Twitter, which announced Gaylor's hiring in a tweet on Thursday, is expected to be the next big IPO to emerge from Silicon Valley. But executives have kept quiet about the company's precise plans.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Gaylor led "technology execution efforts" at Morgan Stanley, including equity and debt securities issues, as managing director of mergers and acquisitions at its global technology group.

She has also advised on high-profile deals such as Amazon.com Inc's purchase of Zappos and Google Inc's acquisition of AdMob.

"Look forward to joining and focusing on M&A + strategy," Gaylor tweeted on Thursday. "Pointed north ... let the migration begin!"

(Reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

They still overstay their welcome, though.

With a long, boring buildup that finally pays off with scattered laughs in the second half, "Peeples" also manages to leave a better impression than the "Tyler Perry Presents" tag on the posters might imply. This is broad comedy, but nowhere near as broad or boorish and shrill as producer Perry's own family adventures (for disclosure's sake, there are screechy relations here, but Perry's Madea fortunately isn't among them).

Craig Robinson moves up from caustic supporting player on "The Office" to show himself an engaging romantic lead in the chubby, lovable, gregarious Jack Black school, while Kerry Washington lightens up from heavier drama as the love of his life, a daddy's girl whose daddy, naturally, doesn't approve.

Screenwriter and first-time director Tina Gordon Chism (her previous scripts include "Drumline") crafts a predictable "Meet the Parents" riff, though she fills it out with a pleasant supporting cast of kooks who, while not always interesting, at least are not off-putting.

Robinson's Wade Walker is a children's entertainer who somehow landed gorgeous, career-driven United Nations lawyer Grace Peeples (Washington). They've been together for a year, yet Grace hasn't introduced Wade to her well-to-do family (the "chocolate Kennedys," Wade calls them, staring at a photo of the Peeples clan looking rich and beautiful).

After Grace ducks out for an annual gathering at the family's Long Island vacation home, Wade decides to force the issue, crashing the party intending to propose to Grace over the weekend, in the bosom of her family. Yeah, that's a plan that's sure to work out well for him.

From there, Chism just keeps piling up dumb decisions, silly missteps and skeletons in the Peeples family closet, all intended to wring maximum awkwardness out of the weekend.

Of course, everything Wade does puts him at odds with family patriarch Virgil Peeples (David Alan Grier), a stern federal judge who thinks no man is good enough for his daughter, especially not a guy whose classroom repertoire includes a ditty about saying it, not spraying it, to discourage kids from peeing in their pants.

The others in the Peeples fold matriarch Daphne (S. Epatha Merkerson), daughter Gloria (Kali Hawk) and her best pal Meg (Kimrie Lewis-Davis), and teen son Simon (Tyler James Williams) generally take a shine to Wade. But they all have secrets, which Wade, through his outsider eyes, is able to penetrate, hindering his efforts to ingratiate himself to the family.

As if we didn't have enough complications and inexplicable actions, Wade's brother (Malcolm Barrett) decides to pop in on the Peeples, too. Chism already strains credibility to have Wade show up uninvited; she's pressing her luck having his brother barge in.

Once she has the whole gang assembled and all the dominoes set up to knock down, Chism gradually makes her farce pay off here and there, the pace picking up and a few gags connecting as Wade's weekend from hell sinks to the lower depths.

Melvin Van Peebles and Diahann Carroll drop in briefly as Virgil's parents, he with a couple of laughs, she sadly to little use.

These all are amiable people, decent people, sometimes funny people. But unfortunately, the peeps of "Peeples" just aren't very memorable people.

"Peeples," a Lionsgate release, is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug material and language. Running time: 95 minutes. Two stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definition for PG-13: Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Vera Wang, the queen of bridal couture, is abolishing the nearly $500 fee she charged Chinese brides-to-be to try on a garment at her new Shanghai bridal boutique after the move, meant to deter counterfeiters, set off a global outcry.

Local and global media had criticized the surcharge as being discriminatory because it was applied only in China, at the company's Shanghai store, which staged a "soft opening" in January as the company's first bridal salon in the country, a vast potential market as the numbers of wealthy grow.

A Vera Wang spokeswoman told Reuters that the 3,000 yuan ($480) charge was being scrapped as of Wednesday.

"Please kindly be informed that Vera Wang has abolished appointment fees at her bridal salons worldwide starting from March 27, 2013," the spokeswoman said in an email, without elaborating.

A company spokeswoman told local media earlier this year that the charge was imposed to fend off copying of the elaborate dresses, which fetch thousands of dollars in the original.

Despite the move, though, Vera Wang's ivory tulle trains and pinched bodice gowns had already found fans in the world of pirates, with knockoffs widely available on Chinese e-commerce sites for a fraction of the price.

Li, one seller of "Vera Wang style" dresses on Taobao Marketplace, China's largest e-commerce site, says he can achieve up to 90 percent similarity to the namesake garments without even seeing the originals.

A Vera Wang original can range anywhere from $2,000 to over $10,000, but on Taobao some imitations go for as little as $100.

"For the experts you don't need to try on the dress to figure out how to copy it, you just need to see it or feel it at the shop," said Li, who declined to give his full name.

Li's factory, based in Suzhou, a city near Shanghai, makes Vera Wang knockoffs from photos of her creations, then sells them online for between 600 yuan ($97) to 1,700 yuan ($270).

The Taobao sellers who hawk the look-alikes use organza, satin and lace to recreate the ethereal bridal trains and three-dimensional floral whorls on Wang's dresses.

Most of the sellers online said they could achieve near 100 percent similarity to Vera Wang dresses but the complicated hand stitching and high quality materials that go into an original dress is something they can't replicate.

"There will be slight changes... If you want 100 percent you should buy the original," said one seller of mid-range copies.

In 2012, China was the top source country for counterfeit goods entering the United States and the European Union (EU) with more than 70 percent originating from China, according to the latest customs seizure reports from the U.S. and the EU.

Alibaba Group, which owns Taobao Marketplace, said in a statement to Reuters the company works with intellectual property rights holders to take down counterfeit listings and will penalize stores caught.

($1 = 6.2107 Chinese yuan)

(Editing by Kazunori Takada, Elaine Lies and Michael Perry)

The decision announced Wednesday by State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell is sure to ruffle feathers in Havana, which vehemently denies any links to terrorism.

Wednesday is a holiday in Cuba and there has been no immediate comment from the government. But Cuba has argued that its inclusion on the list is a political vendetta.

Ventrell says the State Department "has no current plans to remove Cuba" from the list. He adds that the annual report is never used to remove or add countries from the list.

The annual report on terrorism was due to be released Tuesday but has been delayed.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 41.40 points, or 0.28 percent, to 14,798.40. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 3.14 points, or 0.20 percent, to 1,594.43. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 2.55 points, or 0.08 percent, to 3,326.24.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

The Women in Film organization, which promotes gender parity in the historically male-dominated film business, will honor winners in six award categories at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills in June.

Linney, 49, best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 2007 film "The Savages," will receive the award for Excellence in Film.

Five "Mad Men" actresses, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Jessica Par and Kiernan Shipka, will be honored with the Excellence in Television award.

Each actress plays a character that defines the changing gender roles in the 1960s United States portrayed in the series.

Oscar-winner Coppola, 41, who was also nominated for the Best Director Academy Award for 2003's "Lost in Translation," will receive the Directors Award, and "Star Wars" director George Lucas will take home the Humanitarian Award.

Teenage actress Hailee Steinfeld, known for her Oscar-nominated role in the 2010 film "True Grit," will be honored with the Face of the Future Award and Rachel Morrison will receive the Vision Award for cinematography.

Women in Film began hosting the awards in 1977.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; editing by Patricia Reaney and Cynthia Osterman)

After a month-long search for a jury, six men and six women were seated to hear what could be an emotional three-month trial that will revisit the checkered life and 2009 death of the "King of Pop" on the eve of a planned comeback.

Three alternate jurors still have to be chosen, clearing the way for opening statements to begin possibly later this week or early next week.

Jackson's 82-year-old mother, Katherine, is suing AEG Live, the promoters of the never-realized series of 2009 London concerts, for the wrongful death of her son. The lawsuit alleges AEG Live was negligent in hiring Dr. Conrad Murray to care for the singer while he rehearsed for a series of 50 shows.

AEG Live contends that it did not hire or supervise Murray and that Jackson had prescription drug and addiction problems for years before entering into any agreement with it for the "This Is It" London concerts.

The concert promoters also argue that they could not have foreseen that Murray, who was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death, posed a danger to the singer.

Jackson, 50, died in Los Angeles on June 25, 2009, from a lethal dose of the surgical anesthetic propofol that Murray was administering for sleep problems. The day before he had been in final rehearsals for the concerts due to start on July 13.

Potential witnesses in the civil trial include Jackson's mother, his two oldest children Prince, 16, and Paris, 15, as well as Murray, singers Prince and Diana Ross, and Jackson's ex-wives, Lisa-Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe.

Katherine Jackson and her son's three children are seeking some $40 billion in damages from privately held AEG Live for loss of the singer's earnings and other damages. The final amount will be determined by the jury should it find AEG responsible for negligence.

Murray, who is not being sued, was convicted in 2011 after a long trial that depicted the singer known for his spectacular public shows as an odd, sometimes slurring, drug-dependent shadow of his on-stage image.

Murray is serving a four-year jail sentence. On Monday, his attorney filed an appeal seeking to overturn his conviction, arguing Jackson self-injected a fatal dose of propofol when Murray left the room, according to court documents.

At his 2011 trial, Murray's original defense attorneys also presented the theory that Jackson could have self-injected. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the appeal.

A judge ruled last month that AEG Live could raise Jackson's 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation charges as part of its defense as it may be relevant to the singer's history of drug abuse and despondency.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bill Trott, Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)

Saturday, April 27

Levante0 Celta Vigo 1

Friday, April 26

Rayo Vallecano 2 Osasuna2

StandingsPWDLFAPts

1Barcelona32 27 3299 33 84

2Real Madrid32 22 5583 30 71

3Atletico Madrid32 21 5657 25 68

-------------------------

4Real Sociedad32 15 10 757 39 55

-------------------------

5Valencia 32 15 8952 46 53

6Malaga 32 14 810 45 37 50

-------------------------

7Real Betis 32 14 612 48 49 48

-------------------------

8Rayo Vallecano 33 14 415 43 54 46

9Getafe 32 12 812 39 48 44

10 Espanyol 32 11 10 11 42 42 43

11 Sevilla32 12 614 48 46 42

12 Levante33 11 715 35 52 40

13 Real Valladolid32 10 913 41 45 39

14 Athletic Bilbao32 10 616 35 57 36

15 Osasuna33 8916 28 38 33

16 Celta Vigo 33 8619 32 47 30

17 Deportivo Coruna 32 7916 43 64 30

-------------------------

18 Granada CF 32 7817 28 51 29

19 Real Mallorca32 7718 34 64 28

20 Real Zaragoza32 7619 29 51 27

1-3: Champions League / EC I

4: Champions League preliminary round

5-6: Europa League

7: Europa League depending on domestic cup

18-20: Relegation

Next Fixtures (GMT):

Saturday, April 27

Athletic Bilbaov Barcelona(1600)

Atletico Madridv Real Madrid(1800)

Real Zaragozav Real Mallorca(2000)

Sunday, April 28

Espanyol v Granada CF (1000)

Malaga v Getafe (1500)

Real Valladolidv Sevilla(1700)

Real Sociedadv Valencia (1900)

Monday, April 29

Real Betis v Deportivo Coruna (2000)

"Guys keep stepping up, just like they did (Friday night)," Girardi said. "You just keep finding ways. That's what you do."

New York got plenty of help from the sloppy Toronto Blue Jays in a 6-4 victory in which catcher Francisco Cervelli and starting pitcher Ivan Nova both left with injuries before there was an out in the third inning.

Phelps struck out a career-high nine in four innings after relieving the Nova, who left with right elbow pain, and Chris Stewart threw out two baserunners to quash potential rallies as an emergency fill-in for Cervelli after the catcher broke his right hand when he was hit by a foul ball.

"We've been fighting all year," Phelps said. "We're a scrappy bunch."

Cervelli was hurt when Rajai Davis fouled Nova's fifth pitch of the game straight back into the catcher's bare hand. Cervelli is scheduled to have surgery in New York on Saturday and will miss at least six weeks.

He was off to a solid start after spending nearly all of last season in Triple-A, earning most of the starts behind the plate.

"It's disappointing, and I know it's really disappointing for him because of all that he's been through to get to this point," Girard said.

The Yankees will bring up catching prospect Austin Romine from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Nova followed Cervelli's early exit two innings later, walking off the mound after giving up a single to Davis. He Had an MRI but the results weren't yet available.

Girardi said Nova complained of stiffness after the second inning, but he wanted to go back out. Nova allowed two batters to reach to start the third before Girardi lifted him.

"I was under the impression it was above the elbow," Girardi said about Nova's injury.

Kevin Youkilis was not available for the sixth straight game because of lower back tightness, and he may be headed to the disabled list Saturday. And then, of course, there are the four All-Stars: Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixiera have all been out since the beginning of the season.

Lyle Overbay hit a go-ahead RBI triple and Vernon Wells had a sacrifice fly off Aaron Laffey in an inning the fill-in starter for Josh Johnson walked four, helping New York overcome two homers by Edwin Encarnacion to improve to 13-9.

David Robertson yielded a long homer to Jose Bautista in the eighth but Brett Gardner restored New York's two-run lead with a homer in the bottom half of the inning. Mariano Rivera loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth but struck out Colby Rasmus to end it for his eighth save in eight chances.

The Blue Jays led early for the second straight night and outhit New York 10-6 but failed to execute on both sides of the ball in dropping to 1-4 on their seven-game road trip. They were sloppy on the basepaths, getting caught stealing twice once at third base to end the third struck out 13 times and their pitchers walked 10. Toronto also allowed New York to score on a wild pitch and passed ball.

"Basically what's happening is we're playing good enough to lose, we're not playing good enough to win," Blue jays manager John Gibbons said.

Nova gave up Encarnacion's homer leading off the second and left the third after allowing the first two batters to reach.

Phelps (1-1) took about 5 minutes to warm up then gave up an RBI single to Rasmus. Phelps then struck out Bautista and Encarnacion.

Stewart completed an inning-ending double play after Encarnacion fanned by throwing out Davis trying to steal third base. It was the second baserunner Stewart threw out in two innings after he began the day sitting on a couch in the clubhouse reading a book in the "Game of Thrones" series, planning on serving as the backup.

Laffey was starting for Johnson after be claimed off waivers Tuesday by the Blue Jays. He was let go by the Mets after four uninspiring outings, and this one was no better. In 2 2-3 innings, he gave up two hits, two runs and walked five. Laffey was designated for assignment after the game.

"I just couldn't throw strikes," Laffey said. "There's no excuse for walking five batters, regardless of rest or whatever schedule we have. You should never go out there and walk five guys. Just pitch to contact. Just let them hit it like I normally do. It's just out of character for me."

Johnson was skipped with right triceps tightness.

He lost control in the bottom of the third. The six batters he faced before being lifted were not credited with an at-bat. Laffey walked four, Brett Gardner had a sacrifice bunt and Vernon Wells a tying sacrifice fly.

Brad Lincoln (0-1) relieved and struck out Ichiro Suzuki with the bases loaded to maintain the 2-all score.

But Lincoln hit Eduardo Nunez with a pitch to start the fourth and Overbay followed with a triple to centre field, snapping an 0 for 16 hitless skid. He scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2.

Phelps didn't allow another hit after Rasmus until Encarnacion hit his second long ball of the night leading off the sixth, a drive off the back wall of the Toronto bullpen. He has homered in four straight games

NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said there is no set plan for Ricky Romero. In extended spring training to work on his mechanics, Romero is scheduled to make his first start for Class A Dunedin on Saturday. ... Yankees RHP Shawn Kelly turned 29 Friday. ... Encarnacion has nine career multihomer games.

The order for The Originals comes the day after the Vampire Diaries' backdoor pilot aired to 2.2 million total viewers and a 0.9 rating in adults 18-49, down a tenth of a point week-over-week and off 31 percent from the vampire drama's season average.

Thespinoff revolves around the Original family in New Orleans. In the episode, Klaus returns to the supernatural melting pot that is the French Quarter of New Orleans, a town he helped build centuries ago, and is reunited with his diabolical former protg Marcel (Charles Michael Davis). Elijah, intent on helping his self-destructive brother find redemption, must side with Marcel's enemies in order to keep Klaus in line. Joseph Morgan, Phoebe Tonkin, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt, Danielle Campbell and Leah Pipes star in the drama from Vampire Diaries showrunner Julie Plec.

Originals is one of two pilots Plec has in contention this season at the CW. She's also teaming with Arrow EP Greg Berlanti to adapt The Tomorrow People, based on the '70s U.K. series created by Roger Price. A decision Tomorrow People, starring Robbie Amell (brother to Arrow's Stephen Amell) is expected to be announced in the coming weeks as the network mulls their current pilot batch.

In a , 66 percent of the more than 7,000 responders voted that the CW should pick up The Originals, checking off that they'd watch the series as much as The Vampire Diaries.

As soon as we saw last nights episode of The Vampire Diaries, we knew we wanted more of The Originals-- Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson have done a fantastic job with The Vampire Diaries,which is as fast-paced and well-written as ever, and Julie has created an equally compelling world for The Originals, CW president MarkPedowitz said in a statement making the announcement Friday. Were also very excited to bring back Beauty and the Beast and Hart of Dixiefor next season -- both series continue to be creatively strong and compelling, and their fans are incredibly passionate. Im very happy to have all three series on the schedule for next season.

Created by Leila Gerstein, Hart of Dixie has been a decent ratings performer for The CW as a kick-off to Tuesday nights in its current second season. Although the Southern-set medical drama, led by Rachel Bilson, has remained under the radar for its two-season run, the network has several holes to fill for the 2013-14 season following numerous cancellations (Cult, Emily Owens M.D.), with veteran shows also coming to an end (90210, Gossip Girl). More importantly, Hart of Dixie continues to be one of the network's best performing series on Hulu, which is becoming an increasingly valuable platform as the CW courts its key 18-34 demographic. Its online performance also helped propel the series to a second season order last year.

Beauty and the Beast, meanwhile, has carved out a loyal audience in the plum post-Vampire Diaries slot on Thursdays at 9 p.m. The Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan starrer earned the People's Choice Award for favorite new drama. The series sees a 45 percent ratings bump among women 18-34 when counting seven days of DVR growth.

The series join the CW's 2013-14 lineup that includes the previously renewed America's Next Top Model, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries and Arrow.CW series still awaiting word on their fate include freshman Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, which ended its midseason run with a 0.7 average among adults 18-49 and solid buzz, and Friday entry Nikita, which has averaged a .5 in the adults 18-49 metric this season. A decision is expected on these and the rest of the network's pilots in the coming weeks as the CW preps its upfront presentation to Madison Avenue in May.

The order for The Originals marks the broadcast networks' first series order of the season. It's one of a handful of spinoffs this pilot season, including NCIS: Red (CBS), Chicago Fire's untitledpolice-set entry (NBC) and ABC's Alice in Wonderland-themed Once Upon a Time presentation.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com, Philiana.Ng@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit, @InsideTheTube