Happy Friday! What are you up to? Lunch? Drinks? Supply-room tryst with the intern? Wait, what? You’re working? Pffft! I’ll totally pretend I didn’t hear that, instead referring you this artsy blast from the past featuring Terry Gilliam somewhere at or near the height of his Monty Python powers. Who is ready to make some cut-out animation?
his past April, right-wing war hawk John Bolton suggested during an interview on Fox News that the United States should cut Social Security and Medicare to finance the defense budget. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Islamophobia Today eNewspaper Discovery Date : 03/08/2011 02:44 Number of articles : 2
And so is Project Valour IT, the fundraising behind the Gunblogger Rendezvous : I had to steal this from Mike/Mr. Completely who got it from TrueBlue Sam . Chuck has attended some of the Gun Blogger Rendezvous’ in the past, but now that he’s stationed in Hawaii, it’s a bit far to travel for him. There WILL be someone at this year’s Rendezvous representing Project Valour-IT, and although specifically… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Anthroblogogy Discovery Date : 14/07/2011 21:13 Number of articles : 2
Here are some highlights of UConn Huskies sophomore-to-be Jeremy Lamb from his playing in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships this past week. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : SOX Discovery Date : 09/07/2011 21:15 Number of articles : 2
Here are some highlights of UConn Huskies sophomore-to-be Jeremy Lamb from his playing in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships this past week. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : SOX Discovery Date : 09/07/2011 21:15 Number of articles : 2
‘It was confusing to me,’ director tells ‘RapFix Live’ in response to the MC encouraging rappers to tell their own stories. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Kara Warner Michael Rappaport Photo: MTV News Despite all of the controversy surrounding “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest,” ATCQ’s Q-Tip has encouraged fans to see the documentary, which is now playing in select cities. The Queens MC has bucked at how the group was portrayed in the film, and during a visit to “RapFix Live” this past March, Tip encouraged other rap artists to tell their own stories. The doc’s director, Michael Rapaport, who has weathered criticism from Tip in the past, appeared on “RapFix Live” Wednesday (June 29) and admitted that he was confused by the rapper’s comments on the live stream. “We crack the mold, we break the rules. We define this culture that we in right now, this Western culture, the sh– that’s moving around the world, whether it be Tribe to Lil Wayne, Drake to Kanye, I don’t care,” Q-Tip said to Sway back in March. “This hip-hop sh– is our sh–, and when we start moving in, control your stories, man. Tell your stories — that’s what I learned from this.” “I don’t understand what [Q-Tip] was talkin’ about with ‘telling their own stories,’ ” Rapaport told MTV News. “I don’t know if it was like, ‘Hip-hop artists should direct movies about hip-hop artists,’ or maybe he was saying, ‘I should direct a documentary about myself,’ which has never been done before.” Rapaport argued that a filmmaker doesn’t need to be a hip-hop artist to effectively document the culture on film and used “Goodfellas” and “Casino” director Martin Scorsese to illustrate his point. “Martin Scorsese does movies about gangsters, and if you’ve ever been around Martin Scorsese, he’s the furthest thing from a gangster, so I don’t understand the thing about ‘tell the stories yourself,’ ” Rapaport said, sounding perplexed. “I don’t know if he meant, ‘We’re from hip-hop, it should be a hip-hop director’ or — I don’t know who would go under the auspices of being a hip-hop director. Or if it was a racial thing like, ‘We’re black and shouldn’t have a white director.’ It was confusing to me.” The filmmaker did acknowledge that despite the back and forth between him and the rapper, he did appreciate Q-Tip asking fans to support the movie. Whether the two can reconcile is up in the air. According to Rapaport, the last time he heard from Tip was through email and it seems that the message was less than encouraging. “I haven’t talked to Q-Tip,” he said. “Last time I heard from Q-Tip he sent me an email and he said, ‘All you gotta do is stay white and be privileged.’ ” What do you think of Michael Rapaport’s response to Q-Tip on “RapFix Live”? Sound off in the comments. Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With CyHi The Prynce Related Artists A Tribe Called Quest Q-Tip
‘It was confusing to me,’ director tells ‘RapFix Live’ in response to the MC encouraging rappers to tell their own stories. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Kara Warner Michael Rappaport Photo: MTV News Despite all of the controversy surrounding “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest,” ATCQ’s Q-Tip has encouraged fans to see the documentary, which is now playing in select cities. The Queens MC has bucked at how the group was portrayed in the film, and during a visit to “RapFix Live” this past March, Tip encouraged other rap artists to tell their own stories. The doc’s director, Michael Rapaport, who has weathered criticism from Tip in the past, appeared on “RapFix Live” Wednesday (June 29) and admitted that he was confused by the rapper’s comments on the live stream. “We crack the mold, we break the rules. We define this culture that we in right now, this Western culture, the sh– that’s moving around the world, whether it be Tribe to Lil Wayne, Drake to Kanye, I don’t care,” Q-Tip said to Sway back in March. “This hip-hop sh– is our sh–, and when we start moving in, control your stories, man. Tell your stories — that’s what I learned from this.” “I don’t understand what [Q-Tip] was talkin’ about with ‘telling their own stories,’ ” Rapaport told MTV News. “I don’t know if it was like, ‘Hip-hop artists should direct movies about hip-hop artists,’ or maybe he was saying, ‘I should direct a documentary about myself,’ which has never been done before.” Rapaport argued that a filmmaker doesn’t need to be a hip-hop artist to effectively document the culture on film and used “Goodfellas” and “Casino” director Martin Scorsese to illustrate his point. “Martin Scorsese does movies about gangsters, and if you’ve ever been around Martin Scorsese, he’s the furthest thing from a gangster, so I don’t understand the thing about ‘tell the stories yourself,’ ” Rapaport said, sounding perplexed. “I don’t know if he meant, ‘We’re from hip-hop, it should be a hip-hop director’ or — I don’t know who would go under the auspices of being a hip-hop director. Or if it was a racial thing like, ‘We’re black and shouldn’t have a white director.’ It was confusing to me.” The filmmaker did acknowledge that despite the back and forth between him and the rapper, he did appreciate Q-Tip asking fans to support the movie. Whether the two can reconcile is up in the air. According to Rapaport, the last time he heard from Tip was through email and it seems that the message was less than encouraging. “I haven’t talked to Q-Tip,” he said. “Last time I heard from Q-Tip he sent me an email and he said, ‘All you gotta do is stay white and be privileged.’ ” What do you think of Michael Rapaport’s response to Q-Tip on “RapFix Live”? Sound off in the comments. Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With CyHi The Prynce Related Artists A Tribe Called Quest Q-Tip
Serena Williams is revealing details about the multiple surgeries she underwent over the past year, one of which was life-saving as it removed a fatal blood clot from her lungs. The blood clot developed while she was recuperating from her second foot surgery, one she needed after cutting her right foot with glass while leaving a restaurant in Munich last July. On her lung surgery: “It has been a totally different road because I’ve had some serious health problems and I was literally on my deathbed at one point. The doctors said that I had several clots bilaterally in both lungs. They said if they had caught it two days later, it could have been a lot more serious, possibly career-ending. A lot of people die from it because you don’t recognize it. I couldn’t breathe. I honestly just thought I was out of shape and needed to get on the treadmill or hit the elliptical. It was my physio who forced me to go to the hospital whereas I was actually on the way to a party. She said, ‘No, you need to go to the hospital.’ I’m glad I didn’t go to that party.” On cutting her foot and the following surgery: “We were leaving the restaurant, I was walking and then I felt something. I just stepped back and said, ‘Oh, that really hurts.’ There was a massive pool of blood. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I ended up fainting because I lost so much blood. I ended up getting stitches in both feet. One was on top and one was on the bottom of my other foot. It sliced right through my ligament. I didn’t know that, I just knew that my toe was hanging low.” “The second surgery on my foot was way tougher than the first, especially mentally. More mentally tough than anything I have been through in my life outside of my sister’s passing. I was in a cast for 20 weeks. I’d rather have been in jail for 20 weeks because I really hated that cast. Having your foot in one position so long, not moving it, not being able to walk or do a lot of things caused a lot of the problems.” On her post-surgery mindset: “After it was all over, there were a few days when I didn’t get out of bed. So much had happened to me and I couldn’t understand why. I was thinking, ‘Just what didn’t I do or what did I do to deserve this?’” However, Serena has finally returned to tennis, playing in a pre-Wimbledon tournament in the UK today: “If tennis has missed [Venus and I] half as much as we’ve missed tennis, we’re in a good place. This is a comeback that’s totally different from any other comeback.” SOURCE Serena Williams’ Sexy Twitter Avatar Stirs Up Controversy Serena Williams’ Stalker Arrested Serena Williams’ Raunchy Video Game Ad Banned From TV Is Beyonce A Liar? [VIDEO] THEN & NOW: 1980s Music Icons FACT OF THE DAY: Rick Ross Attended College On A Football Scholarship
Sometimes, it can be hard to picture yourself doing anything when you wake up on a particular day. Maybe you haven’t gotten enough sleep in the past week or there just happens to be a lot on your mind. In these types of situations, you might just be sitting around, thinking far too much about insignificant things and not accomplishing anything at all. Whatever the reason for these behaviors, it’s always a good plan to try and motivate yourself to override these destructive thoughts and become productive once again. Finding inspiration from within is the only way this is going to happen because without your own backing of the change, nothing will get done. In order to be successful in overcoming inspiration-related obstacles, you have to be willing to alter the way you view the situation and open yourself up to life’s possibilities, not just the ones you can readily see at the moment. By becoming proactive, along with these five “inspirations,” you will be able to tap into your inner passion and once again feel ready to take on the world! 1. Make a mantra that will stick with you. Think of an idea about yourself that has motivated you in the past. Maybe in order to break writer’s block, for example, you have to continually repeat the idea in your mind: “I am a good writer and can do this.” In order to eliminate the issues that surround a block on your motivation, you have to believe in yourself and get up to speed through positive imaging. Put the mantra you choose at the forefront of your thoughts and don’t sway from your goal of complete immersion in what you have to do. Certain phrases work wonders in convincing yourself of ideas that might be hiding behind your eyes, even if you can’t see them for yourself! 2. Remind yourself of your past accomplishments. If you seem to have tunnel-vision and can’t see the full-scale of your talents at the moment, search back into your consciousness and draw on past experience for inspiration. Have you been particularly productive or creative in the past? Are you a driven, smart individual who has a lot to offer the world, but just lacks the motivation to continue what they’ve already done? Maybe you need to remember who you used to be in order to center yourself into a new reality. Everyone has different sides of themselves and has experienced changes that have to be reckoned with before any self-evolution can take place. By understanding one’s past, inspiration can be drawn through unifying all aspects of the psyche and becoming acquainted with who you used to be, who you currently are, and who you want to become! Optimism & The Art Of Facing Your Fears 3. Keep your optimism levels high. It’s hard to gain inspiration from within if you don’t believe in yourself to begin with! Remind yourself that any negative thoughts or energy surrounding your life are unproductive and potentially destructive to your ultimate goals. Lack of sleep, for example, might be causing unfocused or paranoid thinking, which should not be causing undue stress and strain. When you air on the optimistic side of whatever might be bothering you, the stress levels plummet and suddenly, the world seems brighter, as well as your thoughts! If the glass is half full on your end, motivation to go through with your plans may seem that much more doable! 4. Break through barriers of self-doubt through perseverance. Just because your mood is not in your plans today does not mean that your inner psyche is unmoving. Self-doubt and lack of self-esteem due to skewed thinking might be causing thoughts to pop up that are not necessarily true. If you are able to break down any barriers in your way and bring your mind back to its usual state, the free-flowing thoughts that usually are there will come back to fruition. It’s important to be well aware of how your mind works in regards to self-esteem, as it can come in handy when you break down the walls of self-doubt and resume being the strong, independent woman that you are! 5. Reinforce ideas that have been former inspirations in your life. Maybe you have been reading a book full of interesting anecdotes or there is a song you love that brings about feelings of passion and clarity. There are always ways to tap into the well of emotion and bring back whatever formerly made you feel alive with creativity! By looking into literature and arts-related ideals that have uplifting, self-motivating messages, there is bound to be something that sparks your mind into renewed action. Never forget what has been helpful in the past for inner motivation, as it can always be made useful again! If you are having trouble finding that inner inspiration and passion, the key is to center oneself toward one’s true potential. If you know you have the strength to be independent and full of creative ideas, then you can tap into that through positive imaging and the knowledge that you can find a way! Never give up what you have accomplished before. In the end, all you have is your own internal motivation, so make sure you make it count! Affirmation: Today I Am Able To Deal With Anything Calmly Which Artist Did You Vote To Bring Back To Life? [POLL] BLACK MUSIC MOMENT #49: Black Entertainment Television Debuts 5 MUSICAL MOVIES WE LOVE: “The Wiz”
‘I guess he just wanted to clear the air on some past things that don’t mean anything today,’ Nas says of Prodigy’s post-jail phone call. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Nas Photo: MTV News The relationship between Queens rappers Prodigy and Nas has had its fair share of ups and downs. There have been collaborations and dis records over the years, and in the new book “My Infamous Life,” Mobb Deep’s Prodigy touched on his relationship with God’s Son, starting with the first time they met during a battle in New York’s Queensbridge housing project. In a recent interview, Prodigy told MTV News how he called Nas to make peace after he was released from his three-year prison bid this past March. During an exclusive sit-down with Sway, the Illmatic rapper spoke about P’s call. “He called me as soon as he got out of jail; he got in touch with me. We talked about some things,” Nas said. “I didn’t know he had a book. He didn’t tell me that. I guess he just wanted to clear the air on some past things that don’t mean anything today.” After patching things up, Nas agreed to collaborate with Prodigy on the Mobb Deep record “Dog Sh–,” which was leaked onto the Internet in April. “I just jumped on the record; put that to the past or whatever ill feelings he had towards me,” Nas told Sway. “I think he was misinformed about things, like I was a negative guy or like I was trying to harm him in any kind of way. I think maybe he just grew up a little bit.” Prodigy was proud to continue the Nas/ Mobb Deep legacy. “When we make songs together, man, it’s another level, it’s incredible music. It just gives you that feeling, like nostalgia almost,” Prodigy said of the Mobb and Nas’ past collaborations. “The music is just real powerful when Mobb Deep and Nas work together. So I said, ‘We gotta keep that feeling going, man. We would be fools to stop doing that because of whatever petty bullsh– that was going on.’ ” With “Dog Sh–” in the can, Nas wasn’t sure if and when any more Mobb Deep collaborations would surface. “At the moment, I just got back into the studio, and my focus right now has been just starting to work on the album, so who knows?” he said. As far as Prodigy’s book, Esco didn’t even know it existed, though he is mentioned in it quite a bit. While Prodigy insists that all of his accounts of Nas were in a positive light, the QB MC doesn’t seemed bothered either way and gave general advice for any would-be authors. “Tell the truth if you’re gonna write a book. Tell the truth to the best of your ability, that’s all I would say to anybody. Just tell the truth,” he said. “Do what you wanna do, I had books written about me before, and it is what it is.” Are you glad Nas and Mobb Deep have put the past behind them? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Nas Related Artists Nas Prodigy of Mobb Deep