Rick Santorum scored another two wins in the race for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday night, indicating a potentially protracted race ahead. The former U.S. Senator won the Alabama and Mississippi primaries , overcoming the financial advantages of Mitt Romney and Southern allegiances to Newt Gingrich. Santorum strengthened his candidacy as the GOP campaign rolls into a state-by-state delegates battle in the weeks, and very possibly months, ahead. An aggressive push by Romney to try and capitalize on the still-divided conservative electorate failed to take hold, and he finished third in both states. “We did it again,” Santorum said, addressing jubilant supporters in Louisiana, which votes next week. “The time is now for conservatives to pull together.” The outcome of the Alabama and Mississippi primaries bolstered Santorum’s argument that he should emerge as the final GOP competitor to Romney. But Gingrich, who finished a close second in both states, noted that he earned about as many delegates as his rivals, and pledged to continue on. “The elite media’s efforts to convince the nation that Mitt Romney is inevitable just collapsed,” Gingrich said, addressing a subdued crowd here in Birmingham. “If you’re the front-runner and you come in third, you’re not much of a front-runner.” Yet Romney may end up no worse than when he started in the delegate count, which will ultimately decide the nominee (if he can win 50 percent or more). Early Wednesday, Romney was able to add to his delegate tally with a triumph in Hawaii’s Republican caucuses, as well as a victory in American Samoa. Alabama Republican Primary Results Rick Santorum 212,343 (34.5%)
Hmmmm… Several high-powered names have been bandied about for a possible No. 2 on the GOP presidential ticket. Sarah Palin, the Republicans’ last VP nominee, on Saturday threw out a new one – Florida Rep. Allen West. “I would like to see considered for the VP Col. Allen West,” she told Fox News. “In this tumultuous time … he served in the military and has intimate knowledge of the way the military works and should work by having a close family member serve. Someone like that.” Palin isn’t ruling out another run herself on the ticket, should she be asked. “It is not a no. I’m not saying no. But what I am saying is if I were in a GOP presidential candidate’s shoes, I would look to Col. Allen West.” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are among the other names that have been floated as potential running mates. Palin, who has been consistently undecided about her favorite in the presidential race, on Saturday also said she would support Mitt Romney if he is the nominee. Despite lingering discontent in some corners of the party with Romney, he is still the clear delegate frontrunner. “Anybody but Obama. Mitt Romney’s proven himself as a businessman and as a governor. He’s been the CEO of the state and understands amendment and states’ rights that Barack Obama doesn’t understand.” Palin stopped short of an endorsement. She also praised Rick Santorum for his efforts to bridge the gap between conservatives and independents and union workers in Michigan. But, she had a message for all the candidates: “I think that observers of the GOP process do get tired of some of the pettiness that goes on in the campaigns.” Meanwhile, Palin told Fox News she has no plans to see the new HBO movie “Game Change,” which is based on the 2008 McCain-Palin campaign. The movie trailers depict the Palin character as unprepared. “I am not going to see the movie and neither is Senator John McCain. Hollywood lies are Hollywood lies,” Palin told Fox News. “They are going to do what they can to drum up their money and machine and that happens to be a pro-leftist, pro-Barack Obama.” This Allen West character is known to kick it with Sarah Palin’s former swirly chop down buddy Glen Rice so perhaps that’s why she wants him nominated! SMH. Source More On Bossip! Where’s Johnny Gill? A Gallery Of Women Eddie Murphy’s Allegedly Chopped Down Over That Ex? Joe Budden Tweets Pics Of His New Boo Thang…Thoughts? Girl Fight??? Rumors Swirl That Piff-Puffin’ Rih-Rih Ain’t Feelin’ Papa Hov Because He Gave Her Song To New-Booty Look Alike Rita Ora! Dancing With The Cakes: The Hottest Women In The History Of Dancing With The Stars
Congratulations to Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin, whose film Undefeated lived up to its title at last night’s Academy Awards by taking home the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. Exploring the intersection of class, race and a hard-luck high-school football team, the doc started earning fans over a year ago at Sundance — including Harvey Weinstein, who acquired Undefeated on the spot and promptly fast-tracked it for 2012 awards glory. Mission accomplished. The only thing Undefeated didn’t do? How about help get three unjustly convicted men — one condemned to die — out of prison? Which brings us to Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory , the final installment of Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s nearly 20-year investigation into the grisly murders of three boys in West Memphis, Ark., and the subsequent trials and convictions of three teenagers in the case. Since the first film debuted in 1996 ( Paradise Lost 2: Revelations appeared in 2000), the series’s illumination of police and judicial misconduct — to say nothing of misplaced allegations of Satanism and other perceived motives — became instrumental in the crusade to free Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin. The “West Memphis 3” quickly developed into a cause célèbre among observers from the cultural to legal realms; Metallica contributed music to the films, further boosting their profiles, while defense lawyers and DNA experts raced to find evidence persuasive enough to save Echols from the death chamber and, hopefully, release all three men from behind bars. Of course, as a regular consumer of media, you likely already know these details. Unless, that is, you’re a member of the Academy’s clinically insane Documentary Branch. In which case you should be ashamed of yourself. Not to take anything away from Undefeated , but… Well, actually, yeah. I would like to take something away from Undefeated : Its Best Documentary Oscar. Not necessarily because of any technical inferiority — it’s a fine, inspiring, well-made film — but merely on the qualitative basis of not having saved a man’s life or helped liberate the West Memphis 3 through thousands upon thousands of hours of research, interviews, editing and, ultimately, pure storytelling. On the one hand, sure: As Berlinger told Movieline a few weeks ago in our Documentary Nominee roundtable , “[T]here can be no bigger prize than having helped get three innocent men get released from prison after 18 plus years of wrongful imprisonment.” On the other hand, fuck that . Let’s just be honest: If we’re going to reward films like last night’s Documentary Short winner Saving Face or recent Doc Feature triumphs like An Inconvenient Truth , The Cove and Inside Job for their honorable activist intent, then what more does Paradise Lost 3 have to do to win over Academy voters? If Berlinger and Sinofsky had freed three dolphins from certain death in Japan, would that have tilted the Oscar scales in their favor? Or maybe filmed a boring-ass slideshow detailing their findings in the case? Al Gore couldn’t even stop global warming. These guys exposed one of America’s most protracted miscarriages of justice (made all the worse by the fact that prosecutors refuse to reopen the case, thus leaving the murder mystery unsolved) not once, not twice, but three times, establishing the narrative foundation on which the whole campaign to free the West Memphis 3 was built. So what gives? Was this the last indignity to be committed by the Documentary Branch under its previous set of rules — a garish sloughing off of a film funded and broadcast by HBO as opposed to one following the classic theatrical pattern that Academy leadership so cherishes? What a truly fine barometer of quality, except that Undefeated had the same one-week qualifying run that PL3 had, only opening in theaters a week-and-a-half ago. Weinstein and HBO took advantage of the same loophole. Could it have just been the Weinstein factor alone — Harvey being Harvey, pushing his nonfiction wares in his Artist / Iron Lady downtime? Or, as a friend suggested to me this morning in the clearing Oscar smoke, is this just the Doc Branch holding out for the Peter Jackson-produced West of Memphis , a recent Sundance premiere due in theaters at some point in 2012? Jackson is the only figure in this schema with as much (if not more) Academy clout as Weinstein, and it’s entirely conceivable that whatever momentum gathered in Undefeated ‘s favor — or, perhaps more accurately, in any direction away from PL3 — began with a quiet, sturdy nudge from New Zealand. It’s impossible to say or ever know for sure — unless Weinstein acquires the currently distributor-less West of Memphis , I suppose, in which case even one of those dolphins from The Cove could do the math and know the fix is in. In any case, the whole thing amounts to another black eye for the Academy’s Doc branch, a body ostensibly charged with the responsibility of recognizing each year’s best achievement in documentary filmmaking but which has so lost the plot regarding the form’s boldest, most influential works that it has sunk irretrievably beneath contempt. Like, I get why Banksy’s intoxicating, masterful Exit Through the Gift Shop last year couldn’t surmount the dry, staid recession expose Inside Job ; the branch has always sought to persuade everybody to believe that it is preoccupied with Issues, even as it routinely, criminally snubs the likes of Steve James ( Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters ) from even being nominated. But that inconsistency aside, here was a chance for the Academy to recognize filmmaking that made as much of a social impact as any Best Documentary Feature winner since perhaps Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt (another documentary originated by HBO, incidentally) claimed the prize 22 years ago. Moreover, it was a crucial opportunity for the Academy to help further mobilize the case for fully exonerating the West Memphis 3, whose release was conditional on an Alford plea that upheld their guilty verdict while leaving them on the equivalent of 10 years’ probation. The governor of Arkansas won’t pardon them without an alternative conviction, which prosecutors refuse to seek pretty much out of spite. So the saga continues, but whatever. As long as Harvey’s happy, right? I can’t overstate how frustrated this makes me. If nothing else, the Paradise Lost films taught us how to know a spot a sham when we see one — to stick to the facts and to your values and keep your eyes on the prize. But with the Oscars at this point, who even wants this particular prize? When one of the only Academy Awards categories with any legitimate sociocultural import is turned into the same old irrelevant boy’s club where we find shit like Real Steel nominated, what values are we adhering to? For Christ’s sake, people: The Transformers trilogy has more Oscars than the Paradise Lost trilogy. This is not acceptable. Something must change. I’d hate to think that it begins with me giving up, but that’s probably where it’s headed. In any case, I’m open to suggestions. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Katy Perry, Bon Iver, Bruno Mars and Mumford & Sons are also competing for the prestigious award. By Gil Kaufman Adele, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry Photo: Getty Images Every year has one: a runaway Grammy nominee who sweeps through the top categories and appears to be the juggernaut to beat. This year is no different. While Kanye West is the top nominee with seven nods, Adele is close behind with six nods, including bids in all of the top categories. And while we won’t know whose name will be called until Sunday night’s show, a look at the Record of the Year race is a fine example of why the British songbird might need some help packing her hardware up for the trip back home. Unless you spent time on another planet this year, and even if you did, chances are you heard Adele’s breakthrough hit, “Rolling in the Deep” a dozen or (many) more times. The stirring soul pop gem was the perfect showcase for the singer’s powerful, richly textured voice, and its ebb-and-flow dynamic packed a relationship’s worth of drama into 3:48. In addition to selling nearly 6 million copies of her album, 21, she also moved nearly 6 million copies of the “Deep” single, earning credit for helping to (slightly) pull the long-moribund U.S. record business out of a decade-long slump. But she has some formidable opponents in the Record of the Year race, one of the most prestigious awards handed out, which frequently honors the year’s most successful or notable songs. That might explain how Best New Artist nominee Bon Iver got into the mix with the ethereal “Holocene.” Leader Justin Vernon broke through to the mainstream in 2011 thanks to his own folk-and-AutoTuned compositions, as well as work with West. If “Rolling in the Deep” was inescapable, then Mumford & Sons ‘ “The Cave” was just a few notches below ubiquitous, but still all over the place. The banjo-picking, foot-stomping ditty from the English folk revivalists helped cement their status as a force to be reckoned with, while serving as a nice follow-up to their salty breakthrough, “Little Lion Man.” It also helped keep their multi-platinum debut, Sigh No More, a fixture on the Billboard 200 and iTunes charts throughout the year. Somewhere in between were two huge hits for Katy Perry and Bruno Mars that put a stranglehold on pop radio for much of the spring and summer. Perry’s inspiring “Firework” helped the singer reach elite company on the Billboard charts on her way to landing six top-five hits from a single album , not to mention empowering her young fans to embrace their unique identities. Any way you slice it, it was also a huge year for Mars, who also garnered six Grammy noms for his Doo-Wops & Hooligans debut as well as his producing/songwriting work on songs by other artists. But it was the sweat and toil he put into the endless love tune “Grenade” that made all that hard work pay off. “[We] worked extremely hard on ‘Grenade.’ That was the hardest song on the whole album to finish because we knew we had something, and to get all that emotion out,” Mars told MTV News in December. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we’re really happy that that song is being recognized because that’s like our trophy song.” Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don’t miss Sway and James Montgomery live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn’t end Sunday: MTV News has you covered until the Grammy hangover wears off! Related Videos A Guide To The Grammys 2012 Adele’s ‘Magical’ Road To Success Related Photos 2012 Grammy Performers MTV Act | 2012 Grammy Nominees Who Give Back
“At 2 P.M. on Tuesday, January 31 Councilman Tom Labonge will present The Artist with the ‘Made In Hollywood’ honor to the film’s cast and crew. Including Academy Award Nominee Michel Hazanvicious [sic], Academy Award Nominee Jean Dujardin, Academy Award Nominee Bérénice Bejo, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller, Beth Grant, David Cluck – 1st Assistant Director, Richard Middleton- Executive Producer, Antoine De Cazotte- Executive producer, Heidi Levitt- Casting Director and the Los Angeles crew. The Honor will be presented at RED Studios which substituted for Kinograph Studios in the film. 846 North Cahuenga Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90038-3704. Be it further resolved that the Los Angeles City Council does name this day, January 31, 2012, as The Artist Day in the City of Los Angeles.” Yikes! Time is running out! Start getting sick now! [Press Release]
*RELATED: If Newt Gingrich is the nominee, the GOP loses the marriage debate [G-A-Y] Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Good As You Discovery Date : 20/01/2012 03:50 Number of articles : 4
New Showtime series beat out fan favorites ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Boardwalk Empire.’ By Terri Schwartz Claire Danes at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images There was a new collection of faces in the nominee pool for best dramatic TV series at the 69th annual Golden Globes . With the exception of “Boardwalk Empire,” which won the Globe in this category last year, all of the contenders were newcomers. There were the dragons and other medieval intrigue of “Game of Thrones” and the ghosts of “American Horror Story,” but Showtime’s thriller “Homeland” ended up being the show that took home the award. Creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon took to the stage to thank virtually everyone involved in the making of “Homeland.” They both credited everyone from the show’s stars, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, to the writing and directing crew for making this one of the most critically acclaimed new shows of the season. “I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be standing here on behalf of all the talented people that helped to make this show,” Gansa said during his acceptance speech. Gordon added, “I want to thank everyone who watches and enjoys this show because it makes this very special for us to do.” The new Showtime series follows a CIA agent (Danes) who comes to believe that a Marine (Lewis) who had been held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war has actually been turned by the enemy and now threatens the United States. Everyone else, however, considers the Marine to be a war hero. The CIA agent must turn to a fellow operative to investigate the Marine and prevent another attack on American soil. The series is based on the Israeli TV show “Hatufim.” “Homeland” beat out fan favorites “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire,” as well as the critically acclaimed “Boss” and “American Horror Story.” This is its first Golden Globe win of the night. Stars Lewis and Danes are also nominated for Best Actor and Actress, respectively. Stick with MTV News all night for the 2012 Golden Globes winners, and don’t miss all the fashion from the Golden Globes red carpet ! Related Videos 2012 Golden Globes: Highlights From The Show Related Photos Golden Globes 2012 Press Room MTV Style | 2012 Golden Globes Red Carpet Photos
“If he had endorsed Santorum, I mean, I would be like slitting my wrists on the table right now.” – Meghan McCain on John McCain’s endorsement of Mitt Romney Like her dad, Meghan McCain does not mince words. In the wake of Tuesday’s Iowa caucus, she didn’t hold back on her feelings about surprise second-place finisher and frequent McCain critic, Rick Santorum. “My father did not become the nominee having anything to do with the Iowa caucus. I find it completely irrelevant,” she said. “If Rick Santorum becomes the nominee of this party, I mean, it is going to be bedlam and hysteria like you have never seen.” Meghan McCain on Santorum, Romney As for whether a McCain endorsement will help Romney in next week’s primary, the 27-year-old said it certainly couldn’t hurt, given his popularity in the state. “I think in New Hampshire the McCain name is very strong. If my father could run for Governor of New Hampshire right now, he’d probably still win,” she added. Romney leads N.H. and national polls in the Republican presidential race.
Mumford & Sons, Justin Bieber, Rick Ross also prepping new material. By Gil Kaufman Photo: Theo Wargo/ WireImage The past 12 months have seen the release of monster albums from Adele , Lady Gaga , Drake , Taylor Swift , Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj . But the next 12 are promising to bring even more music from several of those artists, plus new albums from Mumford & Sons, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Linkin Park, Paramore, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Maroon 5 and Green Day. It’s a bumper crop of major albums from some of rock, pop and hip-hop’s biggest stars, who are returning from long breaks, hoping to follow up smash debuts or just trying to keep their momentum going. While release dates are always subject to change, here are some of the most anticipated releases of 2012. Pop : Ironically, the status of new albums from the artists whose next moves everyone is most curious about are the ones most in the air. Rihanna tends to deliver a new album every 12 or 13 months, which means that she may have another disc in stores at the end of next year once the just-released Talk That Talk has run its course. On the other hand, Lady Gaga has already begun talking about her follow-up to this year’s Born This Way. Gaga recently told MTV News that she’s already started writing songs and “all the concepts are beginning to flourish and take place.” She didn’t give a potential release date, only promising, “I’ll put it out when it’s done.” Katy Perry hasn’t publicly spoken about what will come after 2010’s smash Teenage Dream, but it’s possible she could start work on new material in 2012 as well. We know for sure that Justin Bieber is planning to show his more mature side next time around, possibly even incorporating some EDM sounds into the mix. It’s been confirmed that Madonna hooked up with M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj for the single “Gimme All Your Luvin’ ” from her untitled forthcoming album, which will feature production from Ray of Light producer William Orbit. Other artists who could release fresh material in 2012: No Doubt , Maroon 5 , Avril Lavigne , Miley Cyrus , Christina Aguilera , Ke$ha and Nicole Scherzinger . Hip-Hop : Two titans of rap are cueing up fresh tracks for early 2012, with Nicki Minaj likely to get out of the gate first with her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, due out on Valentine’s Day. The disc will include first single “Roman in Moscow,” which sees the Best New Artist Grammy nominee getting into the character of her alter ego, Roman Zolanski. After the delay of God Forgives, I Don’t due to a pair of seizures he suffered in October, Rick Ross is expected to come back strong as well. The Bawse has taken his convalescent time to work on a new track with Jay-Z . Speaking of Jigga, fans may get a new record from him as well, considering he told MTV News he was cooking up fresh tracks way back when he first played us songs from his Kanye West collaborative album, Watch the Throne. In fact, Jay-Z said you might get solo albums from both men as well as the second Throne release. Other artists that should have albums hitting stores in 2012: Nas , Frank Ocean , Slaughterhouse , Wiz Khalifa , the G.O.O.D. Music compilation , T.I. , Big Sean , 50 Cent , Ludacris , Big K.R.I.T. , Meek Mill and potentially two discs from Lil Wayne , I Am Not a Human Being II and Rebirth II. Rock : Some of rock’s biggest guns are reloading for 2012, among them Green Day , who debuted some new tracks at a benefit show in August. The title of the follow-up to 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown hasn’t been announced yet, but some of the early songs slated for possible inclusion are “Nuclear Family,” “Carpe Diem” and “Sweet 16.” U2 have reportedly been cooking up a number of potential new albums , logging sessions with Danger Mouse and working with French producer/DJ David Guetta , RedOne and will.i.am on a disc of dance-oriented tunes. Prog rock revivalists Muse should also have some new material for us, with bassist Chris Wolstenholme promising in a recent interview that the sound on their sixth album will be “radically different” from 2009’s The Resistance. We may get something from Linkin Park , who are prepping the follow-up to 2010’s A Thousand Suns, and Mumford & Sons . It’s been two years since the British folk rock revivalists dropped their still strong-selling debut, Sigh No More, and they began giving fans a taste of some new material in the fall when they unveiled the majestic song “Ghosts.” After a rough year, Paramore have finally put the drama behind them and they’re super-psyched to record an album free of tension and inter-band awkwardness. So far, they’ve already unwrapped the bouncy “Renegade” and “Hello Cold World,” which bode well for their fourth full-length studio album. Other rock acts slated to release new albums: the reunited Soundgarden , Foster the People , Neon Trees , Sleigh Bells , Silversun Pickups , Bruce Springsteen and All-American Rejects . Which 2012 albums are you most excited about? Which ones did we miss? Let us know in comments below.
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