Chinese artist Ai Weiwei throws porcelain sunflower seeds into the air as he poses with his installation “Sunflower Seeds”, in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern gallery, in London in this October 11, 2010 file photo. Ai, 53, who designed Beijing#39;s iconic Bird#39;s Nest Olympic Stadium, was due to fly to Hong Kong for business on April 3, 2011 morning but was detained at immigration on his way out of the capital city, according to news reports. The studio of the outspoken government critic
What will you do to help the environment? Are you doing anything now, to create a better world for future generations? “Say it loud, I’m black, green and proud!” – Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, on Greening The Ghetto. The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act , Clean Water Act , Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Check out this this video featuring Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, on Green The Ghetto. Please leave your comments below to let the Elev8 community know what will you do to help the environment? Are you doing anything now, to create a better world for future generations? Sending positive vibes to Elev8 – Robin Downes Related Articles: World Water Day: The Importance Of Freshwater The Spirit Of Earth Day Water, Consciousness And Intent
Courtney Love shrugged. “We’ve been in lots of rooms together,” she said to a packed theater of moviegoers at the Museum of Modern Art, where Hit So Hard , a documentary about her band Hole (and, more specifically, drummer/addict/survivor Patty Schemel) had its New York premiere Monday night. The crowd laughed, steeped in nostalgia and recognition — not that Love was talking about this room or this crowd.
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Two Door Cinema Club and Chiddy Bang also take home big prizes, alongside performances by Sleigh Bells and Foo Fighters. By Kyle Anderson Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator performs at the 2011 Woodie Awards Photo: MTV Luminaries from all corners of the indie-rock world descended on Austin, Texas, on Wednesday night (March 16) not only to kick off the annual South by Southwest festival, but also to celebrate the 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards . And though Wiz Khalifa and Two Door Cinema Club walked away with the biggest prizes of the evening, the night — and perhaps the remainder of the year — belonged to Odd Future. Foo Fighters got the festivities started on a loud note with a rugged run through their new single “Rope.” While the multiplatinum Foos aren’t technically indie, they certainly practice a lo-fi aesthetic (their entire new album, Wasting Light, was recorded on analog tape), and with their new three-guitar attack, they have become the modern-rock radio version of Neil Young and Crazy Horse (except with shorter solos and better haircuts). Once Dave Grohl and company wrapped up a headbang-worthy extended breakdown at the end of “Rope,” host Donald Glover (he of “Community” fame) took the stage to formally welcome the live audience and viewers at home to the show. “There’s something I wanted to say: Stop asking your black friends to freestyle,” he told the crowd. Still, that didn’t stop Glover from dropping some rhymes once house DJ Skrillex dropped a beat. “It turns out we all can freestyle.” Glover tossed to Skylar Grey and Yelawolf, who were charged with handing out the Best Video Woodie. In a tough category that included crossover stars Vampire Weekend and the Black Keys, Chiddy Bang grabbed the prize for their inventive clip for “Opposite of Adults.” Zoe Kravitz came out and threw to Wiz Khalifa, who spit “Roll Up” (from his forthcoming album Rolling Papers ) from the balcony of the theater surrounded by enthusiastic fans. Once Khalifa hit the stage, the gold light kicked in and the terrible towels started flying, which could only mean one thing: “Black and Yellow.” Khalifa’s pro-Pittsburgh anthem sounded like a massive pop hit — which, coincidentally, is exactly what it was. Woodies veteran Pete Wentz was up next. He gave out the Left Field Woodie to Kanye West, though not before letting the world know that he was “all ‘Free Earl,’ but had love for Tyler.” Weezy was not in Austin to accept his award, but Wentz accepted the prize on his behalf. In the middle of Wentz’s speech, he was interrupted by fellow Left Field nominee Lil B, channeling West’s drop-in on Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs. Meanwhile, Eliza Doolittle drank in the crowd and paid tribute to the late Nate Dogg before tossing to Two Door Cinema Club up on the stage. The jittery Irish trio crooned and jangled their way through their current single “What You Know,” one of the highlights on their debut album, Tourist History. Glover then introduced “My Life as Liz” star Liz Lee, who was up in the balcony to introduce the college radio station that won the College Radio Woodie; the prize went to WVUM of Miami University. Dev and Lil B were up next, onstage to hand out the Best Performing Woodie. “This award is not about who brings the most money, but about who brings the most swag to the performance!” declared Lil B. Matt & Kim apparently have more swag than any of the other nominees, because they won the big block of wood. Matt teased a stage dive from the balcony but settled for high-fiving most of the first row right after encouraging everybody to donate to the relief effort in Japan. Woodies veterans Friendly Fires then introduced Sleigh Bells, one of the most hotly anticipated performers of the evening. The duo made their television debut with the jagged “Riot Rhythm.” Clad in the denim jacket she picked out specifically for the occasion, singer Alexis Krauss shouted, swayed and cooed her way into the hearts of the crowd (though the special appearance by the marching band probably helped — it certainly added to the cacophony). “That was sick!” Glover declared before handing the stage to Chiddy Bang. Chiddy broke out a freestyle before running down the nominees for Breaking Woodie (which included Dev, Sleigh Bells, Local Natives, Wavves and Two Door Cinema Club). Based on fan voting, the winners were Two Door Cinema Club (who announced that it was their first award in America). Last year’s Best Video Woodie winners Matt & Kim took the stage again to give out the prize for Woodie of the Year. They announced that they would not be getting naked (like they did in their award-winning “Lessons Learned” clip), though they did do some slow-motion grinding. When the dust settled, Wiz Khalifa won Woodie of the Year for the crossover smash “Black and Yellow.” The Pittsburgh native seemed genuinely moved by his victory and spent most of his acceptance speech chuckling live on the microphone. But though the last award had been given out, the climax was yet to come. Comedian Aziz Ansari showed up to introduce Odd Future, who used Tyler the Creator’s “Yonkers” as a coming-out party. While the track played, a masked midget came out to impersonate Tyler before getting replaced by the real Tyler. Clad in a pink-and-blue hoodie and green ski mask, Tyler growled his way through “Sandwitches” while stalking the outer limits of the theater and violently stage-diving into the crowd. As the performance evolved, Tyler was joined by fellow MC Hodgy Beats and two furries in costumes. They were eventually dragged off the stage by security, leaving a permanent mark on the show — and on culture at large. What did you think of the Woodies? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Videos Woodie Awards 2011: Performances Related Photos Woodie Awards 2011: Behind The Scenes Woodie Awards 2011: Red Carpet Related Artists Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All Wiz Khalifa
Lauren Alaina, Casey Abrams and Scotty McCreery also get great notes from the judges singing songs from their birth years. By Gil Kaufman “American Idol” top 12 Photo: FOX It was an evening of surprises on “American Idol” Wednesday night (March 16). From the first song by grunge icons Nirvana to a show-closing gospel throw-down on a tune by Heart, leading contenders Pia Toscano, Jacob Lusk and Casey Abrams continued their winning ways, while teen Lauren Alaina appeared to get back in the groove after an off week. The theme this week was songs from the year you were born, and first up was Naima Adedapo, who worked up Tina Turner’s comeback hit “What’s Love Got to do With It.” Slinking down the steps in one of her signature colorful getups, Adedapo struggled a bit to find the melody over the rocked-up, percussive track produced by Rodney Jerkins. The performance had plenty of attitude but failed to really show off Naima’s range. In his first attempt at live feedback , Steven Tyler blasted off, whooping it up and telling the singer she had a “sorcerer’s grasp for melody.” Jennifer Lopez admitted that she gave Naima a pass last week on her pitchiness, but said she was starting to worry it was not a one-time thing and encouraged Adedapo to kick it up a notch. Randy Jackson agreed, saying it was just kind of a mess and all over the place. Another 1984 baby, bearded rocker Paul McDonald , went with Elton John’s subtle ballad “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.” Sounding even more hoarse than usual, McDonald tried to get the crowd behind him while he did his rag-doll dance and croaked his way through a bland version of the song, always seemingly half a beat behind the tempo. Lopez could sense Paul’s struggle with a cold, but said his star quality overwhelmed it, though Randy was not as charitable, saying Paul was pitchy but still found a way to put his unique spin on the song. “But get the notes right!” Randy added, as Steven opined that McD defines “a cool dude in a loose mood.” Thia Megia is one of the babies of the bunch, born in 1995, the same year the Disney movie “Pocahontas” was released, featuring “Colors of the Wind” by Vanessa Williams. Backed by a gently plucked acoustic guitar and a string quartet, Megia came off a bit pageanty with her long, golden dress as she sang the song’s corny lyrics, but once again her vocals were incredibly clear and precise for someone her age. For Randy, the singing was just OK, but his real problem was the predictable, safe nature of her song choices from week to week. Though he praised her vocals, Steven wondered, “Is that song who you think you are?” Resident rocker James Durbin , born in 1989, went with Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There for You,” not exactly the Jersey band’s most notable hit. Doing his best Axl Rose-meets-Jon Bon snarl, Durbin worked the stage like an arena-rock veteran, swinging his mic stand, leaning in for some shoulder-to-shoulder with the guitar player, doling out audience high-fives and ending it all with a rock jump and what host Ryan Seacrest referred to as “JV pyro.” You knew Tyler was gonna dig it. “I got leftover sandwiches under my bed older than that, how do you do that?” he marveled at Durbin’s young talent, while warning him to avoid getting too poppy. Jennifer said a great performer makes you want to sing along with them, and she said JD is definitely one of those singers. Haley Reinhart was born in 1990 into a musical family, and she paid homage by getting back in her R&B groove with a swing at “I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston. Producer Ron Fair’s funked-up, new-wave arrangement seemed to throw her at first, but then Haley laid into a Christina Aguilera-like groove, growling and emoting her way through the song, which fit her style way better than last week’s detour into country territory. In what is emerging as her signature sweet putdown, J.Lo told Haley she looked beautiful and has a beautiful voice but that she seems tense and unsure onstage. “Do what you feel, don’t force anything, do what comes naturally,” she counseled. Jackson said Haley’s hopscotching from style to style is making it hard to pin her musical personality down. Stefano Langone (1989) was right in the pocket with Simply Red’s soul-stirring “If You Don’t Know Me by Now.” He confidently sang the goopy ballad as if working the crowd at a wedding (or office karaoke party), showing off the range, emotion and vocal clarity that earned him a wild-card berth. “The best performance of the night so far!” Randy raved, handing out an Olympic-gymnastics-style 10-10-10 rating. Steven loved the phrasing, and Lopez said it was the perfect song choice that could win him the whole thing — as long as he locked eyes with her a bit more while he performed. After emerging as a potential winner a few weeks ago, Pia Toscano (1988) also knows what works, which is why she chose Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” Working her magic over the thumping disco-lite track, Toscano gave it her glitter-ball best, tossing up emotion and solid vocals but falling a bit short in the stagecraft department. “You are why this show is called ‘American Idol,’ ” Tyler said, clearly impressed with Pia despite what he referred to as a “retro” arrangement. Jennifer was psyched to hear PT try out an uptempo song for once, and Randy put the other 11 singers on notice that Toscano is in it to win it. Bullfrog-voiced country crooner Scotty McCreery (1993) stayed firmly in his lane with Travis Tritt’s “Can I Trust You With My Heart.” He was, once again, spot-on, coming off as a seasoned country veteran with all the right shading and phrasing to deliver the song’s emotion. But you have to wonder: How many weeks can he essentially do the same thing and still advance? It felt to Lopez like he pushed his vocal range out a bit more with this song, and the panel agreed that he’d shown enough growth to justify another week in the game. Born in 1989, Karen Rodriguez went diva with Taylor Dayne’s other hit, “Love Will Lead You Back.” Wearing a kind of “Austin Powers” silver space miniskirt, Rodriguez had passion and again threw in some Spanish lyrics, but in the words of ex-judge Simon Cowell, it all felt a bit louche hotel lounge. It started rough for Randy, who said it was better than last week but still not all that. Jennifer sensed some fear at first, but praised Rodriguez for sticking to her guns and attacking the song. “If you are nervous about certain notes, don’t go there,” she said. “As a professional, you never have to. Never expose your weaknesses; play to your strengths.” After a second trip this season to the hospital , unlikely hirsute sex symbol Casey Abrams (1991) notched a couple of milestones on Wednesday night when he played electric bass while performing the first-ever song by grunge gods Nirvana on the show. He transformed the nearly untouchable “Smells Like Teen Spirit” into a dark-funk rave-up, busting out his best crazy eyes and screeching and screaming a bit more than usual, while putting lots of energy into the bizarre, horn-laden cover of the modern-rock classic. “You’re so crazy and you’re so talented,” said Tyler, who knows of what he speaks. “That’s the goop that great stuff is made of, and you got it.” Randy said he appreciated Abrams’ willingness to take risks and put art before commerce and always switch things up. The other 16-year-old finalist, Lauren Alaina (1994), was also battling the flu and a poor performance last week. She dug into “I’m the Only One” by Melissa Etheridge, putting some of her deep-voiced country sass on the tune and putting up some powerful, nuanced vocals, despite her illness. After singing along during the performance, Lopez gave Alaina props for sticking to the frame of the song while putting her own imprint on it, and Randy said if that’s how she sounds with a cold, she should have one every week. The final slot of the night belonged to Jacob Lusk (1987), who went way off the path by choosing the ballad “Alone” by female rock duo Heart. After a tentative opening, he exploded into the chorus, throwing down his gospel power and vibrato into the tune, which got a bit frantic at times but definitely highlighted his intensity. Randy appreciated the attempt to step out of his comfort zone, even if the vocals went a bit wobbly in the middle and nodded to Jacob’s decision to go subtle instead of bombastic at the end. The show opened with Tyler, Lopez and Jackson announcing that proceeds from the sale of the second weekly “Idol” download album would go to the Red Cross’ efforts to help the people of Japan in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami . Thursday night’s results show will feature the return of last year’s winner, Lee DeWyze, who will be on hand to sing his new single, “Beautiful Like You,” along with the Black Eyed Peas, who will perform their latest, “Just Can’t Get Enough.” Who did you think killed it Wednesday night? Let us know in comments below! Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances
There is a reason why only 57% of the people in Wisconsin side with public employees fighting for their rights. It’s because most of the people reporting the news don’t know what’s going on. Here’s David Cay Johnston from tax.com, Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who ‘Contributes’ to Public Workers’ Pensions? When it comes to Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Eye on Williamson Discovery Date : 02/03/2011 16:54 Number of articles : 3
#More Videos The Find Makarov fan film has finally been revealed today, by way of an incredibly stunning trailer. Despite being mostly made up of live-action re-enactments from Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare games, the sheer quality of the production is worthy of a golf clap, at the very least. Check out the trailer and let us know what you reckon. I’m not usually a big follower of fan films, but this… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Destructoid Discovery Date : 02/03/2011 17:30 Number of articles : 3
The new Anthony Hopkins exorcism thriller The Rite may be a work of fiction, but it was inspired by the real life experiences of Father Gary Thomas, an American priest who studied under a master exorcist in Rome and became the subject of Matt Baglio’s book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist . Naturally, Movieline seized the chance to ask the energetic Father Gary to play film critic and weigh in on eight possession horror classics, from The Exorcist to Paranormal Activity to Tim Burton’s classic comedy about a lovable “bio-exorcist.”
‘We knew the movie was about basic human emotions and the need for acceptance,’ producer Michael De Luca tells MTV News. By Aly Semigran Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network” Photo: Columbia Pictures Having gone from “that Facebook movie” to Oscar-nominated masterpiece, “The Social Network” has run the quite the gamut since its release last October. Continuing an awards-season streak, the film picked up eight Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning — the third most-nominated of the Oscar contenders, behind “The King’s Speech” with 12, “True Grit” with 10, and (in a tie) “Inception” with eight — including Best Picture, Best Director (David Fincher), Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Best Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin) and Best Score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). Fincher, earning his second career nomination, released a statement that read, “I’m very grateful and humbled by the nominations for ‘The Social Network.’ I’m incredibly proud of the work of my wildly talented collaborators in front of and behind the camera — all of whom gave the best of themselves and their talents in service to a film about a groundbreaking American innovation. This directing nomination represents the sum of the work of all of us, and I want to acknowledge the vast contributions to this film of all of my good friends and creative partners. The success of our movie belongs to many people, and this nomination is theirs to share.” Sorkin, who penned the dialogue-heavy movie , spoke to “Good Morning America” about the good news, calling the Oscar nods “a triumph,” and adding, “I think it was the people I got to sit in the room with. I love the way audiences responded to this movie. They came out and saw it and they loved it. It’s a special cherry on top.” Meanwhile, MTV News caught up with Michael De Luca, one of the film’s producers, shortly after the nominations were announced. Unlike many likely nominees, De Luca didn’t play coy about his expectations. “I set my little iPhone alarm to wake me up at 5:15 a.m.,” he told us about Tuesday morning’s announcements. “For me, personally, I’ve always done this as a fan of movies, as a bystander over the years in my career as a producer. But this is the first time I’ve had a horse in the race, so I was very excited to wake up and it was a real blast.” De Luca, who echoed Fincher and Sorkin’s sentiments about the entire cast and crew being “incredibly happy and grateful,” went on to say, “We knew what the movie was about. We knew the movie was about basic human emotions and the need for acceptance, the longing for love and friendship and how trying to find those things at 19 is hard enough, but when you’re a genius and you’re revolutionizing communication and you’re creating things that will go on to maintain billion-dollar evaluations, how do you maintain your relationships? How do you change relationships?” The Oscar-nominee also talked about how the modern-day tale featured classic themes. “Whether you’re Copernicus, Galileo or Mark Zuckerberg, no matter what you’re doing in your career or professional life, there are basic human needs. The heart must have to have a happy life,” De Luca said. “We knew that that was what the movie was about and we knew that Aaron Sorkin’s script seized on that and wrote a story of friendship and what you lose when you win, and we knew that nobody was going to know that until they saw the movie. It was like having the best secret in the world.” Still, while there was mostly celebration for “The Social Network” team this morning, one name was notably left off of the list: Andrew Garfield. Widely regarded as a shoo-in for a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance as Facebook CFO Eduardo Saverin, Garfield has earned nods at the Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes, and the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards; he was ultimately snubbed by the Academy. “He’s an incredible actor,” De Luca said of Garfield. “And the ensemble we had in the film was incredible and they’re all going off to star in [films] on their own and we’re going to hear from Andrew for years to come. I can’t tell you enough about his performance. He’s a consummate actor. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Social Network.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos 2011 Academy Award Nominees
