Kris Jenner's Talk Show Tests Well in L.A., N.Y., Dallas

July 16, 2013, 9:57 am

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Kris Jenner's talk show "Kris" is off to a good start. The show, which premiered its six-week test run in select markets on Monday, posted solid ratings in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas, delivering impressive growth over its lead-ins and in some cases besting established daytime programs "Katie,""Steve Harvey" and "Dr. Phil."

On Los Angeles' KTTV, "Kris" drew a 0.8 rating in the women 18-49 and women 25-54 demographics, winning the 3 p.m. time period over "Katie,""Steve Harvey" and "Dr. Phil" and improving over its lead-in by 117 percent. In the demos, "Kris" beat out KTTV's June time-period average by 300 percent among women 18-49 and women 25-54.

In New York, where "Kris" aired at 11 a.m. on WNYW, the series performed more modestly but still held its own. The premiere drew a 0.5 in the demos, an 18 percent boost over the station's June average in the time period, placing it even in the year-ago time period for women 25-54. Dallas' KDFW aired the Kardashian family matriarch's new offering at 3 p.m., where it drew a 1.4 rating in the women 18-49 demo and a 1.3 among women 25-54, besting its time-period competitors "Ellen,""Dr. Oz" and "Dr. Phil."

With a 200 percent boost over its lead-in, "Kris" also improved 250 percent over the station's June time-period average in women 18-49, and 160 percent in the women 25-54 demo compared to the station's June time-period average.

source.

get ready for more Kris

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Twisted Star Avan Jogia: It's Too Soon to Decide If Danny Is Good or Bad (o rly?)

July 16, 2013, 10:13 am

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Tuesdays on ABC Family are getting more and more Twisted. Now midway through its freshman season, Twisted stars Nickelodeon alum Avan Jogia as Danny Desai, an outcast returning to school after spending years in juvie for killing his aunt. But this is no "fish out of water" story. On the heels of Danny's return to school in the premiere, popular Queen Bee Regina (Karynn Moore) turns up dead. Is Danny involved in this death too? And what was his reasoning for killing his aunt while on a play date with best friends Jo (Maddie Hasson) and Lacey (Kylie Bunbury) all those years ago? We checked in with Jogia to get some insight into his enigmatic and, well, twisted character.


You went from Nickelodeon's musical sitcom Victorious to this dark drama. What was that transition like?
Avan Jogia: The toughest thing was settling back down after four years of a medium I wasn't well versed in. I had to learn a lot on Victorious because I had never done multi-camera before. It's like music: You need to be on it, and there's no room for subtleties. With Twisted [it's all] looks and feelings.

On Pretty Little Liars, we know that the four girls are (relatively) innocent. In Twisted, we don't know if Danny is a good guy or bad guy and if he was justified in killing his aunt. Will we ever know?
Jogia: We're going to see the guessing game go on a little further because it's not a light crime. He killed somebody! So the audience really needs to get all the information, as [do] Jo and Lacey, before that decision is made. We'll probably head in that direction in the second cycle.

In last week's episode, the tensions between Danny, Lacey, Jo and her best friend Rico came to a head. How will this change everything?
Jogia: Jo realized her feelings for Danny, while Danny and Lacey acted on their feelings. We already have this huge wedge between Jo and Lacey because of the trauma of what Danny did, and now we have possibly a secondary wedge driving the relationship even further apart. So, I think Danny feels very responsible. Going forward, you're going to see those relationships fester. [On Tuesday's episode], Danny takes it upon himself to try to bring everyone together when then they go to Connecticut to try to chase down the money note Jo found.

What about Rico? He now has the missing necklace seen on Regina when she died.
Jogia: Rico now has knowledge and power, and the question is, what's he going to do with it? He doesn't like Danny because Jo likes him, but on top of that, he doesn't really trust him.

What do you think Lacey and Danny see in each other after all these years?
Jogia: I think there is a physical attraction that they didn't have any understanding of when they were 11. They're not very close, which is what's interesting. It's really a relationship of passion. They don't really know one another.

Danny's mother Karen (Denise Richards) was one of the few people standing behind him until her suspicions recently grew. Will their relationship continue to be divided?
Jogia: Karen and Danny go back and forth with each other. Karen really wants to be a good mother [and] do right by her son, but she has not been a good mother. Danny sees her as not very "on it." He's in the driver's seat; he parents her. As we develop this season, he's going to reject her advances to try to mend things. But [then] he's got very few people on his side.

What would you like to see from Danny as you head into the latter half of the season?
Jogia: I would like to see him really come to terms with his life never being the same and see him starting to crack his outer shell of confidence. He's never analyzed his own trauma. I would like to explore his brain and what happened in juvie. Maybe he was a completely different person then. There are so many places to go.

source


shirtless avan thanks for ur time!

Axed Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei allegedly made racist remark

July 16, 2013, 10:18 am

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Sophie Kasaei has reportedly been axed from 'Geordie Shore' after she was allegedly recorded saying she hates "n*****s".

Sophie Kasaei, from Tyne Dock in South Shields was removed from the MTV show due to alleged ‘offensive behaviour’.

The comments are said to have been made while Sophie and her castmates filmed scenes for the seventh series of the programme in a nightclub.

The 23-year-old insists she is not a racist and is sorry for any offence caused.

A spokesperson for Sophie said: “Sophie is absolutely devastated and sorry for any offence that has been caused by her drunken language.

“Sophie is against racism in any form being of mixed race herself and having experienced racial abuse as a child. “

Her father Keivan Kasaei, owns Mambo Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in St Hilda Street, South Shields, says it is “impossible” that his daughter would make racist comments.

He said: “Sophie was born in England but I am from Iran and we also have Italian heritage.

“If you know her background, it is impossible for her to make racist comments. She is from a multi-cultural background.”

A statement on the music channel’s website read: “MTV and Lime Pictures, the producers of Geordie Shore, have decided it is not appropriate for reality star Sophie Kasaei to return to the current production of the show, following the investigation of an incident which took place in a nightclub last week.

“MTV and Lime will be reiterating to the remaining cast members that offensive behaviour will not be tolerated.”

Sophie, a former call-centre worker, has been part of Geordie Shore since the first series of the show and recently joined the rest of cast in Australia for the filming of series six.

When she won a place on the show she vowed to the Gazette she would make her home town proud.

Speaking in May 2011, she said: “I honestly think once people watch it, they will love it. I’m a Shields lass through and through.

The show’s really about twenty-somethings having a good time.

I just hope I do make the people of Shields proud.”

source2

Kanye West Sitcom Clip Appears On Net

July 16, 2013, 10:37 am

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Longing for a sitcom featuring Kanye West? Footage from the rapper's ill-fated 2008 comedy series has made its way to the internet, showing West's awkward, Curb Your Enthusiasm-style improv scene.

Yesterday, Consequence of Found uncovered a recently released video by actress Alison Quinn, intended as a demo reel for her acting chops. The clip shows Quinn in the role of an aide at the Make-A-Wish Foundation; she is introducing West to a terminally ill little boy.

Inevitably, the child has never heard of West. And Quinn's character isn't convinced that the rapper is as famous as he claims he is.

"I was on [the cover of] Time magazine," West says.

"I just didn't think they'd put you on the cover," Quinn replies.

"You didn't have to THINK they'd put me on the cover because they DID," West says. "It didn't have to be in your THOUGHTS, it was in your REALITY."

While HBO inked a deal with the rapper, and Borat/Curb producer Larry Charles helped with the pilot, the network didn't pursue the project further. "It was really good, but … I think it was too hardcore for HBO," Charles told MTV in 2008. "What Kanye West said to me the first time, he said, 'I'm the black Larry David.' That's the first thing he said to me … He's so much funnier than people realise."

West is probably happy he didn't go the Ricky Gervais route. While his new record hasn't been the sales monster he hoped it would be, the rapper's notoriety is as high as it has ever been: yesterday his new APC fashion collection, including an €80 blank T-shirt, crashed its website and sold out immediately.

Source
YouTube

back when he wasn't kanye "the lord is testing me" west

AWWWW YISSSS

July 16, 2013, 10:40 am

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Link if video doesn't show



WARNING: INCLUDES EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS/POTENTIAL SPOILERS
Tuesday, July 30
TWISTED 9 p.m. "Doc-Trauma" - Danny throws a party and Tyler agrees to help if he can film it for a documentary, while Kyle steps up the pressure on Karen to further his investigation.

Tuesday, August 6
TWISTED 9 p.m. "The Truth Will Out" - The Desai family's connection to Regina threatens to complicate things between the friends, and Jo stumbles upon a shocking secret about Lacey's family.

[More pictures]

Maddie Hasson will be tweeting via her handle @MadelaineHasson during the East Coast broadcast of "Twisted" from 9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. PT. To ask Maddie a question, fans should tweet at her handle and include the hashtag #TwistedChat in their tweets.


Choice Summer TV Star: Male
Keegan Allen, Pretty Little Liars
Jake T. Austin, The Fosters
Jean Luc Bilodeau, Baby Daddy
Avan Jogia, Twisted
Tyler Posey, Teen Wolf

Choice Summer TV Star: Female
Lucy Hale, Pretty Little Liars
Maddie Hasson, Twisted
Chelsea Kane, Baby Daddy
Katie Leclerc, Switched At Birth
Maia Mitchell, The Fosters

[Lots of pics (mostly recent) & a video]

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Cinco,Seis, Cast Instagrams

Can't believe it's only been a week since Fall Fest! You ready for tonight?

quotes from shailene woodley's interview w/ INTERVIEW MAG by emma stone

July 16, 2013, 10:42 am

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We are about to enter the Great Shailene Woodley Era, in which the Secret Life of the American Teenager and Descendants star will be in just about every movie that is released. (Especially the YA movies.) If Woodley's recent Interview chat with Emma Stone is any indication, we are also about to be treated to a year of delightful press, because Shailene Woodley is a quote machine. So enthusiastic! So charmingly earnest.


Take her morning ritual, for example:
The second I wake up, I scream very loudly [sings to the tune of "Good Morning" from Singin' in the Rain], "Good morning! Good morning!" And then I scream out, "Exciting day! Exciting day!" I feel like it completely sets the mood for the whole day.

And here she is talking about re-wilding. (Fun fact: Woodley dedicated her MTV Movie Award to Hawaii, cinema, and re-wilding.)
The whole concept of re-wilding came about through some really good friends of mine, and it's basically about adapting to your current situation. If you're in the city, then you can't go back to hunter-and-gatherer times, so you have to adapt to the lifestyle that's out there. Herbalism is part of that, and knowing how to heal our bodies naturally and knowing about organic farming. It's so important and essential to the Earth, to Gaia.

Some real talk about George Clooney and press questions:
I don't mind talking about him, though, because he's one of my favorite human beings on the planet. But it's true that very few people have asked me what it's like to work with Judy Greer or Ann-Margret or Molly Ringwald. It's always the leading male.

She also threatens to buy Emma Stone a pair of those five-toe shoes. Go, read the whole thing and prepare for greatness.

source.

the whole interview is so funny/interesting but i love the last quote. (and can we get a shailene tag??)

Justin Bieber accused of spitting at Ohio man after nightclub confrontation

July 16, 2013, 10:52 am

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Justin Bieber could face a lawsuit from an Ohio man claiming the singer spat in his face.
The man, identified as a local DJ, called in to a radio show in Columbus to recount his exchange with the 19-year-old pop star that allegedly took place at a nightclub over the weekend.

"Justin Bieber spit right in my face," the man said. "It was in the VIP area ... two of Bieber's bouncers approached me and said I was trying to take pictures."
He explained that the singer's bouncers took his phone to search for photos, and though he claimed he didn't take any, later an angry Bieber approached the man himself.

The man suspected Bieber's concern was over his photos being taken at a 21-and-up establishment.

Bieber was indeed in Ohio over the weekend. His "Believe" tour made stops in Columbus on Friday and Cleveland on Saturday.

"He called my mom something, called my dad something, called me something, and spit in my face," said the man.

According to TMZ, the man plans to file charges over the incident.

It isn’t the first time Bieber has been accused of spitting — in March one of Bieber’s Calabasas, Calif. neighbors claimed to have been spit on after confronting the singer about reckless driving.


SOURCE
u had the choice mama bieber. u had the choice...

Record executive says Lady Gaga 'ARTPOP' is best pop album since "Thriller."

July 16, 2013, 11:00 am

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Yesterday evening, this column talked to an executive from Interscope, who has listened to Lady Gaga's "ARTPOP" album. He claims that Lady Gaga's latest effort is the best pop album since Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

"When you hear the songs, your heart will race. Tears will come out of your eyes. And you will dance with joy. "ARTPOP" isn't your typical EDM album. It takes EDM and pop to a whole new level. Actually, it takes music to a whole new level," the executive tells us.

However, he also admits that 'ARTPOP' may not be completely finished yet. "There may be some tweaking here and there, but the product is just about ready. Everybody at Interscope is excited for the biggest album of the year and, possibly, the biggest album of the decade." Fans of the new Queen of Pop can look forward to an ARTPOP Ball tour in 2014.

Source
What's your favorite GaGa album ONTD? I think the Fame Monster was her best tbh

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Fall Out Boy team up with Ryan Adams

July 16, 2013, 11:00 am

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Last week, fans of both Fall Out Boy and Ryan Adams got a surprise when Pete Wentz posted an image of the acts in the studio together on Instagram. Now, Pete Wentz reveals to Rolling Stone they recorded "eight or nine" songs over two marathon nights, with Adams directing the sessions. "It was punk rock – the stuff that makes you want to kick the shit out of your bedroom at your parents' house," says Wentz. "It's impossible to deny the spirit of what was happening there." The session came together through Butch Walker, their mutual friend and collaborator. Wentz says he was thrilled with working with Adams: "I used to like listen to his stuff growing up!"



After dinner at L.A.'s M Café, they headed to Adams' nearby Pax-Am studio, which is decorated with vintage GI Joe figurines, comic books and a stuffed wild cat. "It was wild," says Wentz. "It was like hanging out with your older brother that got you into punk rock. Except he gets all the jokes and he's not like, 'Here's these shitty kids' or whatever. So that was cool." Soon, they were cutting tracks.

"It was set up like how we used to practice in Joe's parents' attic – in the corner of the room. We played loud and Patrick was singing live vocals, so it was very raw," says Wentz. They recorded over two nights, with the sessions stretching until 2 a.m. Wentz singles out one idea, "Keeping Up Disappearances," as a favorite.

"I don't know if it's a thought or a title or what," he says. "It was cool because it took you back to when we started the band. There were ideas, yelling, laughing and a lot of jokes, just for the heck of it. It was really good for the spirit of Fall Out Boy. We just haven't ever done that."



Though the sessions were informal, Wentz holds hope fans will be able to hear them. "I would hope that somewhere in some universe you could put out a seven-inch and kids still care. I think that there's a formula for something like that to happen with Fall Out Boy. I think there's a side of our band in our fans that would appreciate some of the noise that Ryan comes up with, and it would be great for the fans to be able to hear that – hear sort of the raw energy that happens from sessions like that."

Later this month, FOB head overseas for summer shows. In September, they'll hit U.S. arenas with old pals Panic! At the Disco. "I think we thrive in bigger rooms – like arenas where there's fire being shot out," says Wentz. "All those kind of fun things can make the album have another dimension, especially with Save Rock And Roll, which was definitely another album that can be anthemic and played on a large level."

source

Amanda Bynes writes for Vanity Fair.

July 16, 2013, 11:07 am

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Amanda Bynes’s Most Offensive Tweet Yet Is a Simple Grammatical Mixup!
by Amanda Bynes.

1 p.m.: Oh my God, let me just be the first to say: I can completely see how offense was taken. I truly apologize for the miscommunication and any and all resulting discomfort or anger. I’m not a wretched person with zero sense of perspective or respect for fellow human beings; rather, the actual explanation of my statement is something far more banal. No, Arendtites, not “banal” as in “the banality of evil”—banal as in, this was a very stupid grammatical error. You’ll see the offending tweet below.

What I intended to say was “not having hair makes me feel like a cancer: patient.” That is, waiting for my hair to grow has made me a more patient person—a trait, in the astrological community, typically associated with those born under the Cancer sign. I’m actually an Aries (traditional traits: determinedness, ambitiousness, impulsiveness, and, I can now say, inexcusably poor grasp of punctuation.)

1:15 p.m.: Not having your forgiveness makes me feel like I should have Aids.

1:16 p.m.: Christ, I’ve done it again. I meant: not having your forgiveness makes me feel like I should have aides, lower-case and with an “e.” Aides because I’m clearly in something of a public-relations quagmire. Please accept my second apology.

Source

Lmao what kind of fuckery?

Model Babies!

July 16, 2013, 11:11 am

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"Bonjour, Brooklyn", Vogue US August 2013.
by Boo George
Featuring Models and their children!!: Elliott Puckette, Lily Aldridge, Devon Aoki, Glenna Neece, Sasha Pivovarova, Jourdan Dunn, Angela Lindvall, Christina Kruse




























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Charlotte Casiraghi's rounded tummy sparks pregnancy rumours

July 17, 2013, 12:28 pm

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Charlotte Casiraghi sparked pregnancy rumours when she stepped out with a fuller figure than usual at the weekend.

The stunning royal, who is dating French comedy actor Gad Elmaleh, sported an ivory-coloured jacket which seemed to show the beginnings of a baby bump at a show jumping event in Monaco.

While there has been no comment from the Palace, the fashionable royal's stance, with her hands resting protectively by her rounded tummy, suggested that there might be a little one on the way.







Source

The whole article.

July 17, 2013, 12:29 pm

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Jahar's World
He was a charming kid with a bright future. But no one saw the pain he was hiding or the monster he would become.



Our hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and our thoughts are always with them and their families. The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone’s long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day. The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens.–THE EDITORS


Peter Payack awoke around 4 a.m. on April 19th, 2013, and saw on his TV the grainy surveillance photo of the kid walking out of the minimart. The boy, identified as "Suspect #2" in the Boston bombing, looked familiar, thought Payack, a wrestling coach at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. On the other hand, there were a million skinny kids with vaguely ethnic features and light-gray hoodies in the Boston area, and half the city was probably thinking they recognized the suspect. Payack, who'd been near the marathon finish line on the day of the bombing and had lost half of his hearing from the blast, had hardly slept in four days. But he was too agitated to go back to bed. Later that morning, he received a telephone call from his son. The kid in the photo? "Dad, that's Jahar."

"I felt like a bullet went through my heart," the coach recalls. "To think that a kid we mentored and loved like a son could have been responsible for all this death. It was beyond shocking. It was like an alternative reality."

People in Cambridge thought of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – "Jahar" to his friends – as a beautiful, tousle-haired boy with a gentle demeanor, soulful brown eyes and the kind of shy, laid-back manner that "made him that dude you could always just vibe with," one friend says. He had been a captain of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin wrestling team for two years and a promising student. He was also "just a normal American kid," as his friends described him, who liked soccer, hip-hop, girls; obsessed over The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones; and smoked a copious amount of weed.

Payack stared at his TV, trying to reconcile Dzhokhar, the bomber accused of unspeakable acts of terrorism, with the teenage boy who had his American nickname "Jahar" inscribed on his wrestling jacket. He'd worn it all the time.

That afternoon, Payack spoke with CNN, where he issued a direct appeal. "Jahar," he said, "this is Coach Payack. There has been enough death, destruction. Please turn yourself in."

At that precise moment, just west of Cambridge, in suburban Watertown, Jahar Tsarnaev lay bleeding on the floor of a 22-foot motorboat dry-docked behind a white clapboard house. He'd been wounded just after midnight in a violent confrontation with police that had killed his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan. For the next 18 hours, he would lie quietly in the boat, as the dawn broke on a gray day and thousands of law-enforcement officials scoured a 20-block area in search of him. He was found just after 6 p.m., though it would take nearly three more hours for FBI negotiators to persuade him to surrender.

The following morning, Payack received a text from one of the agents with the FBI's Crisis Negotiating Unit. He'd heard Payack's televised appeal, told him he'd invoked the coach's name while speaking with Jahar. "I think it helped," the agent said. Payack was relieved. "Maybe by telling Jahar that I was thinking about him, it gave him pause," Payack says. "Maybe he'd seen himself going out as a martyr for the cause. But all of a sudden, here's somebody from his past, a past that he liked, that he fit in with, and it hit a soft spot."

When investigators finally gained access to the boat, they discovered a jihadist screed scrawled on its walls. In it, according­ to a 30-count indictment handed down in late June, Jahar appeared to take responsibility for the bombing, though he admitted he did not like killing innocent people. But "the U.S. government is killing our innocent civilians," he wrote, presumably referring to Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished. . . . We Muslims are one body, you hurt one, you hurt us all," he continued, echoing a sentiment that is cited so frequently by Islamic militants that it has become almost cliché. Then he veered slightly from the standard script, writing a statement that left no doubt as to his loyalties: "Fuck America."

PLEASE FIND THE WHOLE ARTICLE AT THE SOURCE.

Rolling Stone

This story is from the August 1st, 2013 issue of Rolling Stone

Teen Mom 3 Trailer

July 17, 2013, 12:30 pm

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'Teen Mom 3' premieres Monday, August 26 at 10/9c.


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Autism, Sensitivity and Hip-Hop Culture

July 17, 2013, 12:44 pm

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The following post contains language of an adult nature that some may consider offensive.

People have the right to say whatever they want. As the public, we have a right to express concern.

It is with that thought in mind that I would like to address the lyrics of "Jodeci Freestyle," a song that by Drake ft. Dennis Graham and J. Cole that was released in late June of this year. In the third verse of the song, J. Cole rips into other rappers by stating:

I'm artistic, you niggas is autistic, retarded

To be fair, those aren't the only offensive lyrics in the verse. He refers to women as hoes, sluts, bitches and freaks, throws the N word around with the "ah" at the end and makes a tasteless comparison with the Columbine killers.

This isn't J. Cole's first controversy with offensive and insensitive language either. Earlier in June, he released the song "Villuminati," in which he took an apparent attempt at humor in trying to discuss homophobia in the rap community by saying:

My verbal AK slay faggots
And I don't mean no disrespect whenever I say faggot, okay faggot
Don't be so sensitive
If you want to get fucked in the ass
That's between you and whoever else's dick it is
Pause, maybe that line was too far
Just a little joke to show how homophobic you are

He also breaks out the R word in "Villuminati":

These next three bars is dedicated to the retards
Keep on asking me about the Illuminati

I would like to take a moment and ask both Drake and J. Cole to please consider the gravity of the words they are using in their art. I understand that it is a difficult line to walk. The desire to seem "real" and to use the vernacular of your audience is a natural one. It can create a bond with the fan base and that equates to financial success. But what do you do when words and sayings within the community are insensitive and offensive to those on the outside looking in?

I think that performers can stay true to their roots while being sensitive to diversity and disability. You don't need to spew misogynistic lyrics, fuel homophobia in the urban community or use a serious condition that affects 1 in 88 children as an insult or a punch line. Instead, why not use your gift, charisma and popularity to educate and to bring a serious situation to light?

Perhaps Drake and J. Cole are not aware that autism is diagnosed in the minority community at a much later age than the Caucasian community? The average age of diagnosis for autism spectrum disorders is 4.5 years. Yet in minority families, that number jumps to an average of 6 years of age for an ASD diagnosis. If you are on Medicaid, the average age of diagnosis is 5.4 years of age.

Maybe they are not aware that early intervention is the key to helping many of these kids reach their full potential. So while a year or year and a half may not sound like a lot of time, I guarantee you that it is an INCREDIBLE amount of time when talking about autism spectrum disorders and the impact of early intervention therapy.

I wonder if either artist considers that the demeaning nature of their words towards people that are differently abled may contribute to the problem. If you are a young African-American mother accustomed to hearing autism being used as the butt of jokes and the source of insults, would you be quick to seek an autism diagnosis? Maybe that is why, according to Merva Jackson, executive director of the nonprofit African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities, feels that autistic African-American children are often misdiagnosed with having disorders involving defiant, oppositional or behavioral problems. Her concerns are backed in a study by David Mandell that showed African-American children were 2.6 times less likely than Caucasian children to receive an autism diagnosis on their first specialty visit.

At the same time that Drake and J. Cole were releasing their song, Autism Speaks was announcing their partnership with the National Black Church Initiative to try and reduce the age of diagnosis in the African-American community. The collaboration will be piloted in 150 churches in the greater Atlanta area as part of the Autism Speaks Early Access to Care initiative.

So Drake and J. Cole, if you are reading this I would like to challenge you to help make a difference in a community that so sorely needs the help. Commit to educate and not derogate. Ultimately, you are free to say/rap/sing whatever you want. I am just asking that you please stop insulting those who often cannot defend themselves. If you were to meet my daughter, I guarantee you that your heart would melt. I can also promise you that you would walk away with lots of words to describe her and that "retarded" or "retard" would not be one of them. You might even be hesitant to use autism as a punch line in a rap verse as well.

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OP of this post doesn't listen to much rap or hip hop, and the author of the original works for Autism $peaks-but I think rap gets too much shit for being offensive compared to other music genres. Pop, country, rock can and have been just as gross. The artists mentioned do need to be aware of how what they write impact . And I do think problems such as racism and mental illness being seen as a white thing are involved too.

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Jay Z's 'Magna Carta' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

July 17, 2013, 12:44 pm

≫ Next: Taylor Swift: 'Floodgates Open' for Next Album

≪ Previous: Autism, Sensitivity and Hip-Hop Culture

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Jay Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" album storms in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 527,000 copies in its first week according to preliminary data from Nielsen SoundScan.

The larger-than-expected start is the second-biggest sales week for a single album this year. It bypasses the previous runner-up, Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories," which opened with 339,000 in May. Both albums trail behind the year's largest frame, racked up when Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" exploded with 968,000 in its first week.

The latest sales week ended at the close of business on Sunday, July 14. The rest of the new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday, July 17.

"Magna Carta Holy Grail" follows three consecutive weeks of rap albums taking turns at No. 1. First, Kanye West's "Yeezus" topped the list, giving way to Wale's "The Gifted" the following week. Then last week, Wale stepped aside to grant J. Cole's "Born Sinner" a turn at the top.

Now, with "Magna Carta's" No. 1 debut, it marks the first time that four different rap albums have consecutively spent their initial week at No. 1. We last had three in a row between Sept. 3-24, 2011. That's when Jay Z and Kanye West's "Watch the Throne," the Game's "The R.E.D. Album" and Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter IV" all spent their initial weeks at No. 1.

Further, "Magna Carta" also gives the hip-hop icon his 13th No. 1 -- extending his record for the most chart-toppers by a solo act in history. Among all artists, only the Beatles -- with 19 No. 1s -- have more. Tied for the third-most No. 1s are Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley, who each have 10 leaders.

Jay Z has seen every one of his solo studio albums reach No. 1 since 1998's "Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life," which also happened to mark his first No. 1. His 13 chart-toppers also include three collaborative albums: one each with R. Kelly, Linkin Park and West, respectively.

"Magna Carta's" bow is bigger than industry sources had forecast a week ago. Initially, the day before it hit retailers on July 9, the album was heading for a possible debut in the range of 350,000 to 400,000. Two days later, its forecast jumped to 450,000 to 500,000. And finally, by Friday (July 12), the range was fine-tuned to 475,000 to 500,000.

The album's robust sales wasn't seemingly negatively impacted by the set's unique promotion with Samsung. One million download copies of the album were available for free via an app promotion with the electronics company. The set became available on July 4 to certain Samsung phone and tablet users who had downloaded a Jay Z-centric app.

"Magna Carta" marks Jay Z's fourth album to debut with more than a half-million copies in a week. It is also his largest sales week for any album since 2006's "Kingdom Come" entered at No. 1 with 680,000. His last solo studio album, 2009's "The Blueprint 3," opened at No. 1 with 476,000 sold. His next project, 2011's "Watch the Throne," bowed with 436,000.

Jay in one week outsold the total worldwide sales of every other high profile rap album released in the last month.

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Taylor Swift: 'Floodgates Open' for Next Album

July 17, 2013, 12:44 pm

≫ Next: Justin Bieber shirtless (again), gets a tattoo of his mom's eye

≪ Previous: Jay Z's 'Magna Carta' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

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On Saturday, Taylor Swift brought her massive stadium spectacle to New Jersey's MetLife Stadium,  surprising 55,000 shrieking fans by inviting Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump onstage for "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" and hovering over the crowd on a platform during "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Backstage after the show, Swift told Rolling Stone she is already looking ahead to her next album, the follow-up to last year's Red.

"The floodgates just opened the last couple weeks," she says of the songwriting process. "I'm getting to that point where I'm irritating to be around because I'll be with you for half the conversation and then the second half of the conversation I'm clearly editing the second verse of whatever I'm writing in my head."

On Red, Swift experimented with pop collaborations, writing with hitmakers like Max Martin, Shellback and Dan Wilson. And she already has a list of artists she wants to work with on her next LP.

"I really loved collaborating," she says. "You work with a lot of different people and you find the people you have this dream connection with in the studio. I know those people and I know the ones I want to go back to. But I also have a really long list of the people I admire and I would really love to go and contact. So that's kind of where that is."

But one thing is for sure: she's not looking to repeat Red.

"I think that the idea of having a different approach to every single one of my albums is so exciting to me. I never want to make the same record twice. Why do it? What's the point? It's so overwhelming that when you're starting a project there are such endless possibilities if you're willing to evolve and experiment. If you're willing to become a different version of yourself, you can really go anywhere with it. And that's kind of where I am. The kind of the laboratory experimental stage of really catching onto a new thing that I'm liking."

And what is that 'new thing'?

"I can't tell you," she says with a smile.

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Justin Bieber shirtless (again), gets a tattoo of his mom's eye

July 17, 2013, 12:44 pm

≫ Next: Beyoncé, Jay-Z, & Blue Ivy Take Trip to Toronto

≪ Previous: Taylor Swift: 'Floodgates Open' for Next Album

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It's safe to say that Justin Bieber has more than a slight obsession with body art.

Since turning 16 three years ago, the teen heartthrob has amassed a whopping 16 tattoos.

But his latest inking, which he debuted on Instagram on Wednesday, is possibly the most bizarre yet.

The large artwork, which covers the entire width of the singer's arm and takes prominent pride of place in the crook of his left arm, is of his mother's eye!

'@bangbangnyc did this art ., Moms always watching ;)' he wrote in explanation of the pic.

Celebrity tattoo artist Keith 'Bang Bang' McCurdy, who is responsible for a number of Justin's inkings, including this latest one, is the go-to tattoo artist of Hollywood's A-list.

The tattoo was done just a day after the 19-year-old enjoyed a day of fun in the sun with a group of male pals as he took time out from his busy schedule on a friend's boat.

Taking to the water for a day which included wakeboarding, Justin looked to be in his element as his manager, Scooter Braun, tweeted pics to his followers.

The pals were clearly in good spirits as they laughed and joked around while taking photos aboard the small vessel.

Scooter captioned his pic, 'U ain't messin with my clique.'








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Beyoncé, Jay-Z, & Blue Ivy Take Trip to Toronto

July 17, 2013, 1:03 pm

≫ Next: Melonie Diaz is Vanity Fair's August Vanities Girl

≪ Previous: Justin Bieber shirtless (again), gets a tattoo of his mom's eye

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Ahead of his show tonight, Jay-Z touched down in Toronto with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy. The famous family was spotted leaving Italian restaurant Nervosa Trattoria on Wednesday as throngs of fans and photographers waited to catch a glimpse of them. Bey was all smiles, waving to fans, but Jay and Blue didn’t look as happy as they were escorted to their car by security.

Jay-Z will kick off his “Legends of the Summer” tour with Justin Timberlake tonight at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

Mrs. Carter won’t be able to stick around as she has a show of her own in Chicago tonight.

See more pics from the Carters in T-Dot.







Source: http://www.rap-up.com/2013/07/17/beyonce-jay-z-blue-ivy-take-trip-to-toronto/#more-163175

Melonie Diaz is Vanity Fair's August Vanities Girl

July 17, 2013, 1:06 pm

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AGE: 29.

PROVENANCE: Manhattan.

CITY GIRL: Diaz grew up in the East Village projects. “By nature of being in the city and being in that area, you grow up a bit quicker than other places.”

PATH TO VICTORY: A graduate of the Professional Performing Arts high school, Diaz first gained cinematic notice in 2002’s Raising Victor Vargas, while she was enrolled in N.Y.U.’s undergraduate film program. “People will stop me on the street. That was 10 years ago, and the way people react to that movie is really special.”

ON TRACK: Having just booked an upcoming guest spot on HBO’s Girls, Diaz has been making waves on the festival circuit in the award-winning Fruitvale Station, a raw biopic based on the last day in the life of transit-police-shooting victim Oscar Grant, set for theatrical release this month. “I’m playing a real-life person, so there’s a lot of pressure to do things right. It was hard.”

TAKE TWO: Diaz’s acting success hasn’t dampened her enthusiasm for getting behind the camera one day, citing Kathryn Bigelow as an inspiration. She still intends to go back to N.Y.U. to complete her degree. “I think it’s important to finish what you start.”









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Awww, this is super cute.  Love her shout out to Bigelow. <3