Scotty Mc. Creery is the new " , " defeating fellow country crooner Lauren Alaina. Mc. Creery, a fresh- faced 17- year- old from Garner, N.

C. , with a strikingly deep voice, received more viewer votes than Alaina, a peppy 16- year- old from Rossville, Ga. It was the first all- country finale for the Fox singing contest, now in its 10th season. Mc. Creery' s victory Wednesday continued a recent pattern: He' s the fourth male in a row to win " Idol. " The last female to win was 17- year- old in 2007. Alaina competed in Tuesday' s final sing- off despite a vocal cord injury that required medical treatment.

She received raves from the judges, who said she won the night. But the consistently popular Mc. Creery claimed the title and a record contract. The Fox TV show attracted high- wattage stars including , , Tom Jones and , who performed at the Nokia Theatre with the top- finishing " Idol" contestants. Judge even got into the act.

Draped in a scanty outfit and shaking her famous booty, she took the stage to dance while husband Marc Anthony sang, briefly turning the night into a salsa- flavored family affair. The show remains a hot promotional platform, with Seacrest helping some of the pop stars push either movies ( Black' s new " Kung Fu Panda 2" ) or a Las Vegas show ( ) . , whose new album " Born this Way" is out this week, was another performer. The grandest bid for attention came from Broadway' s troubled " Spider- Man: Turn Off the Dark, " with composers Bono and The Edge performing with the musical' s star, Reeve Carney.

Alaina, 16, and Mc. Creery, 17, represent the first all- country finale and the youngest duo ever to compete on " Idol. " Last year, by contrast, Fox didn' t announce the total in the much lower- key contest between winner Lee De.

Wyze and runner- up Crystal Bowersox. When winner and duked it out in 2009, more than 100 million votes were cast. The season' s vote total was more than three- quarters- of- a- billion, Seacrest announced as the show got under way. For Fox, it' s affirmation there' s still life in the series that' s had a long ratings reign as No.

There was drama during Tuesday' s performance show when Alaina of Rossville, Ga. , required medical treatment for a vocal cord injury suffered during rehearsals for Tuesday' s performance show.

She soldiered on with three tunes, drawing high praise from the Fox TV show' s judges. " This is a very tight race tonight, but Lauren, with that song, you may have just won, " Lopez said after Alaina sang an emotional " Like My Mother Does, " the last of her trio of tunes. But it was up to viewers to choose between Alaina and Mc.

Creery of Garner, N. C. , an equally fresh- faced performer but one with a strikingly mature voice. said backstage Tuesday he thought Alaina' s performance, not her vocal problem and a possible sympathy reaction, would count in the voting. " I think she sang brilliantly tonight, " said Jackson, who thought she outsang Mc. Creery on two songs. But the judge stopped short of predicting her victory. " Going into tonight, Scotty definitely had an edge and he may still have a slight edge, " Jackson said.

But Alaina " was the best tonight. " Both are impressive singers for the show' s " first- ever, all- country final, " he said. " These kids are so young . . .

I just go, ` Wow. ' They embody what this whole show is about. " Alaina' s other tunes were Carrie Underwood' s " Flat on the Floor" and Pam Tillis' " Maybe It was Memphis, " which was selected by former " Idol" winner Underwood. Mc. Creery sang his own possible future single, " I Love You This Big, " Montgomery Gentry' s " Gone" and George Strait' s " Check Yes or No, " Strait' s pick for the teenager.

After the show, Alaina gave reporters the silent treatment to protect her voice, with Mc. Creery offering his services as spokesman while she scribbled answers on a memo pad or whispered to him. When Alaina was asked if her finale performance had been at risk, he replied, " She says, ` Yes. " ' Judge said it' s not unusual for steroids to be used for a vocal cord injury. " You pay for it dearly the next day, " he said, adding that Alaina shouldn' t be affected because she was on stage briefly Tuesday. The show started with host bringing Dr.

Shawn Nasseri on stage to explain that Alaina blew out one of her vocal cords but had been given " a lot of medicine" to be able to sing during the finale.

Public recognition is not a useful thing when your job is clandestine operations. That& rsquo; s not tough to figure out.

With everything else going on here in the U.

S. and around the globe, it& rsquo; s possible you may have missed this little gem of a story. Let me try to succinctly set the stage while you pour yourself a drink and prepare to smack yourself in the forehead with amazement. Or disgust. I& rsquo; ll preface by saying that the takedown of Al Qaeda' s terror mastermind Usama bin Laden was a painstaking, labor intensive decade- long effort involving dedicated folks from numerous agencies and organizations. These people toiled for years trying to piece together countless bits of information& hellip; sifting for any credible lead, chasing down potential sources, carrying out surveillance, interviewing and analyzing every word from detainees, working every angle and never giving up.

All that work is what allowed the Navy SEALs to do what they do best and close the deal. The men and women of the CIA, FBI , NSA and other shops carried out the operations, the analysis, the surveillance, the interrogations and the investigatio. . .

A magnitude- 6. 7 earthquake rattled northeast Japan early Thursday in the same area where a massive quake triggered a deadly tsunami in March, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the region after the quake, but canceled it about an hour later. The temblor struck the region of the Pacific where a magnitude- 9.

0 quake hit on March 11, triggering a huge tsunami. At least 23, 000 people were killed or left missing in those disasters, which destroyed hundreds of homes, offices and factories in northeastern Japan. Thursday' s quake hit about 30 miles off the shore of Iwate prefecture at 6: 51 a. m. , the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Much of the coast in the area is still heavily damaged from March' s disasters. The U. Pacific Tsunami warning center said it did not expect a destructive Pacific- wide tsunami.

The quake, 19. 9 miles deep, caused tremors across the northern half of the country, including Tokyo, which is about 325 miles to the southwest.

It was followed by several smaller aftershocks, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Japan is located on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines spanning the Pacific Basin, and is regularly hit by earthquakes.

Less than a mile from Downtown Disney, and within walking distance of a variety of restaurants, this hotel' s in- room amenities and price make it a good bet for families on a budget. Totally renovated in 2011, the hotel has brand new furniture, bedding, TVs, and ergonomic work stations. Guests with children can book a family suite with a refrigerator, a microwave, and partitioned off kids' " room" with two TVs ( one for video games) . A small pool, a huge gameroom with free interactive games, a fitness center and free continental breakfast round out the deal. refrigerators and microwaves in every room; free shuttle to Disney; free continental breakfast; free Wi- fi and Internet; free parking. no on- site restaurant; small pool; no room service. www. marriott. com.

170 rooms, 50 suites. In- room: safe, Internet, Wi- Fi. In- hotel: pool, gym, laundry facilities, business center, parking.

Breakfast.

Boise State has closed the last three seasons ranked no worse than 11th in the AP Top 25. Boise State has closed the last three seasons ranked no worse than 11th in the AP Top 25.

And about a month later, on signing day, it hasn' t cracked Scout. com' s recruiting top 50. The Broncos aren' t just an anomaly because of their blue turf. As competition for football recruits becomes ever hotter, gaining more and more attention from fans who post a running commentary along with video of the best prospects online, Boise State stands out not because of how great its recruiting is but, in national terms, how bad it is & mdash; at least according to the rankings. " We' ve had kids that have no offers and we' ll pride ourselves on that, " Boise State coach Chris Petersen says. " We don' t care who has or hasn' t offered a guy.

If we like him we' ll recruit him. " Sure, Petersen would love to bring in the best talent available. But that isn' t the Broncos' reality in a landscape where they are recruiting against established Bowl Championship Series schools, whether it' s Oregon from the Pac- 10 or Texas from the. . .

As the ranks of India' s wealthy surge with rapid economic growth, many families are staging extravagant displays of food at their children' s weddings to show off their newfound affluence. When the daughter of businessman Mohammed Sultan got married recently, guests were treated to a lavish 30- course meal served in super- sized silver platters. The Kashmiri feast, prepared by an army of chefs, included more than 20 meat and kebab dishes rich with spices to go with the saffron- flavored rice and naan breads. Hours later, after the more than 500 guests had eaten their fill, the leftovers were dumped by the cartload at a nearby garbage site. As the ranks of India' s wealthy surge with rapid economic growth, many families are staging extravagant displays of food at their children' s weddings to show off their newfound affluence.

The prodigious waste that follows has horrified many in a nation where food prices are skyrocketing and tens of millions of young children are malnourished. At the recent wedding of the son of a ruling party leader, more than a 100 dishes representing Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean and Indian cuisines were served to over 30, 000 guests. About 20 percent would' ve. . .