‘I knew he was up there supporting me, period,’ 2 Chainz says of Kanye’s silent appearance on ‘106 and Park.’ By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Rob Markman Kanye West and 2 Chainz at BET’s “106 and Park” Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage During a February visit to “RapFix Live,” 2 Chainz broke the news to host Sway Calloway that he had been working with Kanye West for months, but now the cat is surely out of the bag. In addition to appearing on the new G.O.O.D. Music single “Mercy,” West popped up at 2 Chainz’s SXSW set , and this week he made a silent appearance alongside the Atlanta rapper on BET’s “106 and Park.” “That’s my dog and he doesn’t do press — he didn’t wanna do it period — and they kind of forced his hand,” 2 Chainz told MTV News of West’s “106 and Park” appearance, from the set of MTV’s “Hip Hop Squares . “I was like, ‘You don’t have to say nothing, bro,’ because at the end of the day I knew he was up there supporting me, period.” “I do a lot of things behind the scenes that people don’t know [about], and they only see [what happens] on ‘106 and Park,’ ” 2 Chainz continued. “So that would’ve been another event where they wouldn’t have known Kanye was back there, I wouldn’t have name-dropped, that would’ve been part of my process of just working hard and grinding it out.” Although ‘Ye’s appearance was clearly not planned, it seems like everything worked out for the best. “When he came out, it spilled the beans out the bag, but it was cool,” Chainz says. “It was good for hip-hop that he came out and showed support. He wasn’t trying to take the shine, but he’s just a megastar, anywhere he goes it’s gonna happen.” When he joined Sway on “RapFix Live,” 2 Chainz, formerly known as Tity Boi, explained the dynamic of his relationship with ‘Ye. “For the most part, when we started building our relationship, we found out we had more things in common than different from a musical standpoint,” he said. “It’s no secret that I came from the hustle background, from that trap, and it’s no secret that he’s maybe more of a hipster swag, backpack kinda guy. So I think it’ll be interesting when you just drop that in the pot, in the blender, and see the outcome and results of some of that.” 2 Chainz’s upcoming album Based on a T.R.U. Story is set for an August 14 release, with the first official single slated to drop on May 1. What did you think of Kanye’s silent appearance on ‘106 and Park’? Leave your comment below! Related Artists 2 Chainz Kanye West
Our Power of 12 team hit three crucial states in search of young voters. By Becca Frucht, Andrew Jenks and Jacob Soboroff Mitt Romney addresses a crowd in Boston, Massachussetts Photo: @jacobsoboroff BOSTON — MTV News’ Power of 12 hit the ground in Boston early on Super Tuesday to meet young Republican voters in a state best known for Democratic politicians like Kerry and the Kennedys. We didn’t know what to expect, and what we found was … not much. Voter turnout was horrendous in Mitt Romney’s home state among all voters — with only 6 percent turning out to cast ballots in Boston as of 6 p.m. — but seemingly most among young voters. After visiting the campuses of UMass Boston and Boston University, a local elections officials told me that turnout at noon was 2.5 percent citywide, a puny number by anyone’s standards. The young voters we did meet were Democrats, independents or Libertarians — no Republicans — and all were supporting Congressman Ron Paul or President Obama in an uncontested primary. After striking out looking for young voters at Northeastern and Harvard Universities, we headed to Mitt Romney’s home neighborhood of Belmont, where he voted and afterward told me that he wants to “save the future” for young people, which MTV News producer Adam Murphy pointed out sounded like something out of a “Terminator” film. Later in the evening, at Romney election-night headquarters at the Westin Copley Square, we met the first young Republicans of the day. Asked what “saving the future” meant, attendee Sally Geary said “insuring economic stability and growth for our country and making a better world for our young people to grow up in.” Is saving the world as easy as that, I asked? “It’s definitely as easy as that.” — Jacob Soboroff COLUMBUS, Ohio — I leave Ohio realizing that Governor Romney is probably the big winner tonight . But a larger question for many young people I spoke with today is his sincerity. Although he answered our own MTV Power of 12 team member Jacob Soboroff’s question (and props to Jacob for getting that!), many of the Ohio State University students I spoke to today raised questions about the former Massachusetts governor’s authenticity. Their overwhelming answer? We want Ron Paul instead. Brian Bode told me something that I heard throughout the day from several young people who cast ballots: They wouldn’t even vote in this primary, or general election, if it were not for Libertarian hell-raiser and notorious straight-shooter Ron Paul. In many ways, this Ron Paul fervor reminded me of what we saw with Barak Obama in 2008. (And, in fact, a number of those voters I’ve met on the road said they had turned to Paul after becoming disillusioned with Obama over the past three years.) From what I have learned through my election travels so far, and reinforced today in Ohio, is the idea that our generation has grown up in a world with greater transparency than ever before. We have archived our lives through Facebook and Twitter and have an unusually astute perception of whether we are being told the truth, if it’s reality TV or politics. As a result, we strongly believe, almost subconsciously, that if we are taking part in politics, as we did in record numbers in 2008, it is only because we believe we have the power to enforce real change. Ron Paul, like then-Senator Obama, has a message that is about foundational change. Young Americans look for that, and the millennial generation will especially look for this in years to come. I went into Ohio thinking about Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney (running neck-and-neck at press time). And I was largely right: Currently, Ron Paul only has about 9 percent of the votes in Ohio, far behind the other three candidates, which may mean that although there is a dense population of Paul supporters here, it may not be enough to make any sort of real dent. But I leave knowing that Paul, one way or another, will find a way to stay in this race and continue to energize young voters. — Andrew Jenks ATLANTA — As a Southern girl, returning to my homeland to cover the Super Tuesday shenanigans in the Peach State has been a welcome whirlwind. From the Chick-Fil-A biscuit breakfast at the empty Georgia Tech Student Center polling place this morning to the open bar (I did not partake because I’m professional like that) at the fancy-schmancy Renaissance Hotel where I witnessed Newt Gingrich committing to a whole new quest for Obama domination (and moon colonization) — there’s no denying that today has been a political par-tay! But did Georgia’s youth know they were invited? Did the Republicans even ask them to RSVP? One man definitely did, although it didn’t make much difference in the end, as Newt’s roots run deep in the rural Peach State. We heard a ton about Ron Paul from young supporters in Georgia. The most eloquent defense came from the young Libertarians who spoke of the Texas congressman as if he were their own rock-star grandpa at a meeting of the College Republicans on Georgia Tech’s campus on Monday night before the vote-counting madness began. We hit Georgia Tech at the break of dawn today to check out the polling place action (or lack thereof), and the highlight had to be chatting with power pals Thaddeus and Briana before parting ways with the Yellow Jacket campus for the urban amazingness that is Georgia State University. It was like being on collegiate LSD walking into the hot mess of the GSU quad on its busy “strollin’ ” day — where stepping is a must — and it was the perfect setting to unpack how non-GOP go-getters were putting their power on display on a day reserved for Republican revelry. Kendra Kelly of the Young Democrats and Alison Fox from Students for Sensible Drug policy not only demonstrated why girls run the world, but also how withholding your vote can be just as powerful a message as giving it away. What to do next? Crash a class, of course. I barged into a fairly packed Principles of Marketing class to take an informal poll of the youth zeitgeist at GSU. I listened as students gave the real talk — Newt is “economically dumb,” Mitt’s flip-flopping ain’t that bad, all the Republicans can take a hike when it comes to women’s rights and more. Now I’m furiously typing in this cheesy lobby to the sound of “NEEEEEEEWT!” ricocheting off the marble as supporters file out of his victory party in cowboy hats and sequin dresses. “Lawdamercy!” as my grandma would say, it’s been a day and a half. I’ve seen apathy and engagement, ignorance and intelligence — and since this Republican race is gonna drag on for quite awhile, young people will have plenty more opportunities to show their power in 2012. It’s gonna be real, y’all. — Becca Frucht MTV had Super Tuesday covered, with reporters on the scene in Georgia, Ohio and Massachusetts! Stick with Power Of 12 throughout the presidential election season for more from the ground. Related Videos Super Tuesday: MTV News Is On The Ground!
Black history, our history, American history is a complicated matter riddled with facts that make us proud and others that make us cringe. It is a story of a nation built by men and women who sacrificed their lives to force America to live up to its promise. These men and women were also full of contradictions. Frederick Douglass was one of those contradictions. He is remembered as a writer, abolitionist and orator. He was a human rights activist before the label existed. Yet, he also vehemently opposed the Great Migration of blacks from the South to the North to escape the crippling shackles of Jim Crow. Read Douglass’ bio . Douglass was born in February in the early 1800s in Tuckahoe, MD. In his autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave,” he wrote that he did not know his exact birthdate. Most references to Douglass focus on Douglass’ post-slavery life as an influential abolitionist and a human rights activist. Before he became the great statesman, and the first African American to be nominated for vice-president, Douglass was an educator. He secretly taught himself to read and write and then he taught fellow slaves. He was traded to several different slave owners in Maryland, including a brutal farmer known as a “slave breaker.” Douglass finally escaped to New York. It is ironic that Douglass — who so believed in equality and who himself escaped North — lamented the black exodus from the South in the late 1800s during the early years of Jim Crow. He urged blacks to tough it out. Below are a few quotes from Douglass, compiled by the Gilder Lehrman Center of the Study of Slavery, Resistance & Abolition , regarding the black exodus North. The Negro, long deemed to be too indolent and stupid to discover and adopt any rational measure to secure and defend his rights as a man…. He has, discovered and adopted a measure which may assist very materially in, the solution of some of the vital problems involved in his sudden elevation: from slavery to freedom, and from chattelhood to manhood, and citizenship . . . he has adopted a simple, lawful and peaceable measure. It is emigration—the quiet withdrawal of his valuable bones and muscles from a condition of things which he considers no longer tolerable. This exodus has revealed to southern men the humiliating fact that the prosperity and civilization of the South are at the mercy of the despised and hated Negro . . . . We have the story of the emigrants themselves, and if any can reveal the true cause of this Exodus they can . . . They tell us with great unanimity that they are very badly treated at the South . . . [As a strategy, however] it is a surrender, a premature, disheartening surrender, since it would make freedom and free institutions depend upon migration rather than protection; by flight, rather than right . . . It leaves the whole question of equal rights on the soil of the South open and still to be settled . . . it is a confession of the utter unpracticability of equal rights and equal protection in any State, where those rights may be struck down by violence . . .
South Korea’s 2012 contender for a foreign language Oscar feels more like a war movie than a movie about the Korean war, right up until its pitilessly bleak final frames. Though the American presence in that war is peripheral to its story, Hollywood clichés pervade The Front Line , from its slate and sepia tones to its stock company of characters and dialogue that translates macho posturing into present-day slang. And yet the movie has its startling moments, moments with the spark of specificity and the bitter clarity of perspective. Those stabs of the unexpected culminate in an ending that refuses to raise even the mildest or most melancholy flag of redemption. Is it worse for history to downplay a war as pivotal as this one or for the culture to overlook it entirely? Roughly based on true events, the film gives a grunt’s eye view of a conflict that some feel has been forgotten in popular retellings of the 20th century, despite the efforts of Don Draper and co. Perhaps this under-representation drove director Jang Hun to go for broke in telling the story of the end of the Korean civil war in 1953. The genre poaching begins with the flimsy hook of a mole investigation: An officer named Kang Eun-Pyo (Shin Ha-Kyun) is sent to the front to explore the apparent assassination of the famed Alligator Company’s commander. There he finds a group of men poised on the border of insanity, and among them an old friend name Kim Soo-Hyuk (Ko Soo). Since Kang last saw him Kim has been transformed from a frightened naïf into a soulless killer — the ruthless soldier who’s too cool to die, too hot to live. A rivalry seethes between the two friends about who has seen the worst of the war. Through their philosophical divide — for Kang there are only orders, for Kim there is nothing left to obey — the film explores the worth of a single life in a balance too steep for anyone to bear. Hun takes pains to emphasize the futility of the war; again and again the men ask why they are fighting. That question might seem a little curious to anyone who has paid even the most fragmented attention to the plight of North Korea over the last sixty years. Every inch withheld from Kim Il Sung and his heirs is an inch free from despotic rule and decades of mass starvation. But The Front Line focuses on the muddled, desperate view from the ground, and the absurdist terms on which war is actually fought. The bulk of the film is set in the Aerok Hills, mountainous territory on the embattled Eastern border. North and South exchange possession of one particular hill so many times that they begin leaving notes and gifts for each other in a bunkered cubbyhole. Hun is careful not to demonize the North Korean fighters, spreading the stereotypes out evenly: The Reds get the grizzled leader with the bitchin’ facial scar and the legendary sniper who turns out to be a foxy woman. The battle scenes, like most shot in the wake of Saving Private Ryan , feel derivative when they’re not quoting that film directly. A sequence recounting a frenzied insurrection during a failed amphibious landing is horrific on its own terms, however, as is the depiction of an overwhelming assault led by the Chinese. But The Front Line , at almost two and a half hours, develops its own case of battle fatigue. By the time the “one last job” trope is deployed in the wake of an armistice, the point has been made bloodily and well that war is same everywhere — appalling — and everyone sounds the same screaming for their mother. We don’t know what they’re fighting for any better than they do, and the dialogue is too thick with treacle for archetype to clarify into character. What ultimately makes the film compelling is the extent to which it uses the shared language of cinema to telegraph the caustic feelings of a people toward their own history. The Front Line was a smash in South Korea, which is more remarkable given the absolute nihilism of its finale. What secrets lay in that response? Are they just tougher than we are, with clearer memories? Was it not worth it, after all? Though the movie’s coda is not enough to lift the film out of its genre-bound shackles, in finally rejecting formula it feels defiant in more ways than one. Follow Michelle Orange on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The brilliant haute spy character Modesty Blaise — created by British author Peter O’Donnell in 1963 and kept alive, through 2002, in a series of comic books and novels – has been botched on film so many times that those of us who love her have mostly given up hope. Joseph Losey first missed the target with the 1966 Modesty Blaise ; Scott Spiegel took another wobbly shot with the 2004 direct-to-video My Name Is Modesty: A Modesty Blaise Adventure . But the spirit of Modesty lives, by another name and in a different sort of story, in Stephen Soderbergh’s stylish, quietly exhilarating Haywire , which features mixed martial-arts star Gina Carano as a hit person with a smoldering, deadpan gaze and nutcracker thighs. She also, as it happens, looks killer in a cocktail dress. Carano’s character in Haywire is a shadowy freelance special-ops agent and ex-Marine named Mallory. She has the requisite action-novelist father (played by Bill Paxton), who’s half protective mother-hen, half proud papa. And somehow, as we learn in the early moments of this decidedly nonlinear picture, she has reason to be wary of the behind-the-scenes string-pullers who employ her – they’re played by Ewan McGregor (sporting a silly-wonderful Beaker haircut), Antonio Banderas (in an equally silly mountain-man beard) and Michael Douglas (in his normal Gordon Gekko ’do, which is silly enough by itself). When we first meet Mallory, she’s striding into a sleepy eatery in upstate New York. A gently charismatic maybe-thug, played by Channing Tatum, has followed her there – why? Even after an instance of classic diner violence a la Quentin Tarantino, we still don’t know, but boy, do we want to find out. Later, Mallory will dress as a sultry trophy wife and tryst, in a manner of speaking, in a Dublin hotel room with a suave-as-usual Michael Fassbender. And somewhere in between, she barks orders to Michael Angarano, as a mild-mannered citizen who comes under her spell: “You’re going to fix my arm while I drive, OK, Scott?” He hears and he obeys. It’s hard to say whether Haywire moves fast or at a pace as languorous as a cat’s stretch. It’s probably somewhere in between, and although the story begins somewhere near the end and encompasses about a half-dozen middles, the sequence of the plot details is almost beside the point. The script is by Lem Dobbs, also the writer behind what is, for my money, Soderbergh’s finest picture (and another nonlinear tall tale), The Limey . Haywire doesn’t have that picture’s chilly elegance, but then, it’s not trying for that effect. This is Soderbergh’s version of a ’60s spy caper – even the music, by David Holmes, channels the purring, ocelot sleekness of old Honey West episodes — and it’s driven by a kind of bossy energy, embodied largely by Carano. Her mighty haunches ought to get their own screen credit. Because this is the best kind of action film: One in which we’re actually granted the pleasure of watching bodies move . Haywire is low on gaudy explosions, which have become the ho-hum fallback position of most action movies – as the fireworks have gotten bigger, louder and more elaborate, they’ve come to mean almost nothing. And although there is a car crash of sorts in Haywire , it’s a wincingly amusing one that’s ingenious in its simplicity. When Soderbergh does action, less is more. He’s more interested in watching Carano, and he’s betting we will be, too: Her muscles are obviously mighty, yet they have the softness of feminine curves – Mallory is a mixed-message heroine for sure, which is part of what makes her compelling. (And the guy actors here all deserve credit for so gamely bowing to her mercy.) That Carano does all her own stunts, of course, only adds to the allure. Watching a woman being hurled against a flat-screen TV might not ordinarily be my idea of fun, but it’s clear Carano can take it, and land on her feet – like all of the violence in Haywire, the moment is brutal and laced with grim humor. In advance, I’m dismayed by the suspicion that a lot of people will come out of Haywire thinking Carano “can’t really act,” though her performance is a useful catalyst for thinking about all the qualities of doing and being that acting – whatever the hell it really is – can encompass. The character of Mallory isn’t as starkly and distinctly drawn as she would be if she’d actually been modeled on Modesty Blaise – Mallory’s personality is elusive and indistinct by design, while O’Donnell had very clear ideas about who Modesty was, where she came from, and what her values were. But Carano gives us just enough, I think, without giving the whole game away. Her Mallory, a brunette bombshell, is as cool as an oyster on ice. At one point she receives Ewan McGregor’s character in the apartment she’s recently moved into. The flat is in disarray, and she’s just come out of the shower: He hair is wet, and she’s wearing a kimono robe knotted tightly around her waist, which just makes everything above and below look that much rounder . Mallory is all woman, though she eyes McGregor’s character as if she’s considering eating him for breakfast — and, in fact, a sly bit of dialogue suggests that she already has. Elsewhere in the picture, McGregor warns another man, “You shouldn’t think of her as being a woman. That would be a mistake.” Yes and no. We’re plenty used to seeing ass-kicking heroines in the movies, from Angelina Jolie in Salt to the feisty schoolgirls of Sucker Punch to Kate Beckinsale’s Underworld latex babe. But Carano’s Mallory is something else again: Paradoxically, she’s both more purposeful and more casual than any of those action heroines – she’s never guilty of trying too hard, even when she’s got a man stuck between a rock and a hard place. That she makes it all look so effortless is part of the fun – as long as you’re not unlucky enough to be the guy with his nut in the nutcracker. Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Star-making turns in ‘The Lucky One’ and ‘Argo’ make actress One to Watch in 2012. By Amy Wilkinson Taylor Schilling and Zac Efron in “The Lucky One” Photo: Warner Bros. Ryan Gosling. Rachel McAdams. Liam Hemsworth. To think, you may have never known their names if it weren’t for one of the weepy romances by Nicholas Sparks, the writer behind “The Notebook,” “The Last Song,” “Dear John” and more. And as we ring in a new year of cinema, we find yet another actress toying with the lever on Sparks’ star-making machine: Massachusetts native Taylor Schilling. Fans of NBC’s short-lived medical drama “Mercy” may recognize the 27-year-old as nurse Veronica Flanagan Callahan, though she’s since hung up her scrubs, making the transition from TV to film in earnest this year with roles in the Sparks adaptation “The Lucky One” and Ben Affleck’s “Argo.” We chatted with the actress about her breakout 2012 and whether making out underwater is as hard as it looks. MTV News : Does this year feel like a particularly big one for you? Taylor Schilling : Last year felt like a big year. This year feels just kind of like riding the wave. I did some fun work last year, so I’m excited to see how it shakes down. MTV : Has transitioning from TV to film been an intentional career move for you, or were those simply the roles that were coming your way? Schilling : When I audition, I take the parts that I get that I like. I feel so grateful that those have been these kind of amazing film roles. And I have to say that there is a big difference [between TV and film]. On a film set, for me, there’s so much more time to process what’s going on than there is on a television set. There’s more wiggle room to try things and fail and try again and get to the heart of what’s going on in the scene, which is really fun for me. It’s what I like to do. MTV : First up for you this year is “The Lucky One,” co-starring Zac Efron. Let’s cut to the obvious question: Is kissing Zac as amazing as one might imagine? Schilling : Oh my gosh. I’m not going to let you down. It’s not a bad way to make a paycheck. MTV : My favorite Nicholas Sparks movie motif is the rain-drenched makeout scene. From the trailer, it appears you and Zac share a steamy smooch under a showerhead, which is a bit of a twist. What I’m wondering, technically speaking, is if there’s any special choreography to ensure you don’t drown with all that water falling on you? Schilling : [Laughs] No, there didn’t seem to be a problem. MTV : Well, you’re clearly a talented, well-trained actress. Do you have a favorite Nicholas Sparks movie? Schilling : I love “The Notebook.” I think that’s my favorite one. It really is a classic now. I don’t know if I could say. I haven’t seen all of them yet, to be honest. I think I need to do some research before I can honestly answer that question. They’re just such nice stories. They’re so romantic. You get lost in them. It’s such a beautiful fantasy. It’s not real life. It’s this precious world where things kind of fall into place. MTV : You also have “Argo” coming out this year. What is Ben Affleck like as a director? Schilling : It was one of the easiest experiences I’ve ever had on a set, and it was one of the happiest sets I’ve ever been on. He’s incredibly smart, and he kind of made me as an actor — I never felt left behind. It’s like he knows what it’s like and he’s there with you every step of the way. It’s pretty incredible, that whole experience. MTV : I have to imagine some of that comes from his background as an actor. Schilling : Absolutely. Absolutely. He just really knew how to articulate what he wanted, and then I felt really safe and free because I think that when a director has been an actor, he really understands the vulnerability of sort of being in front of the camera and has the ability to make the set very safe. He completely understands what that process is like. So that’s rare. MTV : What challenges does your character Christine face in “Argo”? Schilling : Christine is holding down the fort while her husband [played by Affleck] is off kind of doing some big adventurous things. She’s doing the best she can to maintain her home and her relationship, to do right by her child. She’s trying to negotiate what the best plan of action is for her as a woman and to take care of her son and where her relationship fits into that. MTV : So you’ve got both Ben Affleck and Zac Efron as leading men this year. How are you going to top that? Is Brad Pitt next? Schilling : I don’t know. I don’t know where it goes from here. Brad Pitt, bring it. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Lucky One” and “Argo.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Sad news for the fans of Katy Perry and Russell Brand ‘s marriage: The pop star who provided the voice of Smurfette and her Get Him to the Greek husband have filed for divorce after just 14 months of wedlock. Now repeat after me: I will not let this Hollywood divorce ruin my New Year’s Eve . I will not let this Hollywood divorce ruin my New Year’s Eve. Earlier this afternoon, Brand — who just finished filming Adam Shankman’s ’80s musical movie Rock of Ages — issued a statement to the USA Today : “”Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends.” News of the divorces arrives weeks after tabloid speculation that a split was impending. In honor of this sad news, let’s revisit an eerie Get Him to the Greek clip which shows Brand’s larger-than-life character Aldous Snow breaking up with his pop-star girlfriend (Rose Byrne) on a talk show.
When it all boils down to it, Gwyneth Paltrow , Oscar-winning actress-megamillionaire celebrity-Gleek-blogger extraordinaire, is just like us: She is so getting wasted on New Year’s Eve. Sure, her morning-after hangover advice includes words like “quinoa” and “Turkish Hammam,” but still! Gwyneth’s advice is mostly medically sensible-sounding, though I can’t promise your pocketbooks will appreciate these fancy tricks. Get her five best tips (*as parsed by your helpful Movieline editors) after the jump so you can battle the blinding, alcohol-induced post-binge blahs in grand Paltrow fashion come Sunday morning. Below, the five most useful selections from a GOOP newsletter post entitled ” The Hangover! “, which is accompanied by this message: “We all know what happens on NYE so here is our best to help you prepare for the day after… – Love, gp.” Oh, but first: Gwyneth gives us the official definition of a hangover, courtesy of Dr. Frank Lipman : “The reason why one gets a hangover is that your body – your liver in particular – is not able to process and metabolize the break down products from the alcohol quickly enough. In addition to needing enough enzymes, the liver also needs water to process and get rid of the toxins. When supplies run low, it takes water from other organs, including the brain. This is why alcohol is so dehydrating, and why you can wake up with a throbbing headache (and a dry mouth) from drinking too much.” Now you know. On to Gwyneth’s advice! 1. Visit a Turkish Hammam. Or a Japanese spa. Or, fine — just take a bath. “If you have the time and the inclination, I’ve found that the best hangover remedy can be a hot and cold spa treatment. The original would be the traditional Turkish Hamman,[sic] but you can find this kind of treatment in spas all over the world, including my favorites, the low-key Japanese spas in New York, like Osaka.” 2. Hydrate with expensive European water. “Hydration. Keep hydrating yourself with alkaline forming Italian sparkling mineral water ie Pellegrino.” 3. Ingest ” bioavailable ” vitamin protein drink thingies. “Eat properly before and after your evening by including protein and low glycemic index foods (solid fruits, watermelon, etc ) to counteract the sugar depletion caused by alcohol…The perfect protein drink to ingest before bed would be Nutritious and Delicious – 15 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrate no gluten, no soy.” 4. Eat protein- and carb-packed foodstuffs before your drinking binge. Good foods to eat, cited by Paltrow and her host of medical experts, include: Quinoa, chicken, fish, vegetables, watermelon, coconut water, Gatorade, ginger ale, Probiotic mints, Manuka honey sweets. 5. Take “Mercy,” a fantastic product that — my stars! — Paltrow also co-owns. “Full disclosure, this stuff is so good that I went ahead and invested in the company. Mercy is a drink that is almost like a health elixir – packed with amino acids, vitamins, minerals and herbs that protect your system against the inevitable hangover and that flush you can get from drinking. You can drink it alone or mix it with alcohol to create a hangover preventing cocktail. I also drink one if I’m just feeling tired to give my system a boost.” Or, finally — and we could’ve told you this one — nurse that pounding headache with a little hair o’ the dog. Study up on even more Paltrow-endorsed bioflavono-whatsit-packed tips over at GOOP , and have a safe New Year’s Eve! You don’t want to end up looking like this on New Year’s Day, do you? [via GOOP ]
Thank you, Baby Jesus, for the blessed month of December 2011, because it’s given me the greatest gift of all: Sinead O’Connor’s renewed relevance. The Irish singer was married less than three weeks ago to drugs counselor Barry Herridge, and already she’s releasing cryptic press statements about the reasons they’re divorcing. I guess marijuana is part of it? And a courtship that felt like “living in a coffin”? I don’t know. But I do know that Sinead O’Connor’s most hilariously bizarre moment has nothing to do with quickly nuptials — it has to do with a 1997 film in which she played a foul-mouthed Virgin Mary. Know it?
Trouble Man tracks ‘reminiscing on the days when I used to run wild and do my thing the way I used to do it,’ rapper tells MTV News. By Nadeska Alexis T.I. Photo: MTV News Immediately following his release from prison in September, T.I. got to work crafting his eighth solo album, Trouble Man , which he plans to debut early in 2012. During a recent stop in New York to promote his VH1 series, “T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle,” the Atlanta rapper and reality star told MTV News that he had 50 new songs recorded for the album in a matter of weeks. “My life inspires my lyrics at all times, so at that moment in time, when I first came home, I have about 15 songs just totally focusing on that,” T.I. said. “Out of those 15, I probably picked the two or three most significant, most compelling, impactful ones, and after I’ve been out for a minute, then I’ve got records totally focusing on speaking to people who can only focus on that and telling them I’m ready to move on.” The title of T.I.’s latest project is inspired by a 1972 Marvin Gaye song of the same name, which Tip felt was an accurate description for the body of work. “The name of the album is Trouble Man , and every song on here is about things that can get me in trouble,” he explained. “I’m reminiscing on the days when I used to run wild and do my thing the way I used to do it. I’ve got records that are just totally intellectually ignorant.” During his time behind bars, T.I. dropped his seventh album, No Mercy , and although it debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart, the Rubberband Man plans to top that effort without breaking a sweat. “I was able to release a project that did well considering the circumstances, but I wasn’t able to put my all into it, which made it only a fraction of my usual contribution to the game,” he said. So far, T.I. has released three singles from Trouble Man : “I’m Flexin’ ” featuring Big K.R.I.T. was the first to debut, followed by “Here Ye, Here Ye” featuring Pharrell Williams and his latest, “Pyro.” Are you looking forward to T.I.’s next album? Sound off below! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: T.I.
