“Please do not text during the movie because it makes everyone… Psycho .” In a new anti-texting PSA, Alfred Hitchcock (by way of Anthony Hopkins, star of the upcoming Hitchcock ) warns theatergoers against violating the tacit code of conduct implicit in any movie theater — using your darn phone during the film — or else . It’s a bit left field, but fun — and, more importantly, a message worth spreading throughout the land. I loathe movie disruptors of all kinds (talkers, texters, knee jigglers, seat kickers) with a burning passion and these mindless miscreants have only multiplied with the ubiquitous rise of cell phones and technology and ADD attention spans. (Check out venerable blogger Dennis Cozzalio’s infuriating account of the dunce-headed woman he encountered texting during a recent screening of Frankenweenie .) The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin has stepped up to defend moviegoers’ rights in the cell phone wars — that is, the rights of those paying customers in a theater to not have to deal with the obnoxious few who chatter or use their phones in a movie. Their epic anti-talking PSA became legend last year (below); Drafthouse theaters play an assortment of custom-filmed videos to remind audiences to kindly shut the hell up, or risk being kicked out. The new video by the makers of Hitchcock (which despite being sent around by the film’s PR reps appears to have been captured on a cell phone camera and uploaded to YouTube by a random fan, problematically enough) reminds me of Lars von Trier’s short Occupations , which I first saw via the Drafthouse folks: Occupations – short film by Lars von Trier by vahea So, yeah. Shut up and turn off your phones. Hitchcock may not have been the first to lobby for theater etiquette (he died a few good decades before texting became a thing) but the contribution is most appreciated. If Hitch was still around, I’d like to think he’d have scared the 4G out of a movie texter or two. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Liam Neeson is back as international badass Bryan Mills in a brand-new trailer for the hotly-awaited ‘Taken’ sequel. By Josh Wigler Liam Neeson in “Taken 2” Photo: Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills. Skills that make him a nightmare for people like you — unless you’re a fan of ex-CIA operatives who remain unreasonably badass in their golden years. In that case, Neeson is something of a dream come true. The Oscar nominee remains in perfectly hardcore form in the first official trailer for “Taken 2,” the sequel to the 2008 action flick that kick-started a surprising new phase in Neeson’s career. Since his turn as former spy Bryan Mills in the Luc Besson-produced thriller, Neeson has become the go-to guy for older-man-kicks-so-much-ass action movies like “The A-Team,” “Unknown” and “The Grey.” But it’s “Taken” that remains the decisive favorite for Neeson fans, and seeing him run around in that particular world once again is the action-movie equivalent of comfort food: a bit familiar, yes, but gloriously so. Here are five key scenes from the “Taken 2” trailer. A Job for Boris the Blade When you need a vaguely Eastern European bad guy to add gravitas to your film, call Rade Serbedzija. With bad-guy credits including “Snatch,” “24,” “X-Men: First Class” and more, he’s the man for the job. In “Taken 2,” he’ll be the one giving Mills hell, concocting an elaborate scheme to get revenge for his son, who was killed by Mills in the first “Taken” film. “He slaughtered our men,” he scowls in the trailer. “Our brothers. Our sons. We will find him. And we will have our revenge.” Family Reunion Our villain’s vengeance will take him and his men to Istanbul, where Bryan’s ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) pay him a surprise visit. Bad timing, considering the spit-storm headed Mills’ way. But there’s a silver lining: Bryan’s relationship with his daughter seems much smoother than ever before, and it even looks like he might have another shot at love with Lenore … assuming they survive their next ordeal. Phoning It In The “Taken 2” trailer is fantastically familiar, even if the tables are somewhat reversed this time: It’s not Kim being taken, but Lenore and Mills himself. When he gets on the phone to once again instruct Kim on what to do next, his directions are different, but the tone remains the same. With Mills and Lenore at the mercy of terrorists, it’s going to be a whole new ball game in “Taken 2,” their lives depending heavily on help from … Saving Grace Traditionally the character who mucks everything up for her surrounding cast (see “Lockout,” “Breaking Dawn,” “Lost” and so many more), Maggie Grace will finally get her opportunity to shine as a bona fide badass in “Taken 2.” She’s seen in the trailer jumping from rooftops and facing down guns with (almost) no tears, a marked improvement from the Kim of the last “Taken.” But as she told MTV News just a few weeks ago, Kim is “empowered … [but] she doesn’t morph into La Femme Nikita.” So temper your expectations just a little bit. “You’ll Just Have To Die” Frankly, Kim doesn’t really need to step up her game. Even if he’s captured early on in the film, Neeson’s ex-spook won’t be sitting on the sidelines throughout the proceedings, as the trailer clearly illustrates. He spends the final few seconds of the trailer breaking necks, shooting thugs and making explicit death threats over cell phones, as he’s wont to do. Old dog, same tricks — and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Tell us what you think of the new “Taken 2” trailer in the comments section below! Related Photos ‘Taken 2’ Trailer: Five Key Scenes
One of the few things that has stuck out so far this E3 was a new title in development under Ubisoft. The game is called “Watch Dogs,” and it honestly looks pretty interesting. I still don’t understand what the plot it, besides that everything is run by a Central Operating System (traffic lights, cell phones, Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : PS3Blog.net Discovery Date : 05/06/2012 01:21 Number of articles : 2
Beyonce is finally in labor! According to multiple reports Beyonce is currently in labor and expected to give birth any minute at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. A very pregnant Beyonce checked into Lenox Hill hospital last night under the name “Ingrid Jackson,” a hospital staffer told the NY Daily News. Staffers at the hospital said that Beyonce and her Jay-Z, rented out the hospital’s entire fourth floor for $1.3 million. While a spokesperson for the power couple was not available for comment security is said to have been tightened at the hospital. In an effort to keep images from leaking to the public, hospital workers placed tape over security cameras and are forcing employees to turn in cell phones when they arrive for their shifts, the source said. Last week, the internet was on fire with rumors that Bey reportedly checked into St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital to give birth. And then we all saw the photos of the superstar out and about which put those rumors to rest and little sis Solange tweeted on NYE: “Shout out to my sister for being THE cutest pregnant woman ever.” We will keep you posted. Like us on Facebook! Follow @HelloBeautiful on Twitter! Still Pregnant Beyonce Spotted In NYC Almost Due Beyonce, Still Rocking Sky High Heels!
‘I think he can beat Barack Obama,’ 21-year-old tells MTV News. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Andrew Jenks Newt Gingrich meets with supporters in Iowa Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images URBANDALE, IOWA — With just hours to go before Iowa voters go to caucus , even as Newt Gingrich’s poll numbers slipped from their former lofty perch to fourth place, one of his most-fervent campaign staffers told MTV News on Monday that she’s blocking it out and keeping her eye on the prize. “I don’t pay a lot of attention to those polls. … I like to focus on the goal to the very end,” said Myranda Kazos, an energetic political pixie who has moved into a hotel room in Des Moines and put her life on hold in order to help Gingrich finish strong in Iowa. “I’m here to work and do the very best I can.” Kazos, 21, plans to take her LSAT exam soon, but in the meantime, she said she’s logging 18-hour days working for the Gingrich campaign. Her hoarse voice is a testament to the handful of all-nighters she’s pulled, as well as all-in days during which the self-described Newt obsessive has made more than 900 calls to voters in an attempt to lock in their vote. The history and political science major at the University of South Dakota first got involved in politics in 2006 and has been a proud conservative booster ever since. In fact, though she can’t caucus again this year because she’s a South Dakota resident, she has some strong reasons for coming out for Gingrich. “I think he can beat Barack Obama,” she said confidently, bucking the trend of the 41 percent of Iowa voters who were reportedly undecided as the big day loomed, according to a poll released Monday. “I think he has the r
CyHi Da Prynce isn’t your average southern MC. Whereas the majority of rappers from the south make party music, CyHi takes a more lyrical approach to crafting songs. Since joining the G.O.O.D. Music stable of artists, his star has been on the rise. The Urban Daily recently got a chance to speak with the Atlanta native. During our interview, TUD was surprised at how down to earth and funny he is. His intelligence and wit came through as we talked about getting signed to G.O.O.D. Music, leading a double life as a teenager, and how he is the Anderson Cooper of the streets. TUD: When did you know you wanted to be a rapper? What brought you to that realization? When I really knew I wanted to be a rapper was around when I was 18. I used to play around with rhyming, but I never took it serious until I met Diddy . I had to be 17 and I was in the club. There was a party at a club and my friends and I skipped school to go. My friends’ dad was super plugged into the industry and we got into this club because of that. Diddy was there and he handed me a champagne bottle. I thought, “Yo, if I can get this close to Diddy, I can probably get my music in his hands.” You weren’t allowed to listen to rap music until you were 12. What was that feeling like when you first discovered rap music? Well, I went to skating rinks and things like that and heard rap being played. As for playing it in the house and just vibing out to it, there was none of that. [laughs] Age 12 is when I started going to my friends’ houses and listening to it. I still couldn’t play it in my house. Actually, I don’t think I was able to play rap in my house until I was like 14. My friends were putting me up on music I had never heard. The craziest part was I was familiar with 8Ball & MJG , UGK , Pastor Troy , and stuff from around Atlanta. I wasn’t up on Jay-Z , Nas , DMX . I think those up north artists are the ones that made me really want to rap. The down south rappers were cool to party to, but the northern rappers were intellectual. How did you link up with Kanye and G.O.O.D. Music? Uh, you know this guy named God ? He stays on the top floor in a condo… [laughs] Nah, really that’s all it was. Yelawolf invited me to the crib one day and we did the “I Wish (Remix)” with Pill . We shot a video for it and Yela put it out. Somehow, Kanye saw it. My verse came on and I guess it blew him away. After that, he put it up on his blog saying that I was dope. No I.D. and L.A. Reid flew to Hawaii and were chatting with him about his album and my name came up. Kanye said, “Tell CyHi to come on out here.” I flew out there with the last bit of money I had, which was like $250. That was the initial meeting and that’s what started this whole thing. Was it a hard transition going from being a fan of Kanye’s to being a colleague of his? Yeah, it was. The first two days recording with him were kind of odd. I can’t even front because ‘Ye has all these rules in the studio. It was no electric guitar, no internet, no blogging, no cell phones in the studio. He had so many rules and I was like, “Oh crap! We in here for real!” Then you would see people like Amber Rose come through and other celebrities. I got used to ‘Ye fast because I knew it was time to go to work when I got into the studio with him. Meeting other celebrities like Alicia Keys and Jay-Z was crazy for me though. Last year, around this time, you were introduced to the world in the BET Hip-Hop Awards cipher. What was that experience like? That was a stressful one. [laughs] We had a day to think of what we were going to spit. BET will usually let the rappers know about a month or two in advance. People didn’t know how dope ours was because we weren’t supposed to do it. BET was trying to figure out how they could get Kanye West to be apart of the Hip-Hop Awards. Kanye didn’t want to do it. BET thought it would be cool to do a cipher with all of his new artists. The day before everything had to be turned in for post production is when we shot that. I was on the plane putting my rap together. I ran into Big Sean at the airport and I said what’s up to him, but he didn’t hear me. I tapped him on his shoulder and asked him what he was doing. He said, “I’m thinking of my rap!” We walk up the steps and we see Pusha T talking to himself. We asked him what he was doing and he said the same thing as Sean. We were all thinking of our rhymes right before we shot our cipher. It was hard work, but we pulled it off. You’ve gotten buzz through releasing mixtapes on the internet. When you put out your album, do you think it’s going to be harder for you to sell, being that your fans are used to downloading your mixtapes for free? No, because the way I look at it is I’m going to keep giving away free music. If a fan is a fan, they are going to be a fan. At the end of the day, I tell them, “Look guys, I’ve given y’all a hundred songs for free. Just buy ten and I’ll give you another hundred before I ask you to buy another ten songs.” That’s my promo pitch. That’s more than an even exchange. Fans don’t care how they get the music, they just want the music. As an artist, you have to make them understand that in order for me to keep giving you free music, I have to make money to re-up on the music. In street terms, if I run out of work, I have to go get some more. I can’t get more work if I keep giving it all away for free. Are you working on an album yet? I’m getting started. I’m getting all my producers together and I’m researching song ideas and other things I want to do for my album. This is like the infant steps of putting together an album. How will your album differ from your mixtapes? Well, to me an album is more personal. My mixtapes are dimensions of me, but my album is going to be the story of me. Everything that’s gotten me this far, personally, is going on the album. My mixtapes are different parts of me that I give out every now and then. The album is going to be more of a timeline of who I am and where I come from. Royal Flush and Royal Flush 2 are very different from Jack of All Trades . Is Jack of All Trades more of a lyrical exercise for you? Yeah, I’m a real song guy. I really like making songs. But I have some fans that just want to hear bars. I don’t think some of my fans know I can give them bars on top of bars on top of bars like Lil Wayne or something. To me, that’s a little boring because I did that for so long when I was in the battle rap stages of my career. I would just put anything together and it didn’t have a story form or any type of character. It was just whatever rhymed with the next line rhymed. I think that’s more Young Money-ish . G.O.O.D. Music has topics and characters in the verses. We focus more on musical concepts to build great albums. In simpler terms, Jack Of All Trades is me playing a pick up game of basketball, doing all the tricks that won’t work in a professional game. Royal Flush and Royal Flush 2 are me in pre-season practicing with my team and my album is going to be me playing in the game. How would describe your overall rap style? I would describe my rap style as imagine if Kanye spent five years in the streets with some gangstas. I’m a cool kid. I grew up in the church and I have a nice family. On the other hand, I was bad in school which caused me to get kicked out of the house. When I got kicked out, I went and stayed with a friend and he was a street dude. So I got an equal balance of living the suburban life and bagging up drugs, carrying pistols, and fighting everyday. I’m the Anderson Cooper of the streets. so when it comes to rap, I have the conscious side and the street conscious side too. Don’t get me wrong, I did my dirt too. I did it smart so that I didn’t end up in prison somewhere. I push the pros an cons of being in the streets. I don’t just rap about the hustler’s life on Friday and Saturday. I rap about the hustler’s life on Monday through Sunday. What are your thoughts on rappers trying to be singers and singers trying to be rappers? Technology helps. With Pro Tools, when you sing a part of a song you be like, “Damn, I actually sound kind of good. I don’t need to pay anybody to sing this.” At the end of the day, we’re all musicians and hip-hop is the youngest genre of music. We’re still trying to find ourselves. Anyway, if you sound good singing, I don’t mind it. At the same, if the track needs a singer, you should get a singer. I know some singers that try to rap and it doesn’t come off that good. I think it’s better if rappers try to sing than if singers try to rap because rappers aren’t going to try to do too much. Most of a rapper’s fans can’t sing. So if a rapper gets a singer on the hook and his part comes on at the show, a lot of people aren’t going to be able to sing his part because they can’t sing like the singer. However, if Roscoe Dash sings the hook, everybody can sing like Roscoe Dash . See, you can’t be at a show and an Aretha song comes on and everybody tries to sing like Aretha . That aint going to work. People might think, “CyHi can’t really sing, so if he can sing this hook, why can’t I?” Is the tour you’re going on with Big Sean your first major national tour? Yeah, this would be my first one as big as this. I’ve done a couple spot dates with Wiz Khalifa and I wen on tour with Yelawolf before, but those venues were more like 800 to 1,000 seaters. This Big Sean tour has venues where there are no less than a thousand seats. This is going to be my first big tour, but I like performing so it’s going to be fun. What can fans expect when they go to a CyHi Da Prynce show? You’re going to get energy. You will get real conversation, on and off the stage. It is just going to be a great performance. I feel like I have a lot of material and I know how to deliver the material to the audience. You are going to have fun and there’s going to be a lot of lyricism. I’m going to be cutting the beat a lot because I like for people to understand that I can really rap. Sometimes, I get the Atlanta stigma and I have to overly prove myself that I’m not like most Atlanta rappers. I have a lot of different styles I can tap into and I’ll be displaying that. Is there any type of competition between you guys at G.O.O.D. Music? There are some serious rappers in that camp. I hope the stuff I do pushes those guys to do better. Kanye is smart. He picked artists that are all different from each other. All of his artists are a dimension of him. That’s why Kanye has Kid Cudi , who is melodic and does the spaced out type of music. Pusha T is very intelligent, but it’s street intelligence. Then you have Big Sean and he’s flamboyant and overly funny. Me, I’m not all the way conscious, but conscious plus the southern roots. Kanye likes the vibe and bounce I give in my music. An artist like Common is the conscious side of Kanye . I like to compare G.O.O.D. Music to Captain Planet . [laughs] All our powers combine to create Captain Planet . ‘Ye is on his fashion tip and he needs us here to keep his music alive while he tries other things. You’re signed to G.O.O.D. Music/Konvict Music/Def Jam. How does a joint venture like that work? It’s simple. It’s more so they are splitting up their half. I’m not splitting anything with my money because I’m not a label, I’m just an artist. Most rappers want to be a label and don’t know how to run a label. They have somebody under their label and wind up ruining that artist’s career because they’ve been on that label for five years and people don’t know what to do with them. I told myself I would never start a label until I was ready to focus on other artists. Basically, I had a deal with Konvict and they didn’t know how to push me. Kanye said he wanted to work with me and they entered a partnership. I was already a Def Jam artist when I started working with Konvict and G.O.O.D Music. Related Posts: Big Sean Announces “I Am Finally Famous” Tour Kanye West, Pusha T, CyHi Da Prynce, Big Sean & J. Cole “Looking For Trouble” [AUDIO]
By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle If one thought that keeping the press out of a nation will mean you can get away with anything including murder, guess again. Assad of Syria has been trying this since the protests started. But he forgot that people have cell phones, those cell phones have video cameras. The people of Syria are becoming the reporters. Thus the truth is emerging, slowly but emerging…. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Wake Up America Discovery Date : 08/09/2011 22:05 Number of articles : 2
Wondering how to prevent and treat stubborn breakouts – for good? Essence rounded up the best dermatologists and aestheticians to find out. Read their very own words below! Scrub-a-Dub “Frequent washing irritates skin,” says dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Beer. He recommends cleansing twice daily with a salicylic acid cleanser like Neutrogena Acne Wash ($6.39, drugstore.com). Banish Bacteria Wipe down bacteria-laden cell phones and remotes with BabyGanics Surface Wipes ($10, drugstore.com) and rid makeup brushes of oil and dirt with Clinique Makeup Brush Cleanser ($13, dillards.com). Welcome Matte Dermatologist Rosemarie Ingleton suggests using oil-free makeup, and liquid foundations instead of compacts. Peter Thomas Roth Mattifying Gel ($35, qvc.com) soaks up oil and removes shine. Natural Woman L.A. aesthetician Anastasia Soare suggests this pimple-fighting home remedy: Squeeze half a lemon in a bowl and mix in one egg white. Apply over face or body acne for five minutes, and rinse. GET THE REST HERE! Top 3 Best Leave-In Conditioners For Natural Hair [REVIEW] 8 Best Travel-Size Beauty Products For Your Summer Getaway Natural Beauty Products For Sensitive Skin
Man, technology is crazy. Used to be that you had to spend a dollar or two for some good ol’ fashioned porn. Now all you have to do is hit up Rhonda, the neighborhood floozy, and get your digital freak on…SMH. New Jersey teenagers caught texting or posting sexually explicit photos online could avoid prosecution under a measure that would give first-time offenders the chance to complete a diversionary program. State Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt of Camden, who is sponsoring the bill, said it’s important to teach teens the potential consequences of their actions without saddling them with a permanent criminal record. “We need to create a path that places education and forgiveness before arrest and prosecution,” said Lampitt, a Democrat. “Young people – especially teen girls – need to understand that sending inappropriate pictures is not only potentially illegal, but can leave an indelible mark on them socially and educationally.” The bill won unanimous support from both parties in a committee and is headed for the Assembly floor. A version must also pass the Senate for it to become law. The measure targets “sexting,” the practice of sending sexually explicit or suggestive photos by cell phone, as well as e-mailing similar images and posting them online. It’s a nationwide problem that has confounded parents, school administrators and law enforcers. Prosecutors in several states including Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Wisconsin have tried to stop it by charging teens who send and receive the pictures. Charges include possession and distribution of child pornography. Lawmakers in New Jersey agreed that criminal prosecutions are better avoided when possible. “There are certain aspects (of life) in which the criminal law should not be involved, and this is one of them,” said Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, a Republican from Morristown. We not sure this is going to work. The bottom line is, kids with cell phones will “sext”. If you are concerned about your child then get them a phone without a camera, or take the phone away all together. But, hey if they like it, we love it. Source
