Do the right thing Twist! Twista , his record labels, and promoters are all being sued for the death of a bodyguard, Arthur “Butch” Nixon, who passed away following a tour bus crash in 2004. His family recently filed the suit that claims Twista’s cousin, Otis Bankhead, should not have been allowed to drive the bus: The family of a bodyguard who was killed in a 2004 tour bus crash is suing Chicago-based rapper Twista and his management companies. Arthur “Butch” Dixon, 45, died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries in a rollover crash in Pennsylvania after the driver, Twista’s cousin, Otis Bankhead, fell asleep at the wheel as Twista and his entourage returned to Chicago from a concert in New York. Dixon, an accomplished jazz pianist and son of legendary bluesman Willie Dixon, and all the other passengers were thrown from the customized van. The lawsuit states Bankhead had a history of driving violations and his license was suspended at the time of the crash. The lawsuit mirrors one filed just two years after the crash, which lawyers for Dixon’s wife and three children dropped last year. The suit claims Twista, whose real name is Carl Mitchell, as well as his record label and promoters should have barred Bankhead from driving. While it is incredibly sad that he lost his life, it seems like they waited a long time to file this suit. Source More On Bossip! Don’t Be Ashamed: A Gallery Of Women That Men Are Embarrassed To Admit They’d Chop Down Shook Ones:The Dumbest Celebrity Lies Of All Time Billionaire Beach Bums: BeyBey And Hov Lay Out In St. Barths, First Swimsuit Pictures Since Birth Of Blue Ivy! On The Party Scene: Busty Bangers Sheneka Adams, Erica Mena, And Natalie Nunn Let It All Hang Out In ATL [Photos]
Melissa Gilbert is taken to hospital after injuring herself during performance. By Kelley L. Carter Donald Driver on “Dancing With the Stars” Photo: ABC For the fourth week of this season of “Dancing With the Stars,” the celebrities rocked it out. Glam rock-star style was everywhere — bedazzled outfits, eyeliner galore, tight leather and familiar rock tunes were all over the ballroom on Monday night’s telecast. The night’s top scorer was NFL superstar Donald Driver, who danced away with 27 points out of 30, impressing judges with his shirtless dance routine. Here’s how the others fared during Rock Week: Sherri Shepherd and Val Chmerkovskiy The TV talk-show co-host did the tango. Judges thought that despite a few issues with her feet, she did a decent job. Judge Bruno Tonioli said she needed to be sharper, and Carrie Ann Inaba told her, “It was good, but I think what was lacking was your normal exuberance.” 21/30 Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas Normally, the opera singer hangs right at the top of the leader board. This week, judges thought that her paso doble was unrefined. Head judge Len Goodman said that her performance “failed to deliver.” Tonioli said she was missing definition but that she set loose “a whirlwind of fury.” 24/30 Jaleel White and Kym Johnson The actor danced the tango to the Rolling Stones hit “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and he failed to impress judges as he did the first week. Goodman said that White needed to attack the dance more. Inaba said it was “funky and weird.” 22/30 Melissa Gilbert and Maks Chmerkovskiy Her score didn’t reflect it, but judges liked her bad-girl take with her paso doble routine. Tonioli said her sexy pose was “hot-blooded,” and Inaba said it was her best showing yet. She apparently slipped at one point during the dance — the TV audience didn’t notice — but before the end of the show, host Tom Beregon announced that she had injured herself and was taken to the hospital. 22/30 Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd Driver was the dancing king of the night. The wide receiver’s paso doble was soundtracked to Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” and judges found it to be sexy (he danced shirtless) and raunchy — all good things. 27/30 Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus The soul legend danced to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and judges were less than impressed. She landed in the bottom of the leader board for her tango. Judges said that it didn’t quite come together for her, but Inaba said that it was “by far your most ambitious routine.” 20/30 William Levy and Cheryl Burke Judges didn’t care too much for the hot Latin actor’s jive, but their disdain could barely be heard over the audience screams. Inaba told him he needed to work on staying focused, but added, “You have something special.” 22/30 Roshon Fegan and Chelsie Hightower The Disney star impressed judges with his Viennese waltz, and Inaba said that it was “cute, like watching the climax of a Disney movie.” 26/30 Maria Menounos and Derek Hough The TV journalist danced through the pain — she has stress fractures in her feet, and said in her rehearsal segment, “My feet have been killing me and I’m afraid something’s really wrong” — but she tangoed anyway, and judges loved what they saw. Inaba applauded the chemistry the two have together. 26/30 Gavin DeGraw and Karina Smirnoff The pop singer rounded out the last of the celebrity routines, dancing the tango, and once again, judges didn’t care too much for what he turned in. Tonioli said it was “a little messy in the corner.” 23/30 Which celebrity are you rooting for on “Dancing With the Stars”? Tell us in the comments!
Actress spotted partying in London with a pixie cut. By Jocelyn Vena Anne Hathaway leaving The Box Nightclub in London on April 8 Photo: Tony Clark / Splash News Anne Hathaway has a new ‘do. The actress was spotted in London with a spankin’-new pixie cut. She cut her hair super-short for her role as Fantine in the splashy big-screen adaptation of “Les Miserables.” She was spotted in the early hours of Sunday morning leaving London hotspot the Box, according to People.com . In a photo of her leaving the nightclub, where she had been hanging out with her fianc
Apple returns to the road on June 19 in support of The Idler Wheel …, her first album in nearly seven years. By James Montgomery Fiona Apple Photo: WireImage Last week, Fiona Apple officially started the comeback clock when she revealed a spate of information about her first album in nearly seven years , The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (phew), including the release date, full track list and cover art … which was drawn by Apple herself. The news came after she had just wrapped a run of small club shows , and had her long-waiting fans hoping that soon there’d be a full-blown tour in support of the disc. Well, one week later, we’ve got the dates. Beginning on June 19 — the same date The Idler Wheel … hits stores — Apple will hit the road for a run of shows that will take her across North America. The tour kicks off in Ithaca, New York, and wraps on July 29 at the Hollywood Palladium, and will make stops at iconic venues like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, historic opera houses, fests like New York’s Governors Ball on Randall’s Island, and refreshingly few venues named after cell phone brands. Tickets for some dates go on sale as early as Friday, April 13. For more information, check out Apple’s official site . Also on Monday (April 9), Apple revealed that the first single off The Idler Wheel … would be “Every Single Night,” one of a handful of new tracks she performed on her recently wrapped mini-tour. The song will be available via iTunes, where fans will also be able to pre-order the album, beginning on April 24. Fiona Apple’s 2012 tour dates, according to her reps:
It may be a few years before a new album emerges, but there will be new music from Adele in 2012. By Gil Kaufman Adele Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Could Adele be the next Bond girl? Not, like, in the movie, but on the soundtrack at least? The singer said in a recent interview that she will release a new single in 2012, which set off speculation that she might join the impressive likes of past Bond movie singers Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Shirley Bassey, Duran Duran, Madonna, Garbage and Jack White with Alicia keys as the sound of the upcoming 23rd 007 flick, “Skyfall.” Speaking to France’s NRJ radio, Adele said a “new song is coming out probably by the end of the year.” Though no news has been announced, British oddsmakers have been saying that Adele is the favorite to provide the all-important title tune to the next Bond adventure, which is due in theaters on November 9. In the meantime, the singer also revealed that she doesn’t expect to have a follow-up to her global smash 21 in stores for several years. “If I didn’t write my own songs, I’d be out next week with a new album,” she said. “I have to take time and live a little bit. There were a good two years between my first and second albums, so it’ll be the same this time.” With 21 still resting comfortably near the top of charts all around the world thanks to global sales in excess of 20 million, the singer said she’s not worried about capturing that same magic in a bottle the next time around. “I don’t think I’ll feel the pressure for the next album to be as big as the last one because I know that’s not really possible,” she said. “What’s happened with this album is very rare anyway.” Adele may have given a small preview of what the next album will sound like, though, when she revealed that her dream duet partner would be Beyonc
Opera singer scored 29 out of 30 on night when contestants danced to music from their ‘most memorable years.’ By Kelley L. Carter Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas on “Dancing With the Stars” Photo: ABC Monday night’s “Dancing With the Stars” episode was an emotional one. No was one given the boot — that’ll happen Tuesday night (April 3) with the second elimination of the season — but the theme was “most memorable year,” and the celebrity contestants got deep and personal. And then some. At the top of the pack was singer Katherine Jenkins , who took us back to 1996 — the year she learned her dad had lung cancer. She and her partner Mark Ballas did the waltz, and by the end of the routine, she was in tears. And she wasn’t alone. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba cried with her and told her the dance was like magic. She scored the first pair of 10s of the season, earning 29/30 . Here’s how everyone else fared: William Levy and Cheryl Burke The sexy soap star picked 1995, which was the year he arrived in the U.S. from his native Cuba. He told the story of his stepdad, who was a political prisoner before finding asylum in the States. His salsa impressed the judges. “You put a whole new meaning into free Willy!” head judge Len Goodman told him. 28/30 Maria Menounos and Derek Hough The TV host picked 1988 as her most memorable year. That’s when she was 10 years old and realized just how hard her Greek-immigrant parents worked to make a better life for their children. She did the rumba to a slow version of Madonna’s “Material Girl,” and the judges loved her sensual routine. Hard-to-please Goodman told her the dance was “a mix of the ballroom with a touch of the bedroom.” 27/30 Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd The football star picked 2010, which was when his best friend died of cancer. In his video before he performed live, he became teary-eyed, saying, “I can never get it out of my mind because he died in my arms.” He danced the rumba, and Inaba said she was touched by his story and performance. Goodman thought the dance was top-notch. 26/30 Jaleel White and Kym Johnson The moment old-school TV nerds have been waiting for: White picked the year he got to play Stefan Urquelle, the alter ego to his longtime nerdy character Steve Urkel on “Family Matters.” He took on the rumba, and the judges said that he was back in the game and improved greatly from last week’s performance. Judge Bruno Tonioli called him cool and smooth. 25/30 Roshon Fegan’s and Chelsie Hightower The Disney kid picked 1996, which is the year that he saw his idol and legend Michael Jackson onstage. He danced the samba, and Goodman said he had flair, but Inaba took issue with his timing, saying it was off. 25/30 Melissa Gilbert and Maks Chmerkovskiy The actress picked 2010, the year that she fell and broke her back. She called the experience gut-wrenching and tearfully explained that following the accident, she could barely walk, much less dance. She danced the jive, and Goodman said she was back in the competition. 24/30 Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus The soul legend picked 1957 because it was the year of her first tour and the year she met James Brown. She said it was the beginning of her career education and that it was a happy memory, not a sad one. She did the foxtrot to a Sam Cook song — noting that Cook taught her about performing back in the day — and Inaba thought the dance was sensuous and soulful. Tonioli said he thought she performed it with grace. 24/30 Sherri Shepard and Val Chmerkovskiy The talk-show co-host picked 2005, the year her son Jeffrey was born, weighing only 1 pound, 10 ounces. She cried, saying that she was so thankful, considering that the prognosis at the time was that he might have cerebral palsy and paralysis. She danced the rumba, with Goodman saying he appreciated the emotion she put into the dance. 24/30 Jack Wagner and Anna Trebunskaya The actor picked a more recent year: 2011. He said that was the year he met a daughter — she’s 23 now — that he never knew he had. He danced the samba, crying still. Goodman said he like the rhythm and said it was his best dance so far. 24/30 Gavin DeGraw and Karina Smirnoff The singer picked 1998 because he moved to New York City that year to give it a go as a musician. Inaba said her heart got all fluttery watching him. The judges overall thought he was progressing. 24/30 Which celebrity are you rooting for on “Dancing With the Stars”? Tell us in the comments!
This guy, Christopher, went State Property: Surveillance video from the courtroom shows 25-year-old Christopher Ruffin shoving a bailiff aside as he’s accompanied into a courtroom. The bailiff attempts to wrestle Ruffin to the ground as a second bailiff comes to his aid, but Ruffin manages to keep both men at bay before turning and running from the courtroom. One of the bailiffs shoots a Taser stun gun multiple times at Ruffin, who flees the courtroom with prongs and wires from the device hanging from his body. Ruffin runs down a hallway and past the security checkpoint on his way out of the building, with the two deputies trying to keep up. The deputies give up pursuit after Ruffin leaves the building and appear to call other authorities to assist. Ruffin had been sentenced prior to the escape to 90 days in the Butler County Jail on a probation violation. Police said Ruffin ran to an apartment complex on Patterson Boulevard and tried to get into a car, but the driver locked the doors before he could get in. Ruffin then was able to get into another car with a woman and her 2-year-old child inside, police said. While trying to get the woman to take him out of the area, police arrived, Ruffin fled and another foot chase ensued, officers said. Ruffin was arrested a short time later and taken to jail.
Film narration carries the dubious reputation of being a fallback trick for lesser directors, a device to trot out when other more classically visual narrative devices fail. In the same way that long, unbroken takes supposedly signify expertise, the use of narration often serves lazy critics with an easy indication that the director has lost the plot. Still, even the most anti-narration snob would have to concede that the larger film canon contains some pretty notable exceptions to this rule. The Naked City, A Clockwork Orange, Sunset Boulevard, GoodFellas, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Big Lebowski, The Shawshank Redemption — all use narration, and far from stalling story or characterization, with them it pushes everything forward. Rather than quibbling over the merits of the device itself, acknowledging those notable examples of its effective use would at least seem to necessitate deeper analysis. If some filmmakers have successfully used it, serious students of film should probably take a closer look, if only to better understand the exceptions that prove the rule. To that end, we could loosely categorize film narration into four different groups according to two distinctions: the distance of the narrator’s involvement with the film’s conflict and themes, and the directness with which the narrator addresses the viewer. The first distinction is represented on one end of the spectrum by films like Taxi Driver , where the narration directly clues the viewer in to the motivations of a certain character or elaborates on the conflict that drives the film forward. Taxi Driver is an especially good example of the so-called involved voiceover, because it gives a first-hand view to the inner workings of the main character Travis Bickle’s demented psychology, fleshing out his odd behavior with an equally discomfiting internal monologue. Watching Bickle talk to his own reflection while parading an arsenal of homemade weapons is certainly harrowing, but to hear him detail the skewed reasoning behind his plotting with talk about “a real rain that will wash the scum off the streets” only adds another level to his menace. On the other end of this “involvement spectrum,” we see films like The Royal Tenenbaums , which feature a totally detached third person narrator who nonetheless comments meaningfully on the film’s action from afar. Played with a perfect mixture of somber knowingness and monotone disinterest by a heard-and-not-seen Alec Baldwin, the voiceover for Tenenbaums still adds layers of thematic meaning to much of what goes on. Whether by adding back-story, as when the narrator informs the audience of the divorce of Royal and Ethel Tenenbaum in the first scene, or character insight, as when he explains in one scene that Royal “didn’t realize what he had said was true until after he had said it,” the voiceover’s apartness actually serves as a useful perspective from which to view the action along with the audience and insert helpful cues along the way. The second distinction, having to do with the directness of address, or the level of audience engagement of the narration, involves how forcefully the narration is meant to appeal to the viewer. With films like High Fidelity or Annie Hall , for instance, the narrator grabs the viewer by the lapels and demands attention, speaking directly into the camera with vocal inflections suggesting conversation rather than monologue. This is probably the trickiest sort of voiceover to pull off, and the one that grates the worst when done wrong. The other end is represented by narrators who speak with an authoritative, almost historical tone, rattling off characters’ back-stories with seemingly little consideration of who may be watching or why. I found the tone of the initial voiceover by Cate Blanchett as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring especially removed in this sense. Galadriel is involved in the goings on of the film’s story, interceding at several key moments throughout the saga, and yet she could not be more tonally remote from the audience. In fact, that is half the pleasure of Galadriel’s narration: She sounds like she’s speaking to the viewer from another world. The importance of this relative level of audience engagement reveals itself most in unreliable narration. For instance, the main character from Memento narrates intimately, always invoking the viewer’s sympathies, and yet because of Leonard’s particular character quirks, this closeness proves false by film’s end. If a diversity of type speaks anything to the value of a particular storytelling device, then film narrators definitely don’t deserve their bad reputation. Then again, if the domination of last weekend’s Oscar ceremony by The Artist shows anything, those purely visual filmmaking elements still very much strike the critical fancy, as they should. The simplest and best criterion for judging the effectiveness of narration will always be its facility to complement the moving pictures themselves. Nathan Pensky is an associate editor at PopMatters and a contributor at Forbes , among various other outlets. He can be found on Tumblr and Twitter as well.
Sherri Shepherd, Maria Menounos and tennis great Martina Navratilova join the list of celebrities who will shimmy and shake starting on March 19. By Jocelyn Vena Sherri Shepherd Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images The cast for the 14th season of “Dancing With the Stars” was announced Tuesday, and it features athletes, former child stars, TV hosts and more. With the show set to kick off on March 19, the new crop of celebrity dancers strutted their way onto the “Good Morning America” set in Los Angeles with their sights set on the coveted Mirror Ball trophy. So, what celebrities will be dancing this season and with whom will they be dancing? Here’s the rundown: Jack Wagner The actor is best known for his work on soapy dramas like “General Hospital” and “Melrose Place.” He has also dabbled in music, having recorded several albums, and plays often in celebrity golf tournaments. “I’m going, ‘OK, I’d better get it together fast,’ ” he said when he eyed his competition backstage at “GMA.” He will dance with Anna Trebunskaya. Melissa Gilbert Gilbert is an Emmy-nominated actress best known for her work as Laura Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie.” She rose to fame in the 1970s as a child star and has appeared in a number of television shows in her decades-long career. When asked if she was still feeling nervous about the gig, she said, “I feel better because the veil of mystery is lifted.” She will be partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Donald Driver Driver is a Super Bowl champion and plays for the Green Bay Packers as a receiver. He is also a children’s book author, whose books center on the character “Quickie.” He will be dancing with Peta Murgatroyd. William Levy Levy is a telenovela star who is frequently dubbed “the Brad Pitt of Mexico.” He recently made headlines playing Jennifer Lopez’s steamy love interest in her “I’m Into You” video. He will be partnered with Cheryl Burke. Sherri Shepherd “The View” host, actress and comedian has appeared on shows like “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “30 Rock.” She also appeared in the film “One for the Money.” She’ll dance with Val Chmerkovskiy. “I’m scared to death!” she laughed. “I need Barbara Walters.” Roshon Fegan The singer and actor currently stars on the Disney channel show “Shake It Up!” He also appeared in the hit movies “Camp Rock” and “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.” He will be partnered with Chelsie Hightower. Maria Menounos The longtime TV host of shows like “Extra,” Menounos is also a former beauty queen and wrote the best-selling book “The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life.” She will be shaking it with Derek Hough. Jaleel White He is the former star of “Family Matters,” best known for playing the dorky next-door neighbor Steve Urkel. He has since gone on to nab roles in films like “Dreamgirls” and recently starred in Cee Lo Green’s “Cry Baby” video. He will be partnered with Kym Johnson. “The fans have asked me to do this,” he said. “And I’m kind of doing it for my mom too.” Gladys Knight She is the legendary soul singer who rose to fame during Motown’s heyday with her group Gladys Knight and the Pips with iconic songs like “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “Every Beat of My Heart” and “If I Were Your Woman.” She’ll be shimmying with Tristan MacManus. She said she wanted to dance because of the Pips. Gavin DeGraw The singer/songwriter has released hits like “I Don’t Want to Be,” “Follow Through” and “Chariot.” In 2011 he released his album Sweeter, which features the Ryan Tedder-produced “Not Over You.” Tedder accidentally spilled the beans about DeGraw’s casting at the Grammys earlier this month. He’ll be partnered with last season’s champ, Karina Smirnoff. Katherine Jenkins She is an opera star who has sold more than 4 million records. The Welsh-born singer has performed for the British royal family and with opera icons Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli. She also sang on the 12th season of “DWTS.” She is partnered with Mark Ballas. Martina Navratilova She is a world-renowned tennis player who has 59 Grand Slam championships under her belt. Additionally, she had nine Wimbledon singles championships. She is partnered with Tony Dovolani. “Tennis is all closed up,” she said of taking her athletic abilities to the ballroom. “It’s a learning experience.”
