In the wake of the Tuesday's devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, singer Wyclef Jean has issued an urgent plea for help for his struggling homeland.
"Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced," Jean wrote on his Web site of the island nation, which is one of the most impoverished countries in the Western Hemisphere.
The massive earthquake, the largest the Caribbean island has seen in more than 200 years, struck around 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday. The epicenter was around 10 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince, which according to reports was largely destroyed by the initial quake and a series of aftershocks. While damage and casualty figures were not available at press time, they are expected to be high due to the poor construction of many of the island's buildings.
"I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse," Wyclef continued. "The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now. President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands 'ready to assist' the Haitian people. The U.S. military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible."
Jean established the non-profit Yele Haiti Foundation in 2004 to provide scholarships for the country's children, and he has worked with the United Nations World Food Programme to send food assistance to the island. He is encouraging people to text "Yele" to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund or visit Yele.org and click "donate" to help the island's people.
Speaking to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night, Wyclef said he was talking to a friend on the phone in Haiti when she said, "I think an earthquake is coming," and the call was dropped. More than 45 minutes later, he got a return text from that friend, who said the buildings were collapsing all around her. He said he was also looking for information on a rapper named Jimmy O, who is a part of the Yele organization, and who is believed to have died in the quake.
The earthquake is the latest disaster to strike the island nation, which has endured decades of economic instability, poverty, the reigns of several vicious dictators and a string of hurricanes and other natural disasters that have kept it in need of massive amounts of world aid. Jean urged his fellow 4 million Haitians in the diaspora to step up and help their countrymen. "My urgency right now is really a cry of freedom saying we really need a state of emergency right now."
According to reports, the presidential palace and other major buildings in the capital city were destroyed in the quake. Chaos reigned as night fell on Tuesday, and trapped victims screamed for help from the rubble. With no electricity, phone lines down and the airport closed, getting much-needed aid to the people became a priority for the international community, which was scrambling to fly in supplies.
President Obama told members of his national security staff late Tuesday that he expects, "an aggressive, coordinated effort" to help Haiti, according to The Associated Press. The president said teams from the Defense, State and Homeland Security departments had deployed on Wednesday (January 13) to start helping victims.
Former President Bill Clinton, a U.N. special envoy for Haiti, said in a statement: "My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti. My U.N. office and the rest of the U.N. system are monitoring the situation, and we are committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of Haiti in their relief, rebuilding and recovery efforts."
The State Department has set up a toll-free number to call for information about family member in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747.
MTV
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This is not surprising, but we thought we'd let you know anyway: Dr. Dre's long-delayed Detox album isn't dropping this year.
The good doctor has been teasing fans nearly every year by saying the mythical album was close to being finished, only to let them down. With nearly 10 years in the can for the project, it still has no release date in sight.
During recent interview for SLAM magazine, Dre was asked about Detox, to which he replied: "Well, I'm working on it, but also I've been working on other people's projects; you'll probably hear something in a year or so."
So, does this mean 2011 now? Damn!! We won't hold our breath.
Dre is always asked what the status of Detox is. Back in November, while appearing for an in-store media conference in support of his Beats By Dre headphones, he explains why all the delays saying he has to feel "right" about it before he'll let the public hear it.
"You know what, I'm working hard on it man," he promised during the in-store. "I'm going and I'm stopping, I'm working with other artists in-between and what have you, but I'm working hard on it and the minute it's done and I feel it right here [in my chest] and it feels right to me, that's when it'll come out. And you know, hopefully at the beginning of the year."
Source: BallerStatus
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Producer Shawty Redd, who is charged with the New Year's Day murder of 35-year-old Damon Martin, was released from jail on Tuesday (January 12), according to Captain Jason Bolton of the Henry County (Georgia) Police and a representative for the Henry County Superior Court Clerk. The producer (real name: Demetrius Lee Stewart), who has worked with Snoop Dogg and Young Jeezy, had his bail set at $200,000 at a hearing on Tuesday afternoon, the authorities said, and was given clear instructions not to leave Henry County and to wear an ankle bracelet.
Redd has a preliminary hearing tentatively set for February 3. At press time, his attorney, Marcia Fuller, had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment.
Redd was arrested on January 1 after police responded to a call about an early morning shooting at Stewart's home in Hampton, Georgia. According to police, the producer was involved in a physical altercation at his home with Martin, who was described as an "acquaintance." The confrontation turned physical and Stewart shot and killed Martin, according to the report. Bolton told MTV News that Stewart himself called 911 to alert police about the shooting. Bolton also said Stewart was arrested a few hours later at police headquarters after more questioning by detectives.
Stewart appeared in court on Saturday without his attorney, and was granted another hearing to allow him legal representation. He remained in custody until Tuesday afternoon.
"I really couldn't believe it," one of Redd's peers, producer Zaytoven, told MTV News last week. "You hear a lot of rappers going through that type of trouble, but a producer? That's my first time hearing that. I was just shocked.
Source: MTV
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Capone-N-Noreaga are getting back to the grimy hip-hop of their 1997 classic, The War Report, on their upcoming new album, N.O.R.E. promised.
"We had the idea for the War Report [sequel]," Nore said via phone from Miami last week. "We was actually calling it Report the War. We was gonna do all the songs [from The War Report] in a backwards order. Like call a song 'Money Blood' instead of 'Bloody Money.' Instead of 'Illegal Life,' we would do 'Life Illegal,' so on and so forth. It was gonna be everything but backwards. Then what happened was, as we started to record for The War Report 2, I didn't want to force it. I didn't want to force calling a record 'Money Blood' if it wasn't that. The sh-- started flowing. You don't go to the ocean and say, 'The waves is flowing this way, but I wanna try to force the waves to go this way.' You don't do that. So the way we was recording it, I was like, 'I can't mess with Mother Nature.' It's flowing perfectly. We went and got Imam Thug, a person from the original. We got Mussolini. Tragedy [Khadafi] is on the album. As you know, he's incarcerated. But we got a couple of verses, and he'll appear on the skits. Then we gonna get some new features. I ain't gonna say who, 'cause it should be a surprise."
Definitely expect Busta Rhymes, who is executive-producing the album (tentatively due April 20), as well as Raekwon, who's helping the Queens duo put out the project in partnership with his Ice H20 imprint.
"It was crazy, because I had a deal with the company [Raekwon is] dealing with," Nore said of EMI. "The crazy thing is, he heard about it. His brother K, Kareem, reached out to me and said, 'Why don't we do it as a team?' I was with it. But I said, 'If we gonna do it like that, we might as well bring it back full-circle, C-N-N. Not a Nore solo.' So right now, I'm not even recording Nore records. I got some big-time producers calling with beats, and I tell them, 'Not right now. I'm chilling.' I don't want to record a party record. I don't even want to be near a party. That's not what C-N-N represented. It represented the gutter. If the records could be played in a party, then good. But big-up Rae and the whole Ice Water. Mel, K, everybody. We gonna execute the plan."
Rae also appears on the track "Dutch Masters vs. Phillies," a debate over cigar brands. "I'm a Phillie guy; Rae is a Phillie guy too," Nore said. "I can't believe he was repping Dutch Masters.
"Rae set the platform for everybody to go back in and do their art," Nore continued, referencing the success of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... Pt. II. "Busta is going back in and doing his E.L.E. [2]. Fat Joe is doing Darkside. I don't think I ever been this focused in my whole career. I don't wanna f--- up the War Report legacy. I'm taking it too serious. I'm taking it real serious, because The War Report has its own following, its own legacy. I don't want to take anything away from that. I think we're making a helluva album. Maybe even better than The War Report. I know that's a lot to say, but wait until you hear it."
Capone-N-Noreaga's last LP, Channel 10, came out in the spring of last year. Since then, they've been recording and out on the road, touring by themselves and with Raekwon.
Source: VH1
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One of the most feared Mexican drug lords - a man who dissolved more than 300 people in acid and signed his name with headless corpses - was nabbed Tuesday.
It was a huge win for the often-overmatched Tijuana cops warring with the increasingly savage cartels. Teodoro (El Teo) Garcia Simental was arrested in La Paz, officials said.
Details were not immediately available. Garcia is blamed for much of the border bloodshed and had a $2.1 million price on his head.
Authorities say he runs a massive kidnapping ring, holding victims in cages, and is behind an explosion of violence that has littered Tijuana with an average of five bodies a day.
Last week, a kidnap victim was found with his face sliced off and stitched onto a football, with a note directed at police saying, "Happy New Year, because it will be your last."
Last January, Santiago Meza, known as Garcia's "stew maker," was arrested and told reporters he was paid $600 a week to dissolve corpses - at least 300 over 10 years.
The Los Angeles Times, which closely follows the border drug wars, reported that Garcia often left the disintegrated remains in barrels on busy streets with messages threatening to turn his rivals into pozole, a thick Mexican soup.
He is a mystery man. His birth date is unknown - he is in his 30s - and only one photo of him has ever been published. He started out as an enforcer in the Arellano Felix cartel and grew powerful by turning the kidnapping of doctors, politicians and businessmen into a multimillion-dollar industry, the LA Times reported.
He split dramatically with the cartel in 2008 - a shootout on a Tijuana expressway left 14 dead.
Since then, his reign of terror has included slicing off the face of one victim, hanging others from highway overpasses and Many of the bodies carry messages boasting they are Garcia's work.
The Mexican gangs are the major supplier of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroine to the United States.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched his offensive against the cartels in December 2006, which escalated into the increasingly gruesome war.
More than 15,000 people have been killed and many of the victims were tortured or mutilated to send a message to police and rival gangs.
Police have been killed, and their families murdered.
In October 2008, the corpses of three decapitated police officers were arranged along with six other headless bodies to spell "3 L" - Garcia's nickname: "Tres Letras."
Garcia's arrest is the second major victory for the government in a month. Drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva died in a military shootout in December.
NY Daily News
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Omarion’s third studio album, Ollusion, hit stores on Tuesday (January 12). To make sure his fans get a hold of his album right away, he’s offering the LP in MP3 format for a very low price.
The new album is available on both iTunes and AmazonMP3 for just $3.99. Here’s the catch: the sale will only run through midnight, so get it now.
To cop it, head over to Amazon.com, or Apple’s iTunes.
The album is 11 tracks deep, includes the singles “I Get It In” featuring Gucci Mane, “Hoodie” featuring Jay Rock, and his latest “Speedin’.” Marques Houston also appears on the album on “Thee Interlude.”
According to O, Ollusion is “complimented with sophisticated musicality, erotic subject matter, and descriptive song lyrics,” and demonstrates just how he’s “matured along with his core listeners.”
Source: BallerStatus
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She’s already performed for the Queen of England, and now Lady Gaga will visit with the Queen of Daytime, Oprah Winfrey.
The pop star, who is currently on tour, is scheduled to perform and sit down for an interview with the talk-show host for the first time on Friday’s live episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Later this month, Gaga will shoot a video for “Telephone,” her new single from The Fame Monster featuring Beyoncé. She is also set to take the stage at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, where she is up for five trophies.
Source: Rap-Up
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A federal police officer stands guard at the crime scene where a woman was killed in Ciudad Juarez.
MEXICO CITY — Mexico opened the new year with what could be its most dubious distinction yet in the 3-year-old battle against drug trafficking — 69 murders in one day.
The country resembled a grim, statistical dart board Saturday as law enforcement and media reported the deaths from various regions, including 26 in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, 13 in and around Mexico City and 10 in the northern city of Chihuahua.
More than 6,500 drug-related killings made 2009 the bloodiest year since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the cartels in late 2006 and deployed 45,000 soldiers to fight organized crime, according to death tallies by San Diego’s Trans-Border Institute.
Two weeks into 2010, gang bloodshed is becoming more grotesque as drug lords ramp up their attempts at intimidation. Last week a victim’s face was peeled from his skull and sewn onto a soccer ball.
On Monday, prosecutors in Culiacan identified the remains of 41-year-old former police officer divided into two separate ice chests.
“You wonder how this will end, and it seems impossible,” said Daniel Vega, an architect in the northern city of Monterrey. “I doubt Mexico can override drug use, especially since demand for the drugs, as well as all the money and weapons, come from the United States.”
Using their so-called Narcobarometer, researchers at the University of San Diego’s Trans-Border Institute track and analyze murders in Mexico, hoping to find ways to quell the violence.
Their tally? More than 20,000 murders since 2001, more than half in the past two years.
“It does appear that the violence has grown exponentially, but it’s not clear that it’s necessarily a slippery downward slope from here,” institute director David Shirk said, noting that government operations — including a December raid that killed cartel boss Arturo Beltran Leyva — have hit seven of Mexico’s eight significant cartels.
Shirk said the remaining, mostly unscathed Sinaloa cartel headed by billionaire gang boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman may now become dominant, reducing the deadly power struggles.
“If that happens, it’s quite possible that six months from now things will be much calmer,” Shirk said.
Though almost all of drug-violence victims are somehow involved with cartels, the impact is felt well beyond law enforcement and organized crime. “I’m afraid to take to the streets every day because of the violence, and I no longer want to excel economically because it could make me an easy target for a kidnapping,” said Silvana Cervantes, a Monterrey nurse.
Tijuana resident Fernando Escobedo said he used to spend his evenings at a vibrant strip of clubs in the border city until a recent massacre at one of his hangouts.
“Now I prefer socializing at houses or parties, with family or lifetime friends,” he said.
As Mexico tries to develop both politically and economically, the killings jeopardize its international reputation, said Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington. “The figures in Mexico are so scary that it has produced a subliminal sense that Mexico is a dangerous place and you’d better keep away,” he said.
Calderon said last week he would shift focus to job creation and reducing poverty and move the fight against drug cartels that dominated the first half of his presidency to No. 3. Monterrey police officer Delfino Ramos, who grapples with the violence in his daily work, said economic issues are at the root of the problems. “So much unemployment pushes people toward crime,” he said.
Source: NY Daily News
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You won't be seeing Angelina Jolie in any more St. John ads.
Chief executive officer Glenn McMahon tells Women's Wear Daily that the actress, 34, "overshadowed the brand."
"We wanted to make a clean break from actresses and steer away from blondes and cleanse the palette," he added.
Replacing Jolie? Red-headed model Karen Elson.
Elson, 30, is the wife of White Stripes rocker Jack White, with whom she has two kids.
"We needed to show a modern point of view of St. John," McMahon explained. "We have evolved."
The ads, directed by executive vice president of design George Sharp, will launch in the February issues of Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.
News of Jolie's departure as the face of St. John was first announced in June 2008. She had been with the company for three years.
"It was a great run we had," McMahon said at the time. "Three years is a long time to maintain any campaign, and we felt it was time to do something new and different."
Source: USMagazine
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Hollywood is seeking a new Spider-Man after Sony Pictures made the shock announcement that Tobey Maguire would no longer take the lead role in the £2 billion franchise.
After reports that production on Spider-Man 4 had stalled amid disagreements over the script, Sony said that Maguire, who plays Peter Parker, and Sam Raimi, the director, had both left the film.
Sony said that a new Spider-Man film would appear in 2012 focusing on Parker, a teenager “grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing superhuman crises”. Although Maguire is hugely popular with young filmgoers, he would be 36 by the time the new film was released.
When the first film was released, in 2002, his performance as the student bitten by a genetically modified spider won praise and the opening weekend broke box-office records.
The third film grossed $1 billion and the three films, directed by Raimi, are in the top 25 biggest grossing hits of all time.
Only this week Maguire had said he was looking forward to shooting Spider-Man 4. “We have a lot of great stuff in terms of story and script,” he said. “We’re just trying to dial it in and get it ready as quickly as possible. Of course, these movies are a very big undertaking and take a lot more time than a drama or something more straightforward.”
But the fourth film has been dogged by trouble and is expected to miss a projected release date of May 2011. There were reports that Raimi wanted to cast John Malkovich as a winged, flying baddie, against the wishes of Sony. The studio, it was claimed, wanted a more cute villain who would also be the love interest.
Sony is to release more information on the film in the coming weeks.
Raimi acknowledged that the studio was heading in a “new direction”. Raimi said: “While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel [Spider-Man was created for Marvel Comics in 1962] have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job.”
The change gives Sony the opportunity to “reboot” the franchise, following the example of Paramount, which successfully reinvented Star Trek with a young cast last year.
Meanwhile, a Broadway musical based on the Spider-Man character is scheduled to open next month.
Source: London Times Online
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The Garden State is set to bloom with weed.
Outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to sign legislation before leaving office next week making New Jersey the nation's 14th state to legalize medical marijuana.
Legislators approved a law Monday allowing chronically ill patients to buy up to 2 ounces of pot a month at state-monitored dispensaries.
"I don't think we should make criminals out of our very sick and terminally ill," said Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton), co-sponsor of the bill.
Corzine, who supports the legislation, is expected to sign it into law before turning over power to incoming Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor who has voiced concerns over the bill.
The law authorizes the state Department of Health to issue patients with "debilitating medical conditions" like cancer or AIDS the right to legally possess marijuana.
Unlike other states where medical marijuana is legalized, patients will not be allowed to grow their own.
Source: NY Daily News
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Beyonce's New Year's resolution is at once ambitious and surprising. The multitasking superstar, who was seemingly everywhere in 2009, hopes to spend a good chunk of 2010 not working.
"It's definitely time to take a break, to recharge my batteries," says Beyoncé, 28. "I'd like to take about six months and not go into the studio. I need to just live life, to be inspired by things again."
Beyonce filming commercial for Nintendo
Not that Beyoncé won't be visible in the coming months. Just a few days before Christmas, she's in Long Island City, shooting a pair of commercials for the Nintendo video game Style Savvy, which is introducing items from Deréon, a casual lifestyle extension of the House of Deréon line that Beyoncé created with longtime fashion adviser Tina Knowles— also her mom. The spots will air on Nickelodeon in March, in the week before the Kids' Choice Awards and during the show.
Before that, of course, Beyoncé will perform on the Grammy Awards broadcast Jan. 31 on CBS, where she's up for 10 trophies, more than any other artist, including album, record and song of the year. The last is for her slamming manifesto Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), one of 2009's most ubiquitous singles (3.5 million downloads sold) and its most-streamed video. The album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, has sold 2.7 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"I still haven't really digested it yet," Beyoncé says. The Grammy nominations were announced Dec. 2, two days before her spouse and fellow pop icon Jay-Z turned 40. "I was focused so much on my husband's birthday — I threw a big party — that I didn't really think about it. But it's really an honor."
Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone, which recently named Beyoncé one of the top eight artists of the decade, doubts she'll have a sweep, given the momentum of industry "It" girl Taylor Swift and other up-and-comers such as Lady Gaga. "But if (Beyoncé) loses in all 10 categories, it will have absolutely no effect on her career," Hiatt says.
Always a hard worker
For the former Destiny's Child frontwoman, the nominations were a sweet coda to an especially productive and demanding period.
"I've always worked hard, but I feel like I worked harder this past year than I have since I was just starting out. I just had all these great opportunities. It started out with singing At Last," the song Barack and Michelle Obama chose for their first dance as first couple. Beyoncé serenaded them at a ball hours after the president's inauguration.
In the spring, the singer launched the I Am ... Tour, which took her to 110 cities around the world. Despite her hectic schedule, Beyoncé was determined "not to just perform and stay in the hotel. I visited the pyramids in Egypt. I saw the Great Wall of China and went out in the middle of the ocean in Australia to see the whales. I actually got sprayed in the face. I made some great memories this year and really learned to enjoy life."
So much so that "when I got home, I wrote out a contract with myself. I made a list of everything I want to do that has nothing to do with music. Well, some of it does. But I promised myself that I would not go back on tour or in the studio until I finished these things."
The to-do list consists of "random things. I want to go to restaurants, maybe take a class, see some movies and Broadway shows." (Beyoncé says she would love to do a stage musical, eventually.) She's also keen to spend more time with her 5-year-old nephew, Daniel, whose mom is Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange, 23. "He's a wonderful kid, amazing, so smart. And I spoil him, so it's a lot of work. He's a 24-hour job."
Still, Beyoncé doesn't expect her sabbatical from the music business to be easy, or even necessarily successful. "It will be the hardest thing in the world for me to make myself not do an album and shoot a video and turn it in and say, 'I'm ready!' I already have all these melodies and ideas in my head. I have to tell myself, 'Sit down! Sit down!' "
She already has planned a reprieve from her reprieve, in fact: Two weeks of concert dates are scheduled in South America and the Caribbean in February to accommodate additional demand from the I Am ... trek. (She recently generated controversy by performing at a private New Year's Eve party hosted by Muatsim-Billah Gaddafi, a son of the Libyan leader. A statement from her agency and management firms notes that the annual event has "a long history of booking internationally known artists.")
She'll also launch a signature fragrance that month, Beyoncé Heat, with Coty. And there's no saying that a great film script won't come along. Beyoncé's portrayal of R&B legend Etta James in 2008's Cadillac Records earned the best reviews of her acting career and provided something of a revelation.
"I learned that drama is probably what I'm best at. I really enjoy it, too — though it can be emotionally draining. Now I know I need to take time out for a project like that, rather than juggle it with 50 other things. I'm only one person."
'Grace under pressure'
For someone who has been so famous, and so famously driven, for such a long stretch, Beyoncé still manages to convey a gentle, self-deprecating quality in person. Former Vibe and Spin editor Alan Light says her mix of indomitability and accessibility is one key to her enduring appeal. "She seems to have it all, but there's still this thing in her that you can relate to. The persona is one of graciousness and grace under pressure."
That was certainly evident at the MTV Video Music Awards, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech by suggesting her winning video was inferior to Single Ladies and Beyoncé responded by inviting Swift to share her own triumphant moment. "When someone does something like that on the fly, you can't say it's totally made up," Light says.
Fans can be found everywhere
Beyoncé allows that she takes pride in maintaining a positive image. Out in New York recently, "I accidentally walked into the men's room, which was so embarrassing. But then I met this young lady in the (women's) restroom, and she was like, 'You're one of the only artists that my daughter and I both love, and I want to thank you for helping to bring us closer together.'
"That kind of compliment makes me feel so good. And I think that my own relationship with my mom, though that has nothing to do with my music, inspires mothers and young girls. That's not something I try to do, but I'm aware of it and happy about it."
Source: USA Today
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Video After The JumpATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Atlanta police said Monday that a million dollars in jewelry and electronics were stolen from singer Usher Raymond. The incident happened across the street from one of Atlanta's busiest shopping malls.
Raymond and a second man told Atlanta police that their vehicle was broken into on Dec. 14 when the pair stopped at an AT&T store near Lenox Mall.
According to the police report, the vehicle was described as a black GMC Yukon. Raymond said and there was over a million dollars worth of jewelry, $50,000 in furs and clothing and about $20,000 in cash stolen.
A witness said they saw a Chevy Impala with tinted windows drive up next to the SUV. The witness told police a man got out of the Impala and popped open the door to the SUV.
The incident is still under investigation.
Source: MyFoxAtlanta
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American Idol fans, start preparing those goodbye tributes: Simon Cowell announced today that this year’s ninth season will be his last. The irascible judge told the nation’s TV critics in Pasadena, CA that he will team with Fox to launch a stateside version of his popular UK show The X Factor in fall 2011. “We did talk about me staying on both shows but when we looked at the practicalities of that, it was impossible,” Cowell told the press. “In my opinion, it’s like having a good player and a good football team. The two have to be okay together. I believe it’s not my show, but it’s still very close to me. We made sure when we did this, that I would be protected. I’m confident it will continue to be the No. 1 show. Everyone is committed to keeping it that way.”
Like Idol, X Factor is a televised talent search that pits contestants against one another and the prize is usually a recording contract. The UK version was responsible for the launch of Leona Lewis, among others. The show divides contestants into four categories — guys, girls, groups, and singers of all ages — and already airs in many countries. “It’s a big, big production,” said Cowell, who literally signed his contract with Fox at the press conference today. “In the UK, we have 200 applicants every year. There is no upper age limit on X Factor and groups are allowed to enter. We gave ourselves time to set it up. It gives us time to work out who the judging panel will be.
“I’m doing X Factor in America because I believe I can find someone incredibly talented through this process,” Cowell continued. “This country, thank God, has got thousands and thousands of people still waiting to be discovered. I want to find a star at the end, I genuinely do.”
Cowell said he was offered more money to stay on Idol but it wasn’t about the cash. “I felt like doing something different,” he said. “I want to leave Idol this year bigger and better than it’s ever been before. Having already done the auditions, it feels fresh, it feels relevant. I like the contestants this year. This final year for me feels different. I never would have wanted to walk out when the show was No. 21 in the ratings. You want to leave on a high. It’s been a fantastic time. We’re going to do something new. America needs a different type of show.”
As for Cowell’s replacement, the Fox suits said they have plenty of time to figure out how to make up for the huge void. “We are not going to find a Simon clone to do what he does because he is one of a kind,” said Peter Rice, Fox entertainment chairman. “The reason we are making the announcement in January is to give ourselves time and allow people to come forward. We were frankly surprised at the enthusiasm in replacing Paula. We have to make sure the chemistry is as good as it can be. So I don’t think we will rush into that.” As for Ellen DeGeneres’ quip to EW recently about her threatening to bolt if Cowell leaves, Rice deadpanned, “I think she was making a joke.”
Speaking of Abdul, Cowell did have some promising news about the ex-Idol judge: ”I adore Paula. Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity because I miss her. You’re gonna have to watch this space!”
EW.com
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Unreleased songs from 2005-2007
Tracklist:
1. Rock The Mic (ft. Tipsy) (2007)
2. You Ain’t A Killa (2006)
3. In the Ground (Part 1) (2006)
4. Can’t Stop The Reign (2006)
5. Hand Over That (2006)
6. Nigga You Need (2005)
7. I’m Not Sorry (with Fitted) (2005)
8. Niggas Bleed (with Fitted) (2005)
9. Hard Liquor (with Fitted) (2006)
10. Nigga Cry Now (2007)
11. In The Ground (Part 2) (2006)
12. Dead Wrong (Remix ft. The Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, & Busta Rhymes) (2007)Download HereRead more…
NEW YORK - Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.
McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.
"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in a statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."
McGwire also used human growth hormone, a person close to McGwire said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McGwire didn't include that detail in his statement.
McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team. Tony La Russa, McGwire's manager in Oakland and St. Louis, has been among McGwire's biggest supporters and thinks returning to the field can restore the former slugger's reputation.
"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."
He became the second major baseball star in less than a year to admit using illegal steroids, following the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez last February.
Others have been tainted but have denied knowingly using illegal drugs, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and David Ortiz.
Bonds has been indicted on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice. Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury trying to determine whether he lied to a congressional committee.
"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," McGwire said. "I had good years when I didn't take any, and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry."
Big Mac's reputation has been in tatters since March 17, 2005, when he refused to answer questions at a Congressional hearing. Instead, he repeatedly said "I'm not here to talk about the past" when asked whether he took illegal steroids when he hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 or at any other time.
"After all this time, I want to come clean," he said. "I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."
The person close to McGwire said McGwire made the decision not to answer questions at that hearing on the advice of his lawyers.
McGwire disappeared from the public eye following his retirement as a player following the 2001 season. When the Cardinals hired the 47-year-old as coach on Oct. 26, they said he would address questions before spring training, and Monday's statement broke his silence.
"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again," McGwire said in his statement. "I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season."
McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees' Andy Pettitte two years ago when he admitted using HGH.
"During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years," McGwire said in the statement. "I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too."
Since the congressional hearing, baseball owners and players toughened their drug program twice, increasing the penalty for a first steroids offense from 10 days to 50 games in November 2005 and strengthening the power of the independent administrator in April 2008, following the publication of the Mitchell Report.
"Baseball is really different now - it's been cleaned up," McGwire said. "The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did."
San Francisco Chronicle
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When Beyonce recorded the song "Ego" I don't think she was talking about Mayweather or Pacquiao, but she might as well have been. In what has become maybe the biggest fight in the history to not happen due to anything other than injury. We need to take a look at the real reason why.
Both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr would have been guaranteed a minimum of $30 million dollars apiece. Possibly more depending on the number of Pay-Per-View buys. So money is not the issue.
This is the type of fight where legends are born. Because no matter who would have won or lost there is no denying that these two are the best pound for pound boxers in the world today.
Both Manny and Floyd are worried about the legacy they will leave behind. And despite what you may hear or read in the media, neither one of these guys is scared of the other. Both of them have fought the best fighters out there and never ducked anyone. The only way to solidify their legacies and not leave behind any lingering questions is to fight each other and prove who is the best.
That puts away those questions.
Now let's get down to it. Why these gladiators and their trainers, promoters, mediators and lawyers etc, couldn't make this fight happen.
It really is simple and comes down to one thing, both fighters EGOS
The Mayweather camp is simply asking for too much when it comes to Olympic Style drug testing and here's why.
Each state has a set of rules in place when it comes to unarmed combat. It has taken years to perfect these rules. To let one fighter dictate an unprecedented new set of rules cannot be allowed. It would open the door for other fighters to make up rules as they see fit. At that point what would be the purpose of having an Athletic Commission?
Nevada tests fighters for drugs and steroids after each fight. But they are also tested randomly throughout the year.
I spoke directly with Keith Kizer who is the Executive Director of The Nevada State Athletic Commission. He said the "random testing is used to deter fighters from using banned substances knowing a test could come at any time". That system seems to be working quite well.
In other words Floyd needs to lighten up and get real if he wants this fight and I believe he does.
As far as Pacquiao, I don’t believe any of this hogwash about being superstitious regarding his blood being taken too close to the fight, therefore weakening him.
He’s just not going to let Mayweather Jr or any fighter for that matter tell him what to do before a big fight. At this stage of his career who could blame him?
Manny has never tested positive for any illegal substance in 55 professional fights. Nor has he had issues with putting the wrong kind of padding in his hand wrappings or been accused of being a dirty fighter inside the ring
The exact same thing can be said about Floyd in his 40 fight career.
The argument that it’s not possible for Manny to have made the leap from smaller weight classes to where he is now is also ridiculous. He started fighting as a 106 pound 16 year old. He is now 31 years old fighting at 147 lbs. A natural progression as his body matured.
Many fighters such as Sugar Shane Mosely, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, RobertoDuran & Sugar Ray Robinson have started at lower weight classes and moved up as high as light heavyweight while still maintaining some power.
At this point I’m sick of all the finger pointing from both sides and just want to see a great fight from the world’s two best fighters.
Here’s hoping they put their egos aside and get in the ring to decide once and for all who is the pound for pound champ.
If not, the sport of boxing will take its biggest loss yet
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