Filed under: Madonna Madonna’s planned $15 million school in Malawi is great for the country’s children — but not so much for the people who have to move so it can be built. The government has reportedly told a group of about 200 villagers they need to leave the … Permalink
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Malawi Citizens — Make Way for Madonna
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Lionel Richie explains the need for ‘current’ stars in song’s re-recording. By Eric Ditzian Justin Bieber Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage In 1985, it was Michael Jackson , Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner leading the “We Are the World” charge to ease a devastating famine in Africa. Twenty-five years later, as the recording industry once again mobilizes to face an unspeakable crisis — the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti — a new generation of artists has risen up for a fresh spin on the iconic song. Lionel Richie, an original co-writer of the tune and organizer of the remake, says solving a 2010 crisis requires singers relevant to the 2010 public. “[I]t was time for a group of faces that this world knows now,” he said in a recent interview. “We have the standard group. I call them the Marines, the ones who went in first and charted the course. But for it to be current, you have to make it current.” Newly release footage from the recording session in early February, prominently shows those new faces, including Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne , Wyclef Jean, Miley Cyrus, Drake, T-Pain, Kanye West and Keri Hilson. They joined veterans such as Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand in the studio, singing as photos of the Haitian devastation played on oversize screens behind them. Quincy Jones, a producer on the original song as well as the new one, stood in front of the group, listening to the proceedings via headphones. The video also gives us glimpses of some solo recording sessions by Bieber , Pink, Josh Groban, Mary J. Blige, Akon and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. “You couldn’t get one person to recognize Haiti three months ago,” Richie said. “It was just business as usual before, and if you died on the street, you died on the street. Now, the whole world is forced on Haiti. We had to lose 250,000 people to do it. But now we can’t walk away from it. Now we have to pay attention to it.” All proceeds from sales of the “We Are the World” will go toward Haitian relief efforts . “Donate,” Jones urged viewers. “Give it up, whatever you got, to help people who cannot help themselves at this point and to rebuild the country.” Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti , and for more information, see Think MTV . Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now. Related Videos Behind The Scenes Of ‘We Are The World’ Related Photos ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’ Recording Session Related Artists P!nk Justin Bieber Lionel Richie
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Some early favorites are sent packing during the first group round. By Gil Kaufman Michael Lynche Photo: FOX As usual, chaos, quarreling and drama ruled on group night on “American Idol.” Wednesday’s show found the 95 remaining singers shoehorning themselves into unnatural combinations that mostly upped the already tension-filled pressure-cooker atmosphere as battle lines were drawn over choreography, harmony, personality and anything else worth arguing about. Tears were shed, fingers were pointed and lyrics were blown time and again as the groups spent the traditional sleepless night working on their steps and trying to find their groove as viewers’ heartstrings were pulled by big Michael Lynche monitoring his wife’s labor on his cell phone and listening as his daughter was born across the continent in New York. First up was the group named Faith, singing Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” in near enough harmony to allow Charity Vance, Ashley Rodriguez and Michelle Delamor to advance even with Vance’s thin, squeaky high notes and spartan choreography. Lynche was up next with Team Awesome, singing the Temptations’ “Get Ready.” Country hunk Tim Urban did his part, as did Lynche, but the group’s other two members, third-timer Seth Rollins, a father of two, and Michael Castro, younger brother of Jason Castro , didn’t make the cut. For Castro it was strike two in the Hollywood round. Two groups chose to sing Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and, fortunately for Team Neapolitan, they went first. While Liz Rooney’s platinum-blonde hair with pink highlights grabbed plenty of attention, her bum notes appeared to melt the group’s chances. But Thaddeus Johnson and Pussycat Dolls-alike Jessica Cunningham redeemed the quartet with strong vocals. “I actually thought in its own way that was very good,” Simon Cowell said, praising their effort to the chagrin of rival group Destiny’s Wild, who were miffed that Neapolitan seemingly stole their idea to do the song a cappella. Wild had nothing to worry about, as their strong vocals, acrobatic choreography and infectious energy won the day. Between Todrick Hall’s back-flipping gymnastics and soulful vocals, Theri and Jareb Liewer’s impassioned singing and Siobhan Magnus’ scratchy soul bark, Wild made it — just barely. “It really was weird,” new judge Ellen DeGeneres said, comparing their outfits to Cirque du Soleil, but ultimately putting them through. The Mighty Rangers struggled to get enough practice time, and while Tori Kelly and Maddie Penrose did their part on Ne-Yo’s “Closer,” the house fell down when Mark Labriola and Kimberly Kerbow both forgot the words, prompting DeGeneres to ask them to stop. Kelly and Penrose got good news, while a weepy Labriola, wiggy Kerbow and Danny Jones were sent home, with Labriola tearfully begging for one more chance in his last year of eligibility. Just moments before Phoenix took the stage, one member bolted because she couldn’t stand the pressure, leaving Ben Honeycutt, Jeff Goldford, Moorea Masa and Jermaine Sellers to solider on singing Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son.” It wasn’t great, with Kara comparing it to “Survivor” and Cowell saying their excuses weren’t cutting it. “The struggle was you had 12 hours to learn the song — that is not hardship,” he said. Gritty crooner Goldford and smooth singer Sellers got passes, while the other two were sent packing. Note to future “Idol” wannabes: don’t pick Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape,” because if you forget the lyrics and toss bum notes, you will fail. Stefani was not kind to Orlando auditioner Matt Lawrence, who spent four years in jail for robbing a bank when he was 15 or Amanda Shectman, who won the panel over at her audition with some drama-queen antics. Both bit it hard on “Escape,” forgetting the words and mumbling so unintelligibly that Cowell didn’t even let them finish. “There isn’t going to be any you stepping forward … it was so horrific,” he said, summarily dismissing the quartet. Middle C brought it with Janell Wheeler, Jermaine Purifory and pretty boy Casey James nailing their version of Ne-Yo’s “Closer,” while early front-runner Andrew Garcia lifted his group Three Men and a Baby higher, anchoring a solid performance of Alicia Keys’ “No One” that also featured soulful turns from 17-year-old Katie Stevens and recent high school grad J. B. Ahfua. The final group was The Dreamers, a five-piece that seemed to spend most of their time arguing. Rock mom Mary Powers started things off by throwing a nervous laugh into her intro on Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” which drew a harsh stare from Cowell. With lame choreography and thin vocals, things weren’t much better for Texas bartender Hope Johnson, tone-deaf waitress Margo May or nervous-looking Texas teen Alex Lambert. “It’s like the dream died somewhere on that stage,” DioGuardi quipped. Despite the drama, Powers, Johnson and Lambert made it through, joining the 68 other singers who made it to the next round. Hollywood continues next week in the wind-up to the choosing of the top 24. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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‘American Idol’ Thins The Herd On Group Day
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Some of the women in the New York Times story about the gender ratio at UNC —and the horrible things the imbalance makes ladies do—say their quotes were taken out of context and the story has ruined their lives. Alex Williams ‘ story, “The New Math on Campus,” highlighted the shabby dating prospects at UNC, whose student body is nearly 60% female. In the story, women are portrayed as boy-crazy banshees who claw other women out of the way to get to the few eligible, attractive men on campus, who then don’t text them the next morning. But after the story was published, a couple of the of the women quoted in the story reached out to Gawker because they say that Williams took their quotes out of context to make the problem seem worse than it actually is. Emily Kennard, a 21-year-old junior, is quoted in the story saying that cheating is “a thing that girls let slide, because you have to. If you don’t let it slide, you don’t have a boyfriend.” I spoke to Kennard this morning, after she emailed Gawker with a letter—signed by two other people quoted in the story as well, Kelly Lynch and Austin Ivey—taking issue with the story. “[Williams] brought up cheating,” says Kennard. “I made it clear that first of all, I don’t have a boyfriend. Second of all, I clearly stated my strong opinions about how I don’t like cheating, and don’t tolerate it or condone it, but that I do know people who do cheat and stay together. I’m not saying the majority of people at UNC do it. I said I know people who have done it. I was not talking about myself. I was not saying I think you have to lie. I don’t think you should.” The irony, Kennard says, is that she was in a long-term relationship that ended because her boyfriend was cheating on her—and she dumped him. I emailed Williams earlier today to ask him for a response to his subjects’ complaints. He said he wanted to respond but had to run any statements by the Times communications department. When he — or they — send anything, I’ll add it here. Kennard and Lynch seemed most upset, however, at how the story has been received—both on and off campus. “People are telling me I’ve labeled my entire generation as slutty in seven words, that I’m an embarrassment to the school,” says Kennard. “I had to change my name on Facebook because people were harassing me from all over the country.” “Professors have approached me about it and said, you should watch what you say,” says Lynch. “The worst thing about it is I’m in the journalism school here, and I’m making the school look horrible—apparently it’s my fault because I’m a journalist and I should have known this was going to happen,” says Kennard. “My response is when I interview people and record people I wouldn’t do this.” Maybe UNC needs to add some Janet Malcolm to the syllabus .
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Something Doesn’t Add Up for the Women of the ‘New Math on Campus’ Story
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Tagged country, Hollywood, made-it-clear, story, williams
Filed under: TV , Hot Bodies , Exclusives , Jersey Shore Vinny from “Jersey Shore” just seriously upped his guido street cred — because the guy just got inked with some impressive Sicilian themed body art.TMZ has obtained pics of the new tattoo Vinny was branded with last week — which we’re told took the … Permalink
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‘Jersey’s’ Vinny — Something New Up His Sleeve
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Filed under: Music , Exclusives Chico Bouchikhi — a co-founder of The Gipsy Kings — just scheduled a showdown against the guy who’s allegedly been impersonating him around the country … and it involves a whole lot of resentment and flamenco music.Here’s the deal: The real … Permalink
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News of Google's plan to announce the release of a new set of tools that will make Gmail more social permeated the blogosphere yesterday. The company held a press conference this morning to go over the new release of Google Buzz, and well before the name of the product was even announced
We all know that New York Times fake trend stories are annoying because they are 1) fake, and 2) trend stories. But do not neglect their third worst quality: many are terribly written. Allow us to show you. The underlying cause of the poorest-written portions of most fake trend stories is the insistence by NYT editors that every fake trend story have some sort of “stats” graf—a graf that attempts to force a clearly made-up premise into an empirically justifiable form. Since fake trend stories are, by definition, pure bullshit, this requirement often results in the most tortured or transparently ridiculous part of what could have been a perfectly decent story, had it been upfront about its total lack of journalistic merit. Examples: The Run-On Nightmare: The NYT’s in-house grammar scold highlights this (14 verb forms in one sentence!), from last month’s “H ipsters are living in cold apartments ” piece: As Americans across the country wrestle with spouses and their thermostats over how low to go – as they join contests like Freeze Yer Buns, now in its third year, a challenge posed by Deanna Duke, a Seattle-based environmental blogger who calls herself the Crunchy Chicken, to lower the thermostat to around 55 degrees, or follow the lead of the Maine couple trying to live comfortably in a furnace-free house and blogging about it in their Cold House Journal – there are those who are living nearly without heat by choice, and doing just fine, thank you very much. The Unsupported Anecdote-to-Wide Angle Pivot: From September’s ” Everybody is jogging with their babies now ” fitness piece : Mrs. Keith is an extreme example of an increasingly common breed of runner: parents who hit the road with their offspring in jogging strollers, typically single or double versions with two 16-inch inflatable tires in back and a single tire in front. But, experts say, there is a learning curve to running with a stroller. The Futile Attempt to Disprove Its Own Acknowledgment of Preposterousness: From Guy Trebay’s lively expos
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Rapper is expected to turn himself in after sentencing and immediately begin his prison term. By Jayson Rodriguez Lil Wayne Photo: Andy Kropa/ Getty Images Lil Wayne, easily the hardest-working MC in hip-hop, will have his career come to a screeching halt when a Manhattan judge formally sentences the rapper to a one-year prison term Tuesday (February 9). The move is the final process in the case, which dates back to July 2007, when Lil Wayne was arrested for gun possession in New York following his first headlining concert in the Big Apple. In October, the Cash Money superstar struck a deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to a reduced charge of attempted gun possession. He’s now expected to serve up to 10 months in prison with the possibility of an early release after eight months for good behavior. The rapper was originally facing as much as 15 years behind bars; New York is among the toughest states in the country when it comes to gun laws for individuals not affiliated with law enforcement. Lil Wayne will appear before Judge Charles H. Solomon on Tuesday morning, where he will formally enter his plea and likely turn himself in to immediately begin his sentence. The firearm in question was registered to Wayne’s manager, Cortez Bryant (and not found on Wayne by police), and the rapper’s attorney attempted to have the case dropped through DNA challenges. Wayne’s defense also sought to have the case dismissed after authorities handling the case misprinted information on the arrest report. The rapper eventually decided to reach a plea deal with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. In New York, stringent gun laws were enacted during former Governor George Pataki’s administration. In a different state, the rapper could have been levied a fine and probation for the same offense. Wayne pleaded guilty in the case because attempted possession carries almost the same threat of punishment as full possession. “Possession is defined as actual possession or dominion or control. … We said it was dominion and control,” Joan Illuzzi-Orbon explained to MTV News after the deal was announced. The distinction is that the weapon was potentially something available for immediate use. In other words, the threat of controlling the weapon is just as much of a crime as actually controlling one in New York. “Basically, the old law [prior to Pataki’s tenure] required someone to have a loaded weapon and intend to use it [before] the mandatory minimum would kick in,” said Scott Leemon, a defense attorney in New York who has represented G-Unit’s Tony Yayo in the past. “And basically, what they did is they took that out of the law. So the mere possession of a loaded weapon in New York State is a felony.” Lil Wayne has been busy in the weeks leading up to his sentencing. In December, he performed his final hometown show before his jail time. The rapper has also furiously been at work on the forthcoming Tha Carter IV, which will likely see a release by the end of 2010. He also is still facing charges in Arizona , and his trial is set to begin March 30. Despite the challenges the rapper is facing, experts expect Lil Wayne to quietly serve his jail time and continue leading one of the biggest careers in music afterward. “Wayne is from the streets, from the Magnolia Houses in New Orleans, so I’m sure those guys have been in jail or locked up at some point,” retired NYPD Detective Derrick Parker told MTV News. “So being in prison is no big deal to them.” Related Videos Lil Wayne Goes To Jail
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Lil Wayne To Be Sentenced Today
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