Thursday, May 3, 2012

[Smells Like News] Birdman Will Do 'Whatever It Takes' To Sign Chief Keef

'The game needs young blood all the time,' Birdman tells MTV News of courting the 16-year-old rapper for his Cash Money label.
By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Birdman
Photo: MTV News

Chicago rapper Chief Keef has already built a solid following in the Midwest, but Kanye West gave him a national platform when he decided to remix the 16-year-old's hit "I' Don't Like" for G.O.O.D. Music. Still, a co-sign from 'Ye is only the beginning, as Keef is now being courted by Birdman and Cash Money Records.

On the same night Kanye West tweeted that he would be remixing Keef's single "I Don't Like," the Chi-town rapper tweeted that he was fielding calls from several parties interested in signing him, including Birdman. "Birdman Just Called He Say He Wanna Sign Me Wit #CMB," he wrote in April.

And during Wednesday's episode of "RapFix Live," Birdman revealed that he is, in fact, working on adding Chief Keef to the ever-expanding roster at Cash Money. "I like him, he kinda reminds me of us," Birdman told host Sway Calloway, referencing his all-star YMCMB team. "[He's] out the streets, I think he's swagged up and I'm definitely talking to his people and I'd like to see if we can make it pop, see if I can see if I can get him to be down with the team."

Birdman noted that one of the things he admires about Chief Keef is that he already has his own devoted crew. "That's what I like, it's a movement and he's young, I think the game needs young blood all the time," he explained. "[We] need youngsters to keep it innovative, because they're new and creative in their own way. I'm into the young world, that's my thing. And I'ma do whatever it takes to make it happen."

Kanye West's "I Don't Like" remix dropped this week with verses from Chief Keef, Pusha T, Jadakiss and Big Sean. Things are about to get very interesting for the upstart rapper.

Do you think Chief Keef would make a good addition to Cash Money? Leave your comment below!

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[Smells Like News] Skylar Laine Gets The Boot On 'American Idol'

Perpetual bottom-dweller Hollie Cavanagh lives to see another day.
By Adam Graham


Skylar Laine and Ryan Seacrest on "American Idol"
Photo: Fox

Skylar Laine is headed back to Brandon, Mississippi.

The 18-year-old country spitfire was sent home on Thursday's (May 3) "American Idol" results episode, after receiving the fewest number of votes following Wednesday's performance episode. Nearly 60 million votes were cast, host Ryan Seacrest reported during the show.

Laine found herself in the bottom two alongside Hollie Cavanagh. Now that the field is down to five singers, there was no bottom three.

When the news was delivered to Laine, she hugged Cavanagh tight at the center of the stage. After composing herself, she sang Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder & Lead" as the show closed.

Just one night prior, Jennifer Lopez told Laine she had victory in her grasp. "You wanna win, don't you?" Lopez asked Laine after she sang Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," which followed her earlier performance of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son." Laine replied affirmatively, to which Lopez said, "I can tell. And you just might with performances like that."

In his assessment of her Wednesday performances, mentor Jimmy Iovine called Laine "a fighter" and praised her for suiting up and showing up "every night." He said he thought she did well, though he said her take on the Dusty Springfield song lacked the "darkness" of the original. "She doesn't deserve to go home because of that," Iovine said, "but it was less than what I know she's capable of."

In Iovine's estimation, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez should have landed in the bottom two. He said Phillips has been "coasting" and described his two performances as "very bland." As for Sanchez, Iovine called her performance of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" a "travesty" and said he should have talked her out of singing it when he had the chance. He said her outfit during the song was "too mature" and "too racy" and said the "Idol" wardrobe department was "torpedoing" her.

Coldplay also appeared and performed two songs, "Paradise" and "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall," and fourth-season "Idol" winner Carrie Underwood stopped by and performed "Blown Away," the title track from her latest album, which hit stores this week.

What did you think of "Idol" on Thursday? Let us know in the comments!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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[Smells Like News] 5/03/2012 09:24:00 PM



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Posted By sysop to Smells Like News at 5/03/2012 09:24:00 PM

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[Smells Like News] Justin Bieber Goes 'More Mature' With 'Boyfriend' Video

Pop star brings new clip to MTV News and answers all his fans' questions during Thursday's 'MTV First: Justin Bieber.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Justin Bieber during "MTV First: Justin Bieber"
Photo: MTV News

From the back of a Shelby Mustang right to a showroom filled with classic cars, Justin Bieber premiered his highly anticipated "Boyfriend" video on Thursday (May 3) during "MTV First: Justin Bieber." The sexy, sunny, Director X-directed clip certainly had fans in the room cheering.

The video comes to life with shots of Bieber driving a muscle car, snuggling with his beautiful co-star and getting his dance on alongside his pals, all while they chill out at a rooftop party somewhere in Los Angeles. It's a more mature look at the growing pop star, who in only a few short years has gone from strumming his guitar on the streets of his Canadian hometown to full-fledged international pop-star status, where he fills arenas all over the world.

"I kind of switched it up from all the teasers," Bieber told MTV News' Sway Calloway about what fans saw of the video before its premiere. "I switched up the whole video on them, and really, I think it's super cool. I wanted to do something a little bit more mature."

The video is full of swaggy images, ranging from his varsity jacket to his cool car, but what left one fan in the "MTV First" audience most intrigued were the gold sneakers he sports in the video. "I did pick out those swaggy gold shoes," he laughed. "They spray-painted them gold. That's what I'm going to do: I'm gonna start wearing gold shoes all the time."

With the video's focus on cars and friends, the 18-year-old chatted about his own personal car collection. "I have a Range Rover and a Fisker. And I have a Smart Car. It just helps me get from point A to point B. I call it my little 'swag car,' " he said.

While Bieber made it clear that his off-time doesn't look a lot like the party in the video, he did share what he does on the weekends: "I work. ... If I'm with my friends, we like to do regular stuff," he said, before opening up about what he does to unsuspecting pals in an elevator. "We have this game where basically we hit each other in the balls."

In addition to opening up about the video and his unusual take on riding in an elevator, he also talked about working with pals Drake, Kanye West, Usher and Taylor Swift for his brand-new album, Believe, out June 19. "Boyfriend" is the lead single from the highly anticipated release.

But with the music world conquered, he also teased his forthcoming work in Hollywood. He gave an update on his in-the-works basketball movie with Mark Wahlberg, as well as his blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in "Men In Black 3." He noted, however, "Right now I'm focused on my album and Believe."

What did you think of the "Boyfriend" video? Share your reviews in the comments!

Stick with MTV News as we roll out more from our exclusive "MTV First" interview with Justin Bieber!

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[Smells Like News] New 'Amazing Spider-Man' Trailer: Five Key Scenes

We take a closer look at the latest action-packed sneak peek.
By Kara Warner


Andrew Garfield in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
Photo: Columbia Pictures

Holy web-slingers, Spidey fans: Another trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man" has arrived!

While there are several familiar scenes from the first two epic teasers weaved into this exciting new two-and-a-half minutes, director Marc Webb has introduced a bunch of intriguing new elements into the new footage.

Here are five key scenes from the latest trailer:

Lonely Boy
Webb told us previously that the fact that Peter Parker is an orphan will play heavily into the story of this film, which is very much exemplified by the multiple "lonely boy" shots of Parker standing atop various buildings or walking by himself through the city streets with a forlorn look on his face. Not to mention Andrew Garfield's voice-over: "This life is not an easy one. I've made enemies, powerful enemies. I've put people I love in danger, but the one thing that has haunted me my entire life is finding the truth about my parents ... "

"I think there's a real emotional consequence to someone who's left by their parents when they're 7 or 8 years old," Webb has said. "And that contributes to sort of this trickster, chip-on-his-shoulder attitude."

Other Mischief May Come
Speaking of Parker's trickster side, we get another glimpse of his comedic and sarcastic sensibilities during his encounter with a carjacker, as shown in the previous trailer. What's new and fun this time around is Parker taunting the guy: "You found my weakness!" Parker says to the carjacker sarcastically. "It's small knives!"

The other intriguing and very possibly mischievous element in play here is the quick shot we see of Parker looking up at the impossibly tall and menacing Oscorp skyscraper. Yes, we know Parker is interested in the building because of its ties to his father and that Oscorp ID card he holds onto, but we can't help but feel a little bit of foreshadowing is at play in knowing what plays out with one Norman Osborn.

Lizard in a Lab Coat
Behold, the recently transformed, very dangerous-looking Lizard crumpled on the floor and bursting out of his lab coat — or the lab coat of his former self, Dr. Curt Connors (played by Rhys Ifans). We've seen some very quick shots of the film's central villain before, but this trailer offers us multiple glimpses at the before-and-after of Dr. Connors. And he is not at all a nice guy in his hulking green lizardy form ("Avengers" pun un-intended). We see the Lizard hurling innocent people around and later in heated pursuit of our heroic web-slinger.

Mystery Man With Intel
Speaking of the pre-reptilian Dr. Connors, there is a very brief, but intriguing interrogation-like scene in the trailer between Connors and an unidentified older gentleman. The gentleman looks to have long-ish white hair and is shown in a sort of shadowy silhouette asking the good doctor a very pointed question about Peter Parker and his parents. "Did you tell the boy about his father?" he says to Connors. We don't get to hear the Doc's response during this brief exchange, but the worried-but-stubborn look on Connors' face says the man is definitely withholding some key information that will undoubtedly prove to be of major importance to Parker down the line.

Action, Action and More Action
And just like all great superheroic trailers before it, Webb spends the last minute or so of his new trailer impressing us with tons of action. We see Parker-as-Spider-Man's extraordinary athleticism in some scenes of good old-fashioned chasery: He dodges police officers, carjackers and the Lizard, not to mention one impressive feat wherein he appears to be holding a burning car from plunging into a river — which, by the way, totally reminds us of a scene from Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man," whether that was intended or not; we'll have to see the finished film to decide. There is also more demonstration of Spidey's fancy web-slingers as he masters his skills with swinging from building to building and stealthily sliding into rooms upside down.

Check out everything we've got on "The Amazing Spider-Man."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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[Smells Like News] Junior Seau Suicide Renews NFL Concussion Debate


Junior Seau's grieving family does NOT believe the former football great's death was related to on-field concussions he sustained as a player, but his suicide has nevertheless renewed an ongoing debate over the NFL and brain injuries.

Police found Junior Seau dead yesterday at his San Diego County home.

Seau family sources tell say the death shocked them even more than it did his many fans, as Junior never complained about concussion-related medical problems, nor did he mention or appear to be suffering from depression.

Junior Seau Found Dead

Seau never spoke, allegedly, about the ongoing legal dispute between the NFL and retired players who claim the league concealed critical information about long-term effects of concussions over the past few decades.

Junior's apparent suicide, from a gunshot wound to the chest, instantly drew comparisons to the death of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson.

Duerson left a suicide note explaining he shot himself in the chest because he wanted his brain to be sent to the "NFL brain bank" for further study.

The family is unsure why Junior wanted to kill himself, but feel there isn't necessarily a link to concussions and Duerson comparisons are premature.

Neurosurgeon Julian Bailes, longtime researcher into brain damage from concussions, responded with grief and medical questions about what toll Junior's lengthy football career (20 seasons) might have taken on the 43-year-old.

"As both a football fan and a researcher, the news comes with great sadness first of all for such a great player. But I think we have to add him to the list of those that we worry about who could have effects of chronic, repetitive brain trauma," said Bailes.

The chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago added, "We don't have any strong evidence (yet about Seau), and we know that people commit suicide for other reasons. … But to me it's also concerning due to the fact that he had such a long playing history."

"The emerging research is perhaps pointing to the amount of exposure to repetitive head contacts being like a dose response. … The more you're exposed to sun light; you get a higher chance of skin cancer. … The more CAT Scans you have; you are exposed to radiation and perhaps side effects."

[Photo: WENN.com]



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