Comedian Phyllis Diller, a groundbreaking comedian who paved the way for female comics in the generations that followed, has died at the age of 95. Diller recently hurt her wrist and hip in a fall, and her health had been on the decline ever since. She had been living in hospice care at her home. The mother of three children, Diller passed away in Brentwood, Calif.
Nicely played, Internet. While Gotye’s hit song “Somebody That I Used to Know” is now massively overplayed, this parody devoted to a young voter’s waning enthusiasm with President Barack Obama is worth checking out. Like many, he longs for the “Obama That I Used to Know” …
Nicely played, Internet. While Gotye’s hit song “Somebody That I Used to Know” is now massively overplayed, this parody devoted to a young voter’s waning enthusiasm with President Barack Obama is worth checking out. Like many, he longs for the “Obama That I Used to Know” …
The Jackson family turmoil appears to be simmering down as matriarch Katherine Jackson was reinstated as a guardian of her grandchildren today. The news comes less than 24 hours after Jermaine Jackson put forth an “olive branch” and backed off his challenge to late brother Michael’s will. At a hearing Thursday, Judge Mitchell Beckloff said Katherine was doing a “wonderful job” with MJ’s kids, Prince, 15, Paris, 14, and Blanket, 10. “It’s clear that the children are well cared for by Mrs. Jackson,” he said, according to the L.A. Times . “It is clear to me they love her very much.” The judge also said that the kids’ cousin T.J. Jackson , 34, who was named temporary guardian at an earlier emergency hearing, would remain so. The ruling came after MJ’s brother Jermaine said he had withdrawn his signature from a letter calling Michael’s will “fake, flawed and fraudulent.” Jermaine, Tito, Rebbie, Randy and Janet Jackson accused the executors of the estate of mismanagement and possibly harming Katherine Jackson. Relations haven’t thawed entirely, however. In a court declaration, Katherine seems to suggest she was tricked into traveling to Arizona last month. There, she claims she was blocked from communicating with Prince, Paris, and Blanket – implying there was a coup to strip her of guardianship. Katherine claims she was set to go on a road trip to New Mexico to watch her sons’ concert, until an unnamed doctor told her it was better to fly instead. Katherine says she obliged, believing the doctor was under the orders of her longtime physician, but when she got off the plane, found herself in Tucson. Arizona. According to her lawyer, “Her children took her to a spa … because she had high blood pressure.” She says her phone and iPad were taken away, her in-room telephone was disconnected and TV was also shut off. When Katherine asked about the grandchildren, she was told “they were fine” and there was nothing to worry about. She says she did not know she had been reported missing and her grandkids were freaking out. The declaration contradicts her earlier claims calling the Arizona trip a brief vacation, but surprisingly doesn’t sound so unbelievable in the context of everything that’s transpired in the last several weeks.
Here is the latest in the ever-growing Jackson family saga: With Katherine Jackson supposedly safe and sound in Arizona, Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson appeared on The Insider yesterday and expressed consternation and anger over the whereabouts of their mother. “We’ve been told that our mother is safe,” Marlon told Kevin Frazier. “She’s doing well. But we have not spoken to her. We have not talked to her and I don’t know where my mother is.” The brother of Michael Jackson then choked up and grew animated. He lashed out: “All I know is she is in Arizona, and whatever doctor is saying I can’t talk to my mother you call ME!” Marlon’s sibling, Randy, claims he whisked Katherine off to Arizona under doctor’s orders. But no one has been able to explain why she’s gone nearly two weeks now without making any contact with some of her kids and all three of her grandchildren. As a result of this mystery, TJ Jackson is pursuing legal avenues to take over guardianship of Paris, Prince and Blanket (MJ’s daughter and sons). Most believe this giant mess is related to Michael Jackson’s will, which is being contested by Randy Jackson because it leaves the entirety of the singer’s estate to his children and he’s now using Katherine to try and get the document invalidated. Tito Jackson, however, backed away from that plot this week, publicly stating that he wanted nothing to do with a letter sent by Jermaine, Janet, Rebbie and Randy that challenged the authority and actions of the executor’s of MJ’s will. “I completely retract my signature from the July 17th letter sent to the Executors of my brother Michael’s estate and repudiate all the claims made against them,” Tito told TMZ. “I don’t want any part of that letter whatsoever.”
Catelynn Lowell has cleared the air, once and for all, that she’s not pregnant. Which we already knew, but now there’s a new magazine cover to prove it! According to Us Weekly, which reports the ultimate non-story below, the Teen Mom star is “hurt” by rumors that she was pregnant again last week. The reality star tells the celeb gossip mag that it “wouldn’t be fair” to her daughter Carly, whom she gave up for adoption, to have another so fast. Catelynn and Tyler Baltierra graduated on this week’s Teen Mom, and the young lovers / step-siblings say they are planning a fairy tale wedding for next year. They hope Carly, who they’ve worked hard to maintain a relationship with after making the decision to allow someone to adopt her, will be there too. Here’s hoping she will, and that Tyler and Cate make good on their plans to continue their education so they’re better prepared to support baby #2! If she ever lacks for inspiration as far as formulating a life plan, she need not go far. All she needs to do is look at Amber Portwood and do the opposite.
Where the Hell is Matt? Still doing his thing! You may very well recall the 2008 viral video in which video game designer Matt Harding quit his job, traveled around planet earth and performing his signature dance move in the most far-flung and unlikeliest of places. Well, four years later … Matt’s back with a sequel! Where the Hell is Matt (2012) If it’s possible, Harding’s travelogue is even more impressive in 2012, with him dancing up a storm in locations ranging from Kabul, Afghanistan to Kigali, Rwanda, Damascus, Syria, Poria, Papua New Guinea and even the rarely seen Pyongyang, North Korea. Not every place even made the video, either, but Matt, who released the 2012 video yesterday, promises to add them to a special outtakes video soon. To compare the two and see the adventure that gained Harding his first 15 minutes, check out the 2008 “Where the Hell is Matt” video after the jump: Where the Hell is Matt (2008)
“When I bust out with that Styles P record, ya’ll not gonna call me fake,” Banks tells MTV News days before she ‘quits rapping.’ By Nadeska Alexis Azealia Banks Photo: MTV News Is Azealia Banks really saying goodbye to her rap career? Earlier this week, the Harlem native deleted her Twitter account and announced that she will now focus on being a ‘vocalist’ instead of a rapper . But just last week she told MTV News that her upcoming Fantasea mixtape would be heavy on hip-hop, with a major feature from Styles P. Banks announced her resignation from rap via a new Tumblr account, writing, “No longer wishing to be a rapper. i never was. … and as soon as i started paying attention to bullsh– urban media, i started getting myself in trouble. From now on i’m a vocalist, and will not be associating myself with the ‘rap game’ … or whatever the f— that means.” Oddly enough, the new proclamation comes just days after Banks revealed to MTV News that Fantasea, slated for a July debut, will include a feature from Styles P that she was thrilled to get. “It’s gonna be hip-hop, there’s a lot of hip-hop on it,” Banks said of the mixtape. “I have a track with Styles P on there, which I’m really excited about because Styles killed it, killed it, killed it.” “It’s so New York and it’s so raw and it’s so just … everything that needs to be said,” she added, going on to address the criticism she’s received from the hip-hop community so far. “I’m that rap girl who’s out here and doesn’t have another rapper behind her, but she’s got all this mouth and she’s all over the place. So [this collaboration] was cool for me [because I’m like] ‘What ya’ll gonna say now, when I bust out with that Styles P record?’ Ya’ll not gon’ call me fake and make fun of me for having one song. Yeah, I make lil dance music and ya’ll got jokes, whatever — watch when I come out with the Styles P record.” Banks hasn’t been too warmly received by all urban media, but some of that has to do with her reputation for taking open shots at artists like Grand Hustle’s Iggy Azalea — a rap girl who does have another rapper behind her — and by association, veteran T.I. So despite Banks’ claim that she will quit rapping, there will still be hip-hop on Fantasea, and she even admitted that she’s hoping for more rap features outside of Styles P. “Schedules are weird and with as much as I have going on, it’s hard, but I like to really collaborate,” she said. “When I’m collaborating with someone I want us to be in the same room and feed off each other. I don’t wanna just send you the track.” One thing we do know is when it comes to Banks’ outspoken nature, nothing much is going to change. “Rap dudes, keep talking sh– and I’ma keep popping sh–,” she said. “I’m just reactive and I say what I have to say and I keep it moving. … It’s not going to change.” Do you think Azealia Banks is really done with rap? Leave your comment below!
Wayne Coyne talks to MTV News about recording ‘Thunder Up!’ for his hometown team as they prepare to take on Heat. By James Montgomery James Montgomery and Wayne Coyne Photo: MTV News Last month, before his epic war of words with Erykah Badu and after his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder fell behind 2-0 in their Western Conference Finals matchup with the seemingly unstoppable San Antonio Spurs, Flaming Lips’ mastermind Wayne Coyne was still upbeat. And not about Badu. No, despite the (then) overwhelming odds against them, Coyne was confident that the Thunder would not only rally to defeat the Spurs, but would go on to win the NBA championship. In fact, “confident” was probably an understatement. “Of course, what do you mean ‘Can they win?’ ” he responded to MTV News when we asked about the Thunder’s chances of taking home the NBA crown. “They will win.” And we all know how things turned out. The Thunder staged a Lazarus-like comeback against the Spurs — who had been riding a 20-game winning streak — and won the series in six games. Now, it’s on to the NBA Finals, where they’ll face off against the playoff-tested Miami Heat and their trio of stars: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Game one of the Finals tips off Tuesday night (June 12) in Oklahoma City. Can the Thunder’s epic run culminate in the NBA championship? Well, we know what Coyne thinks … and he’s not alone. He and the Lips recently re-recorded one of their signature songs — “Race for the Prize,” off 1999’s The Soft Bulletin — as an anthem for the team, a rousing version dubbed “Thunder Up! Racing for the Prize,” with the same crashing drums and keening synths of the original, but sees Coyne changing the lyrics to reflect his admiration for the squad. “Theirs is to win/ We win with them/ They’ll keep fighting for Oklahoma!” he sings, while the shouted refrain of “Thunder Up!” is repeated in the background. The whole thing ends, appropriately enough, with a booming thunderclap of electronic noise. It’s not known whether “Thunder Up!” will be played in Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Arena during game one of the Finals, but Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd has certainly been doing his part to make it happen: He’s tweeted the track to Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, encouraging him to share it with all his “OKC Thunder bros.” Like most of the city, Drozd’s wrapped up in the thrill of the NBA Finals, noting , “There’s already extra traffic and excitement in the air at OKC airport.” Related Artists The Flaming Lips
‘He watering it down, just putting words together that sounded good,’ Waka tells Complex magazine. By Rob Markman Waka Flocka Flame Photo: Getty Images Waka Flocka Flame doesn’t dabble in rap politics. The outspoken Atlanta rap star hasn’t yet mastered the art of being diplomatic and he most likely never will. In his most recent interview with Complex magazine, Waka weighed in on Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rick Ross and other rappers he feels have capitalized off of his rowdy, down-bottom sound. “What are y’all gonna say now? Jay-Z stupid as hell? My sound is wack? You gonna say that? They love the sound. They can’t run away from it. That shit re-sparked n—as’ careers. My sound put life into a lot of people’s careers. I feel like my sound changed hip-hop. Period,” Waka told the magazine. “It’s crazy when I came out with it, everybody laughed at it, but the next year everybody’s doing it. They getting credit for the sh– you started. You be like, ‘Damn, how is this n—a a genius for doing something I started?’ ” Flocka first emerged in 2009 with “O Let’s Do It,” a riot-starting jam fueled by a mix of sporadic horn stabs and thumping bass. His next single, the Lex Luger -produced “Hard in the Paint,” would introduce rap fans to a refreshing-yet-schizophrenic sound. By 2010, the horrific synth lines and kinetic drum patterns became rap’s hottest sound and Luger one of the most in-demand producers. Kanye tapped Waka’s sound scientist on the Throne’s “H.A.M.” single. Rick Ross, who first collaborated with Waka on his “O Let’s Do It” remix, went on to make a number of hits with Lex, most notably “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast).” In just two years, Luger has crafted tracks with Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, 2 Chainz, Wale, Mac Miller and Ace Hood. Waka, who will release his new album Triple F Life on Tuesday, doesn’t mention Ross by name, but suggests that the Maybach Music boss swiped his signature sound. “This n—a out here making 30 fucking songs with your sound,” Flocka charged. “He watering it down, just putting words together that sounded good. Sh– would be harder if it was the truth.” Thirty songs may be a stretch, but still Waka is not flattered by what he sees as imitation. “That sh– made me tight. N—as built labels off our sound — like, literally. You know how many n—as sound like Lex Luger and Southside?” he asked rhetorically, referencing his second in-house producer Southside. “I go in n—as’ studios, all their beats sound like my producers. I be like, What the f—?” Do you believe Rick Ross swiped Waka Flocka Flame’s sound? Share your opinion in the comments! Related Artists Waka Flocka Flame Rick Ross
Breaking Sports Video
