Two of Lyoto Machida's predecessors as light-heavyweight champion will lead teams on the next run of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's reality show.
The promotion today named Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches for the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter. The move changes UFC's earlier plans for a bout between Jackson and Machida, who knocked out Evans on Saturday to win the 205-pound division's title belt — coaching on TUF means Jackson and Evans won't fight until December.
Jackson said he wanted more time to refresh his ground skills and wrestling. Although Jackson initially became a star in Pride because of his takedowns and ground-and-pound attack, he believes he has become too one-dimensional in recent years while focusing on his boxing.
"I want to get back to slamming people," Jackson said. "I want to be more unpredictable, because that's what got me this far."
UFC President Dana White and Jackson said he was chosen as a coach because he wanted to face Evans. Jackson said he remains angry that Evans confronted him in the cage immediately after Jackson's March win over Evans' teammate, Keith Jardine, at UFC 96.
"When I found out who I was coaching against, I couldn't turn it down," Jackson said.
UFC makes sure both coaches actually want to do it rather than simply forcing them to take part in the show, White said.
"I'm not the psycho dictator that everyone thinks I am," he said.
Both coaches have experience on the show, with Evans winning TUF Season 2 and Jackson coaching on TUF Season 7.
Jackson's previous coaching stint went poorly, as many of his fighters lost their bouts. This time he will do a better job of taking each fighter's abilities and skills into account, he said.
"I'm going to talk to the guys a little bit more, see how they're feeling," Jackson said.
Season 10 will feature heavyweights. It is scheduled to start airing on Spike TV in September.
Although TUF is largely about producing new talent for UFC, it also has been a showcase for the coaches' personalities. Machida as a person remains somewhat enigmatic to the casual audience, but he simply wanted to fight sooner than December, White suggested.
"Machida wants to stay busy," he said.
With Jackson out of the picture, the new champion's next opponent likely will be named today or tomorrow, White said. A report on Machida's website that he will be fighting at UFC 103 in September is not true, White said.
(Posted by Sergio Non)
Source : USA Today
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Former Xscape singer Tameka “Tiny” Cottle and Lil’ Wayne’s ex-wife Antonia “Toya” Carter are set to star in a new BET reality series, the network announced this week.
Tiny and Toya will chronicle the two women defining their purpose and building a brighter future for themselves.
Based in Atlanta, the new show follows the lives of these two young women, who in addition to co-parenting two of Hip-Hop’s biggest stars, also happen to be best friends.
Tiny and Toya will follow the two as they strive “to find inner-strength, peace and purpose,” a description of the show says.
Both women are also seeking to be defined outside of the shadow of the men in their lives.
Despite her success with 90s R&B group Xscape and being a Grammy and ASCAP Award winning songwriter, Tiny is best known for her ongoing long-term relationship with rapper T.I.
The two have two sons together, the oldest of which is now four.
The couple made headlines yesterday (May 27) when, on the day after T.I. started his jail sentence on federal gun charges, a source close to the family announced that they were in fact married.
However, today (May 28), T.I.’s publicist Sydney Margetson dismissed the reports as “absolutely not true.”
Toya Carter is the mother of Lil’ Wayne’s eldest Reginae Carter.
Five years after the birth of their daughter, Wayne and Toya got married on Valentine’s Day 2004.
However, they divorced two years later.
A year later, in 2007, Toya made headlines when she spoke to Vibe Magazine about the relationship after her ex had denied in interviews that they were ever in love.
The first Tiny and Toya 30-minute episode will debut at 10pm on June 30.
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Actress Robin Givens doesn't exactly have her taxes in line. After two unlucky relationships -- the first being Tyson and then the second being former tennis instructor Svetozar Marinkovic -- Givens can now say she has an unlucky streak with the IRS.
According to Forbes, the 44-year-old actress has been sued by the U.S. government over a reported $292,000 of unpaid federal taxes, interest and penalties dating back as far as 1996.
In a lawsuit filed last week, the feds asked the federal court in Tampa, Florida to enter a formal judgment against Givens on 39 separate assessments, covering eight of the 12 calendar years through 2007. The filing would allow the IRS to collect the unpaid taxes through garnishment of earnings or levying her assets, such as bank accounts.
Givens is said to have failed to pay $222,000 in federal taxes, and racked up another $70,000 in interest and assorted penalties, including for failure to pay, underpayment of estimated tax and late filing.
This isn't the first time the actress has had tax troubles. The Forbes report says that numerous state and federal tax liens have been filed against her over the years -- including leins in New York, Florida and California.
Her Los Angeles-based agent declined to comment on the lawsuit, and no formal reply has been filed in court.
Source: BallerStatus.com
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It’s gonna get real ’90s in Times Square when Raekwon headlines the second show in the Hip-Hop Legends Concert Series on June 17 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.
Hosted by Funkmaster Flex and Chuck Chillout on the ones and twos, Black Moon, Das EFX, Lord Finesse, MC Lyte, Naughty by Nature, Nice & Smooth, Showbiz & AG, and Smif-N-Wesson will all hit the stage as well.
The first show in the Legends series took place last Sunday (May 24), with Method Man & Redman taking top billin’ and EPMD, N.O.R.E., Brand Nubian, Black Sheep and Lords of the Underground all performing during the course of the five-hour event.- Devin Chanda
Source : XXL.com
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News on the marriage of longtime partners Tameka “Tiny” Cottle and T.I. (Clifford Harris) have proven to be false, according to the Atlanta star’s publicist.
Yesterday (May 27), Essence magazine broke the story that the couple had wed several weeks ago in a private Miami ceremony.
Rumors began immediately that the quick, unannounced marriage was done since T.I. would begin serving his one-year and a day prison sentence this month.
However, the superstar’s publicist Sydney Margetson today dismissed the reports as “absolutely not true” to Sister to Sister magazine.
Last weekend, T.I. completed an emotional farewell concert at Atlanta’s Philips Area, where he brought his children on stage to promise them a better future and father upon his release.
On Tuesday (May 26), he reported for his sentencing after being denied a request to be housed closer to Atlanta.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, through good behavior T.I. can become eligible to have up to 55 days lowered from his sentence.
At press time, T.I. and Tiny are maintaining their two-year engagement.
Source : Allhiphop.com
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It seems Jay-Z has more labels than a fashion house. The rapper/ businessman is negotiating a number of multi-million dollar deals for two new record labels, according to multiple reports. The longtime Def Jam star recently split from that label after buying out his contract for a rumored $ 5 million.
Music industry Web site Hits Daily Double first reported on Tuesday (May 28) that Jay-Z is close to inking a deal with Sony Music for distribution for his Roc Nation banner. According to the report [], executives for Sony and members of Jay-Z's business team have been spotted in recent weeks both in New York and Los Angeles meeting together to discuss a deal. It's being speculated that Jay-Z's long-awaited Blueprint 3 album will be released this fall through a Roc Nation/ Sony Music union; Jay has a longstanding connection with Sony Music head/ hit producer Rick Rubin, who helmed Jay's "99 Problems" and appears in the song's video.
MTV News inquiries made earlier this week and on Thursday (May 28) to representatives for Jay-Z had not been returned as of press time.
On Thursday, New York's Daily News reported that Jay-Z is also in talks with Warner Music Group to launch Carter Music Group, a label that may see the rapper release his own solo albums on Atlantic Records after his next effort.
Warner is headed by veteran Jay-Z allies Chairman Lyor Cohen and Executive Vice President Kevin Liles. All three men once worked together during Def Jam's heyday, when Jay-Z released albums through a partnership with the label. After Liles left Def Jam to work with Cohen at WMG, it opened the ranks for Jay-Z to assume the presidency of label, a position he held for three years.
In January of this year, Jay-Z spoke with MTV News about this plans for Blueprint 3 and his partnership with concert-promotion giant Live Nation. The rapper reportedly signed a $150 million deal with Live Nation in April 2008, following in the footsteps of U2 and Madonna who also signed hefty 360-styled deals with the company. Part of Jay-Z's pact included the launch of Roc Nation, a separate company to develop talent and to which Jay-Z has already signed pop producers Stargate to a deal.
"Well, whatever it is, it'll be Roc Nation. It's gonna be a partnership with someone," Jay-Z said earlier this year about his next album. "So whether it's going to be Def Jam or someone [else], that's yet to be determined."
No official word on when either deal will be finalized has been made public as of press time.
Source : MTVNEWS
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Several weeks after Depeche Mode canceled a string of European dates because singer Dave Gahan was reportedly suffering a severe case of gastroenteritis, a spokesperson for the band announced on Thursday that Gahan had undergone surgery to remove a malignant tumor on his bladder.
"On May 12th, lead singer Dave Gahan suffered a severe bout of gastroenteritis, leading to his hospitalization and the cancellation of the [May 12] Athens concert," read the statement. "While in hospital, further medical tests revealed a low-grade malignant tumor in Dave's bladder, which has since been successfully removed. At doctors' orders, Dave Gahan must take a break until June 8th to ensure that he makes a full recovery."
While Gahan underwent surgery and recovered, the band was forced to cancel nine European shows, which may or may not be rescheduled. In addition, a May 30 show at the O2 Arena in London will be rescheduled, and appearances at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands, has been canceled. Shows in Hamburg (June 2) and Dusseldorf, Germany (June 4, 5), as well as a July 2 show in Bergen, Norway, will be rescheduled. And while the June 7 show in Leipzig, Germany, is canceled, the June 8 show is expected to go on as scheduled.
"Dave Gahan sincerely thanks his fans for their support, understanding and patience," the statement continued. "Depeche Mode deeply regret any problems or inconveniences the cancellations and postponements may have caused." Assuming Gahan, 47, is fully recovered, the long-running synth-pop group is expected to play out a full roster of June and July dates at European festivals, stadiums and amphitheaters.
Source : MTVNEWS
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Last week, we dropped a bombshell of OME proportions when we announced that the cast of "New Moon" will be presenting exclusive footage from their upcoming "Twilight" sequel during the MTV Movie Awards. Now we can reveal that the never-before-seen video that Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will be introducing on Sunday's live show is the movie's first trailer.
The stars will present the premiere of the "New Moon" trailer on the Movie Awards, airing at 9:00 pm ET on Sunday. Then at 10:45 p.m., the high-definition video will debut online.
This year, "Twilight" leads all other films at the Movie Awards with seven nominations, including nods for Breakthrough Performance Male nods for Pattinson and Lautner, and Best Performance Female for Stewart. Cam Gigandet, who plays evil vampire James in the movie, has been campaigning heavily (with the help of FunnyOrDie.com) to win Best Fight for his battle with Pattinson. Voting in the Best Movie category, for which "Twilight" is also nominated, will stay open until the end of the live telecast.
Joining the "Twilight" trio will be an all-star group of Hollywood presenters, including Denzel Washington, Will Ferrell, Lil Wayne, Cameron Diaz, Sandra Bullock, Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Abigail Breslin, Shia LaBeouf, Leighton Meester, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum.
In addition to this cavalcade of celebrity presenters, the Movie Awards will feature musical performances by Eminem, who will perform music from his new album, Relapse, and Kings of Leon, who will perform their hit "Use Somebody."
Will the vampires grab more trophies than the slumdog? What was the year's ultimate onscreen WTF moment? It's up to you to decide the winners of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Vote now, and tune in on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, when the big show airs live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.
Check out everything we've got on "Twilight" and "New Moon."
Source : MTVNEWS
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Imagine a professional mixed martial arts competition between an inexperienced, untrained 44-year old, 253-pound man and a 7’2, 330-pound, Korean kick boxer.
Now, imagine that the first guy is the washed up baseball player and steroid abuser Jose Canseco, and the other guy is the professional, K-1 heavyweight fighter Hong Man Choi. Now imagine that this isn’t some sort of really weird dream and that this fight actually happened in real life.
In another case file for “things that could only happen in Japan”, former Oakland Athletics’ slugger Jose Canseco stepped into the ring in Yokohama, Japan, against the monstrously tall Hong Man Choi as apart of the Japanese DREAM’s Super Hulk Tournament.
You can watch the entire fight--catch it while you can--online here.
Surprisingly, Choi did not immediately destroy Canseco. It happened eventually, of course, but Canseco actually managed to survive for more than a full minute before being taken down.
Even though the majority of the fight consisted of Canseco scurrying around the ring while being stalked down by a Goliath-like Choi, Canseco managed to land a few decent punches and kicks.
However, hitting Choi is probably somewhat akin to punching a brick wall, because after Canseco’s initial effort, he looked visibly exhausted.
Between the wild punches, the multiple laps Canseco ran around the ring to escape from Choi, and his overall lack of conditioning, Canseco was clearly not prepared to take on anyone let alone a professional MMA fighter.
Around the 0:50 mark, Choi either got bored of chasing Canseco (either that, or his contract didn’t allow him to knock out Canseco earlier) because he punched Canseco and then tossed the MLB star onto the mat.
Choi rained a deadly onslaught of punches onto Canseco and, even though none of the punches really connected, Canseco evidently had enough and tapped out a minute and sixteen seconds into the first round.
“I have no idea if I’ll do this again,” Canseco said to Yahoo Sports after the fight. “I’ve gotta get my knee better before I commit to anything like this.”
It is worth noting that Canseco had absolutely no illusions about winning going into the fight.
“"I’m not gonna lie to you, I’m scared. This guy is huge,” Canseco said before the fight. “I’m a 44-year-old rookie and have had a lot of challenges in my baseball career and hopefully, I can do well tomorrow.”
Previously, Canseco took on NFL player Vai Sikahema. Canseco lost badly after getting punched in the head repeatedly. He also fought Partridge Family star Danny Bonaduce to a draw despite weighing more than 70 pounds than his opponent.
Choi’s previous opponents were a little more credible in the field of martial arts. He holds a win over Bobby Ologun, but was defeated by UFC superstar Mirko Filipović and Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko.
Our Take
Besides quite possibly being one of the most awesome and hilarious fights in the history of MMA, the Choi-Canseco fight should serve as a clear warning to future and past steroid abusers (I’m looking at you Manny Ramirez) that if they are not careful, they could end up needing money as Canseco. Money is great and everything, sure, but it’s worth asking “just how much money is it worth to be beat up on live television?”
Source:CollegeNews.com
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