense from a ‘C’ defense to an ‘A’ defense. He’s someone that you have to account for in the secondary.”

So much so that one opponent called the eighth-year pro the NFL’s top player, regardless of position.

“With all due respect, I honestly think Troy Polamalu is probably the greatest player I’ve ever played with or even seen play in person,” gushed Jets receiver Santonio Holmes, who was the MVP of Pittsburgh’s 2009 Super Bowl win over Arizona. “Everybody has their one person they think is the greatest player. In my eyes, I think he’s the greatest player I’ve ever played with.”

Polamalu has had better statistical years than 2010, including the 2008 championship season and in 2005, when he had a career-high 91 tackles and three sacks as the Steelers won the title. He hasn’t had any season where he made more big plays than in 2010.

That fit perfectly with defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau’s claim that Polamalu is the most versatile defensive back he’s ever worked with. And LeBeau has been involved with the NFL for about a half-century and is in the Hall of Fame.

“I know Troy is going to do the right things,” LeBeau said.

Matthews did plenty of things correctly in only his second pro season, enough to make the All-Pro team thanks to 60 tackles, 13 1/2 sacks (fourth in league), an interception return for a touchdown and, like Polamalu, a penchant for delivering decisive plays.

“Game-changing plays,” Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley said with emphasis. “I mean, you look at all the plays Troy’s made – game-changing plays. … So many game-changing plays to go out there and help win football games. Things that he (does), not only in the secondary – coming up, tackling backs in the backfield. Troy does it all.”

Matthews said it would have been a “unique honor” to win in his second year. His goal, he said, is to become “world champions.”

Added Matthews: “Despite defensive player of the year, I get the chance to play Sunday for the world championship.”

Considered the lesser of three linebackers drafted in the first round in 2009 from Southern California, Matthews has had the biggest impact of that trio. Yes, Brian Cushing was the league’s top defensive rookie in ‘09, but he tailed off in 2010 while Matthews was surging.

Matthews’ sensational season came while facing consistent double-teaming.

“You really just attack it,” said Matthews, whose father and grandfather played in the league and whose uncle, Bruce, is a Hall of Fame offensive lineman. “I think last year, obviously, was about winning the one-on-one battles. Towards the playoffs, that’s when I saw the increase and it’s kind of continued. … So you deal with it, you try and beat one, then another, and get to the quarterback.”

Polamalu and Matthews take their competition to Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Sunday. They already are considered marketing adversaries, with Polamalu’s jersey the top seller in the league, and both vying for hirsute superiority.

“Well, I can guarantee you my hair’s more expensive,” Polamalu said.

Also receiving votes for AP Defensive Player of the Year were Chicago end Julius Peppers with six and linebacker Brian Urlacher with two; and Baltimore safety Ed Reed and nose tackle Haloti Ngata, one each.

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Kanye West can now add acting to his resume, as he is set to co-star in the upcoming Kobe Bryant film ‘The Black Mamba.’

After conquering the charts with his critically acclaimed fifth LP My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it looks like Kanye West’s next target in acting. The rapper, producer and recent film director is set to co-star in the upcoming Nike-produced Kobe Bryant film The Black Mamba.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, the cult filmmaker behind Desparado and Sin City, the film finds West starring alongside Kobe Bryant, Bruce Willis and Danny Trejo. Although Nike has kept the details of the film’s story under wraps, a recently released trailer for the film finds West apparently playing the role of the antagonist.

This project isn’t the first time that Bryant and West’s paths have crossed, however. In addition to West frequenting a number of Lakers games, Kobe says that the two had the chance to work together a number of years ago. Although their collaboration didn’t manage to actualize, Bryant said that he jumped at the opportunity to work with him now.

“He and I had something in the works a couple of years ago, with Nike, it just never materialized,” said Bryant. “So the opportunity came up again.”  HipHopWired.com)

Hip-Hop music continues to be the dominated genre of music for the NFL’s Super Bowl XLV this year.

Superstar rapper Eminem will make a high profile appearance during an advertisement for Lipton Brisk ice tea during Super Bowl XLV.

The rapper will star as an animated claymation figure in the humorous, $1 million dollar spot, which will show viewers what a day in his life is like.

Stars like Danny Trejo, Ozzy Ozbourne and Frank Sinatra have been featured in animated as for Lipton Brisk in the past.

At halftime, rap group The Black Eyed Peas will entertain the 105,000 of people who will attend Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas.

Superbowl XLV takes place on February 6th, when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on The Green Bay Packers.

Another billion are expected to watch the game across the world.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are utilizing one of rap’s most popular groups to draw inspiration to win this year’s Super Bowl this Sunday (February 6th) in Dallas, Texas.

According to the USA Today, a variety of star players on the Pittsburgh Steelers call themselves the “Young Money Family,” named after Lil Wayne’s popular label, which features acts like Nicki Minaj and Drake.

According to second-year wide receiver Mike Wallace, who has taken on the nickname “Fast Money.” Other members, like Emmanuel Sanders, also have “money” related nicknames.

Sanders goes by the name “Easy Money,” while Antonio Brown is known as “Cash Money.” Steelers Wide Receiver Hines Ward is known as “Old Money” because he is in his 13th season.

Even star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a nickname – “Large Money.”

“Yeah, we got a lot of money. We’re Young Money (too),” Pittsburgh’s Mike Wallace told The USA Today.

MTV has announced it will air a six-part documentary produced by Nick Cannon titled “Son of A Gun,” which chronicles the journey of Bronx, New York rapper Cory Gunz.

“Son of A Gun” will follow Cory Gunz as he navigates through the music industry, with the help of his managers Nick Cannon and Cory’s father/co-manager/Peter Gunz.

His father, Peter Gunz, is already famous in Hip-Hop for his hit 1998 million-selling-single “Deja Vu (Uptown Baby),” with Lord Tariq.

“Cory’s story is inspiring, one that boldly paints the many trials and tribulations he’s had to endure in pursuit of his dreams.” Nick Cannon told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “I’m grateful for the access that Cory and Peter allowed us to have in order to create a series that we feel will really resonate with MTV viewers.”

Although Cory Gunz is only 23-years-old, the budding rapper has already had four record deals (Casablanca, Def Jam, After Platinum), including his latest, with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint.

Cory Gunz landed on “6′7,” the first single Lil Wayne dropped when he finished his prison sentence in November of 2010.

“Were bringing our viewers the raw and unfiltered story of a young man learning to cope with the industry’s ups and downs, while on the cusp of becoming a breakout success” added Chris Linn, Executive Vice President, Programming & Head of Production, MTV. “We’re excited to work with such a gifted artist and share his incredible journey with the MTV audience.”

“Son of A Gun” will debut on MTV on Thursday, April 28th at 11:00 PM.

The business of the music game compelled RZA to send a cease-and-desist letter to rapper Game when a song, “Heartbreaker,” the the internet.

From an overseas trip, RZA responded to the allegations that he was set to sue his Hip-Hop cohort.

“Tired, and on this twitter to respond while I am in China working. I have nothing but love for Game,” he said.

However, in an online declaration, RZA sent a message to The Wake-Up show’s King Tech that detailed the circumstances further. The statement was made through The RZA’s assistant.

The issue boils down to we, wanted to get the song on the album that was coming out for Game at the time. We went to the studio that night and Game felt the track and it was all good. The issue came about when it did not make it to the album because there was not enough time to clear the track. We spoke with Tony Martin, who informed us that the track would not be used and if it was, we would be notified. Now, that being said, they put it on a mix tape and never said anything to us; and we got an offer to have the tracked purchased by someone else.

So this is not anything personal, and RZA has nothing but love for Game, but this is business and in all fairness, it would have been cool if they would have just let us know what the intent was, because we began soliciting the track for purchase and its looks like this was a double sale issue when it wasn’t.

In a previous statement, The Game said he was surprised at the move and said that he would comply with the request.

“I think RZA [is] tryin’ to sue about ['Heartbreaker'] or somethin’,” Game told hiphopdx.com. “That’s f**kin’ crazy. Like, I don’t even know how RZA sues The Game. He came to the studio and brought the ['Heartbreaker'] track to me. He’s like, ‘Yo Game, this is for you. You can have that.’ Those are his words.”

The Eagles’ plan at quarterback is reportedly beginning to come into focus, as the team plans to apply the franchise tag to Michael Vick and entertain trade offers for Kevin Kolb, according to Adam Schefter.

If the Eagles tag Vick, he’d be under contract for 2011 at the average salary of the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the league under the current rules surrounding the franchise tag. It is unknown how a new collective bargaining agreement would impact the tag.

Kolb, on the other hand, would be perhaps the best quarterback available in the offseason, and could command a very good return from a needy team. If the Eagles choose to keep him, he’ll be playing for a very palatable $1.4 million.

The Eagles faced a similar situation entering last season, with Kolb entering the season as a starter. But an injury in the season’s first game forced Vick into action, and the story of his season is well-known. Vick never relinquished the starting job, electrifying the league on the way to his fourth career Pro Bowl in his second season removed from prison.

Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images
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* Henry Cavill Info »

Henry Cavill, the star of Showtime’s “The Tudors,” has been cast as iconic superhero Superman in a film to be directed by Zack Snyder, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures confirmed in a statement Jan. 30.

“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen,” Snyder said. “I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and ‘S’ shield.”

Cavill will be seen later this year playing Greek warrior Theseus in director Tarsem Singh’s action picture “Immortals,” and opposite Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver in the thriller “The Cold Light of Day.”

The 27-year-old actor was reportedly on the shortlist for “Superman Returns” when McG was to direct it, but when Bryan Singer took over the project he went with Brandon Routh instead.

Dwight Hardy scored 26 points and St. John’s stunned No. 3 Duke 93-78 on Sunday, capping the Red Storm’s run of eight straight games against ranked teams with their third win.

It wasn’t that St. John’s (12-8) beat the Blue Devils (19-2), it was the way it happened.

The Red Storm, who had lost three straight and five of six, took control early and had a 46-25 lead at halftime. Duke, which came into the game shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, missed its first 10 shots from behind the arc and made one of 13 in the half.

The Blue Devils’ overall shooting wasn’t a whole lot better as they shot 29.6 percent (8 of 27) in the half – they entered the game shooting 48.1 percent from the field – and they were careless with the ball as well, committing 11 turnovers, one off their season average for a game.

St. John’s had a lot to do with how poorly Duke played, using a three-quarter court trap to force the Blue Devils into low percentage passes that almost all seemed to either be stolen by St. John’s or just thrown away.

Duke looked like a team playing a nonconference game on the road after playing six straight Atlantic Coast Conference games.

St. John’s, which gave the Big East a 6-1 record against teams ranked in the top 10 this season, was 16 of 28 from the field (57.1 percent) in the half, well above the 45.2 percent the Red Storm were shooting coming into the game.

Duke’s loss continued the weekend of misery for members of the Top 25. On Saturday, four teams in the top 10 and 11 ranked teams overall lost.

Justin Brownlee had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Red Storm, while Paris Horne added 15 points and six assists. St. John’s shot 58.2 percent for the game (32 of 55) and was 26 of 33 from the free throw line.

Nolan Smith led Duke with 32 points and Kyle Singler added 20. Duke finished 5 of 26 from 3-point range and 17 turnovers.

The sellout crowd of 19,353 at Madison Square Garden – about 60 percent of whom were cheering for St. John’s – seemed to be waiting for a run by the Blue Devils, who had won four straight since its loss at Florida State, that would make their nightmare half go away.

St. John’s came out and scored the first two baskets of the second half – one on a dunk by D.J. Kennedy 10 seconds in, the other on a layup by Hardy off a nice pass from Dwayne Polee II – to take its biggest lead of the game, 50-25 1:04 into the second half.

St. John’s had doubled Duke and the Red Storm managed to score enough the rest of the way to keep the Blue Devils at bay. The closest Duke would get would be 11 points after they hit four straights 3-pointers to pull to 87-76.

The Red Storm started their run against ranked teams with a 61-58 victory over then-No. 13 Georgetown. After losses to Notre Dame and Syracuse, they beat then-No. 9 Notre Dame 72-54 in a rematch. Losses to Louisville, Cincinnati and Georgetown preceded the win over Duke. All three wins were at Madison Square Garden.

Duke had been as comfortable at the Garden as St. John’s. The Blue Devils had won their last five and 12 of 13 there and were 25-14 all-time.

The game got chippy for a while in the second half and double technicals were called twice before things settled down.

Miami, Florida rapper Trina will be honored in Kingston, Jamaica during the 7th Annual Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) this coming March.

EME Awards Founder and Chairman Richard “Richie B” Burgess said Trina will be the 2011 “International Friend of Reggae Honoree” honored for her collaborations with various Jamaican acts like Queen Lady Saw, Sean Kingston, Barbee and others.

“Some of the icons of our rich musical heritage as well as the hottest newcomers around will receive the recognition they so rightfully deserve, for providing us with wonderful musical gems throughout their careers”, Burgess said in a statement.

Past artists who have received the award include Missy Elliott, Akon, Estelle, John Legend, India.Arie and others.

In addition to Trina, over 30 of Jamaica’s top artists will be honored during the EME Awards, with popular acts vying for awards in categories like the Best New Artist, Song of the Year and Vocalist of the Year.

The 2011 EME Awards will take place at The East Lawn of Devon House in Kingston on March 12th.