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Michelle Obama Kicks It Euro-style While Americans, and Barack Obama, Watch

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The press won’t go there because, well, they love President Barack Obama and this story, accurately reported, is painful. I haven’t gone there because I don’t really care what’s going on between President Obama and his wife. President Clinton defiling the Oval office concerned me because his actions were a big f-u to the American people and showed blatant disrespect to the office and the country. Michelle being pissed off at Barack Obama? Eh, who isn’t? Also, Michelle being a petty, selfish woman? Also not news. If reports are to be believed, Michelle Obama is the reason America has the shining tower of intelligence Joe Biden instead of Hillary Clinton. Petty. They’re two of a kind. Still and all, this story has become more newsworthy as the scope and cost of Michelle’s trip to Europe has dribbled out.  Mickey Kaus says: So Michelle Obama vacations in Spain with her daughter and a huge posse, leaving her husband  alone on his birthday  and undermining his party’s political chances ( bad recession ‘optics’ ). This is the sort of story on which I suspect there are three levels of perception: 1. Unsophisticated : Jeez, they must have had some kind of fight. She’s pissed! This is a big ‘screw you.’ 2. Sophisticated and well informed:  At their level everyone is too smart and experienced to let any kind of spat affect state affairs. These things get planned out well ahead of time by staff. Only the unsophisticated jump to conclusions on the basis of crude external appearances. 3. Real Insider:  Jeez, they must have had some kind of fight. She’s pissed! This is a big ‘screw you.’ Ha! Well, though no one would say it, this was a big “screw you” to the president. Turns out, it was a big screw you to the American Taxpayer, too. From the  Seattle Times  that emphasizes (of course!) the private nature of the trip and that Michelle Obama will pay back some of the cost: The opulence of the European trip also has drawn scrutiny. Michelle Obama is staying at the Hotel Villa Padierna, a Ritz-Carlton resort in the mountains outside Marbella. The resort has two golf courses, a posh spa with Turkish baths, views of the Mediterranean Sea and a high-end restaurant specializing in avant-garde fare. Room rates start at $400 and rise to $6,500 for a two-bedroom villa with a private pool and 24-hour butler service. While her friends arrived in Spain on their own, Michelle Obama flew in on a type of aircraft also used by Vice President Joseph Biden. It costs the government $11,555 an hour to operate the plane, according to the Air Force. Assuming a nearly eight-hour flight to nearby Málaga, the total round-trip cost of the flight is about  $178,000 . Anita McBride, who was chief of staff to former first lady Laura Bush, was not surprised the trip has its critics. “When you are a public figure, it can be difficult to lead a private life. Despite the fact that much of this trip is paid for personally, the American people know that there are costs borne by the taxpayers and it’s to be expected that the more expensive the trip, the greater the risk of criticism,” McBride said. The optics are so bad, even Democrat (and Journolista?)  Kirsten Powers calls this a “Foolish Trip” : Some argue that Michelle should be able to travel wherever she wants if she’s paying for it herself. This is naive. She is the first lady at a time when Americans are experiencing great economic pain. There are endless great locations here at home that she could put on the map with a visit – American hotels and restaurants that would be grateful for the business generated by such a high-profile visitor. If it’s a huge sacrifice for her, so be it. Sacrifice is actually a noble trait, last I checked. Plus, if she keeps this up, she will be able to vacation anywhere she wants in about two years. The choices regarding this story are unpleasant for Democrats: 1. Barack and Michelle are fighting and she is so selfish she doesn’t care how it looks. (Actually the best scenario.) 2. Barack and Michelle are just self-indulgent and don’t care about the American people or how they might feel. Michelle feels entitled to a vacation, and dammit, she’s going to have one. 3. Barack and Michelle know how this will look and have no interest in Democrats getting re-elected in November. I happen to believe all three are true. It’s really not in President Obama’s best interest to have the Democrats in charge after November. So, President and Michelle Obama just push on doing whatever they want to do. There is also an element here that the President hasn’t quite grasped his responsibility as president-to represent the people. And the American people suffer while DC is rolling in it gangster style. Forget spats, optics, elections: The Obamas display contempt for the American people. Living like Kings while people are jobless and losing their homes is not just gauche, it stirs Americans at a primal level. Most Americans left another country so that average people could have a chance and not be lorded over by faux-aristocrats. Crossposted at Liberty Pundits

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Patricia Neal Passes Away at 84

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal, whose life was marred by both success and tragedy, has died at the age of 84 of cancer, according to media reports. Neal won an Academy Award for her role in the 1963 film Hud alongside Paul Newman and boasted a long list of stage, film and TV credits over decades. She once had an affair with actor Gary Cooper with whom she starred in The Fountainhead and Bright Leaf but it ended in disaster after his wife found out. She was married to the British writer Roald Dahl for 30 years with whom she had five children. Their son suffered severe injuries after being hit by a taxi when he just four months old and their oldest child, daughter Olivia, died from the measles. R.I.P. Patricia Neal (1926-2010). Many years later, Neal’s marriage to Dahl ended after 30 years in 1983 after the writer had an affair with one of her friends and she moved from England to the United States where she split her time between New York and Martha’s Vineyard. When Neal was pregnant with their fifth child in 1965 she suffered three massive strokes and was in a coma for three weeks, but eventually recovered. “I think I was born stubborn, that’s all,” Neal said in a biography on the website of the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center that was dedicated in her honor in 1978 by the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Among her memorable performances are those in in 1950’s A Face in the Crowd , 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still , and 1960’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. More recently, she appeared with Glenn Close in Cookie’s Fortune in 1999 and was featured in Lifetime’s movie Flying By with Billy Ray Cyrus in 2009.

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Patricia Neal Passes Away at 84

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The Arcade Fire Go Big, Soundgarden Get Heavy: Sunday At Lollapalooza

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Arcade Fire and Soundgarden go head-to-head with powerful Sunday night sets By James Montgomery and Kyle Anderson Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell performs at Lollapalooza on Sunday Photo: Rich Sancho/ MTV News CHICAGO — Over the past three days, there’s been no shortage of power from the big stages at Lollapalooza, though usually, it was coming from one side of Grant Park or the other. On Friday, it was Lady Gaga who provided the surge , and on Saturday, it was Green Day . But on Sunday (August 8), during the final night of Lolla 2010, we finally got dueling dynamos, as the Arcade Fire and the reunited Soundgarden squared off across the park with sets that packed a wallop, not just sonically, but physically, and emotionally, too. This wasn’t showmanship –neither band really brought out the big lights (or the even bigger explosions) like Gaga or Green Day did–this was old-fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeves, sweat-on-the-stage rock and roll, the kind that makes the genre so intoxicatingly compelling, and yet, is sadly, in shot supply these days. The Arcade Fire–who just celebrated the release of their The Suburbs album with a pair of sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden –took the stage in stately silhouette, while the orchestral strains of the title track swirled around them, and quickly proved that they had learned a thing or two from their recent gigs: namely, that their big, bawling new anthems sound best while played at very loud volume. “Ready To Start” rolled along theatrically, getting bigger and bigger with each passing bar. “Rococo” started ominous and hushed, then built with each repetition of the chorus, husband/wife team of Win Butler and Regine Chassagne letting their voices become progressively more entwined, while the crowd chanted along in unison. And “The Suburbs” was jaunty and strong-limbed, stretching and expanding with Butler seated behind a piano and Chassagne on a second drum kit for added oomph. They sprinkled their older stuff throughout, and it was just as life-affirming as it ever was, in particular “Neighborhood #2 (Laika),” which was even huge during the lilting verses, “No Cars Go,” which had the crowd chanting “Let’s Go!” while the band broke into an extended jam, and a swooning, smashing take on “Crown Of Love,” which crescendo-ed until it toppled over on itself, all melodramatic and overwrought, and left the tens of thousands in the audience waving their hands back and forth. But in a set where so much was so massive, there were a pair of moments that stood out as not only the hugest of the night, but probably of the entire weekend. And they came within minutes of one another. The first occurred towards the end of their 90-minute set, when the band let “Neighborhood 3 (Power Out)” come crashing directly into “Rebellion (Lies),” a wave of sound that got downright spiritual, at least judging by the amount of arms thrust skyward, and then tore through “Month of May” a fiery burner off the new album. At the conclusion, with feedback still drenching the air, fans pressed against the barrier could be seen bowing to the band. They deserved it. And then, for the encore, the (of course) did “Wake Up,” which has become their defacto anthem, and the band didn’t even have to provide the “Woah-Oh-Oh-Ohs!” (it was probably the only moment of the show where they weren’t working overtime). Instead, Butler instructed the crowd to sing so loudly that they could “hear it on the space station.” And they probably could. That’s the power of old-fashioned rock and roll, after all. And while all of this was happening at the north end of the park, Soundgarden were providing the power down on the south side, though they preferred to do so with brute force and maximum sludge. Playing only their third show in 12 years, the Seattle quartet rolled through a similar set to their Thursday night (August 5) show at the tiny Vic Theater just a few miles away in Chicago. But while that performance was compact and internal (matching the intimate nature of the venue), the Soundgarden that showed up to play the main stage at the close of the festival was the stadium-sized monster that most people remember from the “Black Hole Sun” days. By far the most low key band to headline their particular stage all weekend (especially considering Lady Gaga’s bombastic theatrics and Green Day’s penchant for crowd-friendly spectacle), Soundgarden did what they do best: Grind out vicious, sludgy anthems designed to hit the listener square in the gut. Just as they did a few nights prior, the band opened with the Badmotorfinger dirge “Searching With My Good Eye Closed,” which set the tone for a truly harrowing night of pounding, aggressive rock. While recognizable hits like “Black Hole Sun” and “Rusty Cage” got the biggest reactions, the crowd was appreciative of grinders like “4th of July” and “Let Me Drown,” which captured the same kind of energy the band kept in reserve back when they last headlined Lollapalooza (they played the main stage on the touring version in 1996). “This is the millionth time we’ve played Lollapalooza,” frontman Chris Cornell announced to the crowd. Really, it might as well have been ’96, as the group have not lost a step, nor have they forgotten their friends (former Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons showed up for the show-closing “Slaves and Bulldozers”). Soundgarden are about the closest thing Lollapalooza has to an institution, and though no songs played during their festival-closing set were written after ’96, there’s something to be said for tradition — really, really loud tradition. Soundgarden capped off a busy Sunday at Lollapalooza, which saw schizophrenic jumps from the over-the-top theatrics of X Japan to the grooviness of Erykah Badu to the stout riffage of Wolfmother to the gardening-friendly hip-hop vibe of Cypress Hill. An eclectic, sometimes wholly disjointed lineup, to be sure, but one that will live on in Lollapalooza history — and founder Perry Farrell wouldn’t have it any other way. Related Videos Lollapalooza 2010 Heats Up Chicago! Related Photos Lady Gaga, Soundgarden, Green Day Heat Up Lollapalooza 2010 Related Artists Soundgarden Arcade Fire

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Sarah Palin Signs On to RNC Fundraising Letter

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

So  Allah has a couple of theories  about why Sarah Palin would sign a fundraising letter for the RNC: Fast-forward to today and suddenly she’s  signing letters  on their behalf. What gives? Two theories. One: She’s turned out to be such a good soldier and is so favorably disposed  to Michael Steele  that she’s willing to do a fundraising favor for an organization that desperately needs one right now to prepare for the midterms. Two: She really is eyeing a presidential run and wants to build a line of political credit with establishment types who aren’t big fans of hers at the moment. How about this? Sarah Palin has finally recognized her friends in D.C. They ain’t the NRSC or the NRCC, that’s for dang sure. Palin’s endorsements have been in direct odds with the NRSC’s and NRCC’s more often than not. Moreover, the NRSC and NRCC have worked overtime to undercut Michael Steele both publicly and privately and then gone to donors and asked them to donate there. This insanity is self-destructive, of course, because the RNC has the mechanism to get the vote out. The leadership in the House and Senate, though, are more about accumulating power and rewarding buddies than transforming the party. In fact, party transformation and reinvigoration, would probably hurt their incumbent arses, so what’s the motivation to change? Michael Steele has worked at reaching out everywhere. He’s open to bringing new energy from youth, minorities, etc, while also addressing the horrendous state of the technological infrastructure of the RNC. For his lack of money, he’s done a decent job given his circumstances. He also cleaned house when he took over the RNC, something that was much needed, even if some very good folks got caught in the outgoing tide. It’s impossible to overstate how entrenched certain consultancies and power brokers were with the RNC. That needed to change. But cutting ties with that many fat cats is bound to make enemies. [These consultants tell people where to send money, right? They wouldn’t want to help the RNC if the RNC isn’t spending enormous fees paying said consultants.] In short, Sarah Palin has far more in common with Chairman Michael Steele than she has with the leadership on the Hill, and, I might add, more to gain, personally, by befriending the RNC. Should the RNC start raking in some money, it may well help some of the grassroots races the Tea Party folks so passionately care about. This, of course, runs counter to conventional wisdom. Hating on Michael Steele has become a sport these days. And he has not gracefully made the transition from punditry to the more behind-the-scenes money making job of Chairman. Still, no RNC chairman has been harassed and undercut so nastily as Michael Steele. It’s ridiculous and unfair. Not to mention, those doing the criticizing have all had something to personally gain. Sour grapes because their Chairman candidate lost? Yes! Fear at losing control? Yes! Anxiety with a more open, bottom-up approach, rather than a top-down tight-fisted operation? Yes! Anyway, a partnership between Sarah Palin and Michael Steele could be a win-win. It seems they have both made a decision-really, neither one have anything to lose. Both are pretty much loathed by establishment Republicans. Why not unite her fund raising and star power with the RNC’s network and ability to organize? Crossposted at Liberty Pundits  

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‘Avatar’ Re-Release To Highlight Tsu’tey Death

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

James Cameron says nine minutes of deleted scenes will be added when the flick returns to theaters on August 27. By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Josh Horowitz James Cameron Photo: Getty Images Fans will learn more about Na’vi life when James Cameron’s blockbuster epic, “Avatar,” returns to the big-screen on August 27. Cameron told MTV News that moviegoers will check out nine minutes of unseen footage featuring life on Pandora. Although news of the re-release originally touted roughly eight minutes of deleted scenes, the director said he threw in an additional 60 seconds. The footage also includes an expanded version of the demise of Na’vi hunter Tsu’tey, who was killed during the climatic clash between the Pandora natives and the human army. “There’s a pretty powerful emotional scene at the end which is Tsu’tey’s death … which happens off-camera in the original release. [In the original film] he kind of falls off the back of the shuttle and that’s the last that you see of him but here we follow through. We have this emotional scene with Jake [Sully] and Neytiri and some other Na’vi that gather around him in the forest,” Cameron said. The director added that the decision to cut down on Tsu’tey’s passing was initially met with resistance from his fellow filmmakers. “It’s a funny thing because everybody that was working on the film, when I said I’m taking out Tsu’tey’s death, they said, ‘What? You can’t that!’ They had all fallen in love with it [because] it’s a pretty powerful moment,” he said. “It’s such an amazing accomplishment on [visual effects supervisor Timothy] Webber’s part because the emotionality in the CG is really quite stunning.” Cameron said the additional “Avatar” scenes involve four major moments, each around a couple minutes long, that turn up in the movie after the human soldiers fly a chopper into the lush Pandora rainforest for the first time. The revamped flick will also introduce fans to a new element of the alien environment: a herd-like creature called a Sturmbeest. “There’s a big scene we called the Sturmbeest hunt,” Cameron said. “The Sturmbeest is an animal that basically will be new to audiences because all of the Sturmbeest stuff got cut out. Once I took out the hunt, I took out the scene where I establish it [and] I took out the moment where it appears in the final battle. All that stuff’s now been reinstated so there’s gonna be a lot of Sturmbeest in your diet.” Cameron lamented that many scenes were originally nixed to either keep the up pace of the flick or to avoid derailing the budget of the technologically innovative enterprise. However, the director said scenes that were added to the re-release are big on non-stop action. “We’ve got a scene where the Na’vi attack the bulldozers after the scene where they’ve mowed down the willow glade,” Cameron said. “It’s kind of [an] action scene plus the aftermath with the human troopers finding the bodies of their friends.” He added that the scene provides added context for the subsequent conflict between the Na’vi and the humans. “It’s sort of like the stepping stone of the escalation to war. We sort of jump over all of that in the [original] film. [Human leaders Colonel Miles Quaritch] and [Parker] Selfridge just say, ‘OK, alright, let’s go take ’em out.’ But this sort of shows that there are steps in the process.” What are you looking forward to seeing in the new “Avatar” scenes? Let us know in the comments below! Check out everything we’ve got on “Avatar.”

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Lady Gaga Joins Semi Precious Weapons Onstage At Lollapalooza

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It was pretty amazing,’ frontman Justin Tranter tells MTV News of Gaga jumping on drums. By Kyle Anderson Lady Gaga watches on stage as Semi Precious Weapons perform at the BMI Stage at Grant Park on Friday Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Redferns In the hours before Lady Gaga’s Friday night (August 6) set to close out the first night of Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park, the ubiquitous, world-conquering pop star made an early appearance onstage as part of the set by Semi Precious Weapons (her friends and the opening act on her Monster Ball Tour). Semi Precious Weapons frontman Justin Tranter breathlessly recounted the story while standing just in front of the stage where Gaga would be performing her full set in a matter of hours. “She came to watch us perform. She stood on the side of the stage, and then during the song ‘Magnetic Baby,’ she started playing drums with Dan,” he told MTV News. “Then she started singing backup vocals, then her and I made out, and then she stage-dove and then I joined her while she stage-dove. And then we made out while stage-diving. And then she left. It was pretty amazing.” The visit certainly came as a surprise to the men of Semi Precious Weapons, though it isn’t the first time the two entities have tag-teamed. “She used to get on stage with us all the time, but since she’s so famous, normally it’s not safe for her,” Tranter explained. “But she played the same stage we played three years ago, and I think she was so excited about us playing that stage, and she loves our band so much that she was overwhelmed by the rock and roll and just had to make it happen.” Tranter also told MTV News that this wouldn’t be the last you would see of Gaga collaborating with the band. “Gaga herself has plans to collaborate with us, both artistically and sexually,” he teased. After a whirlwind day, Semi Precious Weapons declared themselves the victors of Lollapalooza’s Friday. “Tonight, in 2010, at Lollapalooza, rock and roll officially is back,” Tranter said. “After Gaga is done, between our set and her set, they should just cancel the whole thing.” Are you looking forward to a collaboration between Gaga and SPW? Tell us in the comments! Lollapalooza 2010 gets under way Friday — make sure to check out MTV News’ Lollapalooza Live , streaming Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m., right here on MTV.com. And follow all of Lollapalooza on the MTV Newsroom blog . Related Videos Lollapalooza 2010 Heats Up Chicago! Related Photos Lady Gaga Heats Up Lollapalooza 2010 Related Artists Lady Gaga Semi Precious Weapons

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Perez Hilton Predicts Greatness From Lady Gaga At Lollapalooza

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s a full-circle moment for her,’ gossip blogger and Gaga superfan told MTV News. By James Montgomery Perez Hilton Photo: MTV News CHICAGO — Three years ago, Lady Gaga performed an afternoon set at Lollapalooza as a disco-ball-wearing, brunette-haired dance-pop oddity. On Friday night (August 6), she’ll headline as perhaps the biggest pop star on the planet. Obviously, a lot has changed in those three years, but through it all, one thing hasn’t: the undying support of her superfans, including Perez Hilton.

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Jersey Shore Recap: It’s T-Shirt Time!

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

As Jersey Shore goes, Season 2, Episode 2 (“The Hangover”) was not among the greatest. How could it be with the primary focus on Sammi and Ronnie? While Ronnie pretended not to remember what he did the night before, Sammi gave him the cold shoulder … until she came around for the 293rd time. Also heavily featured in this week’s episode? Angelina Pivarnick. Like Sammi and Ronnie, she really needs an intervention, or a just ticket home ASAP. At a certain point it’s just boring and annoying. Meltdowns are supposed to be fun to watch, right? Though we suppose JWoww may still throw down. Anyway, here’s The Hollywood Gossip ‘s scientific plus-minus recap … Ronnie, on hooking up with land mines and grenades in the premiere: “Yo, I was doin’ mad work tonight bro! Mad work!” Yo, you’re a douche, bro! Minus 8 . Vinny says one of Ronnie’s hookups plays tight end for the Giants. Plus 4 . Pauly D coins another gem: “Ronnie’s new nickname is IFF. The I’m F*%ked Foundation. He’s a client and the president!” Plus 7 , because it’s funny and true. For a girl nicknamed Sweetheart, Sammi really isn’t that nice. Minus 16 . We’re just saying. These girls are all catty, but she’s miserable and not even funny. JWoww at the tranny store: “The sex shop is perfect. Perfect … It’s my scene. And when I get into my scene I get into my clothes.” What clothes? Minus 6 . After buying a $395 pair of sunglasses, Snooki walks around blind, seeks pickles, ruins dinner, and does a half-ass job cleaning it up. Standard. Plus 9 . Delivery guy: What’s the name? Mike: Situation. S-i-t-u-a-t-i-o-n. Plus 5 . Snooki and JWoww confront Angelina about smack-talk pertaining to their friends/boyfriends. JWoww threatens violence many, many times. Plus 13 . Give it a rest, you guys. Seriously . Pauly D’s new boss is concerned about his hair. His response: “This hair ain’t movin’ my dude. 150 miles per hour on the highway on a street bike. Doesn’t move. What makes you think it’s gonna move in a gelato shop?” Amen. Plus 14 . The Situation introduces the shirt-before-the-shirt concept: “We have an abundance of wife beaters … we wear before we go out. Then it’s T-shirt time. Right before we go out we take off the tank and then we put on our fresh shirt.” Plus 11 . At the club, The Situation gets bitten while making out with a panty-less drunk girl. Happens to the best of us on Thursday nights. Hang in there. Minus 4 . Pauly D hooks up with a girl who, according to Angelina, is married. She confronts him about this, apparently unaware that 1. She used to date a married guy herself, and 2. Pauly D obviously doesn’t care, girl! Chill! Plus 7 . After professing her love to Pauly D (seriously), Ange proceeds to SLAP HIM. Minus 19 for being generally insane, and Minus 12 more for this being the most pathetic slap ever. Everyone hates you anyway … put your back into it! Plus 3 for next week’s promo. After this week, it should be hilariously awkward. TOTAL: +8 . SEASON: +34 . Follow this link for the night’s Jersey Shore quotes !

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Wyclef Jean’s History With Haiti: From Birth To Presidential Bid

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Throughout his career, former Fugees leader has been an outspoken advocate for his homeland. By Gil Kaufman Wyclef Jean Photo: Steve Mack/ Getty Images Wyclef Jean officially announced his bid for the presidency of his native Haiti on Thursday’s (August 5) “Larry King Live.” Word began to surface last month that he was considering a run for the position . The job comes with a five-year term that would likely keep him out of the music game until 2015. If news of Jean’s political ambitions caught anyone by surprise, they clearly haven’t been paying attention to the former Fugees leader’s non-musical efforts for the past 15 years. While Wyclef — who was born outside the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and raised in Brooklyn, New York — was one of the first celebrities to call for assistance for his Caribbean homeland in the wake of January’s devastating earthquake, the 37-year-old has been at the forefront of Haitian relief for much of his career. Back in 1997, when the Fugees — whose Pras Michel and Lauryn Hill also are of Haitian descent — were still riding high, the trio headlined a benefit concert in Port-au-Prince. The six-hour homecoming show drew more than 70,000 fans as it raised funds for Haitian refugees and artists. (MTV News followed the band to the island for the show, which you can relive here and here .) Although there were accounting problems with the money raised from the benefit concert, they were mostly ironed out, and ‘Clef was honored for his work helping underprivileged kids through the Wyclef Jean Foundation two years later. In the following years, Jean continued to raise funds for his foundation and frequently reminded his audience about the troubles affecting his homeland, from AIDS and poverty to political corruption. In 2004, Jean started the Yele Haiti foundation, which distributed more than 3,600 scholarships to Haitian children in its first year and, at one point, announced plans to build a Wyclef Jean School of the Arts and a cultural center on the impoverished island. That same year, as Haiti suffered from a violent uprising against the government, ‘Clef voiced support for Haitian rebels and called for the resignation of embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. ‘Clef also addressed the country’s AIDS problem and promised, through education and prevention, to help the nation’s children avoid contracting the HIV virus. The singer was named a roving ambassador in January 2007, charged with improving the image of the island, which is perennially tagged as the poorest in the western hemisphere. He and Akon closed out the year in Haiti with a fundraising concert dubbed the Yele Festival . After Hurricane Ike hit Haiti in 2008, Yele delivered food and assistance to those impacted by the storm, and in October 2008, ‘Clef performed with Carlos Santana in San Francisco to raise funds for the foundation. It was in the early hours after January’s earthquake that Jean really became Haiti’s favorite son, when he issued urgent pleas for help though his Twitter account and in multiple TV and radio interviews. Within days, Yele had raised more than $2 million for Haitian relief via text message, as ‘Clef continued to keep the topic at the forefront of the news with interviews about the devastation and his offer to co-anchor MTV Networks’ “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon alongside George Clooney. Bringing some of his Creole background to his performance with “Yele,” Jean also gave a moving performance of the reggae classic “Rivers of Babylon,” before returning to the island the next morning to help with recovery efforts. He also pitched in on the 25th-anniversary remake of “We Are the World,” which benefited Haiti relief as well, and helped anchor BET’s “SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti,” alongside Mary J. Blige and Drake. What do you think about Wyclef’s decision to run for president of Haiti? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Photos Hope For Haiti Now | Live Event Coverage Related Artists Wyclef Jean

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Wyclef Jean Talks Haitian Presidential Run On ‘Larry King Live’

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I feel like I’m being drafted by the population right now to give them a different face, a different voice,’ he says. By Mawuse Ziegbe Wyclef Jean on “Larry King Live” Aug. 5 Photo: CNN Musician, producer and activist Wyclef Jean can officially add presidential hopeful to his r

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