Trott's Career-Best Takes England to 333

Jonathan Trott continued his prolific tour with his second hundred of the one-day series as England made the most of batting on a hot afternoon to post a massive 6 for 333 at the SCG. His career-best 137 was the cornerstone of England's highest total against the hosts in Australia with Andrew Strauss providing the early impetus from a positive 63 and Ian Bell the later power in a fourth-wicket stand of 104 in 11 overs.

It was the third time in the series they had beaten their record total after the innings at Melbourne and Adelaide. Trott's hundred was his fourth of the trip following two in the Ashes series and his 102 at Adelaide last week. He took his time to play himself in and didn't strike a boundary until his 40th delivery in a first fifty taking 61 balls. But the next half of his ton came off 39 balls as he collected four boundaries during the batting Powerplay.

Shaun Tait thought he had him lbw on 82, but the decision was overturned on review with the ball sliding down leg, and Trott escaped again with a missed run out opportunity on 88. He started to have problems running from what appeared to be cramp as the hundred approached and, after passing three figures and slamming Mitchell Johnson through the covers, was allowed a runner until falling in the final over. The last 87 of his runs came from 65 deliveries.

Bell provided the innings with ideal acceleration as he got himself going in the batting Powerplay then showed his inventive skills by lapping Shane Watson and John Hastings for boundaries. He and Trott added runs at nearly nine an over, the sort of dominant partnership England have struggled to produce even in their previous hefty totals.

Michael Clarke used eight bowlers, including himself for a rare over, but none were especially effective and the fielding was ragged. Admittedly, Strauss won an important toss which meant his bowlers avoided the hottest conditions, but Australia lacked the edge of previous matches when the series was alive.

Matt Prior began unconvincingly against the short ball as he twice pulled just out of reach of fielders. He produced a couple of stinging drives before being removed in Johnson's first over when a delivery shaped back at him, struck the pad and cannoned into off stump.

Strauss was far more secure and wasn't afraid to use his feet against the quick bowlers as he advanced at Johnson and whipped him through the leg side. He repeated the dose as Johnson dropped short in his next over during an inconsistent spell where the ball was also pushed down the leg side.

Strauss reached a neat fifty, his second of the series, off 52 balls but knew that England's failing has been to build on starts. When Clarke introduced his spinners Strauss worked them around comfortably to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Having watched the batsmen throw away wickets during the series, Strauss looked intent on showing the way. However, having played with controlled aggression he clipped Steve Smith to midwicket to gift the legspinner another wicket during a productive series.

Kevin Pietersen was threatening to cut loose with two boundaries in three balls off Hastings, but his frustrating series continued when he drove the first ball of the batting Powerplay to mid-off. The fielding restrictions again threatening to be a curse rather than a blessing, but the five overs still produced 43 runs as Trott and Bell began their surge.

Eoin Morgan (21) kept up the momentum in the closing overs, as Trott laboured with his muscle problems, until reverse sweeping Watson to short fine-leg. Even with a depleted bowling attack England should defend this total.

Debbie Gibson: Britney's Head-Shave Meltdown a 'Great Thing' for Her Career

bbie Gibson and Tiffany look like a pair of singing angels compared to their teen-pop offspring Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, but they tell me that doesn't mean they didn't have their share of meltdowns back in the 1980s, or that having such an epic, public scandal is even a bad thing for a career anymore.

"I had my meltdowns then and still have them now, but I just do them in private," Debbie says. Tiffany wholeheartedly agrees, saying if she would have done something like shave her head or smoke out of a bong during the height of her career, there wouldn't have been paparazzi or camera phones waiting to capture her every stumble.

"In LA, the difference now is that everything is right out in the open," Tiffany explains. "The barometer is different now. Before, if we would have started having all of our meltdowns in public, it probably would have ruined our careers. It wasn't entertainment at that point."

Their squeaky clean images set them apart from their successors, but they're also fully aware that with scandal comes that compelling opportunity to redeem themselves. "We've never really gone off the deep end. People find that really un-interesting," Tiffany says.

Ultimately, Debbie argues that times have changed and that all the ups and down-down-downs that Britney has gone through in recent years have had a silver lining attached to them.

"It was a great thing for her next hit record," Debbie said of the Brit head-shaving disaster of 2007. "People were like, 'She's back. She's thriving again!' And then they want her to melt down again. And they want to lift her up again. I heard a great phrase once that goes, 'America loves a good comeback.'"

Debbie and Tiffany are out promoting their amazingly titled movie 'Mega Python vs. Gatoroid,' which premieres Saturday night on Syfy.

Murali to End International Career with World Cup

Muttiah Muralitharan has said he will retire from all international cricket after the 2011 World Cup. The 38-year-old offspinner, who had retired from Test cricket in July last year, will continue to play in domestic Twenty20 competitions.

"This World Cup will be my last outing," Muralitharan said. "My time is up. I have signed up to play for two years in the IPL. I am also looking at similar work in New Zealand and perhaps England."

Muralitharan, who holds the record for the highest number of wickets in both Test and one-day cricket was part of Sri Lanka's World Cup winning side in 1996. He is one of three spinners in Sri Lanka's squad for the 2011 tournament, the other two being left-arm spinner Ranagana Herath and Ajantha Mendis. "This is my fourth World Cup. We won in 1996 and came close in 2007 by reaching the final. This would be a memorable one for me and for Sri Lankan fans."

Since quitting Tests, Muralitharan has played only three international matches - two ODIs and a Twenty20 game during Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in October-November 2010. He has been rested from the side for the first two ODIs of the three-match home series against West Indies which starts on January 31, Sri Lanka's final commitment before the World Cup.

He played for Chennai Super Kings in the first three seasons of the IPL, including their triumphs in the 2010 edition of the tournament and the Champions League in the same year. He was bought by the new Kochi franchise in the 2011 IPL auction for $1.1 million.

In July, Muralitharan had said there were plans in the pipeline for him and former India legspinner Anil Kumble to open a spin-bowling academy in Bangalore. However, while announcing his retirement after the World Cup on Friday, he said he had no immediate plans to start coaching. "There are plenty of coaches and lots of talented people out there. I will take things as they come. For the moment, I am not looking at any coaching stints."

Eminem Plans a Return to the Big Screen, But Can He Forge a Successful Acting Career?

Nine years after his electrifying performance in the semi-autobiographical '8 Mile,' Eminem is planning his return to film in the upcoming thriller 'Random Acts of Violence.'

The reclusive rapper, whose 2010 album 'Recovery' was the best-selling album of the year, continues to work his way back into the national consciousness with a series of upcoming film roles. In addition to 'Violence,' the rapper is currently in production on the 3-D horror film 'Shady Talez' and the boxing-themed drama 'Southpaw.'

But as fans of both hip-hop and film know, the confluence of emcees and movies is not always the best fit. For every Mos Def in 'The Woodsman,' there's DMX in 'Cradle 2 the Grave.' For every Ludacris in 'Crash,' there's, well, Ludacris in 'Fred Claus.'

"I think it's a good role for Eminem," says Jake Paine, editor-in-chief of influential hip-hop website HipHopDX.com. "But I think we're all skeptical about 'rapper movies.' Still, Eminem, more than almost anybody in the last 10 years, has the potential to follow in the Fresh Prince [Will Smith] or Marky Mark's [Mark Wahlberg] ascent to legitimate acting."

Smith and Wahlberg have long solidified their presences in Hollywood and shed -- or matured, depending on your point of view -- their former careers. But both had all but retired from hip-hop when their acting careers began. (Smith would later reboot his musical career as a solo artist in 1997, but only after firmly establishing his acting career.) Juggling music and acting simultaneously is a much more difficult endeavor.

"I thought it was about time," admits Mecca, editor-at-large of hip-hop magazine The Source. "It's all he needed to complete a successful return. The script and storyline seem strong and expanding his resume with films is a great look."

According to Vulture, 'Random Acts of Violence' began as the cinematic equivalent to 'Grand Theft Auto,' the ultraviolent video game that emerged as one of the decade's most popular games. But 20th Century Fox shifted tone and brought in 'Californication' director David Von Ancken, who ditched the cars and created "a thriller more akin to 'The Town' or 'The Departed.'" The rapper will play an ex-con torn between his past partners in crime and the FBI agents hoping he'll wear a wire to bring them down.