Tag Archives: Phoenix

Rihanna Cancels More Shows As Concert Industry Struggles

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Jonas Brothers, American Idols Live! outings have also seen slow sales. By Gil Kaufman Rihanna Photo: Fotonoticias/ WireImage By now you’ve heard about the slump the concert industry is in this summer. Major tours are struggling and canceling dates, including Rihanna , who this week called off shows in two cities — Denver and Indianapolis — on her Last Girl on Earth Tour due to “scheduling conflicts” after earlier canceling the planned July 2 kickoff . According to a new report from Pollstar magazine, tickets sales for the biggest concert tours in North America during the first half of the year fell to their lowest point since 2005 due to a weak economy and high ticket prices. The top 100 tours grossed $965.5 million during the first six months, which is a 17 percent decline from the same period a year ago and the lowest total since the first half of 2005, when concerts grossed $731 million. The slide was blamed on poor sales on tours by the Eagles, the Jonas Brothers and the American Idols Live! outing, all of which have either been offering deep discounts on tickets or canceling shows outright due to low demand. Add that to cancellations of tours by Christina Aguilera , the Go-Go’s and Limp Bizkit and the axing of 10 dates by the revamped Lilith tour and you have a summer season that is sucking wind after the touring industry put up record numbers in 2009. According to the Live Nation website , in addition to the Denver and Indy dates, Rihanna has also pulled shows in Phoenix (July 22), Dallas (July 24) and Atlanta (July 28). On the upside, tours by Lady Gaga , Justin Bieber, Muse, Taylor Swift and James Taylor with Carole King have been doing very well at the box office. The top-grossing show this year so far was the Coachella festival, which drew 225,000 fans and grossed $21.7 million. Bon Jovi put up the best numbers of a North American tour with $52.8 million in grosses, followed by Taylor and King at $41 million and Swift at $34.2 million. Are you going to less concerts this summer? Related Artists Rihanna

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Dude, Where’s My Discrimination? Jake Tapper Notes Lack of Discrimination Charge in Arizona Lawsuit

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. — Thomas Jefferson, The United States Declaration of Independence. Oops! So what happened to all that discrimination and violation of civil rights that the Arizona immigration law was supposed to cause? Apparently the federal government decided it was so lacking that they didn’t include it in their lawsuit against the Arizona law. Jake Tapper of ABC News notes the distinct lack of a discrimination charge in the federal lawsuit: As widely anticipated, Attorney General Eric Holder today filed a lawsuit against Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer over the state’s immigration law. The suit seeks a preliminary injunction to stop the law from being implemented. The court filing states that Arizona law is pre-empted by federal law and therefore violates the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution. The filing makes no assertion that the law is discriminatory or risks being applied in a discriminatory fashion, as the president and other officials said they feared would be the case. Interestingly, this suit makes no civil rights charges against the Arizona law. Huh? So what was all that liberal thunder about how discriminatory the Arizona immigration immigration law supposedly is? Apparently the U.S. Justice Department was unable to find such discrimination to use in its lawsuit. Instead, the federal government is taking the King George III approach when the states attempt to enforce laws neglected by the Crown, oops, I mean the Obama administration. The Associated Press also notes the embarrassing lack of a discrimination charge in the federal lawsuit: PHOENIX — The federal lawsuit against Arizona’s tough new immigration law focuses heavily on a question that has been in the spotlight repeatedly the past decade and dates back to the Founding Fathers: The right of the government to keep states from enacting laws that usurp federal authority. The lawsuit filed in Phoenix federal court on Tuesday sidestepped concerns about the potential for racial profiling and civil rights violations most often raised by immigration advocates. Experts said those are weaker arguments that don’t belong in a legal challenge brought by the White House to get the measure struck down. Weaker arguments? You can bet that if discrimination could have been detected in the Arizona immigration law, it would have been front and center in the federal lawsuit. So how are other MSM outlets handling the very notable lack of a discrimination charge in the federal lawsuit against Arizona? Very gingerly. The Washington Post article on this lawsuit is an example. The embarrassing absence of any discrimination charge is only mentioned towards the end of the story: Although the lawsuit cites potential “detention and harassment” of U.S. citizens and immigrants who do not carry identification documents, it declines to make a legal argument that the law would lead to racial profiling. But a senior Justice Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that if the law takes effect, “we will monitor it very, very closely, and if we become aware of any racial profiling or civil rights violations, that’s something that we would take action on.”  Shh! Let’s not focus on the lack of a racial profiling charge in the federal lawsuit against Arizona.

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Dude, Where’s My Discrimination? Jake Tapper Notes Lack of Discrimination Charge in Arizona Lawsuit

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Kelly Cutrone Reveals Her Favorite ‘Hills’ Moments

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I didn’t even know what ‘The Hills’ was,’ ‘City’ star reveals about her season one appearance on the show. By Jocelyn Vena Lauren Conrad Photo: MTV With the series finale of “The Hills” set to take place on July 13, it’s time to reflect on some of the show’s greatest moments. Whether it’s the time Lauren Conrad first stepped into her apartment with Heidi Montag or what is certain to be an emotional final scene on the show, “The Hills” has had fans glued to their TV screens week after week for six seasons. For a while, People’s Revolution head honcho Kelly Cutrone was part of the madness. Now one of the stars of “The City,” Cutrone admits there are a couple of standout moments from her time on the show that are her favorites in its storied history. It was the moment Cutrone met LC for the first time at the Jennifer Nicholson fashion show during Fashion Week. And it was a moment that Cutrone made her future employee cry when she didn’t comply with getting LC tickets for her Teen Vogue boss Lisa Love. Cutrone is now able to laugh about the whole experience. “I didn’t even know what ‘The Hills’ was,” Cutrone recalled about being featured in the season-one finale. “But I knew this girl was coming. It took her a while to realize [I was the woman she was supposed to get the tickets from at the show]. And I think I made her cry. “It’s one of my favorite moments. I wasn’t happy that she was crying. That look was kind of Betty Davis, Tammy Faye. It’s the ultimate pop-culture drama-girl moment,” she recalled. And Cutrone’s list would not be complete without her now infamous job interview with Stephanie Pratt . “I was walking into the L.A. office, Pratt’s there, and she’s sitting on the couch [looking scared],” she remembered. “[Lauren explained,] ‘She’s just really nervous to meet you.’ Not to be mean, but it was probably one of the least exciting interviews. The first thing I notice is [her] objective. It says ‘to become a handbag designer.’ ” How does Cutrone feel about that objective now? “I’ve never seen anything like that,” she said. “Why would you put that?” Which of Kelly Cutrone’s ‘Hills’ moments is your favorite? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Saying Good-Bye To ‘The Hills’ Related Photos The Hills (Season 6) | Cast

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Fat Joe Helps Bring Choice Players To The New York Knicks

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It was a great experience,’ the MC says of bringing Amar’e Stoudemire to his hometown team, in Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid Fat Joe Photo: MTV News Celebrity Favorites: Fat Joe New York, New York, we back! The New York Knicks gave their fans a healthy helping of hope on Monday when they came to contractual agreement with one of the top stars in the NBA, Amar’e Stoudemire. While in their pursuit of the former Phoenix Sun, the Knicks brass called on none other than a Big Apple King to help with the recruitment: Fat Joe. recently Joe posted a photo on Twitter featuring himself, Spike Lee, Stoudemire, Chris Rock, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni and others. “I’m a New York Knick fan, die-hard!” Joe told us. “And we been losing for a long time — like, eight years or something. The Knicks organization called me and said, ‘Yo Joe, we’re trying to get Amar’e.’ By the way, he’s my favorite player, no hype! That’s who I wanted to come to New York. It’s been a long time since New York had a guy to dunk on people, pound his chest, go crazy. That’s my type of player. Hard body. So they was like, ‘Joe, we want you to call him up, start talking to him. Tell him to come to the city, tell him how beautiful the city is.’ ‘Mare, I’ve known him for years — since he came in the league as rookie.” Joe has also known Knicks owner James Dolan for many years — the leader of the Terror Squad said after the Knicks front office called, he put the full-court press on Stoudemire. “When I called [Amar’e], he was like, ‘Fat Joe.’ He already knew it was me,” Joe recalled. “I was like, ‘We need you, we need you!’ I did my greatest Khaled rendition ever created. ‘I gotta have you. You’re killing me, I’m gonna die. I need oxygen!’ He was like, ‘Joe calm down. It might happen. Calm down.’ It was a great experience.” Finally, after all the wooing and a $100 million contract offer, Stoudemire agreed to come play at Madison Square Garden for the upcoming season. His commitment was celebrated Monday night at a dinner in New York. “So then they called me up and said, ‘He’s gonna sign. We want you to come to the first meal,’ ” Joe recalled. “So after I came in there, it was small — Spike, Chris Rock, Allen Houston, John Starks, Carl Banks, [Michael] Strahan — then you had the coaches and the owners and Fat Joe representing that hip-hop side of things. It was an honor for me. I always remember when I used to go the Garden and I was in the nosebleeds — and Jordan and Ewing looked this small from up there. Now I sit on the woods. To have them call me and be like, ‘Joe, we need you to go in on Amar’e,’ it was an honor.” Joe’s headhunting isn’t done — he’s been talking to other NBA superstars in his own time to convince them to play in his hometown. “I can’t sleep,” Joe said of all the speculation over where top NBA free agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will land. “I been talking to Carmelo [Anthony] since the Puerto Rican Day parade. I been hammering on his head like, ‘We need you.’ He loves the city. I was in France talking to Chris Paul and Tony Parker, like, ‘Yo, we need y’all to come.’ I’m going in. This is the most exciting time I ever experienced on a free-agency level. Just to know where LeBron is going. Carmelo said he might leave. Wade! Who’s coming to the Knicks? We lost the last three or four years with them telling us they was going to make big moves this summer. There’s been a lot of pressure on the Knicks organization to pull something off and they told me last night, ‘We’re not done, Joe.’ I’m like, ‘Please man, I got my guy Amar’e, but we need a team around him as well.’ ” James, Wade and Bosh are all free agents, free to sign with any NBA team. Their main suitors have been the Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. Meanwhile, Anthony, Bosh and Parker are still under contract to their respective teams, but have been the subject of trades around the NBA rumor mill. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc .

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Pittsburgh Penguins Zbynek Michalek Photo

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek, of the Czech Republic, warming up before facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first period of an NHL hockey game, in Denver. The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Zbynek Michalek to a five-year contract after failing to reach terms with defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who played with them for five seasons. The Pittsburgh Penguins signed former Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek to a five-year deal less than an hour after losing Sergei Gonc

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David Weigel Explains Away Journolist E-mails by Claiming to be a Jerk

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Former Washington Post writer David Weigel has attempted to explain away his Journolist e-mails attacking conservatives by claiming he was a trash-talking thoughtless jerk. If you think that self-damnation was bad, at least it was much better than admitting something even closer to the truth which would be that he deviously allowed people to think of him as a conservative. In fact, he is still lamely making that conservative claim in his Big Journalism article but first the jerk confession: …I treated the list like a dive bar, swaggering in and popping off about what was “really” happening out there, and snarking at conservatives. Why did I want these people to like me so much? Why did I assume that I needed to crack wise and rant about people who, usually for no more than five minutes were getting on my nerves? Because I was stupid and arrogant, and needlessly mean… Unfortunately, Weigel proved that he still remains a jerk by continuing to claim that he was somehow conservative: I interned at the libertarian Center for Individual Rights in the summer of 2001. I supported the Iraq War and crashed an anti-war protest on my campus. I voted in Republican primaries in 2002 and 2004. (Since I was in Illinois, I voted in 2004 for Jack Ryan to get the GOP’s nomination for Senate, to oppose Barack Obama. I’m better off than one of those guys.) Weigel still tries to convince us of his one-time conservative credentials despite the fact that in the three presidential elections since 2000 he voted for Nader, Kerry, and Obama. Gee! What a “conservative!” Despite his pretend conservatism, Weigel just can’t seem to understand why people think he has misrepresented himself: Still, this was hubris. It was the hubris of someone who rose — objectively speaking — a bit too fast, and someone who misunderstood a few things about his trade. It was also the hubris of someone who thought the best way to be annoyed about something was to do it publicly. This is the reason I’m surprised at commentary accusing me of misrepresenting myself. Except that liberal Journolist was supposed to be private and Weigel wrote there in the expectation that it would remain so. Dave’s misrepresentation mode continues. 

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Once Again, ‘Many Peaceful’ = ‘Some Violent’ When It Comes to Leftist Protesters in the NY Times

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Violent protesters set fire to police cars and shattered store-front windows at the Group of 20 economic summit in Toronto this weekend. How did the New York Times, so skittish about the hypothetical threat of non-existent Tea Party violence from the right, react to actual violence committed by political protesters by the left-wing and anarchist groups? With more snort-worthy apologias for left-wing protesters being overwhelmingly “peaceful” in numerical terms Reporter Randal Archibold made a similar claim in his April 24 story from Phoenix at a protest against Arizona’s anti-immigration law, claiming that “hundreds of demonstrators massed, mostly peacefully, at the capitol plaza.” Local news in Phoenix reported three people were arrested during the immigration rally, including two seen throwing water bottles at police, and videos showed more lawlessness on display. The same defensive tone is present in Monday’s Business section story from Toronto, with the ludicrous headline ” Police in Toronto Criticized for Treatment of Protesters, Many Peaceful ,” by Ian Austen. Austen’s story is illustrated with a photo from the European Pressphoto Agency showing two policemen arresting a woman, but not photos shown elsewhere of burning cars, like the Associated Press photo by Frank Gunn above. Austen managed to fault the police both for initial passivity and subsequent overreaction: An escalation of aggressive police tactics toward even apparently peaceful protests at the Group of 20 summit meeting led to calls for a review of security activities . After allowing a small group of people to burn police cars and smash windows unimpeded on Saturday afternoon, many of the 20,000 police officers deployed in Toronto changed tactics that evening and during the last day of the gathering. There was a notable increase in both the numbers of police officers who surrounded demonstrations as well as more use of tear gas and rubber or plastic bullets. At the same time, there was a visible drop in the number of demonstrators in the city streets. As a result, the violence by some demonstrators that marred the opening of the Group of 20 meeting did not reappear on Sunday, and more than 600 people were arrested Saturday and Sunday. The Times seemed to miss the obvious connection: More police and more arrests = less crime. It’s one the Times has missed before, most notoriously in this headline from September 28, 1997: ” Crime Keeps On Falling; but Prisons Keep On Filling .” Unlike Archibold’s Arizona coverage, Austen didn’t ignore the violence on display in Toronto, though he did offer the same ludicrous apologia to this group of left-wing protesters that Archibold did to the ones in Arizona, writing that ” the overwhelming majority…were peaceful .” The violence was not exceptional compared with problems at previous international meetings, like the World Trade Organization’s gathering in Seattle in 1999 . Toronto’s shopping district sustained the greatest damage but quickly became something of a tourist attraction. But it was nevertheless extraordinary for Toronto, a city with little history of violent protests. David Miller, the city’s mayor, was among the many who swiftly condemned it. “Does today send signals about Toronto that I wish weren’t sent?” he said on Saturday evening. “Absolutely.” …. William Blair, the city’s police chief, did not respond directly to the widespread criticism over the lack of police response during the period of violence. But at a news conference, he suggested that officers were deliberately held back. The protesters, the overwhelming majority of whom were peaceful , promoted a variety of causes. Many were challenging the legitimacy of the Group of 20 and proposing that governments work through the United Nations. Others championed specific issues, particularly in relation to human rights and the environment.

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Once Again, ‘Many Peaceful’ = ‘Some Violent’ When It Comes to Leftist Protesters in the NY Times

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Sofia Coppola And Phoenix’s Thomas Mars Have Baby Girl

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Cosima is the couple’s second child, joining 3-year-old sister Romy. By Eric Ditzian Sofia Coppola and Thomas Mars Photo: Getty Images Oscar-winning director Sofia Coppola and Grammy-winning Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars have recently given birth to their second baby girl, People magazine reports. Named Cosima, the girl was born “within the last month,” a source told the magazine. The newborn is the couple’s second daughter, joining Romy, who is now 3 years old. The couple began dating in 2005 and revealed that Coppola, who won a best writing Oscar for “Lost in Translation,” was pregnant in December. The duo have most recently collaborated on Coppola’s upcoming film “Somewhere,” with Phoenix writing what Mars has described as a “very minimal” soundtrack for the project. “She asked us to do some music, very in the spirit of ‘Love Like a Sunset,’ so we tried to put that track and elements of the track in the movie, and it worked well,” Phoenix guitarist Christian Mazzalai told MTV Radio. “And then we wrote very small pieces of music, very minimal music for the movie too. … We’re very proud of it.” “This is the first time we feel [that] the music fits to the picture,” bassist Deck D’Arcy added. “We’ve [been on] many soundtracks before, and it’s always weird for us — producers must like [our songs], of course, if they use them — but for us, it’s always weird to see them in the films.” Starring Stephen Dorff as a Hollywood bad boy, “Somewhere” takes place largely at the famed Chateau Marmont hotel. The first trailer dropped earlier this month, with the film expected to hit theaters in December. Mars, meanwhile, continues to tour with Phoenix, which won a Best Alternative Music Album Grammy last year. The band kicked off the latest leg of their tour June 11 in North Carolina and then headed off to Germany and the U.K. They’ll weave throughout Europe before returning to the States in August and finally wrapping up in Mexico City at the end of September. Share your well-wishes for the new parents in the comments below!

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Democrat county supervisor: Arizona is not a border state

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

OK, well this may explain why Democrats don't understand why Arizona passed SB 1070. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQp8M0bkarM&feature=player_embedded According to her, Arizona is not a border state. No, it's “removed from the border.” After making a comment that is so obviously ignorant…what needs to be said? Meanwhile, we are finding out that there is a nexus between Hezbollah and the Mexican drug gangs… http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/25/congresswoman-raises-red-flag-hezboll… You'd think this intel would inspire the Federal Govt–that would be Obama–to take our border issues seriously, as a matter of national defense. But no. This week Obama met with Arizona Senator Kyle, who reports that Obama refuses to seal the border until the Republicans agree to work with him for “immigration reform”…also known as “AMNESTY”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpyrlX52TwA And now we learn that Obama has decided to appoint a Sanctuary City kook to head ICE. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/24/obama-administration-picks-critic-imm… The Obama administration has tapped an outspoken critic of immigration enforcement on the local level to oversee and promote partnerships between federal and local officials on the issue. Harold Hurtt, a former police chief in Houston and Phoenix, has been hired as the director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of State and Local Coordination. …as a police chief, Hurtt was a supporter of “sanctuary city” policies, by which illegal immigrants who don't commit crimes can live without fear of exposure or detainment because police don't check for immigration papers. What other evidence do you need to prove that the Democrats are out of touch…and are just being stupid? added by: curtisreed

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Joaquin Phoenix Film Could Hit Theaters In Fall

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Even execs selling movie are unsure whether ‘I’m Still Here’ is true documentary or elaborate hoax. By Eric Ditzian Joaquin Phoenix Photo: Gustavo Caballero/ Getty Images In “I’m Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix,” is the actor- turned-purported-rapper channeling Michael Moore or Borat? No one seems to know, which is surely part of the point and is helping to drive intrigue about the project. The public might soon have a chance to decide for themselves — documentary or mockumentary? — as the film could land in theaters as early as this fall. The Los Angeles Times reports that Magnolia Pictures is in final negotiations to acquire “I’m Still Here.” Directed by Casey Affleck, the film follows Phoenix’s transition from Oscar-nominated actor to aspiring rapper. While details are still strictly guarded, the footage surely captures Phoenix’s many perplexing episodes since early last year, including the actor performing at a club in Las Vegas (and falling off the stage) and acting like a demented Grizzly Adams on “The Late Show With David Letterman.” Sources also say that the film captures Phoenix having oral sex with a publicist, being defecated upon while sleeping and verbally abusing his assistants. All of these events remain an integral part of the film’s mystery. Not even distribution execs, who screened the film at William Morris Endeavor in May, could be sure whether the footage was for real or an elaborate hoax. Yet Diddy, who produced a track for Phoenix , remains convinced the whole thing is authentic. “Joaquin’s for real,” he told MTV News in May. “If he’s not for real, he tricked me. We went into the studio, did a record, mixed a record and everything.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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