Image Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesBill Clinton called in to Pittsburgh’s 96.1 Kiss morning radio show for a little Election Day chat (hey, President Obama was on Ryan Seacrest’s show, so why not?) — and the hosts, not about to talk politics, asked him about Lil Wayne’s impending release from jail. But instead of the standard jokey answer that says either “I’m too busy for pop culture” or “I am really good at faking knowledge about pop culture,” Clinton turned it into an opportunity to deliver a poignant message to listeners: READ FULL STORY »
Tag: Hip-Hop/Rap (31-40 of 186)
Nov 3
2010
09:44 AM ET
Bill Clinton refuses to stop being cool
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Sep 28
2010
11:57 AM ET
Kanye's tweets + 'Liz Lemon' = Kanye Jordan
Image Credit: Universal Music; Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCKanye West’s tweets are an endless source of joy, and now they’ve taken on a new level of memedom: “Kanye Jordan” is the fun new party game where you add “Liz Lemon” in front of Kanye’s tweets to make him sound exactly like Tray Jordan on 30 Rock. (This terrifying, amusing convergence was discovered by @john_harper). Now there’s a bot account that automatically adds the “Liz Lemon” to West’s tweets, and some of the results are unreal:
“Liz Lemon, Man … ninjas are kind of cool … I just don’t know any personally”
“Liz Lemon, If baroque and mod had a car crash… what would that ambulance look like?”
“Liz Lemon, I make awesome decisions in bike stores!!!”
I could do this all day, PopWatchers. I think this means Kanye has to play Tracy Jordan in a spoof of 30 Rock on SNL in a few weeks, no? Too many meta layers?
Sep 22
2010
01:00 PM ET
50 Cent's dog joins Twitter, blasts master, incenses PETA
50 Cent is feuding with Oprah again. No, not that Oprah. Actually, the “In da Club” rapper has a pet dog named “Oprah Whine Free,” and — guess what? — the pooch just joined Twitter. As you can imagine, her Bio is merely “50 Cent’s bitch.” In just 24 hours after signing up, Oprah the Dog already has over 7,000 followers and has been tweeting up a storm, even provoking an outraged response from PETA.
As brainless an endeavor as this might seem, this actually got me thinking about two things: First, Fiddy has a dog named Oprah?! To refresh your memory, in 2006 he went all Jonathan Franzen on the Queen of All Media for not featuring more rappers on her talk-show. (At the time, he said “I think she caters to older white women. So I could care less about Oprah or her show.”) Needless to say, naming his dog after Ms. Winfrey doesn’t seem like an affectionate homage.
Second, Fiddy has a sense of humor? As Oprah’s Twitter ghostwriter, it seems the answer is yes. Oprah’s been using her new account mostly to vent against her master. A few sample tweets: “About to go to the studio w/my dad tonight to make a hit record ‘teach you how to doggie’ its gonna be hotter than the s–t my dad’s writing”; “he aint made a classic since get rich or die tryin”; “f— this I need a new owner.” As a particularly low blow, Oprah added, “DMX wouldn’t have treated me like this…” And you thought Kanye’s feed had cornered the market on crazy! READ FULL STORY »
Sep 22
2010
11:17 AM ET
Casey Affleck sticks to the script on 'Tonight Show'
I think I’d like to play cards with Casey Affleck. The Oscar-nominated actor, who directed his brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix in the apparently fake documentary, I’m Still Here, visited The Tonight Show last night to reiterate his recent claims that it was just a movie and that Phoenix’s public meltdowns were simply part of the act. But his poker-face wasn’t exactly a mask of conviction. Question: “Everybody was in on it at the time [when Phoenix appeared disheveled on Letterman]?” Answer: “Uhhhh, well, you know… [breaks eye contact and mindlessly tugs right earlobe]… neither Joaquin nor I never talked to Dave…” Question: ”Was it real drugs? Was he doing real coke in the movie?” Answer: “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-hhhhhhhhhhhhh. No.” I suppose that’s better than, “Hmmm. Which scene?” READ FULL STORY »
Sep 13
2010
04:34 PM ET
Did VMAs host Chelsea Handler take on an impossible job?
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesCould hosting the VMAs be the most unrewarding job in Hollywood? In light of last night’s questionable performance by E!’s late-night queen Chelsea Handler, I started thinking about how few VMA emcees have been widely lauded for their performances over the years. Just peruse this list of past hosts. Are any of these people — ranging from Bette Midler (yes!) and Dan Akroyd to Dennis Miller (twice!) and Ben Stiller — remembered for doing an exceptionally good job?
Sure, a handful, like Jimmy Fallon and Chris Rock, may be remembered with some level of fondness. But unlike, say, the Oscars or the Emmys — where, for example, Steve Martin and Neil Patrick Harris have won rave reviews for their respective recent hosting stints — the very nature of the VMAs dictates that the lion’s share of the morning-after buzz will focus on outrageous stunts or musical performances, and not on the host. Handler seemed to be aware of this conundrum last night, and it resulted in an unfortunate “look how craaaazy I can be!” vibe that downplayed her brash intelligence and felt inauthentic to boot. READ FULL STORY »
Sep 12
2010
01:19 PM ET
Kanye and Taylor at the VMAs: How about a wacky pop-culture reenactment?
Image Credit: Peter Kramer/AP; Juan Soliz, PacificCoastNews.comNobody puts Taylor Swift in a corner! (Because, at the rate she’s going, she’ll have Oprah-level power by the time she’s 25.) But in all seriousness, tonight’s telecast of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards (which we’ll be live-blogging over at our Music Mix blog) will have plenty of folks tuning in to see how (or if) Taylor interacts with Kanye West on the one-year anniversary of the all-caps rapper crashing the country princess’ big 2009 VMA win. If by some chance Kanye and Taylor are still brainstorming ideas for “having a moment,” though, we cooked up a gallery of seven pop-culture scenes the duo could reenact. We’ve included a bonus eighth image — channeling Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing — in this here blog item. Click here to check out the full gallery, then head down to the comments to invent other ways Kanye and Taylor can have the time of their lives tonight.
Sep 1
2010
09:51 AM ET
Shaquille O'Neal Vs. Justin Bieber and Jimmy Kimmel: The Shaq of all trades
Shaquille O’Neal can do anything. Badly. But give him credit for sharing his mediocrity with the rest of the world. That’s the concept behind Shaq Vs, his show where he takes on celebrities in their chosen field. Last night, he challenged Jimmy Kimmel to a monologue contest and took the stage with Justin Bieber. Shaq admitted that he always wanted to be like Fame‘s Leroy, and he looked half-decent freestyling on the dance floor. READ FULL STORY »
Aug 18
2010
08:00 AM ET
Forbes ranks the richest rappers: Some guys named Shawn, Sean, and Aliuane top the list
Forbes has once again taken time from covering entrepreneurs who work with short-term CDs and gold-backed bonds to cover those who work with 12-track CDs and gold teeth. And again, Jay-Z has topped the business magazine’s annual list of highest-earning hip-hop stars, raking in an impressive $63 million over the past year. That’s over twice as much as his nearest competition, Diddy, and $28 million more than he made last year.
Kanye West experienced one of the bigger drops, going from third place in 2009 all the way down to 10th, right behind Pharrell (the only other artist in the Top 20 who uses his real name). Kanye’s drop could be a result of VMA backlash and his subsequent laying-low, but with a new album coming up, it’s hard to imagine that his estimated $12 million won’t increase soon.
Personally, I was surprised that a lot of the names on the list, like Diddy, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, haven’t had a huge hit in awhile. Also, where’s MC Hammer? I would have assumed that his Cash 4 Gold investment strategy would have paid off by now. I’m probably less surprised at the names on the list than I am at the names on the list. Calvin? Clifford? Aubrey? Lonnie? Somehow I think I now understand the need for their monikers. Here’s the full list:
Jun 28
2010
02:40 PM ET
The BET Awards: The parade of wacky red carpet choices continues
Last night’s BET Awards brought out many things: Kanye’s highly anticipated return, Eminem’s surprise performance with B.o.B. and Chris Brown‘s emotional tribute to Michael Jackson. What it did not bring out, though, was dazzling fashion. You name the crazy, and it was there. No pants: Jada Pinkett-Smith; bandeau tops: Cassie; and next to nothing: former Sweet Valley twin Brittany Daniel, continuing this year’s trend in out-there red carpet statements.
Music award shows are famous (or notorious?) for their edgy red carpets. By no means do I expect flouncy dresses or girly ball gowns, but when did dressing in the most jaw-dropping outfits possible become the norm? Is the m.o. now to shock and, at times, horrify?
If celebrities want a real lesson in daring to be different, my advice is to follow Cate Blanchett’s lead. She practically wrote the book on toeing the line between edgy and tasteful.
What did you guys think of the fashion from the BET Awards?
Photo: Dan Steinberg/AP Images; Hollywood Press/startraksphoto.com; Chris Hatcher/PR Photos; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Jun 26
2010
12:53 PM ET
The roof is on fire: Jay-Z and Eminem rock the top of the Ed Sullivan Theater on Letterman
Image Credit: Jay-Z: Gary Miller/WireImage.com; Eminem: Albert MAlbert Michael/startraksphoto.comA troika of rap royalty graced the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater last night, as Jay-Z and Eminem played The Late Show With David Letterman while Diddy looked on approvingly from a seat on the sidelines.
Before the performance, “Jay” and “Em,” as Letterman learned to refer to them, did the typical Late Show shtick. Eminem read the Top 10, which included groaners like “Don’t get mixed up with drugs, gangs or oil executives,” but actually made it funnier by announcing them with a face so straight it looked like someone just shot his dog backstage. Eminem has always been adept at pretending not to be in on the joke, thus making things awkward-hilarious. Remember this? Jay-Z’s interview with Letterman, on the other hand, was definitely more on the awkward side than the hilarious side. After a bit of banter, the ever-chuckling host laid a trap for the rap-star/mogul/multiple retiree when they got to the subject of whether Lebron James should come to New York. Being part-owner of the Nets, Jay-Z was not against such a prospect, but Letterman quickly launched into a populist declaration that Lebron should stay in Cleveland and not “cut the heart out of that city.” The audience, many of which must have taken a day trip from Ohio, sided with Letterman and gave Cleveland so much love that I was expecting things to burst into the opening credits of The Drew Carey Show. Jay-Z could only peer out sheepishly from under his hat brim.
But he regained his composure once he got to the roof. Following a solid rendition from Eminem of his new single “Not Afraid,” the self-proclaimed Greatest Rapper Alive took the stage and performed the heck out of the chant-like “On to the Next One,” smiling and working the audience from a bunch of strangers awkwardly swaying and confusedly pointing into something resembling an actual crowd. Eminem then joined him for their Blueprint collaboration “Renegade,” giving everyone a taste of what to expect come September when the two play concerts scheduled in Detroit and New York
Those who caught the show, what did you think? Excited to see the two of them sharing the stage? Anyone hoping Letterman would jump up there with them and do a verse, maybe start a rap feud with Leno?
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