The Reds shrugged off the absence of injured captain James Horwill and a disappointing draw to the lowly Western Force a week ago, notching up four tries and a bonus point six minutes before halftime at Lang Park.

Winger Rod Davies scored a brace of tries, with the Faingaa twins, hooker Saia and inside centre Anthony, scoring one each for the 2011 champion Reds.

The shell-shocked Sharks restored some pride with second-half tries for winger Piet Lindeque and replacement flanker Derick Minnie, but the Reds coasted home to give outgoing coach Ewen McKenzie his first win over the Durban-based South Africans.

The five-point victory also ensured the Reds kept the heat on the rival ACT Brumbies who lead the Australian conference in the southern hemisphere competition with seven rounds left before the playoffs.

"Very happy, we spoke all week a bit more about playing a bit more expansive rugby, a bit more creative rugby," scrumhalf and stand-in skipper Will Genia said in a pitchside interview.

"We weren't too disciplined in our structures in the second half... All credit to them for forcing their way back into the game."

Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper boosted his chances of selection in the Wallabies squad for the upcoming tour against the British and Irish Lions, booting three conversions and two penalty goals and having a hand in all of the Reds' tries.

The New Zealand-born pivot set up Saia Faingaa for the Reds' first try in the sixth minute and was the first link in a magical second to Davies 10 minutes later.

Starting behind the Reds try-line, Cooper ran the ball out of defence rather than booting it to safety, setting up a blistering run down the left wing by centre Chris Feauai-Sautia.

Feauai-Sautia gave the ball off to livewire winger Digby Ioane, who cut back inside and sent it to Genia.

Rather than risk passing the ball forward to Davies, who was streaming down the right wing, the pint-sized scrumhalf grubbed a kick along the ground that bounced up perfectly for the winger to gather and carry across the line.

Cooper then set up Anthony Faingaa for the Reds' third try five minutes later, dispatching a flat pass to put the inside centre over at the left corner.

The Reds had their fourth try and a bonus point six minutes before the break with Cooper dribbling a kick behind the Sharks' 22-metre line, and Davies enjoying the spoils of a ruthless clean-out by his team mates.

The bamboozled Sharks headed for the sheds trailing 29-3, but emerged a different side after halftime.

They had their first try within five minutes of the break when flyhalf Patrick Lambie fed Lindeque at the right corner.

Minnie gave the Sharks faint hope of snatching victory when he sneaked away from a line-out drive to cross for his team's second try, trimming the lead to 12 with 14 minutes left.

Cooper, however, calmly slotted home his second penalty kick to release the pressure in the 73rd minute, allowing his team to coast to a confidence-building win ahead of their tough road trip to South Africa.

The Kauai Humane Society since December has been reaching out to tourists and other travelers willing to bring a dog with them as extra luggage when they fly to California and Oregon.

The shelter gets a lot of stray and abandoned dogs derived from hunting breeds that are used for hunting feral pigs on Kauai. So far, 24 dogs have been adopted through the program, which also is working with the Oregon Humane Society in Portland.

Shelter officials say the Hawaii dogs get snatched up quickly after languishing in Kauai's shelter for months because they are different from what is normally offered for adoption.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Viewers are gearing up to crown the first female winner of "American Idol" in six years, but the biggest drama at the once-dominant Fox TV singing contest is taking place backstage over which of the celebrity judges will be voted off.

Audiences for what was the most-watched TV show in the United States for eight years have slumped to new lows in the current 12th season, despite the addition of singers Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban to the judging panel.

Veteran record producer Randy Jackson, the only member of the panel to have been with the show since it started in 2002, announced on Thursday that he was quitting after viewers vote for their winner next week.

Jackson's announcement came a day after entertainment website TheWrap reported that Carey, Minaj and Urban would not be asked back, along with the show's longtime executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe.

TheWrap.com said that Fox television was turning against paying huge salaries for big-name judges, only to see ratings fall.

Fox and production company FremantleMedia on Thursday declined to comment on the overhaul reported by TheWrap that have overshadowed the battle between singers Angie Miller, Candice Glover and Kree Harrison to reach the two-part finale.

Carey, one of the world's best-known recording artists, is getting a reported $17 million salary, with rapper Minaj pulling in about $12 million and country singer Urban around $7 million a year for their jobs on the contest.

Audiences for "American Idol" have fallen to around 12 million viewers per episode in recent months, compared to about 30 million during the show's heyday in 2006 and 2007.

The show is facing stiff competition from NBC rival "The Voice."

The report by TheWrap followed a story in The Hollywood Reporter last month that said producers had considered a mid-season replacement of Carey with Jennifer Lopez, who had quit the panel in 2012.

A Fox television spokeswoman termed that report "another ridiculous 'Idol' judge rumor."

DIVAS GRAB THE SPOTLIGHT

Minaj told "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest in a Thursday interview for his E! News show that she enjoyed being a judge. But she dodged the issue of whether she would be back.

"I feel happy here and I have to thank them for giving me this chance. They could have picked anyone in the world. And they picked me. So that's all I'll say about that," Minaj said.

Lyndsey Parker, managing editor of Yahoo! Music, said that Minaj had been met with a backlash from the core, middle-aged and family "Idol" audience, especially after reports last year of a feud between her and Carey.

"I think they were hoping she would bring in some kind of youthful audience but that doesn't appear to have happened," Parker told Reuters.

As for Carey, "she came to the panel with a lot more credibility than many others, but I don't think she is very good TV - a little bit low energy - and she rambles," Parker said.

The backstage drama comes in a strong season for women, with female singers dominating the final rounds for the first time in years.

On Thursday night, Seacrest will announce which contestants viewers have chosen to be in the finale in Los Angeles next Wednesday and Thursday.

Battling for the two spots are piano-playing pop singer Miller, 18, from Massachusetts; former travel agent turned powerhouse soul singer Glover, 23, from South Carolina; and 22-year-old country singer Harrison, from Texas, whose personal story and the loss of both her parents has won as many hearts as her voice.

Whoever is crowned the new "American Idol" will be the first female winner since Jordin Sparks in 2007.

Fox is a unit of NewsCorp.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Xavier Briand)

[More from BGR: ]

This article was

(Reuters) - Allergan Inc said approval of its Darpin eye drug could be delayed up to two years, providing a new boost to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc whose successful treatment, Eylea, stands to gain from a lack of new competition.

Shares of Allergan, which makes wrinkle treatment Botox, fell 13.1 percent after the company said mid-stage trial results of Darpin did not warrant an immediate move into far larger late-stage trials. Regeneron shares closed up 10.3 percent.

If eventually approved, Darpin would also compete with Roche Holding AG's, Lucentis, to treat age-related macular degeneration - the most common form of blindness in the elderly.

Adnan Butt, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said Darpin's delay was "great news" for Regeneron. He noted that Wall Street had feared the Allergan drug might have a superior clinical profile to Eylea.

"This gives Eylea even more time to become entrenched as the drug to beat," Butt said.

He estimates that each year of Darpin delay will translate into an upside of about $15 to $20 for Regeneron shares, now trading at about $240.

Eylea, which was approved in November 2011, had sales last year of $838 million. Regeneron expects 2013 Eylea sales of $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion. Company officials would not comment on the setback for Allergan's drug.

Regeneron is expected to report first quarter results on Friday and could update its sales projections.

Allergan Chief Executive David Pyott said on a conference call that a mid-stage trial of Darpin showed some product differentiation over Lucentis, but did not support directly moving to late-stage development.

The company now plans to perform additional mid-stage trials to assess Darpin, which will delay its potential approval by one to two years.

"There was a rush to ascribe a lot of value to Darpin and our view is that this is still very much an unproven asset with limited data," Piper Jaffray analyst David Amsellem said.

"The earliest it could get to market now is likely 2019," Amsellem said. "If you couple that with the setback of the hair loss product, the late-stage pipeline for Allergan right now is really quite thin."

A mid-stage trial of Allergan's hair loss treatment Bimatoprost Scalp also failed to provide sufficient efficacy to proceed to a late-stage study, further weighing on company shares.

ROOM TO GROW

Regeneron in the past two years has vaulted seemingly out of nowhere to become one of the world's biggest biotechnology companies, thanks largely to Eylea.

The company has repeatedly raised its sales forecasts for the drug, which is injected into the eye, as it steadily steals market share from Lucentis.

Some specialty pharmacies also use Roche's Avastin cancer drug, which works the same way as Lucentis, but is far less expensive, when divided into smaller portions for treating macular degeneration.

Roche has said that dividing Avastin through a procedure not closely monitored by health regulators, called compounding, could compromise its sterility.

Regeneron Chief Executive Leonard Schleifer said in a recent interview that sales of Eylea could jump sharply if potential rivals stumble, or if U.S. regulators clamp down on the compounding of Avastin for eye use.

Moreover, he said some analysts believe Eylea sales could swell if it is approved for a new indication called diabetic macular edema now in late-stage trials. Lucentis is already approved for the condition.

"So Eylea is a growth story unto itself, with lots of room to still grow," Schleifer said.

Allergan on Wednesday also posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by strong sales of Botox.

Net income for the first quarter fell to $12.5 million, or 4 cents per share, due to a loss of $259 million from discontinued operations. Profit was $229.8 million, or 74 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding special items, Allergan earned 98 cents per share. Analysts were expecting 96 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Global company sales rose 8 percent to $1.46 billion, above Wall Street's average estimate of $1.44 billion.

Sales of Botox, which is also approved for treating migraine headaches, overactive bladder and underarm sweating, rose 15 percent to $457.9 million.

Allergan said it now expects 2013 adjusted earnings of $4.70 to $4.76 per share, compared with its prior outlook of $4.75 to $4.83 a share.

The company forecast a second-quarter profit of $1.18 to $1.20 per share, below analysts' average estimate of $1.22 a share. The new forecasts reflect the impact of its MAP Pharmaceuticals acquisition earlier this year.

Allergan shares fell $14.88 to $98.67 on the New York Stock Exchange, while Regeneron shares rose $25.15 to $237.29.

(Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore and Bill Berkrot in New York; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Sreejiraj Eluvangal, Carol Bishopric and Andre Grenon)

Regular check-ups are an essential part of providing continued trouble free hearing from a hearing instrument.At Hidden Hearing this service is complimentary and without charge.

At your regular check-ups, a hearing care professional will undertake the consultation and advise if there has been any change in hearing ability.They will also answer any questions or concerns there may be.In addition to regular check-ups, Hidden Hearing will also carry out a unique ‘5 Star Service’ to ensure hearing aids are working at maximum performance. A 5 Star Service will include –

    Wax removal

For those that have noticed any changes in their hearing, or would just like to book an annual , make an appointment on the Hidden Hearing website today.

With more than 40 years’ experience in treating hearing loss,is entrusted with the care of more than 100,000 people each year. The firm has 84 hearing centres across the UK, all catering for a range of needs and budgets. Specialising in hearing tests and hearing aids, the company also offer a variety of hearing aid accessories and in 2005, became the first dedicated hearing retailer to be recognised as an Investor in People.

Vicky MooreHidden Hearing01622 697590

Now, a new study finds that at least one dino took a birdlike approach to hatching eggs. Troodon was a small, meat-eating dinosaur that grew to be about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long. Thedate back to the Late Cretaceous, about 75 million years ago, and they apparently incubated their eggs much like modern birds.

Most birds sit on their eggs to warm them, but crocodiles and their relatives completely bury their nests. The difference between the two shows up in the eggshells: Croc eggs have many pores to allow for air and water exchange, lest the eggs suffocate in their closed, humid nests. Bird eggs exposed to the air have fewer pores, because their eggs would be more in danger of drying out. []

University of Calgary dinosaur researcher Darla Zelenitsky and Montana State University paleontologist David Varricchio studied Troodon egg clutches from Canada and Montana, examining the fossilized shells for signs of burial. They compared the porosity of the eggshells with that of eggshells from modern-day crocodiles, birds that nest by burying their eggs in mounds, and birds that nest by brooding, or sitting on their eggs.

They found that porosity varied across the dino eggshell, suggesting the dinosaur laid its eggs almost vertically in sand or mud, but didn't bury the eggs completely. The adult would have had direct contact with the upper portions of these partially buried eggs, Varricchio said.

"There are similarities with a peculiar nester among birds called the Egyptian plover that broods its eggs while they're partially buried in sandy substrate of the nest," Varricchio said in a statement.

The plover, a wading bird, nests by laying its eggs in warm sand and then sitting on the nest with a wet belly, cooling the eggs from above.

The findings demonstrate that birdlike behavior evolved in theropods, the caste of bipedal dinosaurs related to today's birds, Zelenitsky said in a statement. The researchers reported their findings in the spring issue of the journal Paleobiology.

Previous studies have found that dinosaurs were doting parents. In 2008, Zelenitsky and her colleagues reported in the journal Science thatwhile dino moms went out to snag meals. Another study published this month in the journal Nature found thatand kicked in their eggs before hatching.

Follow Stephanie Pappas on and . Follow us , & . Original article on .

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Antero Resources, an oil and natural gas company controlled by Warburg Pincus LLC, is preparing for an initial public offering that could value it at as much as $10 billion, three people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The Denver, Colorado-based company has hired Barclays Plc , JP Morgan Chase & Coand Citigroup Incto lead the deal, two of the people said on condition of anonymity because the plans are private. The company could come to the stock market later this year, they added.

Barclays, Citigroup and Warburg declined to comment. JPMorgan could not be reached for comment.

Antero reported adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of $434.3 million in 2012, up from $340.8 million in 2011.

The company has around 311,000 acres in the Marcellus Shale formation in West Virginia and Pennsylvania as well as 92,000 acres in Ohio's Utica Shale.

Antero believes that most of their acreage in the Marcellus holds natural gas liquids, which tend to be worth more than "dry" gas.

The company said its Utica acreage sits in a region that it believes holds natural gas liquids. The Utica shale is an emerging region that has attracted the interest of big oil companies like Exxon Mobil Corpand Chevron Corp.

Antero's said earlier this year that its proved, probable and possible reserves were 26.1 trillion cubic feet equivalent of gas and oil.

According to Thomson Reuters data, there have been only three U.S.-listed IPOs in the energy and power space year-to-date that raised proceeds of $973 million. That's down from eight companies which raised $2.2 billion during the same time last year.

Warburg and other investors including energy-dedicated private equity firm Yorktown Energy Partners and Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking Group initially invested $260 million in Antero in 2003. Four years later, the consortium led a $1 billion equity investment in the company.

Private equity firms are increasingly looking to public markets in 2013 to profitably exit their investments as the frothy stock market has buoyed the value of companies public and private alike.

(Reporting By Michael Erman and Olivia Oran; Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Ernst, 22, who sank a four-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to tie for the lead, won his first PGA Tour title with a tap-in par at the par-four 18th after Lynn, runner-up at last year's PGA Championship, got into trouble off the tee in sudden death.

"It feels incredible," Ernst said in a greenside TV interview. "It's just unbelievable. This feeling is incredible. My heart's beating a million miles an hour."

Entering the field as the fourth alternate, Ernst won his maiden title in his eighth start on the tour this year. The Californian's previous best finish was a tie for 41st at the 2012 Frys.com Open.

Lynn hit his tee shot on the playoff hole into deep rough on the banks of a creek on the left, put his second shot into a greenside bunker and then overshot the green. His chip ran eight feet past the cup, allowing the American to win with par.

Ernst won with steady ball-striking, a smooth putting stroke and some brilliant play at the 18th, the hardest hole of the week. He had totaled $28,255 in PGA Tour earnings this year before pocketing a winner's prize of more than $1 million.

Phil Mickelson led by a stroke going into the last three holes but bogeyed 16 and 17 to fall one shot short of joining the playoff. The big left-hander finished third at seven-under 281 after a 73.

Ernst and Lynn both shot final rounds of two-under-par 70 to tie at eight-under-par 280 on a wet, chilly day that brought golfers out at 6:45 a.m. in hopes of beating the stormy weather forecast for later in the day.

With some players pulling out before the event due to damaged greens at Quail Hollow after unseasonably cold weather, Ernst got his Wells Fargo invite and headed to Charlotte instead of to a Web.com Tour event in Georgia.

Besides the immediate balm to his bank account, the victory brought Ernst a wealth of opportunities. It qualified him for next week's Players Championship, two World Golf Championships, the PGA Championship, next year's Tournament of Champions and the Masters.

He had entered the tournament ranked 1,207th in the world.

His path to victory was paved in part by Mickelson's troubles in the closing holes.

Mickelson, who double-bogeyed the par-five 15th and bogeyed 17 in the third round, held a one-shot lead entering the last three holes, known as the Green Mile, before stumbling again.

"I'm pretty bummed out. I thought this was one I had in control. Then I bogeyed 16 and 17, there's just no excuse," said a frustrated Mickelson, who has finished fifth or better four times at Quail Hollow but has yet to win.

For the 39-year-old Lynn, it was his second top-10 finish of the season, following a tie for fourth at the Honda Classic.

Two strokes off the pace at six-under were Englishman Lee Westwood (72) and Robert Karlsson of Sweden (72).

At five under par were Americans Kevin Streelman, Ryan Moore, Bo Van Pelt and Kim Stanley, one shot better than a group of six that included world number two Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and England's Ross Fisher.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York,; Editing by Gene Cherry)

No more constant questions about his uncertain role with the Jets. No more criticism of the mostly non-existent wildcat offense. No more shirtless jogs in the rain after practice.

Now, the popular but polarizing quarterback is left to wonder what's left of his NFL career.

Tebow was waived by the Jets on Monday morning when he showed up at the team's facility ready to work out, the end of an embarrassingly unsuccessful one-season experiment in New York that produced more hype and headlines than production on the field.

"Unfortunately," coach Rex Ryan said in a three-paragraph news release issued by the team, "things did not work out the way we all had hoped."

It also left Tebow's football future very much in doubt.

"If he were to happen to call me, I would say, 'Look, you're starting over,'" former NFL GM Ted Sundquist said. "Tim Tebow needs to redefine who Tim Tebow is, in my opinion. He's no longer a first-round quarterback."

That's quite a fall for a player who came to New York in March 2012 as perhaps the biggest thing to hit Broadway since Joe Namath himself.

There were billboards outside the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey welcoming Tebow, and sandwiches named after him at Manhattan delis. He also had a legion of fans who followed him because of his strong Christian beliefs, and in New York, he would be able to take advantage of countless media and marketing opportunities.

And then, it all went terribly wrong.

Or, more like it, the whole idea was completely flawed from the start. For Tebow. And for the Jets.

"I think it's fair to say," Tebow said at the end of last season, "that I'm a little disappointed."

A year after he threw a TD pass to win a playoff game in overtime for Denver, the Heisman Trophy winner with two championships at Florida and a nationwide following may have suited up for the last time.

"I don't see any team giving him a chance because teams don't want to deal with the following that comes with Tebow," ESPN analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody said. "Maybe Canada."

No NFL team has made a pitch to get him. The only nibble so far came from the Montreal Alouettes. They hold his rights in the Canadian Football League and said he could come compete for a job as a backup.

Tebow took to Twitter a few hours after being waived, citing a bible verse: "Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding," Tebow wrote, "in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

The Jacksonville Jaguars have already ruled themselves out of giving Tebow a happy homecoming. But maybe the Chicago Bears, whose new head coach Marc Trestman tutored Tebow before the NFL draft in 2010, could give him a look as their backup.

Perhaps the San Diego Chargers would take a chance on him, adding to the circus-like atmosphere they'll likely endure after drafting Manti Te'o. New coach Mike McCoy was Tebow's offensive coordinator in Denver during the 2011 season, when the quarterback took over the offense and led the Broncos to comeback after comeback.

What about Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots? It would certainly give Belichick another chance to tweak the Jets.

As far as the CFL, it's anyone's guess as to whether Tebow would even be open to a move north of the border.

"If you can find a club that's mature enough to handle it as an organization, then you're going to find the right spot for him," Sundquist said. "What I mean by that is all the media mania and that sort of thing."

Tebow was brought to New York to be a dynamic addition to the offense, a complement to Mark Sanchez and a merchandising touchdown for the Jets. Instead, he attempted just eight passes for 39 yards and rushed 32 times for 102 yards and stunningly had no touchdowns.

The move to part ways had been expected for months, and the decision was sealed when new general manager John Idzik took former West Virginia star Geno Smith in the second round of the NFL draft Friday, giving New York six quarterbacks on its roster at the time and creating uncertainty about Sanchez's future, as well.

"Had this happened back in February, Tim might have had a chance to at least participate in free agency," said 2002 NFL MVP quarterback Rich Gannon, now an analyst for CBS Sports and SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I don't think there would have been a strong market for him, but at least he would've had that opportunity."

Gannon added that it's an even tougher situation for Tebow now because more than 20 quarterbacks were either drafted or signed as undrafted free agents in the last few days.

"Look, it's a two-way street, though," Gannon said. "It's a business. The Jets were trying to find somebody, a dance partner. Sometimes that goes into the draft and teams are calling around. I'm sure the Jets were trying to shop Tebow, and I'm sure they kept getting denied."

This is the same guy who led the Broncos to the postseason in 2011, but became expendable when Denver signed Peyton Manning as a free agent. Tebow was acquired by the Jets for a fourth-round draft pick and $1.5 million in salary. He was introduced at the Jets' facility to plenty of fanfare at a lavish news conference, with Tebow repeatedly saying he was "excited" to be in New York.

It turned out to be one of the few high points in Tebow's stay with the Jets. Along with that shirtless jog from the practice field in the rain during training camp, of course.

The Jets never figured out a way to use Tebow effectively, and he never forced the issue by being a good enough player in practice to make Ryan and his coaches put him on the field more in games.

"He seems like a great kid," Sundquist said, "and it seems like he could bring some positives to a club if he can just bury this whole thing about him being in your quarterback mix and just let him be No. 39 on your roster, one of your back-end guys who can go somewhere and help you win."