Gerrard set to leave liverpool at the end of the season

Liverpool (AFP) - Steven Gerrard is set to make the shock announcement that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, ending a rollercoaster 25-year association with the English giants.

Reds captain Gerrard's Anfield future has been the subject of speculation for several months and he is believed to have decided to continue his career overseas when his contract expires in the close season.

The 34-year-old midfielder, who scored two penalties in Thursday's 2-2 draw against Leicester at Anfield, has already been linked with a move to MLS franchise LA Galaxy and a Daily Express report says he is poised to go public on his plans later Friday to avoid speculation over his future becoming a distraction during the rest of the season.

Clubs from the Middle East will also express interest in Gerrard according to the report, with the former England skipper free to speak to foreign sides since the first minute of the new year.

Former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher described Gerrard's decision as a "sad day".

"Sad day for Lfc & English football with the Gerrard news, I think it's the right decision all things considered," tweeted Carragher, who himself made 737 appearances for Liverpool.

He added: "Leaving or retiring is a great confidence booster, this morning my timeline was full of "whys Gerrard starting" now it's "Gerrard best ever".

Gerrard's announcement that he plans to leave his boyhood team, the only club he has played for in his professional career, will come as a huge blow to many Liverpool supporters who anticipated he would extend his contract by at least another year.

Liverpool offered Gerrard a new deal in November, but it is said he has decided the time is right to move on at the end of the campaign.

Gerrard joined Liverpool as an eight-year-old and has made 695 first-team appearances, scoring 180 goals.

His greatest moment came when he scored in the Champions League final in 2005 and inspired Liverpool to come from 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan and win the trophy on penalties.

But his hopes of winning the Premier League are likely to remain unfulfilled after Liverpool came up agonisingly short last season and lost out to Manchester City.

Gerrard returned to the starting line up for Thursday's draw with Leicester after being rested for Monday's win over Swansea.

But, with his performances below his previous high standards for much of this season, the prospect of being a substitute in more matches next season as manager Brendan Rodgers manages his fitness has helped shape his decision to quit Anfield.

- 'What a player' -

The Express report said Gerrard, who famously turned down two moves to Chelsea, will not play for another club in England out of respect for Liverpool.

Gerrard made his debut in 1998, coming on as a substitute in a game against Blackburn Rovers.

His club trophy haul includes the Champions League, UEFA Cup, two FA Cups, three League Cups, one Community Shield and two UEFA Super Cups.

Gerrard was capped 114 times by England, having made his international debut in 2000, but he retired from international football after last year's World Cup where England exited in the first round.

Former England star Gary Lineker tweeted that the Anfield giants owed Gerrard a huge debt for his loyalty and his performances.

"So that's it then, Gerrard is going. What a player he has been for Liverpool. Dragged teams to levels they'd never have reached without him," said Lineker.

Gerrard's impending announcement came after Rodgers rued the defensive mistakes which he said were hampering his side's attempts to build momentum in the Premier League following the draw with Leicester.

The Reds had a 2-0 lead at half-time thanks to two penalties from Gerrard.

"They were two great penalties by Stevie, who showed great composure," said Rodgers.

However, goals from David Nugent and Jeffrey Schlupp ensured the Foxes collected a share of the points as they hit back in the second half.

It left Liverpool seven points adrift of fourth place and Rodgers lamenting the need for his side to tighten up at the back.

"We are disappointed at being 2-0 up and conceding the goals that we did, poor goals and giving away the ball so cheaply," Rodgers said.

"We have seven out of nine points, we should have more, at 2-0 even playing as poorly as we did. We should have closed that out and it cost us.

"I think we have to do better on the edge of the box. The shots come in too easy, and we have to be stronger and aggressive.

"We talked about it. We had a plan in place in terms of after the opponent scores or after we score, the five minute spell, the idea of what to do and how to work that but we didn't do it."

Nicki Minaj Sings About Her Abortion on ‘Pinkprint’ Song [Video]

Nicki Minaj sings about the difficult choice she faced when she decided to have an abortion in one of her songs on her latest album, The Pinkprint. She related that it was the “hardest thing,” she has ever gone through. She told a reporter from Rolling Stone magazine all about the traumatic experience she faced, in the January 2 issue.

Nicki Minaj, 32, came to New York City when she was a child, having traveled there from Trinidad and Tobago. It was when she was in school at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts when she began dating an older boy from Queens and became pregnant.

Being a teenager, attending high school, Minaj knew that she was not ready to properly take care of and provide for a baby. According to Nicki Minaj, “I didn’t have anything to offer a child.”

The Anaconda singer decided to write about her devastating experience on the song, All Things Go, from The Pinkprint, which debuted in second place on the Billboard 200 chart in December 2014. She opened up about her personal life in a way she has never done before, not only with All Things Go, but with other songs off of the album, singing about topics like her breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Sarafee Samuels.

Nicki Minaj discuses in the interview about struggling with her feelings and how she finally found a way to express them through her songs. She said that she eventually came to the decision that “there’s no reason for me to hide.” The Pills n Potions rapper added that she was “a vulnerable woman,” and that she was “proud of that.”

The best songs are generally the ones in which a musical artist tries to keep it real, and sing about his or her own life experiences. That is definitely the case with Nicki Minaj. One of the challenges that Minaj must have tackled was how to make such a painful and traumatic experience as having an abortion also one that was catchy and listenable enough to appeal to her fans. That she has been able to do so is a testimony to her skills as a singer and songwriter.

With the three songs that Nicki Minaj wrote that are included in the 16-minute short movie, The Pinkprint, she also delves into the emotional breakup she went through with her boyfriend of 11 years, Sarafee “Scaff Beezy” Samuels. The three songs are The Crying Game, featuring uncredited vocals from British musician Jessie Ware; Bed of Lies, with vocals also by Skylar Grey; and, the final song, Grand Piano, a powerful ballad about feeling as if she had gotten “played” by the lover she had been in a relationship with.

With The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj has certainly given her fans a peek into her personal life, making public some areas of her life she had previously kept very private. It has also been a critical and an artistic triumph, coming in second only to the juggernaut that is Taylor Swift’s 1989 during the last weeks of December and of 2014.

Nicki Minaj Opens Up About Having an Abortion When She Was in High School

Nicki Minaj has always been known for being outspoken, but on her new album The Pinkprint, she's opening up in deeply personal new ways.

One such touchy subject is the abortion Minaj got when she was a teenager. "One of my goals was to give people a glimpse into my personal life, because it's something I've kept very private," she tells Rolling Stone about her unexpected pregnancy with her first love's child. "I thought I was going to die. ... I was a teenager. It was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through."

The best TV shows of 2014

The rapper, now 32, says she has been "haunted" by the decision, but that it would be "contradictory if I said I wasn't pro-choice. I wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer a child."

The Pinkprint also delves into other delicate subjects from her personal life, like her split from her boyfriend of 11 years, Safaree Samuels. "I struggled with 'Do I express these feelings?' " she says. "And I decided there's no reason for me to hide. I'm a vulnerable woman, and I'm proud of that.

Kanye's Beautiful New Song, 'Only One,' Makes Kim Cry Every Time She Hears It (And It Features Paul McCartney)

Kanye West rang in 2015 with a new song featuring Paul McCartney. Called "Only One," the track is sung by West from the vantage point of his late mother, Donda West, with McCartney adding accompaniment on keyboard. "One day, you'll be the man you always knew you would be," West sings. "And if you knew how proud I was, you'd never shed a tear, have a fear, no you wouldn't do that."

A press release announcing the song said "Only One" was the"first publicly available recording from what has become a prolific musical collaboration between these two legendary artists."

The release also included some backstory on the project:

In early 2014, Paul McCartney and Kanye West first began working together in a small bungalow in Los Angeles. The process that would result in "Only One" began with a simple brainstorming session between the two: With McCartney improvising on the keyboards and Kanye vocally sketching and shaping ideas in a stream-of-consciousness riff.

When they played back the recording afterward, something remarkable happened. Kanye sat there with his family, holding his daughter North on his lap, and listened to his vocals, singing, "Hello, my only one . . . " And in that moment, not only could he not recall having sung those words, but he realized that perhaps the words had never really come from him.

The process of artistic creation is one that does not involve thinking, but often channeling. And he understood in that moment that his late mother, Dr. Donda West, who was also his mentor, confidante, and best friend, had spoken through him that day.

"My mom was singing to me, and through me to my daughter," he said, astonished.

We're in, and so is Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian:

Listen to the track over atWest's website; it's also available for purchase on iTunes. 

StyleList FASHION LIST CELEBRITY Sofia Vergara's $500,000 engagement ring from Joe Manganiello

The 'Modern Family' star left Hawaii with a very memorable souvenir, but not before showing off her brand new bling on the beach in Hawaii - and we have all the details on her stunning engagement ring right here!

Sofia Vergara's holidays just got a whole lot more special! While celebrating in Hawaii with her boyfriend, actor Joe Manganiello, she was treated to a very special proposal - and some serious bling! The actor popped the question to his lady love and he gave her a ginormous new sparkler to celebrate. Sofia showed it off while sunning herself in Hawaii, where her engagement ring actually managed to take away from her famous curves.

Sofia Vergara's Engagement Ring From Joe Manganiello - All The Details:
The star was sporting a gigantic oval engagement ring, which loved lovely on her finger. Mark Kenney, the VP of Marketing for Ritani, tells us that oval rings are quite popular. "It appears to be an oval engagement ring, which is a popular style - especially for large sized stones. Although there isn't a good, clear view, it appears to be 4-5 carats, which would put it close to $500,000."

An oversized sparkler with an oversized price tag? We would expect nothing less from the fabulous couple! Honestly, at first glance this ring appears to be upwards of six carats - and we can't wait to get a better glimpse at Sofia's brand new bling.

The Magic Mike actor, 38, proposed to theModern Family actress, 42, on Christmas Day during their Hawaiian vacation, where she popped the question in a private, intimate setting - their luxury suite at the St. Regis Hotel! "He said he wanted to keep it private," a source close to the couple told PEOPLE magazine. "He did seem genuinely nervous. He said this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a one-in-a-million woman."

We couldn't be happier for the couple - and we can't wait to see Sofia rock her blinding new bling on the red carpet!

Kim Kardashian Says She's Not Pregnant, Praises New Kanye West Song Written For North

Starting off the New Year with a clean slate! Kim Kardashian took to Twitter on New Year's Eve to address rumors before ringing in 2015.

PHOTOS: Celebs fight back on Twitter

"lets clear up some rumors before the new year.... I'm bored looking online and seriously don't know where they come up with this stuff!" the reality star, 34, began. "No I'm not pregnant. Kanye & I are not having marriage problems. Were literally obsessed with each other!"

PHOTOS: Celebrity family holiday traditions

After Us Weekly broke the story that Kourtney Kardashian's longtime boyfriend Scott Disick had purchased a $3.69 million Beverly Hills mansion, other outlets claimed it was a bachelor pad. A source told Us that the property was an investment, which Kim confirmed.



"Scott did NOT buy a bachelor pad in Bev Hills. He is starting a new business venture buying homes & renovating them to re-sell," she tweeted.

PHOTOS: North's fabulous life

Once she cleared up the rumors, Kardashian gave her 27.1 million followers a peak into her plans to say goodbye to 2014.

"The Wests are cooking, watching movies and just relaxing tonight. Best way to ring in the new year! Hope you all are safe and having fun! xo" she tweeted.

PHOTOS: Kim and Kanye's sweetest moments

Once it was officially 2015, her rapper hubby, 37, released his brand-new single "Only One" — a tribute to his 18-month-old daughter North, recorded with Paul McCartney.

"People always ask me what my favorite Kanye song is and it's Only One. Kanye feels like his mom sang thru him to our daughter," Kardashian tweeted. "I cry every time I hear this song."

Mother sues Federel after agent kill son in Naveda.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A mother has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and two unidentified rangers who shot and killed her 20-year-old son during a chaotic confrontation on a state highway outside Las Vegas.

Attorney Jacob Hafter said his client, Tracy Meadows, filed the suit after getting no answers from the government about the death of D'Andre Berghardt Jr.

"We've been patient and we haven't rushed the way others have in other places," Hafter said Tuesday, referring to high-profile police slayings in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York.

The slaying of Berghardt on State Route 159 near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area drew wide attention after witness cellphone video was posted online showing two officers physically preventing Berghardt from entering two vehicles stopped in traffic. It appeared that about 10 gunshots were fired after Berghardt climbed into an idling Nevada Highway Patrol vehicle.

The BLM released a statement several days later saying Berghardt had threatened to shoot the officers, and they reacted when he tried to reach for a rifle in a rack in the Highway Patrol car.

The rangers were not identified by name, although one was described as having 17 years of law enforcement experience and the other more than nine years.

Hafter blamed the killing of Berghardt on "overly aggressive police with very little experience and very little training taking matters into their own hands."

"We think, at the end of the day, they'll be held accountable for their actions," Hafter said.

Bureau of Land Management spokesman Christopher Rose declined comment about the lawsuit and didn't identify the BLM agents involved. Rose said the incident was still being investigated.

Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy ruled the shooting a homicide — a finding that does not establish fault. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson is reviewing the incident and hasn't said whether he believes criminal charges are warranted.

The lawsuit, filed Dec. 23, seeks unspecified monetary damages for Meadows and a declaration that the BLM rangers used excessive force and violated Berghardt's civil rights.

It claims the rangers could have gotten medical help for Berghardt when they found him disoriented and confused, walking on a paved shoulder of the highway about 20 miles from downtown Las Vegas.

Authorities said Berghardt had a backpack, bedroll and rolling suitcase with him after failing to meet a relative after Berghardt rode a bus from Los Angeles.

The BLM said several people had complained that Berghardt was walking in and out of traffic, and two passing bicyclists reported being afraid for themselves and others.

Investigators said the rangers confronted Berghardt and used pepper spray, Tasers and a baton before shooting him.

The Nevada state trooper, Lucas Schwarzrock, a five-year department veteran, arrived moments before the fatal gunfire and rushed to aid the two BLM rangers. Schwarzrock didn't fire his weapon.