Take heed, Justin Bieber. Stopped on the street last night by TMZ, Three 6 Mafia rapper DJ Paul offered up some advice to the young singer. With photos of Bieber taking sizzurp allegedly making the round, Paul – who is known for his song “Sippin on Some Syrup” – said of the risky cocktail: “I can’t say don’t do [sizzurp] because I did my rounds with it. But I stay away from it these days because I had a lot of friends that passed away from it. It’s dangerous if you do too much of it.” Seriously, JB. We do not want you to die. What about Lil Za and Lil Twist ? Bieber’s close friends who many consider to be bad influences? “Nah, friends are friends,” Paul said . “It’s just a phase they’re going through.”
Teen Mom 2 Star Jenelle Evans Accused Of Using Drugs While Pregnant A formerly pregnant cast member on MTV’s ‘Teen Mom 2′ television series is being accused of using drugs while she was with child. Jenelle Evans, who already has one child that isn’t in her custody, is reportedly notorious for using on the show and her now estranged husband says the continued usage during pregnancy is what caused Jenelle to suffer her recent miscarriage. via THG Courtland Rogers is opening up about estranged wife Jenelle Evans‘ drug use, alleging in a new video that she had a miscarriage because of heroin use. He makes this claim in a video obtained by Radar Online … in which Rogers himself is snorting a white powder his friend says is heroin. Good times. The video shows a shirtless Rogers talking to his friend Tiffany about Jenelle Evans’ drug use, which he’s hinted at in the past. “That’s why she had a miscarriage,” Courtland says on the tape, adding that he tried to Teen Mom 2 star away from drugs while she was pregnant. “I’m telling Jenelle, you can’t be doing this s–t,” he claims. “It’s going to kill our baby.” If that’s a false accusation, it’s pretty messed up. With Jenelle, however, you can never be sure; MTV considers her to be a liability for a reason. Heroin or not, things took a turn for the worse – for the couple and their baby. They went to Jenelle’s doctor when she was six weeks pregnant, and “the OBGYN asked her why she had opiates in her system,” Courtland claims. “It was her first trimester. I knew something bad was going to happen.” Regardless of whether he’s telling the truth, Jenelle Evans’ miscarriage was confirmed January 24. The duo had separated days earlier after 51 days of marriage. SMH. If these allegations are true, this chick needs to be sterilized ASAP.
Three people from Chicago felt no shame in exploiting some homeless women for their financial benefits and now it’s their turn to pay up via the justice system. In what has been described as “A sex trafficking house of horrors” by Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, 52-year-old Keith Williams and two of his associates, cousins Roman Kurek, 49, and Sylvia Topolewski, 37, were accused Friday of recruiting young homeless women and forcing them to perform sex acts for profit. Williams is charged with Involuntary Servitude, Trafficking in Persons. Kurek and Topolewski face the same charges, along with Promoting Prostitution (Kurek) and Prostitution (Topolewski). Alvarez said Williams, who went by the street name “Shampoo,” controlled as many as six women by locking them in his Schiller Park house and another home in Chicago and literally fed them heroin and crack on a silver platter. Victims who failed to turn over their money or angered Williams were beaten, starved and urinated on, Alvarez said at a Friday news conference. Williams was being held on a $650,000 bond and Kurek and Topolewski were each being held on a $350,000 bond. Pimping in 2013 just isn’t the same… ILP
As Steven Soderbergh said at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s preview screening of Side Effects on Wednesday, “There’s Movie A and there’s Movie B and there’s Movie C.” The director was making the apt point that Side Effect s could have been a heavy-handed movie about a) Big Pharma or b) insider trading, two of the film’s main motifs. But Soderbergh chose c), a much subtler and entertaining third path, and judging from the Manhattan audience’s enthusiastic reaction to the picture, his instincts did not fail him. Following the screening, Soderbergh took part in a Q&A session with cast members, Rooney Mara , Jude Law and Vinessa Shaw and Side Effects screenwriter Scott Z. Burns. When one moviegoer asked the director, “Did you ever feel like you might have missed an opportunity for a bigger conversation about Big Pharma?” Soderbergh responded: “I didn’t want to see that. What I loved about what Scott [Burns] did is that that issue was just a Trojan horse to hide a thriller inside of. I feel like, as a movie—that you stand in line and pay to see—I didn’t want to see a serious movie about Big Pharma. I really didn’t. I feel like I can read about that. It’s all over the news. It’s everywhere.” Alluding to his self-proclaimed retirement from filmmaking Soderbergh continued, “That may be a result of the fact that I’m in the twilight of my career. I honestly wanted to make something that…was connected to movies I saw when I was growing up that I thought were fun.” Burns chimed in to explain he generally starts “writing from a place where there’s something I’m upset or passionate about. So, obviously I have strong feelings about that whole issue.” But, he reasoned, “I don’t like movies that are preachy. If they are, they should be things like An Inconvenient Truth . We all wanted to make something really entertaining. The hope is that it causes a discussion about all these other issues. But we wanted to invite people to go on a ride.” Side Effects offers a lot of plot twists and turns along the way. Even Thomas Newman’s superb, eerie score elicits sensations that don’t necessarily align with the spare, elegant scenes unfolding on screen. “I feel like you should have a reason for every shot and you should have a reason for every cut,” Soderbergh told the crowd at the Walter Reade Theater before praising Burns’ script yet again. “What I loved about this piece of material is it’s an incredible opportunity to take it all down to the marrow,” he said, adding: “That doesn’t mean it has to be boring. It doesn’t mean that it can’t be stylish. It just means that, as a director, you’re supposed to have the 30,000-foot view of the movie and [to] be able to calibrate how the shots and the cutting patterns are going to affect the audience.” Soderbergh did not sound like filmmaker who was ready to fold up his director’s chair, and after demonstrating his nuanced choice of camera angles for a specific scene, Shaw, who plays Law’s wife in the film, addressed the elephant in the room. “And why are you quitting directing, based on everything you just said?” the actress said. [Insert passionate round of applause here.] “Because I don’t ever want to be in a situation where that’s the solve again,” Soderbergh said. “I can’t use that again. I used it. And that’s the last good idea I ever had.” Nell Alk is an arts and entertainment writer and reporter based in New York City. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Manhattan Magazine, Z!NK Magazine and on InterviewMagazine.com, PaperMag.com and RollingStone.com, among others. Learn more about her here. Follow Nell Alk on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Call it strangely eerie or a fitting send off, on the same day that former New York mayor Ed Koch died, a new documentary about him and titled simply, Koch will open in the city he lead and will be buried in. Koch, who served as NYC mayor from 1978 – 1989 over three terms, died at 2am Eastern Time from congestive heart failure, according to the New York Times. Directed by first-time filmmaker Neil Barsky, Koch offers a portrait of the combative, humorous and straight-talking mayor who also served as a Congressman before taking the city’s highest office. The film chronicles the history of NYC alongside Koch’s tenure, which began as the city faced the depths of near bankruptcy and malaise in the late ’70s. As he served in the ’80s, the city faced racial strife and the dawn of the AIDS crisis as well as homelessness and the ascendance of Wall Street wealth in the go-go ’80s. In 1987 he famously refused a permit for the New York Giants to have a ticker tape parade to celebrate their victory at Super Bowl XXI because the team had moved to the Meadowland Complex over the river in New Jersey some years prior. “If they want a parade, let them parade in front of the oil drums in Moonachie,” said Koch referring to the town near the Giants’ adopted home. Koch also left his touch on the entertainment world, even serving as judge on The People’s Court after his mayorship and even as a film critic through his we show, Mayor At the Movies , according to Deadline.com. He also appeared in dozens of films and television shows including The Muppets Take Manhattan , Sex and the City , Spin City and of course, Saturday Night Live . Zeitgeist Films will open Koch , which premiered at last October’s Hamptons International Film Festival, at the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza theaters in Manhattan this weekend. It will head to other areas of the city in the coming weeks in addition to other U.S. cities in a slow roll-out. “I spoke to him on the day of the premiere [from the hospital] and he said, ‘don’t let the applause go to your head,'” Barsky said Friday morning on local news station, New York One. “He’s the ultimate publicist for himself and the city. It’s very regrettable he couldn’t attend the premiere of what I think is an affectionate film.” Koch log line: Former Mayor Ed Koch is the quintessential New Yorker. Still ferocious, charismatic, and hilariously blunt, the now 88-year-old Koch ruled New York from 1978 to 1989—a down-and-dirty decade of grit, graffiti, near-bankruptcy and rampant crime. First-time filmmaker (and former Wall Street Journal reporter) Neil Barsky has crafted an intimate and revealing portrait of this intensely private man, his legacy as a political titan, and the town he helped transform. The tumult of his three terms included a fiercely competitive 1977 election; an infamous 1980 transit strike; the burgeoning AIDS epidemic; landmark housing renewal initiatives; and an irreparable municipal corruption scandal. Through candid interviews and rare archival footage, Koch thrillingly chronicles the personal and political toll of running the world’s most wondrous city in a time of upheaval and reinvention. [ Sources: Deadline , NYT , New York One ]
Call it strangely eerie or a fitting send off, on the same day that former New York mayor Ed Koch died, a new documentary about him and titled simply, Koch will open in the city he lead and will be buried in. Koch, who served as NYC mayor from 1978 – 1989 over three terms, died at 2am Eastern Time from congestive heart failure, according to the New York Times. Directed by first-time filmmaker Neil Barsky, Koch offers a portrait of the combative, humorous and straight-talking mayor who also served as a Congressman before taking the city’s highest office. The film chronicles the history of NYC alongside Koch’s tenure, which began as the city faced the depths of near bankruptcy and malaise in the late ’70s. As he served in the ’80s, the city faced racial strife and the dawn of the AIDS crisis as well as homelessness and the ascendance of Wall Street wealth in the go-go ’80s. In 1987 he famously refused a permit for the New York Giants to have a ticker tape parade to celebrate their victory at Super Bowl XXI because the team had moved to the Meadowland Complex over the river in New Jersey some years prior. “If they want a parade, let them parade in front of the oil drums in Moonachie,” said Koch referring to the town near the Giants’ adopted home. Koch also left his touch on the entertainment world, even serving as judge on The People’s Court after his mayorship and even as a film critic through his we show, Mayor At the Movies , according to Deadline.com. He also appeared in dozens of films and television shows including The Muppets Take Manhattan , Sex and the City , Spin City and of course, Saturday Night Live . Zeitgeist Films will open Koch , which premiered at last October’s Hamptons International Film Festival, at the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza theaters in Manhattan this weekend. It will head to other areas of the city in the coming weeks in addition to other U.S. cities in a slow roll-out. “I spoke to him on the day of the premiere [from the hospital] and he said, ‘don’t let the applause go to your head,'” Barsky said Friday morning on local news station, New York One. “He’s the ultimate publicist for himself and the city. It’s very regrettable he couldn’t attend the premiere of what I think is an affectionate film.” Koch log line: Former Mayor Ed Koch is the quintessential New Yorker. Still ferocious, charismatic, and hilariously blunt, the now 88-year-old Koch ruled New York from 1978 to 1989—a down-and-dirty decade of grit, graffiti, near-bankruptcy and rampant crime. First-time filmmaker (and former Wall Street Journal reporter) Neil Barsky has crafted an intimate and revealing portrait of this intensely private man, his legacy as a political titan, and the town he helped transform. The tumult of his three terms included a fiercely competitive 1977 election; an infamous 1980 transit strike; the burgeoning AIDS epidemic; landmark housing renewal initiatives; and an irreparable municipal corruption scandal. Through candid interviews and rare archival footage, Koch thrillingly chronicles the personal and political toll of running the world’s most wondrous city in a time of upheaval and reinvention. [ Sources: Deadline , NYT , New York One ]
Don’t try to crash a news report by WKMG-6 Orlando’s Jessica Sanchez. She’ll cut you down to size in two seconds, as a drunken reveler found out this week in New Orleans, where Sanchez is covering Sunday’s Super Bowl festivities. As Jessica began her report talking about the “zombies” that are wandering around late night, she was greeted by a 49ers fan who tried to video bomb the segment. Her response? And the drunk fan’s response to that response? You gotta see it to appreciate it: Jessica Sanchez BURNS Drunken Bourban Street Reveler
My name’s Ashley and I NEVER thought I would be writing a “My Bieber Experience.” This is how it all happened: It was May 2012 when the Believe Tour tickets first went on sale. I was sitting in 2nd period class that day and I got Justin’s tweet sent to my phone, saying something like “BELIEVE tour tix go on sale today!!” I hoped and prayed that I would somehow get tickets because I haven’t seen Justin since December 2010. My friend’s mom texted me saying, “Couldn’t get Believe tour tix….they sold out in first 30 seconds. I’ll keep trying, don’t get your hopes up, promise.” As soon as I read that, I started tearing up in class. I knew going to the Believe Tour wouldn’t happen. A few radio stations were giving away tickets a couple weeks later and I tried to call so many times but never got through. Then my friend Lauren (the girl i had met Justin with) texted me after school one day and said “DUDE GET ON SKYPE, I HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU.” I got so confused, I didn’t know what was going on. I got on Skype and I was so nervous, I thought it was going to be some kind of bad news. It turns out my friend’s mom had actually got us meet and greet VIP tickets for the Believe Tour , but she didn’t want me to know. I literally fell on the floor, laid there and started bawling my eyes out. I didn’t believe it was going to happen until January 23rd 2013 arrived. Finally the day came when we met Justin. We got our meet and greet bracelets and went to wait in line. When I was waiting, my heart was beating SO fast. It was almost time. We went downstairs to the bottom of the arena, and finally arrived in a room. While we were waiting there was a raffle ticket game. It turns out my friend’s mom had BOTH of the lucky tickets and we won a PIECE OF JUSTIN’S OLD DRUM SET AND A PIECE OF HIS OLD BACK DROP! They were also signed by him as well! Then everyone started screaming. The curtains were moving and Justin was in the building. Then it was our turn to meet Justin. We walked through the curtain, I couldn’t believe it. He was real, he was right there, right in front of my face. We walked up to him and I was like, “Oh my goodness, Hi Justin!” He said, “Hey love!” We got our picture together and then we had to leave. Before the bodyguards could push me away I yelled to Justin, “You’re the reason why we’re best friends!” (as I pointed to Lauren) His face lit up SO big and he had the biggest smile on his face. He said, “Aw!! That’s so awesome!! Thank you!!” My heart dropped to the ground. After we met him, I just stood there and cried and cried and cried. It happened. I finally met Justin and told him what I wanted to say. During the concert, we were in the front row and when Justin was singing ‘Baby’ he came right up to me and sang in my eyes for about 10 seconds! Trust me, I never thought I would meet Justin, but I believed and it happened. If you keep believing, you’ll meet Justin too. I promise. I’m the one of the left of Justin by the way! -Ashley Go here to see the original: My name’s Ashley and I NEVER thought I would be writing a…
September 1st at 4:30 p.m. has got to be one of my most grateful days of my life. I was on Twitter the days earlier and was minding my own fan girl business when I came upon an idea. I decided to tweet, “Someone should give me the address to Justin’s rehearsal studio.” Thankfully my friend Melanie had met Justin the pervious week and dmed me the address. I begged and pleaded to my mom to go. I asked her and she said fine, but your paying for gas. I was up for the challenge. Finally I was being calm the rest of the week not trying to get my hopes up. Finally it was Saturday. We went to go pick up my friend Jasmine and we drove. We arrived at the studio and my friend screams “AHHH ALFREDO!” We make my mom stop the car and fangirled in the street for about 2 minutes and gently but fast walked to Alfredo. HE SMELLS SO GOOD!!! All of a sudden we hear, “Hey guys look what I brought you.” I couldn’t even register my mind, so I quickly grabbed my phone remembering is was off! FML. I turned it on as quick as I could while Justin shows us the cake he brought us. My inspiration was standing right in front of me. In that moment, I just wanted to get on my knees and thank god. Justin asked, “Can you guys get in a straight line?” We ran so fast into position. As Justin kept taking pictures of fans, Alfredo kept shouting “Justin you so sexy.” Then it was my turn. I had one chance either an autograph or picture. I asked for the most priceless picture ever, I said, “Can I have a kiss on the cheek?” Justin responded with, “Can we just take the picture?” I responded “Okay.” Then all of a sudden I feel PERFECT LIPS LIKE A BABYS BOTTOM ON MY FACE. He must if thought I was polite in understanding he was in a rush and that was my treat. He let go with his hand sliding away from my back. Ahhh the chills, the feels. I seriously took each day after that as a blessing. Not many beliebers get to meet him and I really hope the majority of our family gets to someday. Most fans take meeting Justin for granted. I think most beliebers deserve a hug, and to share there feelings with him. Most of us go through the hardest stuff wishing we knew someone who knows how we feel, but with Justin – he wouldn’t care what we did wrong, said, or is doing wrong. You wouldn’t feel judged. Don’t take my experience as a show off. Take it as an inspiration to work on meeting your life. If you need help dm me we are family for a reason. -@Theblackkcoop Read the rest here: September 1st at 4:30 p.m. has got to be one of my most grateful…
Taylor Swift is getting together with one of the great loves of her life. Harry Styles ? No. John Mayer? Please. The singer has announced a new partnership with Diet Coke. Watch her gush over the product and explain a bit more in the following video: Taylor Swift Shills for Diet Coke Look for the upcoming Taylor Swift tour , which kicks off March 13 in Omaha, to be sponsored in some way by Diet Coke and for the deal to include “behind the scenes commercial shoots,” as Swift teases here. This is one Taylor Swift relationship we expect to last for at least a couple months.
