Afrojack, Steve Angello, Avicii and many others set to touch down in Las Vegas for three-day party kicking off June 8. By Akshay Bhansali David Guetta Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images What began as a modest event nearly two decades ago in California is now one of the biggest dance music experiences on the planet. Yes, we’re talking about Electric Daisy Carnival , which is gearing up for its return to Sin City on June 8, after a successful move last year to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And before you book your tickets, MTV News has the exclusive phase-one lineup! According to estimates, a whopping 300,000 carnival-goers (up from 240,000 in 2011) will walk through the gates during this year’s three-day EDC . They can expect to see heavy hitters like Ti
‘American Idol’ host is setting himself up for a long career and (eventually) the ‘Today’ anchor job with new NBC gig. By John Mitchell Ryan Seacrest Photo: Getty Images This morning on “Today,” Ryan Seacrest confirmed a few rumors and shot down a few others. The “American Idol” and “E! News” host and reality-TV mogul announced that he was officially joining the NBC team, beginning with its prime-time coverage of the London Olympics this summer, and that he would continue on as host of “Idol” while scaling back his on-air work at E! “I’ve worked with the E! network for years, and NBC Universal and E! are in the same family. The plan is for me to join the NBC family and continue to have a role on the E! network,” Seacrest told “Today” anchor Matt Lauer. “The first assignment for me will be with the prime-time team at the Olympics on NBC.” After establishing what he would be doing, Seacrest and Lauer continued through an awkward conversation about what he would not be doing, at least not just yet: gunning to take over Lauer’s anchor job on “Today” when his contract expires later this year. “I see you doing this as long as you want to,” Seacrest said to Lauer when pressed about his rumored negotiations with “Today” producers. “So the question is: How long will you be on the ‘Today’ show?” “We have talked about this, joked about this,” Lauer continued. “There is no tension here.” With Lauer’s future with “Today” still in question, Seacrest’s arrival at NBC brings with it some major implications. Here are the top three: Seacrest Is Being Primed to Replace Lauer During their back-and-forth over whether he’d been approached to replace Lauer, Seacrest played coy, joking that his conversations with “Today” producers “were mostly about filling in to do weather.” He never explicitly denied that he was in talks to host, making the subtext of the conversation pretty clear: the anchor job at “Today” remains Lauer’s as long as he wants it, but Seacrest is largely being brought onboard to wait in the wings and learn the ropes. Lauer is reportedly deep in tough negotiations with “Today” and NBC to remain on the program, and the consensus opinion seems to be that the network is looking to do whatever it takes, including meeting his reported $25 million salary demand, to keep him for the near future. That’s a lot of money, but the “Today” show is a cash cow — generating $450 million in ad revenue in 2010, according to New York magazine — and the net sees Lauer as integral to keeping “Today” on top. Lauer provides the stability that is key to success in morning news and is a master at mixing the serious and the silly, which is important when your job is to both report on the war in Afghanistan and later interview a “Toddlers & Tiaras” pageant mother. Seacrest already has the lighthearted side of things down, but he needs to bulk up his bona fides as a credible journalist. Don’t be surprised if, following his coverage of the Olympics, the various NBC News properties (“Today” included) take him on as a correspondent to cover some serious stuff. They are going to groom him to be a TV news Renaissance man, just like Matt Lauer. Seacrest Poses More of a Threat to the “Today” Ladies Seacrest’s appearance on “Today” pretty much changed the question from “will he” to ” when will he” join the “Today” team and in what capacity. But if they are grooming him to replace Lauer eventually, it will disrupt the chain of succession at “Today.” When Katie Couric left the show, Lauer stepped into the alpha anchor chair, after years of paying his dues as newsreader and co-anchor. Anne Curry would rightfully assume that position if Lauer left, but many have commented that she has had a “rocky transition to her new role” as co-anchor since Meredith Vieira’s departure. Seacrest’s hiring makes it seem like NBC execs are stacking the deck — and not in Savannah Guthrie’s or Curry’s favor. If the “Idol” host leapfrogs Curry somewhere down the road for the lead anchor chair, it will also keep Guthrie from ascending through the ranks the way her colleagues have before her. “Today” won’t demote Curry in any way — and, to be fair, she hasn’t been all that bad — but the lukewarm reception she’s received makes it unlikely she’ll ever be made lead anchor either. Guthrie, however, has more to worry about. She often steps in when Curry or Lauer are out, and if Seacrest is being groomed for Lauer’s spot, producers may opt to have him step up where she normally would. Seacrest Isn’t Going Anywhere Anytime Soon With his plans to continue on as host of “American Idol” and keep his thriving reality-show empire alive on E!, Seacrest will become an even more powerful media figure after he joins NBC. He has his fingers in just about every genre of television except serious news, and that’s essentially what NBC is offering him. In so doing, it also secures his place in the most stable arena in the media canon. The popularity of reality TV ebbs and flows — remember that “Survivor” and “American Idol” were once the top shows on television and now regularly attract only half the audience they did at their peak — so staking your career to it is kind of like building a house on sand. Seacrest has become a mogul by seizing on zeitgeist — “Idol,” the “Kardashian” franchise he built as a producer, his red-carpet work with E! — but he’s also a 37-year-old man who knows the things that have brought him so much success will eventually fade away. But the news never goes out of style. By getting in good with NBC, Seacrest also secures himself the long-term broadcast career he may have otherwise missed out on had he hedged his bets entirely on “Idol” and his reality-TV empire. For a little perspective, the “Today” show has been on the air since 1952 and is the fourth-longest-running television series ever, behind only “Meet the Press,” “The CBS Evening News” and “Hallmark Hall of Fame.” “American Idol” is puttering along with series-low ratings in its 11th season. So what Ryan Seacrest was really announcing this morning on “Today” was his next chapter. Sure, the timeframes haven’t been set and the ink isn’t entirely dry, but his decision to join NBC as an on-air player marks the transition to a new career. It may resemble the old one, but make no mistake: We are being primed for Ryan Seacrest: News Man. What do you think of Seacrest’s announcement? Let us know in the comments!
Agnes Olech is some almost 30 aspiring actress who is looking her age as far as I’m concerned … She was born in Poland, moved to America with her family and has been trying to make it in Hollywood since 2004…but has really just been geting shitty role after shitty role…and for some reason she hasn’t given up because she’s a fucking survivor….or maybe it is just her communist will…the same reason why USSR did so well in the Olympics….only the failed actor version….a shitty inconsistent acting career that probably makes her more money than you make working full time at your shitty job…reminding us how unfair life is…and here she is in FHM Spain…in a bikini with a knife…racy….but with her level of fame…this should be a sex tape…or a leaked nude…and my promoting this takes away from the hope she gives up and gives in to the slutting needed to make it in America and live that unrationed toilet paper dream…
Have trouble connecting the dots on Kanye’s string of tweets? MTV News breaks it down. Kanye West Photo: Getty Images Kanye West has never had a shortage of ideas, and on Wednesday night into Thursday morning (January 5), the rap star spoke — or, rather, wrote — his mind on Twitter in a 91-message manifesto. ‘Ye, who is currently in London, went off on a gang of topics, including his women’s fashion line , the Grammys, his design dreams for the MTV Video Music Awards and the vision for his new 22-division company DONDA. Unorganized but informative, Yeezy put the string of tweets into context on his 39th post, writing: “This is just a train of thought .. but figure it’s better to read than trained thoughts.” If you had trouble following ‘Ye’s 24-hour stream of creative consciousness, don’t worry — MTV News has you covered with this breakdown: Wednesday, 1 p.m. A gracious Yeezy takes to Twitter to thank everyone for supporting his women’s fashion line , which he unveiled in Paris back in October. Two hours later, ‘Ye corrects reports that the line is called DW. Key Tweet : “The name of the line is Kanye West not DW… The Dw was a design element placed on the invite in homage to my mom : )” Wednesday, 7 p.m. With plenty of time lapses between tweets, no one could have guessed what West had in store in the hours to come. He clearly started off slow, quoting Da Vinci for his fourth tweet of the day. Key Tweet : ” ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.’ – Leonardo Da Vinci” Wednesday, 9 p.m. This just in: Kanye West is without representation after Cara Lewis got her Jerry Maguire on. Key Tweet : “More clarity… I have no agency representing me currently… William Morris was fired after Cara lewis quit. I love Cara Lewis : )” Wednesday, 11 p.m. West picks up the action. Inspired by his fashion workspace, Yeezy talks about how challenging and fun it is to work on clothing designs. It’s been an eight-year journey for the Louis Vuitton Don, who turned down offers to do an urban clothing line in favor of something more upscale. How are his fashion endeavors funded, you ask? All the Kanye concert tickets you’ve bought, of course. Key Tweet: “I did the first fashion show out of my own pocket and used the money I made touring to follow my passion.” Wednesday, midnight ‘Ye goes on a tear during the midnight hour, sending a whopping 48 tweets. It was approximately 5 a.m. in London, and Kanye couldn’t sleep because his dreams kept him “woke.” And what dreams he has. The rapper recounts his days hopping from Japan to Rome to Paris, interning at Fendi, working with Louis Vuitton, being courted by Versace and designing his Air Yeezys for Nike. What, you thought West was a newbie to the fashion game? No, he learned how to design shoes at the Giuseppe Zanotti factory and broke bread with fashion luminaries like Azzedine Ala
Sha Money XL is a case study in hustle and dedication. The accomplished A&R is one of the last members of that fraternity of label executives who got their start actually making music. Realizing early on that rapping was not his calling, the Queens, NY native used his piano skills from childhood to become one of the most sought after producers in the game, having worked with Royal Flush, Tragedy, Onyx, Mobb Deep and many more. Sha Money, aka “The Chain On The Bike” is also one of the key people who helped propel 50 Cent from mixtape phenom to GQ Cover model and mogul. As President of G-Unit Records he oversaw releases like the double-platinum group debut, Beg For Mercy. These days, Sha Money XL holds the title of Sr. Vice President of A&R for Island Def Jam and has his sights set on blasting off newcomer Big K.R.I.T.’s career. But even in the midst of working various projects, he still finds time to give back by mentoring and motivating young artists to become future leaders and innovators in hip-hop. In 2005 he established an annual conference for Hip-Hop producers called The One Stop where the beatmakers of tomorrow are discovered. Here he shared why Big K.R.I.T. is about to be the next biggest rapper to touch a mic and how Jam Master Jay inspired him to help encourage the next generation of b-boys and girls. ⎯Starrene Rhett TUD: What’s one of your favorite moments in hip-hop that you were actually involved in? Sha Money XL: It was my first trip to California. I went to this thing called “Rap Olympics” and that was the day that Eminem got discovered by Dr. Dre. And that’s where I saw Eminem in a battle where I knew he would win but because there was mad Crips in the building they didn’t let him win. But he beat that motherf*cker! That was an ill day! This was before Internet and before people could tape it and everyone could see it. That was my first trip to Cali and I hung out with Eminem. I didn’t really pay attention to the fact that it’s this white kid rapping but then when we turned around he became this ill dude and it was like, “You remember that kid that was with us that day and he was waiting to go upstairs to freestyle and he did that ill freestyle? It was like wow, we were with him! We were cool with Em before he blew up. That was one of my historical moments and then there was Jam Master Jay⎯the day I met him. That changed my life. Why? It’s your first five minutes to talk to someone famous but you don’t wanna sound stupid. I made my conversation right with him. He’s the one that introduced me to 50 Cent, so he kind of opened my whole world. He was my first mentor. He was actually someone that took the time to take care and show you something. Everybody in this industry be too busy, so they don’t be passing no words, they don’t plant no seeds so no one can go on and continue and here Jay was⎯he was ready to lend his whole soul. So he opened it up to the kid. That’s what made me want to produce a conference and do all the mentoring and the talk back. Look at how far I got with it. I do that sh*t just because he did it for me and it helped me. And I know it only takes one person, that’s a lot alone. Where do you see what your impact has been made on the culture? My influence has an impact on producers. With me dealing with hip-hop, with producers, they’re the seed planters in hip-hop. They’re the ones that add hype to new artists that get excited. They’re the ones that are at the storefronts to buy the CDs and buying albums continuously. With artists, they’re all critics so they don’t go buy another artist’s album or they don’t want to hear who’s hot so I planted the seeds with producers with my conference to the point that when I see people now they’re like “Yo man, I got a job from coming to your conference,” or “I sold a beat from coming to your conference,” or “ I did ‘Power’ for Kanye West from f*cking with your conference .” There’s all these stories that come from there and it’s like, I love producers because they’re just creative beings that are just fans of music. There’s no hate, it’s no bullsh*t, it’s that they just want to hear the best music out there possible because producers are musicians. So I think my contribution is more like quality music and actually to giving back to the search for new talent and I’m still on the hunt and I’m still looking. I just found Big K.R.I.T. Big K.R.I.T. is a special artist to me because he’s one of those rare artists that are so amazing. Like how I believed in 50 when motherf*ckers said he was done and I knew that it wasn’t that. Why do you feel that Big K.R.I.T is so amazing? Big K.R.I.T has the best message to send in hip-hop. His words sit in your soul unlike any other rapper out there. I’ve memorized his songs and used it as poetry because he’s speaking sh*t that mother f*ckers are afraid to talk about, don’t want to talk about, he knows how to make it sound cool. It’s not trap rap, it’s not sit down and be a Buddhist either. It’s real hip-hop soul. It’s just indescribable. There’s no one like it. Big K.R.I.T is gonna be a Grammy nominated award winner. When I told you that I knew 50 was gonna be hot, this dude is the hottest rapper in the next 10 years. Speaking of Big K.R.I.T what’s the state of hip-hop today? It’s back to the youth. Before, it was a part where the 18-year-old and 19-year-olds had no say. It’s young again. The rappers that were popping were like 30 and over but now the new ones are back in their teenage years and early 20s. It’s back to where it needs to be. When LL was hot sh*t and Run DMC were first hot, they were teenagers but then it got to where the new rappers had to be 30 or older because they were grinding so hard but now it’s back to the youth. It’s back to the kids on skateboards that tell you that this is fashion, not that bullsh*t you’re wearing. Not that Louis sh*t and all that sh*t that you need a whole fucking check on that’s good for one night and can’t even wear it in the next three months. It’s back to that and that’s the best form of hip-hop to me. The youth really determine what’s hot and they ignite all the other kids toward that and that’s when you start to see sales, because older motherf*ckers aren’t buying music because they’re not really used to it. What’s the future of Black music in general? It’s just gonna continue to grow and continue to elevate. Have you seen that Beyonce performance at the Billboard Awards? That’s growth! You’re gonna see more growth. What do you want your legacy to be 100 years form now? What I want my legacy to be is to reach back for people to continue to elevate themselves, but [showing them how[ to give back so that other people can grow as well. Nicki Minaj & Britney Spears Get Into Altercation At Femme Fatale Tour?! BLACK MUSIC MOMENT #44: Isaac Hayes Wins Academy Award For “Shaft” Score 1972 FACT OF THE DAY: Tupac Shakur Studied Ballet
Singer projects images from her October vow-swap in India while singing ‘Teenage Dream’ and ‘Not Like the Movies.’ By Mawuse Ziegbe Katy Perry performs during the 2011 Grammy Awards Photo: The Recording Academy/CBS Katy Perry teased fans about her Grammy performance Saturday with the tweet , “Tomorrow is Grammy’s & boy oh boy do I have a very special performance ready for you. CLUE: The theme is looooooovvvvveeee,” and true to her word, the singer dished out a very personal and intimate pre-Valentine’s Day performance. Check out photos of Katy Perry’s performance and more! Dangling on a swing in a pale-pink, princess-like frock, Perry began with the Teenage Dream ballad “Not Like the Movies.” The singer was then lifted into the air as she began to belt the lyrics, revealing the swing was attached to a giant white drape that filled up the expanse of the stage. As Perry continued to croon about finding the perfect guy, grainy footage from her grand October nuptials to British comedian Russell Brand projected across the drape, showing Perry in her bridal gown kissing her new husband, which was the first time the couple shared any images from their wedding publicly. After the heartfelt tribute, Perry switched back to the vampy, cheeky pop sensation we’ve come to know, proclaiming, “This one goes out to all the Valentine lovers!” as crimson-clad dancers invaded the stage for “Teenage Dream.” Actress Nicole Kidman sang along in the audience as Perry belted the track on a set outfitted with neon heart-shaped set pieces and monitors dappled with heart-shaped candy pieces. With Sunday night’s (February 13) Grammy performance behind her, Perry is gearing up for her upcoming California Dreams Tour . The poptress recently said she’s deep into preparations for the summertime trek, which will cross the country until August. “It’s like training for the Olympics. I’m off to the gym to build stamina … and I hate working out, but I have to go, because this is a really energetic show,” she said. “It’s not like I’m going to make my fortune off touring; I’m basically doing this as a big IOU for all the love and support I’ve gotten. I need to go shake some hands and kiss some people.” What did you think about Katy Perry’s Grammy performance? Let us know in the comments! For Grammy Awards winners list, analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News during the big show and beyond. Related Videos 53rd Annual Grammy Awards Performances Related Photos The 2011 Grammy Awards Show Related Artists Katy Perry
The Vision of the 16th Asian Games, a “Thrilling Games, Harmonious Asia”, is a dream and a promise, that the Games will uphold the spirit of the Olympics and the Asian Games – which is to promote unity, friendship and further exchanges between different countries and regions. The core goal of the Asian Games is 16th Asian Games Opening Ceremony in China Begins is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading →
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Photo via thirtyfootscrew Few animals are as adept at swinging through the treetops as our primate cousins – but sometimes even they could use a refresher course. After years of being limited to mostly terrestrial locomotion, a group of orangutans at a zoo in the Netherlands now have a chance to get their swing on thanks to a newly renovated enclosu… Read the full story on TreeHugger
All Images by B. Alter: The Stadium The spotlight turned on East London for the second weekend in the London Festival of Architecture. That’s where the London 2012 Olympics will be held, as will the last 6km of the London Olympic Marathon. In keeping with the East London theme, there was a tour of the Olympic site and the new developments. The Olympics are being held in Stratford–a derelict par… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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