Daniel Tosh has been known to push the envelope, but a recent joke about an audience member being gang-raped took it too far, even by his standards. On Friday, the star of Comedy Central’s Tosh.0 was doing standup at The Laugh Factory in L.A. and said at one point that rape jokes are always funny. After a female audience member vocally disagreed, things got ugly. According to the woman, Tosh said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by like, 5 guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her.” The woman and her friend, both “completely stunned” and “humiliated,” high-tailed it out of there as the audience guffawed in response to Tosh’s wisecrack. After she documented the experience on Tumblr, Tosh linked to the post and tweeted , “all the out of context misquotes aside, I’d like to sincerely apologize.” Smart move, though Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada was quick to defend him: “Comedians tell jokes and sometimes they can be off color … Daniel Tosh is one of the most caring people I know. He had no intentions of hurting anyone.” “I understand where she’s coming from, but [Tosh] didn’t attack [her] … I feel bad for her and I apologize to her. If you are a member of the audience and you start dishing out something to a comedian, you better be able to take it.” Also fair. What do you think? Should Daniel have apologized? UPDATE: The woman complained to the manager but was offered and accepted a refund and two complimentary tickets to the club, so beef quashed.
Following a private battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Nora Ephron passed away at the age of 71 yesterday. Having been responsible for some of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time ( Sleepless in Seattle , When Harry Met Sally ), Ephron was known and admired by a number of Hollywood’s most respected stars, many of whom have released statements in regard to the sad news. Billy Crystal : “I am very sad to learn of Nora’s passing. She was a brilliant writer and humorist. Being her Harry to Meg’s Sally will always have a special place in my heart. I was very lucky to get to say her words.” Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson : “Nora Ephron was a journalist/artist who knew what was important to know; how things really worked, what was worthwhile, who was fascinating and why… At a dinner table and on a film set she lifted us all with wisdom and wit mixed with love for us and love for life. Rita and I are so very sad to lose our friend who brought so much joy to all who were lucky enough to know her.” Nicole Kidman : “She was so smart, warm and funny. I am so grateful that she was my friend and we had the opportunity to work together. My thoughts and love are with her family at this time. I will never forget the dinners, games and laughter we all share.”
Fifty Shades of Grey is a must-read for women everywhere. Apparently, the EL James novel is also making S&M and bondage gear a must-buy for some. The buzzed-about book has left unassuming New York women so feverish, they’ve been snapping up the tools and toys that the hunky Christian Grey favors. They’re even slipping into stores and asking for bondage material – the type of natural filament rope used in the trilogy – the New York Post reports. “Oh, we’ve been selling rope to women,” says Clifton Kahn, owner of Lexington Hardware on the Upper East Side. “I’d say tenfold more rope than usual.” “The women are definitely buying, and it’s still continuing.” Apparently tying someone up isn’t expensive. The store’s most popular item is soft-cotton “clothes line” rope, which retails at a bargain $5 for 50 feet. Tarzian Hardware in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has also seen the trend. “It’s usually men buying rope, but women, they’ve been coming in the last few months,” the manager told the newspaper. “I’ve actually read the book. So when the women began buying rope, it was kind of like, ‘Hmmm, that does seem unusual.’” While New Yorkers act out their S&M fantasies, casting the movie roles of Christian and Anastasia has become an online fantasy game of sorts this spring. Some stars, such as Ian Somerhalder , have expressed interest in the film themselves. Who can you see as the two leads? Vote in our polls below! Who should play Christian? Who should play Ana?
Country superstar Tim McGraw posted a photo of himself on Twitter last Friday, ostensibly showing off a large Nike athletic shoe for some reason. That’s not what fans are buzzing about, though. The 45-year-old McGraw, with his ripped physique, proved that his wife Faith Hill is one lucky lady. “This is a shoe that can really make a man feel inadequate,” Tim wrote with the photo … making every other male in America feel inadequate. And he’s a great singer. Faith 1, Everyone Else 0.
Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, opens up to MTV News about the singer before ‘Bieber Live’ airs Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber Photo: In the lead-up to the release of Justin Bieber ‘s album Believe , there has been a lot of talk about how much the 18-year-old has grown up since he dropped his first EP, My World, back in 2009. Sure, he is actually older, but the conversation has also been focused on how his music sounds more mature. He no longer seems to be crafting sugary-sweet tracks like “Baby.” The pop star will celebrate his mature new album during “Bieber Live,” airing Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Bieber will join Sway and 100 lucky fans for an interview and a pair of performances. Adding to his growth is the fact that in the two and a half years since that debut release, Bieber has quite literally done it all. He’s toured the world (several times over), topped the charts, won a lot of awards, fallen in love, become a boss to his own artist , owned the box office, befriended some of the biggest MCs in the game, vowed to “Never Say Never” and, yes, became legal. As tiring as it may sound to be Justin Bieber, his manager, Scooter Braun, notes that when the singer sat down to make the album, he didn’t want to rush it or be lazy about it. He wanted it to be perfect. His experiences are not only helping shape him as an artist but also helping him mature as one. “You know, I think a lot of times with big superstars, they don’t always deliver on that big album. They don’t meet the expectation … sometimes it’s because they’re superstars,” Braun explained to MTV News. “Maybe they think they know it all and they don’t want to listen to anyone else’s input, and sometimes that works and sometimes that doesn’t. “Justin was really humble about this,” he continued. “He probably wrote 200 songs and we just kept working and working and narrowing it down. And there were so many records that didn’t even make it that we’ll save for something else. I think when it was all said and done, there wasn’t one person who listened to that album all the whole way through and thought that we didn’t have something special and really great and something that didn’t just reach the teenagers, but everyone — without losing the teenagers.” The album certainly has been teased for quite some time. The buzz began to really pick up around the time of the release of his holiday album in 2011, when he dropped the name Justin Timberlake as his template for career evolution, setting the bar quite high. “I’m proudest of Justin with this album ’cause I think he delivered,” Braun said. “For a superstar to deliver means a lot.” Others who worked with Bieber on the release told MTV News during the recording process that it was important for him to make music that would help expand his brand beyond the tween and teen market. A big part of Bieber’s musical evolution, however, is about making sure no one gets alienated. “The only conversation we’ve had about Justin’s album that we’re about to do is it’s really important that it’s the proper transition because we’ve seen him [with] ‘Baby,’ now we’re watching him grow up,” his vocal producer, Kuk Harrell , told MTV News back in November. “And we can’t just throw him into the adult game right away. It has to be the proper transition. There’s a record in between.” That mission to help Bieber make the right choices as an adult artist was certainly priority number one when Bieber hit the studio with Mike Posner to work on the album’s lead single, “Boyfriend.” “I think our goal was to make something that me and my friends could listen to in the car,” Posner explained in March. “I think we’ve all known Justin since he was 13, and that’s not the kid I was in the studio with anymore. He’s an 18-year-old. He skateboards with Lil Wayne and hangs out with Lil Twist. Those are his homies. And he listens to hip-hop and he’s a really cool kid. He’s not like a corny guy. “So I wanted to make something that reflected who he is now and who he is going to continue to be,” Posner continued. “I think people have been waiting [for] when he’s going to turn that corner, and the time is now.” Listening to his album, it’s clear that Bieber is trying out new sounds, from dance to R&B and everything in between. But he also just plain sounds different. His voice is deeper than it was when he first started making music. That register change is something he commented on in a recent interview with MTV News. “It’s really deep,” he joked. “The thing is, I’d always put out random songs and give it to my fans, and when my voice was changing I was doing that. So they didn’t randomly just hear [it and go], ‘He’s got a deep voice now.’ It was gradual. They didn’t realize it that much. It just kind of happened. The tone is still the same. It’s just deeper and sexier.” In the end, while it may seem like he’s taking a cut from another pop star named Justin , Bieber is actually focused on following yet another megastar’s template for success. “He’s growing and so is his music,” Braun said. “And I don’t think he’s transitioning and losing any fans. I think he’s just growing. We always study Michael Jackson and the thing I loved about his career is he never lost that 2-year-old that bounced to his music. But at the same time, you’d go to a club and there were adults bouncing also. And I think that’s what we want to do with Justin.” Don’t miss “Bieber Live” on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, followed by “MTV First: Katy Perry” at 7:53 p.m., when Katy will debut her “Wide Awake” music video. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
Scooter Braun opens up about the star’s maturing process with Billboard. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber in his “Boyfriend” music video Photo: Justin Bieber is definitely making a more mature musical statement on his June 19 release, Believe . However, his manager notes that just because the 18-year-old sounds older, doesn’t mean that the baby bird is ready to leave the nest just yet. “Adult artist? Just because he’s legal now doesn’t mean he’s an adult,” his manager, Scooter Braun, told Billboard about the growing pop star. “He still needs guidance; he’s still finding his way. He’s no longer a boy, but he’s definitely not yet a man.” During the interview, Braun also notes that Bieber has more pressure on him than pop stars before as he has come up in the digital age. He added that he’s essentially a one-man boy band who can’t rely on the support of other group members. “No one in the history of the world has ever grown up with the pressure that he has, being a solo artist that young, that famous, in a world with technology that exposes us 24/7,” Braun adds. “He was literally going through puberty in front of the entire world, with everyone expecting something from him and a lot people waiting for him to screw up. He’s a fighter. I’m proud of him — how’s he’s stayed true to himself and taken control of the entire situation.” The singer himself recently opened up about his public image and how he always feels guarded in interviews. “I mean, I keep my guard up a lot, because you know, you can’t trust anyone in this business,” Bieber told the June issue of GQ. “That’s what’s sad. You can’t trust anybody. I learned the hard way.” And given his busy promotional schedule, Bieber will have a lot more interviews to give in the coming weeks. He is traveling the globe promoting the release. He’s already made stops in Oslo, Norway , Paris and Mexico City , among others, and this week touches down in New York City where he will appear on the “Today” show. Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
Tameka may of had a point, Usher sure does like those “Lil Freaks” Usher fears he has been too “experimental” in his romantic relationships.The singer is currently embroiled in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife Tameka Foster, who this week claimed he cheated on her with a woman who had been a bridesmaid at their wedding: Usher has spoken philosophically about romance, claiming his protégé Justin Bieber is actually better at them than he is. “Well, check it out, it the area of relationships, he’s actually done a lot better than I did,” Usher told Q magazine. “He doesn’t have as many issues. He knows what he wants. What were my issues? Well maybe not locking into one relationship! I was a little bit more? experimental. I’ve had many women. And I understand how to deal with a lot of different ones? But it is complicated when your reality is a fantasy. Fame is the modern double-edged sword.” The 33-year-old thinks many men make the mistake of thinking all women are the same. He understands that isn’t the case and has also realised what they find sexy in a man. “There’s a lot of them,” he laughed, when asked what he has learnt about females. Poor thang! it must be so hard to be famous, wealthy and good looking. Boohoo, sad story. Experimental huh? HOW YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU DOIN Usher?! We wonder what type of “experiements” he was doing and with whom…
Hasn’t this man been through enough? Prominent Detroit clergyman and chart-topping gospel singing star Marvin Winans was driving without a valid license when he was beaten, robbed and carjacked last week, according to state records. Winans, who has been ticketed at least 15 times since 2005 — once for driving 95 m.p.h. — was caught speeding and driving without a license in Hazel Park in December, Michigan Secretary of State records show. After he paid a fee to Lansing, his license was reinstated for several months but suspended again May 9 because he never settled the violations at Hazel Park District Court, the records show. If he appears to pay those tickets — one for impeding traffic as well as for driving without a license — Hazel Park will let bygones be bygones, City Manager Ed Klobucher said. We’re going to treat the pastor just like we treat anybody else and afford him the opportunity to come in and get his tickets paid,” Klobucher said today. Klobucher said he was surprised to learn of the pastor’s outstanding violations. “Somebody showed me his tickets and said, ‘You know what? This guy shouldn’t have been driving anyway’ ” when he was carjacked, he said. We just hope people and police realize the real CRIMINALS are the ones that need to get locked up for trying to murk Marvin over his whip and not the pastor SMH
