It was a very special night on American Idol yesterday (April 21). Lot's of star power showed up to lend a hand on the "Idol Gives Back" show to help raise awareness and money for various children's charities in the U.S. and abroad.
Joss Stone, Alicia Keys. Black Eyed Peas and Mary J. Blige all gave great performances.
To donate to "Idol Gives Back," call (877) 436-5243 or visit AmericanIdol.com.
DJ Premier has issued his official statement on the death of former rap partner Guru. Both men release six influential albums as Gangstarr. The letter is seen in its entirety below.
"IT WAS A SAD DAY FOR ME TO GET CONFIRMATION ON THE DEATH OF A MAN WHO I WILL CONTINUE TO CALL MY BROTHER, KEITH ELAM, BETTER KNOWN AS GURU OF THE LEGENDARY GANG STARR.
FROM 1988-2004, WE EXPERIENCED SO MUCH SUCCESS TOGETHER THAT WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR BUSINESSES INDEPENDENTLY AND GIVE EACH OTHER WHAT GURU CALLED “CREATIVE SPACE”, BEFORE PLANNING TO REUNITE FOR OUR 7TH LP WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT. TRAGICALLY, WE WILL NEVER REACH THAT DAY.
I’VE BEEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON A LETTER SPEAKING ILL OF ME WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN BY GURU IN HIS DYING DAYS. ALL I WILL SAY ABOUT IT IS THAT OUR TIME TOGETHER WAS BEAUTIFUL, WE BUILT A HIP HOP LEGACY TOGETHER, AND NO ONE CAN RE-WRITE HISTORY OR TAKE AWAY MY LOVE FOR HIM. ONE THING I WOULD NEVER DO IS PLAY AROUND WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS LIFE.
I WILL CELEBRATE GURU’S LIFE… I WILL HONOR HIS MEMORY… I WILL GRIEVE WITH THE ELAM FAMILY OVER HIS UNTIMELY DEATH… I WILL REMEMBER THE GANG STARR FOUNDATION AND ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF GANG STARR WHO CAME BEFORE ME – WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER… MOSTLY, I WILL CHERISH EVERYTHING WE CREATED TOGETHER AS GANG STARR, FOREVER. I’M GONNA MISS HEARING HIS SIGNATURE MONOTONE VOICE WHEN HE WALKS IN THE ROOM, BUT THE SONGS WILL ALWAYS BRING IT BACK TO ME….HIS RHYME FLOWS WERE INSANE, AND I WILL NEVER REMOVE HIM FROM MY HEART AND SOUL…….REST IN PEACE TO THE MAN WHO FELT “SATISFACTION FROM THE STREET CROWD REACTION” … I LOVE YOU GOO…….DJ PREMIER"
The NFL officially suspended Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger for six games on Wednesday for violating the league's personal-conduct policy.
Roethlisberger will not be eligible to play until Week 8. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Roethlisberger that he must undergo "comprehensive behavioral evaluation."
Goodell will review Roethlisberger's progress before the season and will consider reducing the ban to four games. But failure to adhere to the terms of the punishment could result in a longer suspension.
The punishment is culmination of an investigation into a sexual assault complaint filed by a 20-year-old Georgia woman in early March. A local DA declined to prosecute Roethlisberger, but Goodell said the Steelers QB's actions warranted discipline.
Goodell and Steelers president Art Rooney II spoke with Roethlisberger today to inform him of the news. In a letter to the QB, Goodell said he was not imposing the discipline based on him having violated Georgia law.
"You are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans," Goodell told Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger will not be allowed to participate in the Steelers' offseason workouts until his behavior is evaluated by medical professionals. The evaluators will confer with Goodell later this summer, and if Roethlisberger is progressing he will be allowed to participate in training camp and the preseason.
Goodell noted that Roethlisberger was charged with no crime. But he said the fact that the QB provided alcohol to underage people was a factor in his decision. "There is no question that the excessive consumption of alcohol that evening put the students and yourself at risk," he told Roethlisberger.
Goodell spoke with Georgia DA Fred Bright, who decided not to charge Roethlisberger, as he considered the punishment. He told the QB to consider the ban not only a punishment but a second chance to reform his decision-making.
"In your six years in the NFL, you have first thrilled and now disappointed a great many people," he told Roethlisberger. "I urge you to take full advantage of this opportunity to get your life and career back on track."
The Steelers begin their 2010 season at home Sept. 12 against the Falcons. The suspension means Pittsburgh will open without the quarterback who has helped the franchise to two Super Bowl titles in the past five years.
Just-acquired veteran Byron Leftwich is now in the mix with third-year pro Dennis Dixon and veteran Charlie Batch mix for Pittsburgh's starting quarterback position.
Last week, Rooney said the Steelers intended "to allow Ben the opportunity to prove to us that he is the teammate and citizen we all believe he is capable of being."
Goodell, who met with Roethlisberger last week, and Rooney both had already expressed their displeasure with the QB. Goodell said this week that Roethlisberger had displayed a pattern of troubling judgment that led to the suspension.
In July 2009, a Nevada woman filed a civil suit against Roethlisberger, alleging he raped her in 2008. Roethlisberger denied the accusation and no criminal charges were filed.
In June 2006, Roethlisberger was injured when he had an accident on his motorcycle. He was not wearing a helmet.
On Tuesday, the Steelers refused to rule out the possibility that they could trade Roethlisberger, their first-round pick in 2004.
The creators of "South Park" better watch their backs.
That's what a radical Islamic group based in New York "warned" on their Web site, RevolutionMuslim.com, using violent imagery to express their unhappiness over the depiction of the Prophet Muhammed in a bear suit on the 200th episode of the long-running Comedy Central series.
The episode never actually depicts the Prophet Muhammed, but indicates him as a character wearing a bear suit.
"We have to warn Matt [Stone] and Trey [Parker] that what they are doing is stupid," a posting on the Web site stated on Tuesday, according to reports.
"They will probably end up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," it noted, referencing the Dutch filmmaker who was murdered in 2004 over a documentary he made that addressed violence against Muslim women.
"This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them," the statement reportedly concluded.
The suggestion that the message, accompanied by violent imagery, was not meant as a "threat," was echoed by the author of Islamic group's Web site post.
"It's not a threat," Abu Talhah al Amrikee told Fox News, who noted that the show's use of the religious figure could invite violence.
"They're going to be basically on a list in the back of the minds of a large number of Muslims," he said. "It's just the reality."
Despite claims that they did not seek to invite violence against Stone and Parker, the site also reportedly revealed where the "South Park" creators work, and included a sermon calling for punishments for blasphemy against the Muslim religion.
The site no longer appears online, and a phone number associated with the group has since been disconnected.
The Prophet Muhammed was featured in "South Park" in 2001. An episode in 2006 was to feature the Muslim figure again, but Comedy Central censored the scene and it never aired.
Photographer Estevan Oriol is very much in demand these days. But I'm certain filming beautiful women like Rosa Acosta makes it a little easier to show up for work every day.
Here's a behind the scenes look at their shoot for T.I.T.S. (Two In The Shirt) brand clothing.
The U.S. Treasury refreshes its currency every once in a while to stay a step ahead of counterfeiters, and this time they’re refreshing the $100 bill. The new bill will contain a security feature called Motion, where each bill will contain up to 650,000 microlenses embedded in the printing which will allow for an underlying image to shift when the bill is moved. Yep, good old Benjamin Franklin is getting a facelift and here it is.
Highlights of the new bill:
- 3-D Security Ribbon
- Bell in the inkwell. When you move the note, the bell changes color from copper to green.
- Portrait watermark
- Security Thread
- Color-shifting “100″
- The new note will be issued on February 10, 2011.
Mo'Nique had a special surprise for TLC's Chili when she stopped by her show yesterday (April 20).
Mo gave her some new dance moves that she guaranteed would help her sell millions of records. Monique mentioned TLC had sold 45 million, with the new moves she said they would hit 60 million, lol.
Chili talked about the decision she and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes made to promote safe sex by wearing condoms on their outfits and how she always envisioned the group would be the most successful female group ever.
There's been a bit of confusion about what 50 Cent's next album, Black Magic, might sound like. After initially saying the record was inspired by dance beats he heard at a nightclub in Europe, 50 explained that the disc will still be hip-hop, but with a twist.
Fans might get a chance to hear what he's talking about starting May 28, when 50 will launch The Invitation Tour at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. The monthlong, 19-date outing will take him across the country to mid-size theaters before winding up with a June 25 show at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Though some people got it twisted when he initially said he was inspired by more uptempo dance music on the disc, which doesn't have a release date yet, 50 quickly clarified what he meant.
"I got a joint that I did that was real uptempo," 50 told British DJ Tim Westwood back in March. "It's a different type of vibe. It's still 50 Cent. It's official. If you heard the record, you'd feel different. My Black Magic album, I've been listening to different types of music. I just wanna create something that's outta the box. I'm using different song formats. I'll write a rap song in the sequence of a different kind of record. A traditional hip-hop record may have three 16-bar verses. To write it in a different formant instead of the way a traditional rap record is written, to experiment with different things, it's still hip-hop music. It's still 50 Cent content; it's just written in a different way."
The dates for The Invitation Tour are:
5/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Wolstein Center
5/29 - Detroit, MI @ Chene Park Riverfront Amphitheater
5/30 - Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion
6/1 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
6/3 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
6/4 - Los Angeles @ Club Nokia at L.A. Live
6/6 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl Concert Theater at The Palms
6/7 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theater
6/10 - Kansas City, KS @ Midland Theatre
6/11 - Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
6/12 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theater
6/15 - Miami, FL @ The Fillmore
6/17 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
6/18 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
6/19 - Raleigh, NC @ Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
6/22 -New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
6/23 - Wallingford, CT @ Chevrolet Theater
6/24 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues
6/25 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
I think it's safe to say we've all seen or at least heard of the television show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?".
TV producers might get the idea to put on a similar show for toddlers after seeing this amazing two year old geography wiz.
Ask this little girl to show you any city, state or country on a map and she can with ease. Not only that, she can also tell you their capitals and identify their flags.
As you can see in the video, her parents are very proud and they should be.
When it comes to Akon and controversy over comparisons to Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera is not interested. In fact, Aguilera says "That, in particular, is not even worth wasting the breath to comment on."
As previously reported, Akon attacked Aguilera, effectively calling her "insecure" and essentially copy-catting Lady Gaga on her new single, "Not Myself Tonight".
While Aguilera did not address Akon by name, she told The Bert Show "It just comes with the territory" on a broadcast Tuesday, April 20.
"I've been around for over a decade and I think my work speaks for itself," she went on to say.
As for going after Akon further, Aguilera says she would have years ago but will not waste time at this point in her career.
"I probably would have engaged, and been a little upset. It's not even worth the time anymore, there's a bigger picture out there. There's too much good to be pent up with someone else's negativity."
Christina Aguilera's forthcoming album, "Bionic," is due in stores June 8.
No one questioned Guru's claim that he was "one of the best yet." The Boston native had one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop history. You didn't even need a whole bar to know that Gifted Universal Rhymes Unlimited was on the mic. Backed by beats from the almighty DJ Premier, Guru supplied glorious vocals on battle raps, intricate life stories and candid street commentary. The 43-year-old MC died on Monday due to complications from cancer. And despite the fact that the Gang Starr duo were estranged for the last several years, their legacy is concrete — one of the richest in hip-hop history. Here at MTV News, the hip-hop team listed our choices for 10 essential Gang Starr songs.
1. "Dwyck," featuring Nice and Smooth: The party record from 1994's Hard to Earn is timeless. We love the simplistic rhymes from the trio, like, "Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is," and Primo's beat is a signature hip-hop treat.
2. "Take It Personal": The phone rings on the beat; the song (from 1992's Daily Operation) is off the hook. With imposing precision, Guru pulls the curtain back and sees a backstabber for the scoundrel he is. "I can see through you, 'cause I'm the Guru/ What you gonna do when I start to step to you."
3. "Mass Appeal": No crossover. Gang Starr always kept artistic integrity, and on this Hard to Earn track, Guru admonishes the poseurs with lines like, "You're a son like Elroy/ And you'd be happy as hell to get a record deal/ Maybe your soul you sell for the mass appeal."
4. "Just to Get a Rep": "Stick up kids just out to tax." In this song on 1991's Step in the Arena, Guru's words take us to the frontlines, where misguided youths think that the way of the gun is the road to respect.
5. "Suckas Need Bodyguard": The aggression is turned up as Guru puts the heat on chumps in this Hard to Earn song. "My rhymes are a cargo, and yours are just a quarter ounce." The chorus pretty much gets the group's point across: "Fake MCs, they always act hard, but won't walk the streets without their bodyguards."
6. "Ex-Girl to the Next Girl": One of Guru's greatest gifts on the mic was his clarity in thought and articulation. His stories would unfold almost right in front of your eyes. Here, he shows some vulnerability as he navigates the relationship waters but finds triumph in the end. The track (from Daily Operation) gave an early indication of where he would later go with his heralded Jazzmatazz series.
7. "Royalty," featuring K-Ci and JoJo: After a four-year break between albums, the two underground kings returned with two-thirds of the legendary R&B group Jodeci for this inspirational track (on 1998's Moment of Truth) about striving for greatness. Guru even shouts out our very own Sway and his partner King Tech.
8. "Words I Manifest": Vintage, early Gang Starr. The duo came out of the gate promoting knowledge of self and establishing their roles in hip-hop. "I got tenacity, because I have to be/ The brother who must live and give with much insight/ Foresight to ignite, excite and delight."
9. "You Know My Steez": Gang Starr talk about their lauded musical modus operandi, an authentic representation of the essence of hip-hop.
10. "The ? Remainz": "This is a battle rhyme in case you haven't noticed/ You get replaced, you get demoted." The belligerence is beautiful in this 1994 track, as Guru and Primo once again answer the bell and silence any questions as to whether they've earned the title of hip-hop ownerz.
Five Essential Records From the Jazzmatazz Series:
"Loungin' " with Donald Byrd
"Trust Me" with N'Dea Davenport
"Keep Ur Worries" with Angie Stone
"Le Bien, le Mal" with MC Solaar
"Plenty," featuring Erykah Badu
(AllHipHop News) VH1’s “VH1 Hip Hop Honors” will return for a seventh time this June with a tribute to Southern Hip-Hop music.
Rappers Jermaine Dupri, J. Prince of Rap-A-Lot Records, 2Live Crew and Luther “Luke” Campbell will be honored during the ceremonies, which will tape June 3rd.
All three men have established ground breaking Hip-Hop labels, which have sold tens of millions of records over the years.
Jermaine Dupri founded Atlanta’s So So Def imprint in 1993, J-Prince launched Rap-A-Lot in 1986 and Luke Campbell started Luke Skyywalker Records in 1985.
Both J Prince and Campbell helped break down the barriers of censorship in Hip-Hop music during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
Campbell’s case involving his usage of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the rapper won a victory, when a judge ruled a parody of a record can qualify as “fair use.”
“I am happy for my fans, they have sent the people that run the VH1 Hip Hop Honors show emails for years now, asking why a person that started his own record label and went to the Supreme Court can’t get honored, so I am happy for them,” Campbell told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive statement.
Others being recognized for their contributions to Hip-Hop during the evening include Master P. who founded the groundbreaking No Limit Records imprint, as well as Atlanta production team Organized Noise.
While Luke was happy about being honored, the outspoken rapper was a bit upset that his recognition comes so late into the annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors franchise.
“We are the outcasts on that day, the outcasts will get their five minutes. I am sure the show will be about the others,” Campbell told AllHipHop.com. “My fans are the only reason I am doing this. I said f**k this after they did Too Short before me.”
The scumbag who robbed Kal Penn at gunpoint in D.C. yesterday picked the wrong guy to mess with -- law enforcement sources tell TMZ the Secret Service is now on the case.
Turns out, the bad guy didn't just take Penn's wallet, the perp also made off with Kal's two cell phones -- one of which belongs to the U.S. government.
Penn is currently a member of President Barack Obama's staff -- serving as the Associate Director in the office of Public Engagement -- and since the crook took Kal's government issued cell, the Secret Service is now joining with the D.C. Metro Police Department to hunt for the bad guy.
Sources tell us Penn contacted White House communications, who stopped service on the stolen phone ASAP and issued him a new cell. We're told "no information was compromised because no official numbers were in the phone.
SPRINGDALE, Ohio -- A Florida man police say wore an elaborate mask to rob several banks and businesses in the Tri-State over the past month is behind bars on a $3 million bond.
Conrad Zdzierak, 30, was arraigned Thursday morning on six counts of aggravated robbery in Hamilton County court.
Acting on a tip, officers from several departments served a search warrant at the Extended Stay America Hotel at 320 Glensprings Drive in Springdale Wednesday afternoon where they arrested Zdzierak.
Officers discovered a red dye pack from a bank had exploded inside a vehicle that belongs to Zdzierak.
Police then tried to enter Zdzierak's room, but were encountered by a dog that bit one of the officers, prompting one of them to fire their gun.
Once inside, officers discovered evidence, including a Hollywood-style mask linking Zdzierak to six robberies.
"The suspect seen in the surveillance photographs and that we were looking for, we believed to be an African American male. The suspect was actually a male, white, who was wearing an elaborate disguise," said Lieutenant Michael Mathis with the Springdale Police Department.
Springdale police says they have never seen such an elaborate mask.
Police say Zdzierak committed five of the robberies last Friday, April 9.
Investigators say Zdzierak would hand a note to an employee indicating he had a gun and demanded cash.
According to police, Zdzierak has been living in the Springdale hotel for the last year.
The robberies Zdzierak is charged with are:
- March 5 - Chaco Bank, 1143 Smiley, Forest Park, Ohio
- April 9 - Key Bank, 8457 Winton Road, Springfield Township, Ohio
- April 9 - Fifth Third Bank, 10595 Springfield Pike, Woodlawn, Ohio
- April 9 - Key Bank, 11355 Princeton Pike, Springdale, Ohio
- April 9 - CVS Pharmacy, 11601 Springfield Pike, Springdale, Ohio
- April 9 - Franklin Savings, 1100 West Kemper Road, Forest Park, Ohio
One of the all-time greatest wordsmiths in hip-hop history, Gang Starr's Keith Elam — a.k.a. Guru, for "Gifted Universal Rhymes Unlimited" — died Monday. And while Guru and his partner in Gang Starr, DJ Premier, never enjoyed huge pop success, their impact in hip-hop both collectively and individually is immeasurable.
When word spread on Tuesday (April 20) about Guru's death, his peers and fans took to the Internet to pay tribute.
"420 gonna be in honor of the big homie Guru ... respect the foundation ... Light one up for the legend," Snoop Dogg tweeted.
The Roots' ?uestlove tweeted, "In my 10 greatest voices in hip hop, Guru was easily top 5 ... Smooth. velvet. will be missed. RIP Guru ... Back when we first took getting into the industry seriously, Gang Starr's Daily Operation LP got us thru 1992."
"1 of our hip-hop soldiers was lost 2day," Fabolous tweeted. "Tho he in the physical has passed, his spirit & music will live forever #RIPGuru #ForeverYoung."
"R.I.P. Guru," DJ Kay Slay wrote. "Real dude and lyricist. My condolences to the family and friends."
"A hip-hop legend. RIP," Nicki Minaj wrote.
The Young Money MC's sentiments were echoed by two other rap stars from Queens, New York: G-Unit's Tony Yayo and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip.
"Damn just woke up and heard Guru passed away. R.I.P. to a 'Legend,' " Yayo tweeted.
Perhaps most heartfelt of all, Q-Tip wrote: "From Allah we come to Allah we return. R.I.P. Keith GURU. A great man, poet, and I'm proud to say friend ... 23 yrs. Damn!"
On a tremendously tough day for Gang Starr fans, the death of the duo's MC, Guru (real name: Keith Elam) from cancer was announced by his associate Solar early Tuesday (April 20), and included a long "farewell" letter that Solar said was written by Guru in the weeks before his death. The tone of the letter was harsh toward DJ Premier, Guru's former partner in Gang Starr.
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