Iconic producer of music program was 75 years old. By Rob Markman Don Cornelius on “Soul Train” in 1973 Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Images “Love, peace and soul.” Don Cornelius would sign off with those words after every episode of his famed dance/music program “Soul Train,” and now the television show host and producer is dead. On Wednesday morning (February 1), Cornelius was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Mulholland Drive after police responded to a shooting call, the LAPD confirmed to MTV News. According to TMZ , Cornelius was found with a gunshot wound to the head. Sources told the website that Cornelius’ death appears to be a suicide, however the LAPD could not confirm this information as the investigation is still ongoing. Police discovered Cornelius’ body at around 4 a.m. PT on Wednesday and he was later taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 75 years old. Love, Peace and “Soul”: Don Cornelius Remembered in Photos A former radio disc jockey, Cornelius created, wrote and produced “Soul Train,” a popular dance/music show which spotlighted soul, R&B, and later, rap music. “Soul Train” was patterned after Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” but it helped to shine a light on black artists who many times didn’t get the recognition they deserved. James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson all appeared on the show as well as more contemporary artists like Chris Brown, Alicia Keys and Ludacris. “Soul Train” was most famous for its dancers who would show off the newest moves while partying to the latest hits. The “Soul Train” line, where dancers would line up on the left and right of the dance floor, allowing for one performer at a time to shimmy down the aisle, became a staple in American pop culture. Cornelius would go on to host the show for 22 years, between 1971 and 1993. He eventually handed over the reins to new hosts. The show ultimately went off the air in 2006. Share your condolences with Don Cornelius’ friends and family, as well as you favorite “Soul Train” memories on our Facebook page. Related Videos ‘Soul Train’ Host Don Cornelius Passes Away At 75 Related Photos Don Cornelius: A Life In Photos
Adam Lambert is in full-on album promotional mode. A few days after releasing the cover art for “Trespassing,” the former American Idol favorite is taking fans behind the scenes of his upcoming music video for the first single off that CD, “Better Than I Know Myself.” “Sometimes you screw up or you say something to hurt your partner’s feelings, or you haven’t been supportive,” Adam says below. “This song basically owns that, says, ‘Look, I’m sorry. Sometimes I’m not perfect but without you I don’t know what I would do with myself. I need you because you are the only person that knows me better than I know myself.” Adam Lambert Video Teaser: Behind the Scenes of “Better Than I Know Myself”
Former So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Alex Da Silva has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping a former dance student, reports say. Da Silva was arrested back in 2009 for a whole host of felonies. The 43-year-old was charged with sexually assaulting four women, all former dance students of his between the ages of 20 and 26 at the time. Sick. Alex Da Silva on So You Think You Can Dance Da Silva was convicted of one count of rape and one count of assault with intent to rape. The jury deadlocked on the other charges, which were dismissed. Da Silva appeared on Seasons 1-4 of SYTYCD (above, mentoring now- DWTS pro Chelsie Hightower). He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life. Fellow one-time SYTYCD mainstay Shane Sparks was also charged with a sex offense recently, pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor.
Alex Da Silva was convicted of rape and assault against former dance students. By Katie Byrne Alex Da Silva (file) Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images “So You Think You Can Dance” fans haven’t seen Alex Da Silva on the show since season four back in 2008, and there’s a reason the choreographer has been off the radar: He has been in jail since being charged with raping a former dance student and assaulting another one. On Friday (January 27), Da Silva was sentenced to 10 years in prison for those crimes, TMZ reports. While the 43-year-old was accused of raping and sexually assaulting four women, he was convicted in September of only one count of rape and one count of assault with intent to commit rape; the jury was deadlocked on the other charges. He was arrested back in 2009 and charged with multiple felonies. Unable to pay the bail set at $2 million, Da Silva has remained in jail for the past two years. On top of his 10 years in prison, he is now required to register as a sex offender for life. Da Silva appeared on seasons one through four of “So You Think You Can Dance” as a guest choreographer specializing in Salsa dancing. In season two, eventual winner Benji Schwimmer named his Da Silva-choreographed mambo as his favorite routine of the show. After his arrest, Da Silva did an interview with SalsaFreak.com to clear his name, insisting that he had done nothing wrong with his students. “I know the truth, and I don’t even know who the others are,” he said, claiming to not even be acquainted with some of his accusers. “It’s all a bunch of lies, and people just want to bring me down. If something like that really happened, then they should have gone to the police that night, or the same day, but it was never that way. I have too much to lose. I don’t need that type of thing in my life.”
Brown revisits electronic-dance sound for first single from Fortune. By Christina Garibaldi Chris Brown’s “Turn Up The Music” Photo: RCA Chris Brown is getting the club banging with “Turn Up the Music.” The first single from Brown’s upcoming album, Fortune, was released Thursday (January 26), and much like his 2010 hit “Yeah 3x,” Brown revisits an electronic-dance sound that is destined to get people in the clubs and on the dance floor. The track, which was written and produced by the Underdogs and will be available at all digital music stores February 14, is a house-inspired song with a pulsing beat that has Breezy singing, “Turn up the music, ’cause the sun just came up/ Turn up the music if they try to turn us down/ Turn up the music, ’cause I’m trying to hear the speakers blow/ Turn up the music, fill your cup and drink it down,” followed by repeated chants of “If you’re sexy and you know it, put your hands up in the air.” With a release date for Fortune to be announced soon, Brown is in the studio putting the finishing touches on his fifth studio album, the follow-up to 2011’s F.A.M.E. Back in October, Brown reached out to Team Breezy via Twitter , revealing a single from his upcoming album. “STRIP [from Brown’s Boy in Detention mixtape] is one of the singles off of FORTUNE so request at RADIO!” Brown tweeted. Fans can’t expect Brown to be doing much more than tweeting about this album: Earlier this month Brown’s manager, Tina Davis , told Billboard magazine that the singer wouldn’t be doing any interviews in 2012. “We’re not trying to be rude, selfish or disrespectful to anyone in any way,” she told the mag. “If people are going to judge anything, judge him for his talent. He signed up to sing and entertain, not to talk about his personal life.” What do you think of “Turn Up the Music”? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Chris Brown Related Artists Chris Brown
Here is a video featuring Artist wonder dog and awards-season gadabout Uggie telling viewers what movie made him cry and offering some insights on his Oscar chances. Some guy named George Clooney is in it, too. Did I mention that it’s Friday ? [ W Magazine via PeoplePets ]
It can be difficult to remember who we’re meant to be rooting for in the Underworld universe, with its unending werewolf/vampire feud, betrayals, hybrids, bloodlines, forbidden romances and immortal daddy issues. But that’s OK: Underworld: Awakening sloughs off much of the convoluted gothic backstory of the first three films in the series in favor of skipping forward a dozen years and landing vinyl-clad bloodsucking heroine Selene (Kate Beckinsale) in a near future in which the world has gone into martial law lockdown after the discovery of non-humans in their midst. An introductory news clip montage presents talk of infections, purges and a “mass cleansing,” showing Lycans and vampires being exterminated by soldiers wielding ultraviolet lights and silver bullets. This would, you’d think, make the enemies in this film the humans, an element in which the franchise has otherwise shown relatively little interest. Yet halfway through, it’s back to wolves fighting vamps with no end or sense in sight. Chalk it up to a hobby — what else is there to keep you busy when you live forever? Underworld: Awakening is directed by Swedish filmmakers Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, and it checks off all of the signature visual (fluttering trench coats) and thematic (must find the hybrid) tropes of the preceding films with even more narrative disjointedness than those earlier installments. Selene awakens in a lab in which she’s been kept in cryogenic stasis as “Subject 1,” her DNA used for experiments. She’s set free by Subject 2 (India Eisley), a young half-werewolf, half-vampire girl who turns out to be her daughter (the mechanics of this are not explained, nor does Selene seem at all curious about it or anything else in this crazy scenario). The film starts off at an awkward gallop and doesn’t slow down lest it tumble into one of the many giant plot holes — Selene’s escape from the lab is followed by the discovery of her connection to the girl, and soon the pair are running from werewolves and holing up with one of the few remaining vampire covens, where the leader (Charles Dance) clashes with his son David (Theo James) over whether to fight or hide and hope to simply survive. Underworld: Awakening ‘s world-building is so lackluster that a ridiculous mid-film revelation about the real motivations behind the experiments going on at the lab scarcely registers among the other larger questions about how all these badass immortal creatures were so easily hunted down in the first place and what the larger population actually thinks of them — the way the chief villainous scientist (Stephen Rea) refers to Selene’s daughter as “it” suggests the vampires deserve sympathy and have become victims instead of predators, but Selene also kills and/or snacks on a bunch of people right off the bat, which is pretty good reminder that humans have a point in this whole “extermination” thing. The story mechanics exist only to allow Selene to bounce off walls and strut in slow motion in her leather battle bustier with her hundred-bullet pistols, but even the action sequences have a rote familiarity to them, the Matrix -lite choreography paired with generic-looking monsters that appear to have been whipped up with a few CGI presets — “slimy,” “lumpy,” “clawed.” Aside from a moment or two of imaginative gore, the fighting has a sameness to it, Selene’s climactic tangle with a massive beast displaying as numbingly little tension as an early sequence in which she slices through a hallway full of guards. Most curious in Underworld: Awakening ‘s expedition into absurdity is the fact that while franchise alum Scott Speedman doesn’t really appear in the film aside from flashbacks in the introduction and a few glimpses of what looks to be stand-in digitally fudged to look like him, his character is referenced and searched for all the time. Rather than definitively kill his character Michael off, the filmmakers chose to hold on to the possibility of bringing him back while saving on talent salary costs by having the girl be his stand-in as the film’s MacGuffin and theoretical emotional element. The result is an odd Waiting for Godot quality in which everyone talks about Michael and waits for him to show up, and yet — he doesn’t. Wes Bentley does show up, jarringly, in a role that seems like it could be important, and then dies almost instantly. Michael Ealy plays a cop who comes to Selene’s aid for no reason other than that she’s run through her other potential allies. Murky and perpetually bluish in tinge, Underworld: Awakening does and gets little with the 3-D in which it’s being offered, and ends by shamelessly setting up a further and fatally unnecessary installment. The only interesting aspect to this film, other than its odd dance around its love interest in absentia, are its retro qualities — these days, all the other werewolves and vampires seem to be too busy trying to date teenagers to clash in tastefully grimy underground lairs with claws and double-fisted guns. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The first lady Michelle Obama turns 48 years old today! Promoting service and working with young people has remained a staple of her career and her interest in the White House, exemplified by her Let’s Move campaign to bring together communities in a nationwide effort to tackle childhood obesity. As Mrs Obama celebrates her birthday today, here are 48 things you didn’t know about about the First Lady: 1. Her nickname is “Miche” (pronounced “Meesh”). 2. Her husband calls her “My Rock” 3. Her father worked the swing shift in the boiler room at Chicago’s water purification plant. 4. She grew up with her older brother, Craig, and parents in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. She shared the living room with her brother, which was separated by a room divider. 5. She and her brother both skipped a year at school – second grade. 6. As a girl, she loved her “Easy-Bake Oven”. 7. Michelle was student council treasurer in high school. 8. Growing up, she practiced playing the piano so much that she had to be told to stop. 9. Although a great athlete, she shied away from competitive sports because, her big brother says, “she hated losing”. 10. Her father died of complications from multiple sclerosis when she was in her 20s. 11. Michelle attended only public schools while growing up in Chicago. 12. She was assigned Barack’s mentor when he came to her Chicago firm for a summer job. 13. Her first impression of Barack wasn’t great; after seeing a photo of him in the law firm directory she decided he had a big nose. 14. She declined Barack’s first invitations to go out on a date, saying it would be inappropriate. 15. Her father and brother had always said you could tell a lot about someone’s character on the court, so before agreeing to date Barack, she asked her brother to take him on on the basketball court. 16. Her university dissertation was entitled, “Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community.” 17. Santita Jackson, Jesse Jackson’s daughter and Michelle’s high school classmate, sang at the wedding 18. She works out “like a gladiator,” according to friends. 19. She hates tights – too “painful.” 20. At the Democratic National Convention in 2004, moments before her husband went on stage to give his speech, she said: “Just don’t screw it up, buddy!” SEE THE REST OF THE LIST BELOW THE GALLERY 21. She watches reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show 22. For breakfast she likes fruit, eggs and bacon. 23. When she got to Princeton she said the tutors weren’t teaching French correctly. 24. She refused to accompany her husband for walks in the cold Chicago winters. 25. She is the former associate dean at the University of Chicago 26. On their first date Barack took her to see Do The Right Thing, a Spike Lee movie set in Harlem. 27. Her brother, Craig Robinson, is the basketball coach at Oregon State University. 28. At Princeton, Michelle majored in sociology. She got her law degree from Harvard. 29. She worked for Chicago’s Mayor Daley in the city’s office of planning and development. 30. She uses a webcam to stay in touch with Barack while separated. 31. She cooks shrimp linguini – her husband’s favorite meal. 32. Michelle wrote her own stump speech during the campaign and delivered it without notes. 33. Michelle made Barack promise to quit smoking if he ran for president. 34. She plans not to have any more children. 35. She graduated from high school second in her class. 36. She cut back from her six-figure salary with the University of Chicago hospital system to help her husband with his campaign 37. Michelle makes Barack do the dishes. 38. As vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Centre, Michelle supervised a five hundred per cent increase of volunteerism in the hospital. 39. She was on the board of six major organizations, including the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and Tree House Foods; and Vice President, Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals. 40. She routinely drew audiences of 1,000-plus supporters, even when she was campaigning on her own, on the trail 41. Her inauguration dress was designed by Cuban-American designer, Isabel Toledo. Her green gloves were J Crew and her shoes by Jimmy Choo. 42. After her husband’s election to the US Senate, Michelle decided to stay in Chicago with their daughters instead of relocating to Washington, DC. 43. Her great-great-grandfather, Jim Robinson, was a slave in South Carolina before the Civil War. 44. Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama are the only First Ladies to receive master’s degrees. 45. She has committed each episode of The Brady Bunch to memory. 46. At 5 ft 11″, she is tied with Eleanor Roosevelt for tallest First Lady. 47.Her secret service codename is “Renaissance”. 48. Mrs. Obama shares her special day with Muhammad Ali who turns 70 today. Watch Michelle Obama Show Off Her Dance Moves On iCarly [VIDEO] Michelle Obama On Motherhood: ” I Am Just Hoping That I Don’t Mess Them Up”
Our father, who art in Denver… Today at 8pm EST The Denver Broncos will play the New England Patriots to determine which team will advance to the AFC Championship game and a chance to attend “The Big Dance” The Superbowl. Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has been a lightning rod of controversy over the past 2 months not only because of his unconventional playing style, but also his stout religious beliefs. Tebow the athlete is fun to watch with his passion and flashes of brilliance. Tebow the acolyte – the devoted follower of God – is easy to admire, and even those annoyed by public piety can be won over by his goodheartedness and the sheer joy with which he plays the game. Perhaps most acutely, he’s a cultural avatar. The internet meme “Tebowing” took off because it’s a readymade symbolic gesture people can use to express themselves against our scoffing, serious times. Brady is a great football player. Tebow is a great football story, and stories are immersive – they give us a chance to get involved, to see ourselves through them. Tebow’s story tees up the questions that frame many people’s lives: Is God involved? Can he help us overcome? Can he help us win? What if he stops helping us – where is God when our critics are correct, when our flaws are exposed for everyone to see? Saturday’s game will likely be the most-watched second round playoff game in NFL history. Millions will be watching because they want to see how the story will unfold, and the hero most of them will be rooting for is not the playboy, but the momma’s boy. Tebow’s faith has been the fodder for late night talk show monologues, comedy skits, and hilarious sports banter, but there is one joke that probably best represents how a LOT people actually feel about Tim Tebow. A few weeks ago, a joke made its way around Denver about Tom Brady, the New England Patriots’ living legend, and Tim Tebow, the raw Broncos quarterback who is turning in a legendary season. It went something like this: Tom Brady dies and goes to heaven and is greeted by God, who shows him to his new house – a cozy, modest home with a Patriots flag flying from the porch. “Gee, thanks God!” says Brady, feeling very special. As Brady walks to his door, he notices another house down the street – a sprawling, gorgeous home with a 50-foot pole flying a Broncos flag, a swimming pool shaped like a horse, and a Tim Tebow jersey pinned to the front door. “Um, God?” Brady begins. “I’m not ungrateful, but I don’t get it. I won three Super Bowls and went to the Hall of Fame. Why does Tim Tebow get a better house than me?” God chuckles. “That’s not Tim’s house,” he replies. “That’s mine.” So we ask you, do think that God is rooting for Tim Tebow and the Broncos??? Source More On Bossip! Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner: Here Are Some Current And Future Celebrity Stepdads Handling Their Biz With The Kids Out Of Pocket Old Heads: Mama Jones Starts Twitter War With Olivia???? Canada Dry: Tattoo Artist Claims That Drake Waited In His Car And Sent His Bodyguards To Confront Him Elsewhere In The World: J.R. Smith’s Sister Goes H.A.M. In The Stands At Chinese Game, Choking Out Broads And Catching Fade With An Old Head!
Mena Suvari and Simone Sestito are throwing in the towel. An attorney for the actress, 32, filed divorce papers on her behalf on Friday in L.A. County Superior Court. She and Sestito, a concert promoter, have no kids. According to court papers, Suvari cited “irreconcilable differences” and asked that Sestito receive no spousal support. She cited a separation date of 11/1/11. Mena Suvari and Simone Sestito married in June 2010 in Italy, holding a private church in the Vatican City in what the pair called a “romantic” wedding. The couple met at the Toronto Film Festival in 2007 and got engaged in 2008. This will be Suvari’s second divorce; she split from Robert Brinkmann, in 2005. Mena is set to reprise her role in the next American Pie film installment, due out later this year. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the American Reunion trailer . [Photo: WENN.com]
