Simone Mütherthies Sofía Vergara Soft Cell Sophia Bush Stacy Keibler
MC says he used King of Pop's likeness to represent cult mentality.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Photo: Def Jam
In a production wrought with powerful imagery, the Michael Jackson procession scene in Kanye West's film debut, "Runaway," is among the most impactful and intriguing.
Around seven minutes into the movie, which centers on the ill-fated romance between West's character, Griffin, and a phoenix played by Selita Ebanks, fireworks herald a parade of a crimson-clad marching band flanked by a mob of followers sporting pointed hoods reminiscent of the garb worn by the Ku Klux Klan. The band surrounds a larger-than-life illuminated bust of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, while Griffin and the phoenix excitedly look on.
When West sat down with MTV News' Sway for a live Q&A session that followed the film's premiere Saturday (October 23) on MTV, he explained that he juxtaposed Jackson's likeness with the hooded marchers to make a comment about the potent pull of cult mentality.
"The hood, what it does represent to me ... in relation to the Michael Jackson thing is not the KKK but the concept of cult, because it's multiple people with this hood on," West explained. "It's me taking [the phoenix] to my world and saying, 'Let me show you what my world is about.' "
West said he invoked the image of the late icon, whose expansive cultural reach was unparalleled, to demonstrate the energy of the pop realm.
"The greatest, biggest pop-cultural figure of all time, arguably bigger than Jesus Christ, is Michael Jackson. You have the band in front of him, marching ... and you have the cult around it," West said, before explaining the scene that precedes the procession, of a young boy in mid-sprint brandishing a flaming baton.
"If you saw the kid in the beginning, he's running and running at top speed holding his torch, and his torch represents his thoughts and ideals. At the end, after he's been cultivated, he has the hood on now and he's walking extremely slow. That's basically how people think," West said. "It's the way society has set people up to be able to control them, slave mentalities."
Yeezy added that coaxing people into social conformity is an effective form of control — assuming the followers don't decide to break away on their own trails.
"[By] just creating this mentality by cultivating the ideals ... you could just make people just stand in their own mental jails," he said. "What happens when someone isn't in a mental jail?"
What do you think of Kanye's explanation of the Michael Jackson "Runaway" scene? Sound off in the comments!
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Phuket FC did not make the most auspicious of starts in the lowest tier of professional Thai football.
Formed only weeks before the start of the 2009 Division Two (Southern Section) season and managed by a local politician, the team unsurprisingly failed to thrive.
Despite a succession of managerial changes and a mid-season makeover that saw virtually the entire playing squad overhauled, the side still finished bottom of the division.
Attendance at the Surakul Stadium was extremely poor and Phuket FC failed to record a single home win in front of this small handful of supporters.
Source: http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/play/phuket-fc-football-team-goes-bottom-top-338372
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'I've listened to their music since I was a child,' says the R&B diva, who recorded 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Larry Carroll
Mary J. Blige
Photo: MTV News
You wouldn't peg Mary J Blige as the black-light-and-tapestry sort, but, as has become readily apparent in recent weeks, she absolutely loves Led Zeppelin.
In early February, reports began circulating that Blige had re-recorded Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven," working with Travis Barker, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and guitarist Steve Vai on the track, which is slated to appear on the international reissue of her Stronger With Each Tear album, due Monday.
But after she had recorded "Stairway," Blige continued to get the Led out, covering another Zeppelin classic — the thunderous "Whole Lotta Love" — for the album too. And when MTV News caught up with her on the Essence Black Women in Hollywood red carpet, she told us all about channeling her inner Robert Plant for the tracks, a process that came much easier than you'd probably imagine.
"I did Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' — it's crazy," she said. "I am a Led Zeppelin fan. I'm not going to say I've been to their concerts, but I've listened to their music since I was a child, and it's always moved me, especially 'Stairway to Heaven,' and 'Whole Lotta Love' is just fun."
Blige also said she recorded another new song — a "club record" called "I Can't Wait" — for the re-release. And while it's only slated to hit shelves outside the U.S., she hopes her fans will get a chance to hear all the new songs pretty soon.
"I want y'all to hear it," she laughed.
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Phuket FC did not make the most auspicious of starts in the lowest tier of professional Thai football.
Formed only weeks before the start of the 2009 Division Two (Southern Section) season and managed by a local politician, the team unsurprisingly failed to thrive.
Despite a succession of managerial changes and a mid-season makeover that saw virtually the entire playing squad overhauled, the side still finished bottom of the division.
Attendance at the Surakul Stadium was extremely poor and Phuket FC failed to record a single home win in front of this small handful of supporters.
Source: http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/play/phuket-fc-football-team-goes-bottom-top-338372
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Newest installment in the horror series is expected to gross $20 million in its opening weekend.
By Eric Ditzian
"Saw 3-D"
Photo: Lionsgate Films
"Saw 3D" has nowhere to go but up. Last October, "Saw VI" managed to trap just $14 million over its opening weekend, fewer dollars than the original flick's debut weekend and about half as much as each of the previous four films in the series managed to gross.
"Saw 3D," by contrast, is expected to open somewhere in the low-to-mid $20 million range and top "Paranormal Activity 2" for the #1 spot at the box office. Mind you, that'll be in large part to its inflated ticket price, not an outpouring of critical praise — reviews are decidedly mixed.
The Story
"This time the game revolves around slimy self-help guru Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery), a Jigsaw survivor who has grown rich off his story and parading around fellow victims. Naturally, he's abducted and thrown into another series of morality tests in order to save his wife and fellow cohorts. Meanwhile, the sadistic Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) also plots revenge against Jigsaw's widow (Betsy Russell), who has been locked away in protective custody ever since trying to kill him at the end of 'Saw VI.' And yes, the fate of Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes, in a brief role) is finally revealed in the film's worst-kept secret.
But even though it's no longer a surprise, it's still great to have everyone's favorite Dread Pirate Roberts thrown back into the bloody fray." — Andrew Kasch, Dread Central
The Comparison to The Others "There is tension in the movie (and good thing), and it is grueling (not a good thing). While the script is tight, the direction is not. And it pains me to say so, because Kevin Greutert, who edited the first five chapters of the 'Saw' story and directed the sixth, is such a nice person ... But I can't candy-coat it: Greutert's two 'Saw's, along with (another nice person) David Hackl's, are by far the weakest in the franchise. Talking scenes go on for far too long (allowing one to see how poor some of the acting is), and there isn't much art to the set pieces. Visually-gifted storytellers James Wan ('Saw 1') and Darren Lynn Bousman ('Saws 2', '3', and '4') really set the bar." — Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
The Traps
"How are the traps this time out? Decent, but again, a step down from 'Saw VI.' One, involving having to physically pull a key from a very difficult place, is pretty effective. Another, involving crossing an area where the floor is almost completely gone, adds a nice bit of adventure to the vibe (and gave me flashbacks to Flanery's days as Indiana Jones). But at the same time, there's nothing truly memorable in the way 'Saw III''s rack or 'Saw VI''s carousal were. One exception: The best trap here is probably the one involving a car and a neat/twisted domino effect caused when it falls from a jack. By the way, I know this is nothing new in this series, but watching 'Saw 3D,' I kept thinking how Jigsaw must have both the brilliance and bank account of Tony Stark, considering how elaborate, specific and complicated these traps are.' — Eric Goldman, IGN
The 3-D
"I'm sort of on the fence. It's technically great — this movie opens things up a bit (an outside trap, several exterior shots) and even the traps themselves are larger, so if any of the movies HAD to be in 3-D, it would be this one. And it was SHOT in 3-D (not a convert) so it automatically looks better than most of what we're seeing. But I'm not sure it's the right fit for this particular franchise — it felt sort of weird to have characters throwing things at you, as if they were sort of having fun too. Not that I always want a grim-fest, but it feels a bit campy at times. You may disagree, but I've always felt the series is much more intelligent than its given credit for, however this stuff gives it a slightly goofy tone, like a 'Final Destination' movie more than 'Saw' one." — BC, Bloody Disgusting
The Final Word
"Jigsaw's signature fiendish traps became the focus of the franchise at some point — you can rewatch the first 'Saw' and see how NOT the focus they were — and that means the films get less titillating as the traps get less inventive ... If we ever thought there was any profundity to Jigsaw's philosophy, surely we long ago realized it was B.S. It seems like we're watching now just because, well, we've watched this much, so we might as well finish. What reward is there for us? We can say we watched all seven of them. Jigsaw would be proud." — Eric D. Snider, Cinematical
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1651080/20101029/story.jhtml
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During Oslo show, Gaga talks about recording her still-in-the-works next album.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga (file)
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga's forthcoming album Born This Way is apparently her "bold and beautiful" "freedom album." During a Monster Ball concert stop in Oslo, the singer opened up a bit more about the record, which she's still working on.
"I am this week in the studio in Norway. ... The guys that ran the studio, they were all from Oslo and they were so nice to me," she told the crowd while sitting at her piano before "Speechless."
Describing the record as "really a very special thing," the singer talked a bit more about why she was working on it while on tour. She said, "People say to me, 'Why don't you wait until the tour is over to finish your album?' and I'll say, 'First off, all my fans are not going to wait that long. I have to keep my fans happy. But secondly, I get so much inspiration every night when I get to be here with you.' And then after the show I drink a bottle of Jameson."
She's been active on Twitter as well, posting a photo of her at a piano that is captioned: "Miss you so little monsters. Been working so hard for you. I can't wait for u to hear the new music." Another tweet included a photo of the singer wearing boots, pants and a skimpy top while sitting on a mixing board, a notebook and a pen in hand. The caption: "I'm on a heater, but this record ain't about poker."
Gaga announced the title of Born This Way during the Video Music Awards in September.
What are you expecting from Born This Way? Let us know in the comments!
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Knowles denies rumors that he will no longer manage Beyonce's career.
By James Dinh
Beyoncé
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ WireImage
Jay-Z may be Beyoncé's husband, but the hip-hop heavyweight will not be managing the pop star anytime soon. According to a statement posted by the singer's management website, Music World Entertainment, Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles is not being replaced by Jay-Z or anyone else as her manager.
"Contrary to false rumors online, Beyoncé and her manager Mathew Knowles unequivocally have had and continue to have a close personal and business relationship. Mathew Knowles is the sole and exclusive manager of Beyoncé," the statement reads.
Mathew Knowles has always played an important part in his daughter's career, dating all the way back to her days in Destiny's Child. When the group split in 2005, Mathew continued managing Beyoncé as well as Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. But Rowland and Williams recently parted ways with Knowles and his Music World Entertainment team. Earlier this year, he also denied claims that the trio were in talks to reunite Destiny's Child.
In addition to refuting the online rumors, the management company confirmed that the singer is working on upcoming music projects. "Furthermore, Beyoncé is readying the release of her new, highly anticipated DVD and has started the recording process for her new album," the statement concluded.
One producer that the singer may be reuniting with for her next record is Ne-Yo. The pair previously worked together on her hit single "Irreplaceable" back in 2006. Just last week, the soon-to-be father tweeted, "Mornin' NY!!! Studio with Mary J Blige last night, Beyonce tonight. I LOVE MY JOB!!! Shout out Jerry Wonder!!"
How do you think Mathew Knowles does at managing Beyoncé? Share your thoughts below.
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MC says he used King of Pop's likeness to represent cult mentality.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Photo: Def Jam
In a production wrought with powerful imagery, the Michael Jackson procession scene in Kanye West's film debut, "Runaway," is among the most impactful and intriguing.
Around seven minutes into the movie, which centers on the ill-fated romance between West's character, Griffin, and a phoenix played by Selita Ebanks, fireworks herald a parade of a crimson-clad marching band flanked by a mob of followers sporting pointed hoods reminiscent of the garb worn by the Ku Klux Klan. The band surrounds a larger-than-life illuminated bust of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, while Griffin and the phoenix excitedly look on.
When West sat down with MTV News' Sway for a live Q&A session that followed the film's premiere Saturday (October 23) on MTV, he explained that he juxtaposed Jackson's likeness with the hooded marchers to make a comment about the potent pull of cult mentality.
"The hood, what it does represent to me ... in relation to the Michael Jackson thing is not the KKK but the concept of cult, because it's multiple people with this hood on," West explained. "It's me taking [the phoenix] to my world and saying, 'Let me show you what my world is about.' "
West said he invoked the image of the late icon, whose expansive cultural reach was unparalleled, to demonstrate the energy of the pop realm.
"The greatest, biggest pop-cultural figure of all time, arguably bigger than Jesus Christ, is Michael Jackson. You have the band in front of him, marching ... and you have the cult around it," West said, before explaining the scene that precedes the procession, of a young boy in mid-sprint brandishing a flaming baton.
"If you saw the kid in the beginning, he's running and running at top speed holding his torch, and his torch represents his thoughts and ideals. At the end, after he's been cultivated, he has the hood on now and he's walking extremely slow. That's basically how people think," West said. "It's the way society has set people up to be able to control them, slave mentalities."
Yeezy added that coaxing people into social conformity is an effective form of control — assuming the followers don't decide to break away on their own trails.
"[By] just creating this mentality by cultivating the ideals ... you could just make people just stand in their own mental jails," he said. "What happens when someone isn't in a mental jail?"
What do you think of Kanye's explanation of the Michael Jackson "Runaway" scene? Sound off in the comments!
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1650698/20101023/west_kanye.jhtml
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'It's not just the concert ... this is a musical movie,' Jon Chu says.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber in the trailer for "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
Photo: Paramount
With the trailer out, fans can now begin counting down to Valentine's Day weekend 2011 when Justin Bieber's 3-D flick, "Never Say Never," hits theaters. And the movie's director, Jon Chu, explained just how he plans to integrate the concert footage, shot earlier this year at Bieber's show at Madison Square Garden, with the behind-the-scenes footage and interviews that he will also be using in the film.
"We had this sort of hyperlink idea through the film, which is what makes it really an interesting movie," Chu said. "It's not like the other concert films where you are onstage and then go backstage and then onstage and go backstage. It's not just the concert ... this is a musical movie, when words aren't enough in telling the stories of his life, [we use music]."
For example, Chu continued, "You know, if he's talking about his youth and talking about his magnetic smile, you start to hear 'U Smile' start to creep in the background and the underscore ... you see images from his life, and at the end of that song, the spotlight from the number connects with the spotlight of his tour bus and he goes back into his bed," Chu explained. "And there [are] hyperlinked ideas. It's kind of like 'Chicago,' when we're weaving in and out."
And for the haters, Chu says that this film will prove that Bieber is the real deal. "The number-one thing we wanted was the honesty in this," he explained. "People have a very preconceived notion of Justin Bieber and people can think whatever they want, but we wanted to show the honest other side of Justin."
So, who is the Bieber that Chu believes the film will show? "It's a crazy thing to see a kid from Canada, in a town like Stratford that's obsessed with Shakespeare, that this kid can know and be obsessed with R&B and be anointed by sort of the hip-hop, R&B world, that he is sort of blessed by them," he explained. "That's very, very special and interesting."
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Singer tells Seventeen about touring with spiritual healer: 'We center our chakras before every show.'
By Jocelyn Vena
Ke$ha on the November cover of <i>Seventeen</i>
Photo: Hearst Communication, Inc.
Ke$ha is a party monster who sings about cute boys and dancing the night away. She regularly paints herself in body glitter and is about as outspoken as they come, so it might come as a surprise to her fans that the "Tik Tok" singer brings a spiritual healer with her when she hits the road.
"I have a spiritual healer on tour with me, and we center our chakras before every show," the Seventeen magazine November cover girl reveals. "We meditate and try to hone in on my psychic abilities, and go to acupuncture, and eat super organic."
But, as she promises in so many of her tunes off Animal, she is also a big-time party girl. "I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don't care," she explains. "For me, it's really about who I surround myself with, so I just try to always be with hilarious people."
And even though she has topped the charts with rollicking party anthems, there are still those who criticize the singer.
"I accidentally read a review, and it was really positive, but at the end it said, 'We don't really know if she has the best voice,' which is bullsh--!" she says. "That's the one thing I'm most confident about. I don't have the best body in the world, but I know for a fact that I have a really good voice.
"It really bummed me out that somebody didn't see that, and then I got upset. But it just made me realize that this is an unveiling process; it's just going to take time. I'm just proving myself to people."
As much as she is known for her songs, she is also known for her interesting fashion choices, which include body paint, feathers, fur, boots and just about anything you might find in a gypsy's suitcase.
"I just like playing with makeup and clothes — so I really don't feel like there are rules, and if there are rules, then I think it's up to you to break them," she says. "That's why I'm wearing blue lipstick right now, because most people would probably say it's not a good color for your lips, but I'm here to show them that it is.
"I love wearing the exact same thing all the time because I think it makes you like a cartoon character," she confesses. "They always wear the same outfit, and everybody always remembers them for it, so I feel like I should do the same thing."
Are you surprised to hear about Ke$ha's spiritual side? Tell us in the comments!
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'It's definitely going to come, but it takes time,' says producer, who worked with King of Pop on Invincible.
By James Dinh
Michael Jackson
Photo: Time Life Pictures/DMI/Time Life Pictures/Getty Im
Michael Jackson had a wealth of unreleased songs in the vaults at the time of his death last year, but very little has since seen the light of day. Producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who worked with the King of Pop on his 2001 album Invincible, revealed that he is about to work on a project with unreleased material from Jackson.
"I'm about to work on an unreleased project that we're talking about doing right now," Darkchild revealed in a chat with VladTV. "It's definitely going to come, but it takes time. You got to do a lot of the red tape but there's definitely going to be an unreleased Michael Jackson [album]. There's definitely going to be stuff to come and hopefully I'll be a part of that."
Darkchild later spoke about how working with the entertainer had always been a childhood dream of his.
"It was a blessing. It was definitely a goal of mine as a kid. When I first wanted to be producer, at 11 years old, on a little piece of paper [I] was like, 'One day I wanna work with Michael Jackson.' I just believe that God granted my wish," he said. "I had the chance to work with him. We became friends. Of course, we miss him dearly. He was truly the greatest."
Last year, former Sony Music boss Tommy Mottola revealed to Time magazine that unpublished Jackson music could date back decades. "Let's say 12 or 13 songs end up on the album; Michael could have possibly recorded 15, 20 or 30 songs," Mottola explained. "This would probably go for every album he recorded and probably predating [Sony] to his Motown days."
Jackson was reportedly working on a comeback album at the time of his death with contemporary R&B producers like Akon, Ne-Yo and Will.I.Am. He was also in talks to hit the studio with everybody from Kanye West to T-Pain to Chris Brown.
Based on a recent report from Reuters, more music from Jackson would only further increase music sales for the singer. The entertainer's music has raked in $430 million in sales since June 2009.
An album wasn't the only unfinished project Jackson had on his plate at the time of his death last June. The King of Pop had asked then-newcomer Lady Gaga to open his This Is It shows in London. "I guess I can speak about it now. I was actually asked to open for Michael on his tour. We were going to open for him at the O2," she revealed earlier this year.
Would you be excited to hear unreleased music from the King of Pop? Tell us your thoughts below!
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