A Tribe Called Quest Clears Up Controversy About Documentary

A Tribe Called Quest

Check out A Tribe Called Quest Clears Up The Controversy Over Michael Rapaport’s Documentary about their issues with rapaport and the 2011 documentary film Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest with video interviews from MTV News at the great website Shadow & Act here

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Baby Pictured on Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready To Die' Grown Up

Baby Pictured on Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready To Die' Cover Found
Posted Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:27pm PDT
by Daniel Kreps- The Amplifier

Keithroy Yearwood

Besides perhaps the Nevermind baby, the child sporting a giant Afro pictured on Notorious B.I.G.'s classic debut Ready to Die is the most iconic infant in album-cover history. As the music world commemorated the 14th anniversary of Biggie's death on March 9th, many fans began inquiring about the Ready to Die kid. Diddy simply told Rap Radar, "That was a baby we just found... We did a little casting for somebody that looked like Big," and the Bad Boy offices had long lost any concrete form of documentation. .

But now, the New York Daily News has uncovered the 18-year-old who claims to be the mini-B.I.G.: Bronx native Keithroy Yearwood..

"I just want people to know that's me. The truth is finally coming out," Yearwood told the Daily News, who corroborated his claim with Yearwood's baby photos. The story of how the teen landed on the cover also seems to match Bad Boy's assertion that the baby came from a modeling agency: Yearwood's mother Delcenia Burns says her son was recruited by the now-defunct modeling agency Chicky's Kids, and that she has the paperwork to prove it. .

That Yearwood was a paid model would come as a surprise to two people involved in the shoot: Designer Cey Adams and the cover's photographer Butch Belair, both thought that the Ready to Die baby was the child of someone who worked at Bad Boy..

"When I first found out about it, it wasn't a big deal to me. Now, of course, it's a big deal to me," Yearwood, who plans to study sports management in college, said of his claim to fame. "It's an honor to be on this album." .

Yearwood says he only received $150 for being on the cover of Ready to Die, but his place in music history is priceless..





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The Wire 200 Greatest Quotes

More cool clips from YouTube. I found this about the television show The Wire.

For those who don't know,

The Wire was an American television drama series set in Baltimore, Maryland, where it was also produced. Created, produced, and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States. The Wire premiered on June 2, 2002 and ended on March 9, 2008, with 60 episodes airing over the course of its five seasons.
-From Wikipedia.

I didn't find the clips so "spoilerish". Truth be told the clips come so fast and furious unless you have seen the show you probably won't remember what you see besides great lines.

Below is The Wire: The 100 Greatest Quotes and its follow-up The Wire: The Other 100 Greatest Quotes

WARNING: THE CLIPS CONTAIN EXPLICIT LANGUAGE


The Wire - 100 Greatest Quotes


The Wire - The Other 100 Greatest Quotes


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Taraji P. Henson Cast in New Show

Taraji P. Henson to Co-Star in J.J. Abrams' TV Drama


Taraji P. Henson (pictured left) is taking a break from the silver screen to focus on television. The Oscar-nominated actress has signed on to play the lead female role in J.J. Abrams' newest series, "Person of Interest".

New York magazine is reporting that Henson will play a crime-fighting detective named Carter -- in a story about an ex-CIA agent (James Caviezel, Passion of the Christ, pictured bottom left) who has been asked by a billionaire (Michael Emerson, Lost, pictured bottom right) to fight crime in New York City.

She also recently finished up a movie with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Pam Grier called "Larry Crowne."

-Info from Essence magazine and Rueters

Lil Kim VS. Nicki Minaj

Lil' Kim Explains Nicki Minaj Battle: 'I Have To Fight For My Fans'

'They thought I was gonna sit back and let them do what they were doing,' MC tells 'RapFix Live' about Nicki's crew.

MTV News
By Jayson Rodriguez with reporting by Sway Calloway

Mar 4 2011 6:52 AM EST

Lil' Kim wanted deference from Nicki Minaj. Now, however, it may take much more than that from the upstart who was inspired by the veteran rapper.

The two female MCs have been bickering for some time, in interviews and in song, (see next article below) but it seems Kim may want a 50 Cent-to-Ja Rule knockout blow, stopping the Young Money raptress in her tracks.

"This is the thing: It's just, it's really, like, at the end of the day, I do what I have to do, and I'm gonna keep doing what I have to do," Kim told MTV News during her appearance Thursday (March 3) on "RapFix Live." "I'm gonna do me. They're the ones that brought this about. It could have been that simple. But what they did was underestimate me. They thought I was gonna sit back and let them do what they were doing. I'm gonna let everybody know: I'm on my Hollywood sophisticated, but I'll bring it back if I have to. And that's in life. I can't help it. I'm G'd up from my feet up. If I have to handle my business, I'mma handle my business. And I have to fight for my fans."



Happier times (click picture for larger view)


Kim claimed her battle against Nicki is a challenge because she "has a powerful building behind her," referencing her label, Universal Records. But Kim remains resilient, saying her battle is for her fans as much as it's against Nicki.

"What kind of message would that send to my fans if I just sit back and watched?" she said. "Let this girl do what she's doing. My fans were more fumed than I was. They were looking like, 'Do you see this? Do you hear this?' But at the end of the day, I understand what they were feeling. I owe my fans a whole lot."

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Nicki Minaj-Pink Friday REVIEW

____________________________________________________________

Lil' Kim Video Calls Nicki Minaj A 'Carbon Copy'

By D.L. Chandler -MTV News
Mar 1 2011

The battle of the Barbies continues: Lil' Kim and her open war on reigning queen of hip-hop Nicki Minaj has not lost a bit of steam after last week's release of a video in which the former Junior M.A.F.I.A. vet continues to discredit the Young Money starlet.

The Brooklyn rap diva isn't slowing down her relentless attacks on Nicki. The 15-minute "Carbon Copy," called "a documentary exposé about crazed fans with record deals," shows some of the many incarnations of Kim's image over the course of her 17-year career and how Minaj seemingly borrowed some of the looks as her own.

The 35-year-old Kim claims Minaj has been disrespectful after hearing her say during a radio interview that veteran female rappers need to move aside. Using those comments as inspiration, the rapper born Kimberly Jones has taken up a crusade that has morphed into an entire mixtape project devoted to dismantling the Nicki Minaj machine. Kim reported that her Black Friday sold 113,000 copies in 28 hours after she released it February 14, but because she sold it herself using PayPal, there is no way to confirm that number.



Click on picture for larger view

 The cover of Black Friday (pictured right) shows Kim, bloody sword in hand, next to a pink-haired severed head and a dismembered body wearing the same outfit as Nicki on her Pink Friday cover. Before the mixtape's release, Kim leaked "Pissin' On Em" (to the tune of Nicki's "Did It On Em"), which accuses Minaj of being a "Lil' Kim clone."

And the war of words hasn't been confined to studio recordings: Kim also took to airing her grievances in print via a recent interview with Rap-Up. "People gotta know that I'm not stupid, but I'm having fun. I'm protecting my brand and my empire at this moment," she said. She added, "If this situation is deeper than what everybody would like to think it is, then it will all come to light. I'm a strong believer in how I conducted my strategy with this whole situation."

This isn't Kim's first foray into the circus of hip-hop beefs. The "Get Money" MC is still in somewhat of a feud with fellow Brooklyn artist Foxy Brown, who has been largely inactive aside from a track aimed at Kim released earlier this year. While she hasn't injected herself into the squabble between Kim and Nicki, Foxy has openly sided with her Trinidadian peer Minaj.

 

 

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The High Cost of the Oscars

OSCAR: The $135 Million Gift To Los Angeles

Lindsay Miller
The Fiscal Times
Mar. 1, 2011

Director Frank Capra may have called the Oscar “the most valuable but least expensive item of worldwide public relations ever invented by any industry." But producing Hollywood’s biggest night of the year hardly comes cheap. From the lavish food and drink to the gold-plated statuettes themselves, little expense is spared to make this night an entertainment extravaganza, not to mention the economic boost it gives to the city of Los Angeles – over $130 million. Here are a dozen surprising ways money is spent on the Academy Awards.


1. Best Picture Campaign: $15 million and up

From full-page ads in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter to swanky parties and screenings, studios spare little when it comes to championing their films for a best picture win. “The money spent is directly proportional to the ambition,” says a publicist who has worked on several campaigns. “A tiny indie could run a million, while a film like The Social Network could go as high as 15 million or more.”

2. Scalped Ticket: $85,000 and up

Oscar invitees sign a release promising not to resell or give away their coveted seats to the show—but that hasn’t always stopped scalpers. In a 2008 lawsuit, the Academy accused two companies of trying to hawk tickets for as much as $85,000 a pop. In 2009, the Academy brought another suit against an Arizona-based firm that advertised a seven-day trip to Hollywood that included an Oscar ticket, accommodations at the Bel Air hotel, a strut down the red carpet, and other cushy perks for $175,000.

3. Gift Bag: $75,000

Several invite-only gifting suites where stars are lavished with vacations, jewelry, skincare treatments, and other pricey perks are held the week of the awards. So even the losers end up winning: This year, Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based marketing company, will send each Oscar nominee $75,000 worth of swag the morning after the show. Standouts include a getaway to the Maldives worth $16,000 and a six-month gym membership.

4. Champagne: $42,000

Moët & Chandon is providing the bubbly at this year’s official “after” party, the Academy Awards Governors Ball. Organizers expect more than 1,200 bottles of the brand’s Imperial selection to be served, and at $34.99 each, that’s nearly $42,000 of sparkling wine swilled and savored.

5. Red Carpet: $25,000-$30,000

The Oscars’ red carpet is an impressive 500 feet long and 33 feet wide—or 16,500 square feet. A spokesperson for Beverly Hills-based Red Carpet Systems says they would charge $7,500 to rent a red carpet that length at their standard width of just ten feet wide. In fact, most L.A.-area companies that provide the service charge an average of $1 and $1.50 per square foot of carpet. At that rate, the Academy’s walkway could cost as much as $24,750 before taking into account set-up fees, which can also be hefty. Red Carpet Systems says a project the size of Oscar’s could require a crew of about 16 men for four days, and at California’s minimum wage, the labor alone would cost another $3,768.

6. Truffles: $25,000

Master chef Wolfgang Puck has long been the creative force behind the Governors Ball menu. This year’s offerings include heaping tubs of caviar, gold-coated chocolate Oscars, and the most decadent ingredient of all: black truffles. Puck will shave them on pizzas and in a truffle aioli paired with asparagus, Iberico ham, and mizuna leaves. He plans to use about 25 pounds of the fungi—at $1,000 per pound.

7. Hair, Makeup, Eyelashes, Tanning, and More: $5,000-$11,000

On Oscar day, the most in-demand hairstylists, spray-tanners and makeup artists are dispatched to the homes of A-list stars. Top coiffeurs like Oribe reportedly command $5,000 per day—plus gratuity—with a complete hair and makeup team billing as much as $10,000. Add in the cost of eyelash extensions (up to $450), an in-home luxury mani/pedi ($250) and spray tanning by Hollywood favorites like Jimmy Coco ($125), and the total can easily creep beyond the $10K mark.

8. Gown: $4,000-$6,000

Most major celebs don’t pay for their red carpet dresses or diamonds: They borrow the pricey pieces from designers and jewelers. Still, it takes a top-notch wardrobe stylist to select the perfect look and negotiate those loans with fashion houses. Some of Hollywood’s top names, such as Rachel Zoe, command day rates between $4,000 and $6,000 for their services, a tab frequently footed by the movie studio, not the starlet.

9. Security Detail: $2,500-$3,000

Most high-powered A-listers use a bodyguard on a daily basis, but for a special event, they ramp up the protection. Aaron Cohen, founder of IMS-Security and author of Brotherhood of Warriors, has protected stars at previous Oscars. “A celebrity like Angelina [Jolie] will probably have ‘her guy,’ for lack of a better term, and one advance scout to coordinate before she arrives with on-site security,” he says. “They help handle the actual carpet drop with the protective agent, who would then arrive with her.” The cost for this 007-style service? From $2500 to $3000.

10. Getting Trim for the Tux: $500-$5,000

For leading men who want to get in shape fast, military-inspired classes at gyms like Barry’s Bootcamp run about $600 for a package 50 sessions. For one-on-one attention, some of Tinseltown’s most coveted trainers charge about $3,000 per private session. Meal delivery services and cleanses are also popular last-minute fixes. A three-day supply of detox juices from BluPrintCleanse runs $195, while Paleta, an organic food service in Los Angeles and New York City, charges $485 a week.

11. Car and Driver: $1,000-$3,750

With red-carpet arrivals starting in the afternoon and after parties stretching well into the wee hours, the cost of a chauffeured car on Oscar night can rival a mortgage payment. A 2:00 p.m. pick up and 2:00 a.m. drop off will break the $1,000 mark at most L.A. car services. Most companies charge $65 an hour, plus a 20 percent gratuity and additional service and fuel charges. Spring for the stretch limo that seats eight closes friends, managers, agents, and publicists—and you’re looking at as much as $3,750.

12. The Oscar Itself: $500 and up

Each eight-and-a-half-pound Oscar is cast in brittania metal and plated in copper and nickel silver before the finishing touch, a layer of 24-karat gold, is applied. Each statuette costs $500 to produce. While it’s difficult to know exactly how many awards will be handed out in any given year, at least 25 Oscars—$125,000 worth—will be presented on Sunday night’s show.

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External link-
http://abcnews.go.com/entertainment/oscars