Jersey Shore: Season 2!!

MTV has announced that its hit reality show, Jersey Shore, will return with the original cast for a second season this summer.

Pauly Delvecchio, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “J-WOWW” Farley, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, Ronnie Margo and Vinny Guadagnino will all “escape the cold Northeast and find themselves in a new destination” for season 2, MTV said in a statement. (Source)

I fell in love with this show… the cast seems so cool but I think ultimately I just love Jersey.

In a recent interview, Pauly explained that while fame is all kinds of fun, he’s having trouble keeping the ladies at a safe distance. “I’ve had so many girls stalking me, it’s crazy,” he said, adding that one female especially creeped him out. “She drove five hours to come see me, then five hours back. She was what I call a stage five clinger.”

We’re told it was important the producers wanted to avoid infighting among the cast … at least on the subject of money — so Pauly D, The Situation, Snooki and the gang will all be paid exactly the same.

As we first reported, the cast negotiated their deals like the cast of “Friends” — either they all got paid the same … or nobody got paid. Read more: TMZ.

So where will MTV send the cast next season?? Who knows but I can’t wait…

Someone asked on the Wendy Williams show a couple nights ago: “Since when is reality television a full time job??” Random thought: “I should be on a reality show.. LOL. Maybe one day!”

[Via http://crismusicent.wordpress.com]

Pauly D's new romance?

Photo credit: MTV

Is there an MTV reality power-couple in the works? We all know that Sammi and Ronnie have their little fling which Snooki claims is still going strong despite the on-screen Reunion show break-up, but there could be some MTV love blooming from another show.

Rumor has it that Pauly D is creeping it on Farrah Abraham from MTV’s Teen Mom. Perez Hilton and (oddly enough) FOX News are reporting that the hard-partying 18-year-old was by Pauly’s side as he DJ’d a club in Houston, TX recently.

No word on where Farrah’s baby Sophia was, though it’s probably safe to assume that Grandma and Grandpa were taking care of her, like normal.

There’d be a lot to contend with  if there’s any truth to this rumor. First, Farrah is ten years younger than Pauly, but she’s at least 18. And then there’s the fact that he’d have to attempt to play daddy to little Sophia, who lost her own father in a car crash before she was born. Not to mention the distance as Farrah hails from Iowa.

Now that you mention it…the distance seems to make this rumor a bit far fetched from the get-go. Why was Farrah in Texas? And when was Pauly D in Houston? He spent the past few nights in Boston and spent most of last week easily traceable through Twitter…without tweeting that he had ever been in Texas.

And then there’s the added fact that Pauly D himself tweeted about the situation and said it’s “too funny” that these stories are out there.

Let’s hope we can chalk this one up as solely a rumor. You can do so much better Pauly!

 But hey, can you imagine the Teen Mom/Jersey Shore tie-in episode? Farrah looks like she could fist bump with the best of them and we’d get to see Pauly D’s paternal instincts. Could be pure ratings gold…but let’s hope not.

[Via http://hairpoof.wordpress.com]

There WILL BE a second season of 'The New Jersey Shore'........only not at the Shore.....and they will get paid.....

Just when you though it was over…the guys and girls get together and sign up for more…….

Who know’s what it’s gonna be like now that these people are ’stars’?……

Snooki, The Situation, his abs – and the rest of their fist-pumping “Jersey Shore” pals – will be back for a second season.

The debaucherous gang has signed on for 12 new episodes of the hit reality show, MTVsays.

Only this time, they’ll bring their wild hairdos, skimpy outfits and booze-fueled brawls to a destination beyond the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, officials said.

Just where DJ Pauly D, Mike “The Situation,” Snooki, J-Woww, Sammi, Ronnie and Vinny will land has yet to be revealed, but the controversial show will air this summer.

“Our audience has fallen in love with Jersey Shore and its amazing cast who have really grown together as a family,” Tony DiSanto, MTV’s president of programming, said.

“That bond gives the show its heart, and we’re thrilled to reunite these friends.”

The lovable self-identified guidos and guidettes, who have angered some Italian-American groups with their antics, agreed to a deal after weeks of salary negotiations.

MTV officials would not say how much the cast members are being paid the second time around, but sources told OK! Magazine they’ll rake in $10,000 an episode.

[Via http://politicaldog101.com]

Don't Push Your Luck MTV

We all remember how great The Breakfast Club was. The movie is still circulating practically every week on television, but when something is this good, shouldn’t we preserve it? MTV must have thought that they were doing so well with new reality shows, The Buried Life and Life As Liz, that they would continue on this train…

They recently ordered a new series called, “If You Knew Me.” Oh don’t we know what this is already about… probably featuring one special person from every clique in high school and “breaking those stereotypes.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for that. I think people are so quick to make assumptions about others, but this idea is also recycled way too much. It’s safe to say that nearly everyone in the world does or believes in one thing off to the side that varies from their typical norm.

Oh… just read the description.

“The show will take five high school students through a so-called “Challenge Day,” a program aimed at breaking down the barriers dividing different social cliques.

The network has asked for 12 episodes.”

Source

[Via http://itsyowyow.com]

'Before the Shore' Doesn't Add Much to What We Already Know

Last night’s MTV special Before the Shore brought our favorite guidos and guidettes back into the public consciousness. The network must have a lot of scenes on the cutting room floor, though, as this episode didn’t offer any new insights into the cast’s lives.

The approx. three minute segments on each cast member seemed to have been culled from their audition video and some footage MTV took just before they left for the Shore. While comical, these segments didn’t really deliver on the tag line Pauly D kept tweeting that we were going to see what they all did before the show. We might just have to wait for a VH1 Behind the Music-esque special to really learn about them, though.

The special began with Pauly D, who wasn’t really lying when it came to what they showed about him. We followed Pauly around his hometown of Johnston, Rhode Island. The only JS-er not from NJ or NY, we saw Pauly keep up with two of his three daily routines – the G and T of GTL. He expressed hope that there would be a gym near the Shore house because you can’t go a month without working out, and showed viewers the gym in his hair stylist’s basement. He had them build it so that he can kill two birds with one stone and work out as he waits to get his hair cut since he goes twice a week. The highlight of Pauly D’s segment, however, was the very end when he tried to pack his personal tanning bed, finally giving up and asking if MTV could ship it separately.

Then we moved to Snooki to find that her family is exactly like her. Sure, we met her mom in episode 4, but Snooki had to introduce the cameras to her dad so he could give her money before she headed to the Shore, where life is all about “partying, sex and having fun.” Too bad for Snooki, we know how the second item in that list turned out for her this summer. As she played beer pong with her dad, he warned her to watch herself and watch her drinking (father knows best Snooks, she should have listened to him in the premiere and she might have felt included well before she got punched). She warned him, however, that if she does anything to embarrass him, it’s his fault because it’s his genes coming out.

Ever the couple, MTV focused on Ronnie and Sammi next. There wasn’t any really new footage to come out about Ronnie. They showed the clip of him saying that his rule is to “never fall in love at the Jersey Shore,” that was whipped out time and time again after he and Sammi got together. His mindset going into the show, however, was that you never will meet the girl of your dreams at the Shore, which is great beceause that means you can smush with anyone you want (or anyone your boy wanted because “Sharing is caring”) because you’ll never see the girl again.

We found Sammi at home with her Mom and two sisters as she packed for the Shore. She described herself as “Classy, awesome, wild and a little bit slutty,” and said it was her job to look good. She introduced us to her hair extensions that make her feel sexy and said that you should be spending at least $200 on hair that isn’t your own. The real gem of her segment, however was that she taught her mom to fist pump and they started to beat up the beat while making dinner.

Cut to JWoww – who’s nickname we learned came from her walking by and boys saying “wow” but knowing her name was Jenny and putting the two together (no word on how the extra W got thrown on the end) – who announces that she has to be the #1 girl in any situation whether it be in the club or walking down the street and she has no problems manipulating her hair and body to be the center of attention. She also states that she loves to play games with men and use and abuse them. She likes to play it cool with them and then “send them on a roller coaster ride to hell.” Now, I’m not a male, but that doesn’t seem to be like something I want to get involved in no matter how much her manipulations to her hair and body seem attractive…

And then we come to Vinny, the baby of the group and a self-proclaimed Momma’s boy. Because of that fact he hasn’ tbeen able to find a “real girl” because he keeps comparing them to her perfection. I don’t blame him though because his mother is adorable even if she is doing a 21-year-old’s laundry. When he leaves for the Shore he hugs her while she cries on the front porch wathing her baby walk away. While we had already met his mom when she cooked the housemates a feast in an episode of the Shore, it was cute to get to see more of her devotion to her son. Vinny’s definitely growing on me…

And finally* we come to the man, the myth and the legend – The Situation. Making cracks about playing tic-tac-toe on his six-pack and saying he’s 100% Italian and 100% good-looking, the Situation wasn’t much different than what we’ve come to know over the course of the first season. We met his sister – as I like to call her “The Sisuation” – when she was packing his bags to head to the Shore (“What’s better than this? Hot girls packing your bags!”), and we saw him primp right before leaving with a trip to his barber. It would have been great to see him knocked down a peg or two on that outing, though, as he told the camera he got free valet parking right out front of his barber in a fire lane. “It says No parking, but that’s not for me.” And we learned a lesson from him – “It’s hard work being the Situation, but somebody’s gotta do it.”

They also showed some boozed up confessionals from the cast, which showed that they disliked Snooki at the beginning, expected Sammi to hook up with the Situation, JWoww thought Pauly D looked like a douche and a playboy but wanted to make him her game for the summer, Sammi thought Ronnie was an a**, Vinny was the little brother of the group, and halfway through the season The Situation barred anymore “Zoo Creatures” from entering the house.

Some moments were more classic than others, but they all added up to a good, if repetitive, half hour with the cast.

*Once again, MTV decided that we should learn more about Angelina, the ousted cast member. Why must they force us to learn more about the fire cracker? If you really want to know, pre-shore she described herself as a bitch who likes to party and loves curling her hair and doing her eye lashes…yeah, she’s a winner. Come on MTV, get the message. We don’t like her, please don’t bring her back for the second season!

[Via http://hairpoof.wordpress.com]

Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross has had a wonderful and strange career in the world of music.

He burst onto the scene with his self-titled debut album “Christopher Cross” in 1980 and accomplished an amazing feat in 1981 by winning Five Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, all in the same year.

That debut album produced the hit singles “Sailing“, “Ride like the Wind“, “Say you’ll be mine“, and “Never be the same“.

He is the only solo artist in Grammy Award history to garner the “Big Four” Grammy Awards in one year. (Best Song, Best Record, Best Album, and Best New Artist)

His Academy Award and Golden Globe were for his hit 1981 song “Arthur’s Theme” from the Dudley Moore comedy “Arthur“.

His second album, “Another Page” came out in 1983 and produced the hits “All Right“, “No Time for Talk“, and “Think of Laura“, a song featured prominently in the daytime Soap Opera “General Hospital“.

Among his hits, “Sailing” and “Arthur’s Theme” both reached #1 on the Billboard Charts. “Ride like the Wind” reached #2.

He charted 8 songs into the Billboard Top-40 charts between 1980 and 1983. Then, as far as hit records are concerned, he disappeared off the face of the musical planet.

He has made 14 albums over the course of his career but has not been able to crack the Billboard Top-40 charts with a new hit single since his first two albums.

He continues to record and perform today and averages about 100 live shows per year.

I always liked his music and am shocked that he was not popular for decades given the success he enjoyed at the start of his career. “Ride like the Wind” remains one of my favorite songs.

[Via http://idiotflashback.wordpress.com]

WHAT'S YOUR CONSTITUTION?

WHAT’S YOUR CONSTITUTION?

Just because my cousin is getting married in March inshAllah, I have to visit various dress designers with her and my khalas.This time, we also considered going to a fresh graduate from a school of fashion design, who was a really pretty, green eyed petite girl mashAllah.

So she showed us the beautiful clothes on display and we discussed them with her. My khala fell in love with one of the dresses there. It was a white chiffon gown which was richly embroidered with silver sequins and gems, and it came with a white silk shirt and a pair of trousers. My khala stared at the dress and then asked the designer reluctantly if the dress and the colour would suit her, because she wasn’t fair and was debating whether she should go for another shade; and here’s the good part, the reason that made me write this article; the designer’s reply was,

“Yea absolutely! Because ‘white’ complexion is so ‘out’!!”

 I repeated what she said in my head, because I couldn’t really digest that and I asked myself whether our skin colour could be obsolete and classed as ‘out’- how in the world can complexions be out?? I laughed out loud because according to the ‘fashion world’, I was ‘out’ and thus to fit in I had to bronze or tan etc myself- I mean cows!!- Who decides really what’s ‘in’ and what’s ‘out’??

 I stared at myself in the mirror there and I told myself, speaking quietly to myself in my head that if I started following those who live to impress others, those who are in dire need of fitting in, and those whose constitution is ‘Libas’, ‘Vogue’ ,‘Cosmopolitan’ , ‘Bollywood’ or ‘MTV’ for that matter, then I would definitely go insane.

 How many people do we know of who compete in this world for glory, fame, wealth and power? How many people do i know who want to be just like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Nancy Ajram or Angelina Jolie? People want to emulate what? people?? Those People whose intellect is also ‘out’.Life is not all about that. When we realise what our purpose in life is, we stop participating in this rat race for glory.

When we realise that we have to emulate our Holy Prophet sallallahu alyhe wasallam, we love for others what we love for ourselves, and we leave this sickness of competeing with others by showing off our designer dresses, bags, shoes, big houses, gadgets, schools, careers etc.

As far as the colour is concerned, im just so glad that Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa is the Most Just, the Most Merciful, the Most Impartial.

Allah does not judge you by your faces but keeps eyes on your hearts’,(Bukhari and Muslim)

–We just have to work on our hearts and then subsequently, the rest will fall in its place. We have to educate our hearts, our minds and our souls. We have to remember that our constitution was written more than 1430 years ago and that it is the Quran and the Sunnah- and we have to adhere to that no matter what the world says…*lol im ‘out’-in your dreams ya dunya *

 Allah subhnahu wa ta’alaa knows best.

[Via http://momo17.wordpress.com]

Exploring MTV's 'The Buried Life' with Duncan and Dave

When you are down and feel your life needs or should have more meaning, what do you do?  Indulge yourself by eating your favorite dessert hoping that amazing sugar high will somehow get you out of your doldrums?  Go for a long run to sort everything out (or at the very least burn those calories you gained from devouring that dessert)?

Well, if you are four friends and college students from the Great North (a.k.a. Canada) you develop a list, a kind of “bucket list”  that addresses the question: “What do you want to do before you die?”

And if you’re really lucky, you get an MTV show out of the whole thing. The show is  The Buried Life (Mondays, 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific) which follows the guys as they set out to do the items on their list. And as they complete one of their items, they help a perfect stranger in the town where they are visiting, asking him/her the question, “What do you want to do before you die?” and set about making his/her dream a reality.

So who are these guys?  Well, they are Duncan Penn, the “wildcard”, his younger brother, Jonnie Penn, “a blogger and philosopher, Dave Lingwood, “breakdancer” and “one man party” and Ben Nemtin, the “ringerleader”.

Recently, I got to talk to Duncan and Dave about the show and their journey.

According to Duncan and Dave, the guys were looking for purpose in their lives, “something to put their energy into”. Once they came up with the he idea/question,  they went off to their respective corners to create their individual lists. And what began as a list of 200 things was then narrowed to 100.  The order was arbitrary.

List prepared, the challenge now was to find a way to fund their adventure. Ben started cold-calling. Johnny and Duncan worked up north in oil fields.  Dave worked three jobs (yes, I said “three”) in Calgary. They raised enough money for a bus, a video camera and two weeks of shooting. Jonnie and Duncan grew up making movies in their backyard, so to them, videotaping the adventure was only natural.

"The Buried Life" (photo: Jamie Carey/MTV)

Although they never set out to make a television show (Well, sort of. I’ll get to that later), they were approached by a television company in 2007 to do just that and quickly realized they weren’t ready for such a undertaking. The production company wanted  a lot of control, so the guys passed on the opportunity.

So it was back to back to fundraising.  Money secured, they hired a film crew crew embarked on two month journey.

Eight months ago, they were contacted by MTV whose vision the guys said,”aligned with theirs”. The network was in the process of changing its perception among people who thought of network as only the home of programming that promotes drinking, hard-partying, oversexed 20-somethings.  MTV did not want the “typical show” and told them “to keep doing what they were doing”. What MTV liked was the “realness of of it all,” said Duncan and Dave.  By the way, the guys are exercising control as executive producers of the show.

As much as they like to tackle the fun things on their list, such as “date with Megan Fox” and “camping out at the Playboy mansion,” they derive equal if not greater pleasure in helping those strangers they meet along the way. It was clear when they started that it was something they wanted to do. The idea seemed like a natural fit because they themselves had received so much help.

According to the guys, when they approached perfect strangers with the question, some, defenses up, would give rather superficial answers such as skydiving or swimming with sharks. But if people they approached went off by themselves for 20 -30 minutes to really explore the answer to that question, the answers they would give would be more profound such as “become a painter” or “reconnect with family”.

"The Buried Life" (photo: Jamie Carey/MTV)

…Oh, by the way, “To Make a TV show” was #52 on the list…

So where did the name, “The Buried Life” come from?  Well, it came from Jonnie who was in English class one day studying the Matthew Arnold poem of the same name which speaks about losing sight of what one really wants to do and ultimately asks the question: Am I really want I want to be in life?

“But often, in the world’s most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life;
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;” (“The Buried Life”, Matthew Arnold, 1852)

"The Buried Life" (photo: Jamie Carey/MTV)

So, what will happen when they have completed the list? Or will they ever complete it?  Duncan and Dave say the list is more about a “quest”. It is a living document that will change, evolve, as they change. Items can be added, others deleted.

In a few years, they see themselves settling down, having a family, as priorities change, so will the list.

“It’s important to find out what you want to do, then do it.”

The Buried Life on Twitter (@theburiedlife)  and The Buried Life web site (click here)

[Via http://cwrite.wordpress.com]

MTV's Jersey Shore Season 2 in Doubt!!! Sex Tapes & All 'Jersey Shore' Kids Drive Hard Bargain...

‘Jersey Shore’ Kids Drive Hard Bargain

Posted Jan 24th 2010 9:30AM by TMZ Staff

Jersey Shore The “Jersey Shore” kids didn’t fall off the pizza delivery truck yesterday — TMZ has learned they have rejected MTV’s salary offer for Season 2.

Sources connected with the negotiation say MTV offered Snooki, Pauly D, “The Situation” and the others each a $10,000 signing bonus and $5,000 an episode.

We’re told the cast rejected the offer and made it clear — they were negotiating “Friends” style … everyone would get the same amount and it had to be a lot higher than MTV’s offer.

Sources say MTV came back and doubled the offer — $10,000 an episode. The cast hasn’t responded to the offer.

It’s still a bargain. The season finale of “Jersey Shore” was off the charts with 4.8 million viewers.

And, with some members of “The Hills” scoring north of $100,000 an episode, the “Jersey Shore” kids, frankly, should be holding out for a hell of a lot more than $10k.

We’ve also learned MTV has a contractual hold on the cast for another year, so technically Snooki and company have no right to renegotiate — but it’s done all the time with hit shows.

An MTV spokesperson would not comment on the negotiations and said the network has not made a decision on bringing the show back for Season 2. We’re also told MTV has received thousands of tapes from would-be Guidos and Guidettes.

[Via http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com]

Pablo Cruise

Pablo Cruise

Another unsung Rock Group from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

This California based group released their debut album in 1975. It was not until the 1977 release of the bands third album “A Place in the Sun” that the group achieved commercial success.

The group has undergone a number of lineup changes in its members since it was founded.

From 1977 to 1983 they charted such hits as:

A PLACE IN THE SUN
WHATCHA GONNA DO?
DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT IT
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY
I WANT YOU TONIGHT
COOL LOVE
I GO TO RIO
and others….

The groups top hits were “Watcha Gonna Do?” and “Love will find a way” which both reached #6 on the Billboard Charts.

The group broke up from 1986-1996 before reuniting. They are still performing together, though with a few new members.

Many fans originally assumed that Pablo Cruise was the name of the lead singer, or some other member of, the band. This was not the case. There was no actual person named Pablo Cruise. The founding members of the group were:

David Jenkins – Vocals, Guitar
Cory Lerios – Keyboards, vocals
Steve Price – Drums
Bud Cockrell – Bass, vocals

[Via http://idiotflashback.wordpress.com]

'Hope for Haiti' dominates the airwaves

NEWS
‘Hope for Haiti’ dominates the airwaves
Mega-telethon raises Haiti funds
By Alan Duke, CNN
January 22, 2010 11:16 p.m. EST

Los Angeles, California (CNN) — Solemn music from the world’s biggest stars served as the soundtrack to Friday night’s telethon for Haiti relief, but the fundraiser ended with Wyclef Jean shouting “Enough of the moping, let’s rebuild Haiti.”

Organizers did not immediately say how much money was raised during the two-hour “Hope for Haiti” show, but donations will continue to flow in as the phone lines remained open and the night’s musical performances are sold on iTunes.

A moving performance by Alicia Keys opened the telethon. Actor George Clooney, serving as the Los Angeles host for the event, made the first appeal for donations to raise money for relief efforts after last week’s devastating earthquake.

“The Haitian people need our help,” Clooney said. “They need to know they are not alone. They need to know that we still care.”

The show was one of the most widely distributed prime-time televised benefits in history, appearing simultaneously on more than 25 networks — including CNN, where Anderson Cooper reported live from Haiti during the event.

Children left homeless and orphaned by the earthquake were front and center.

“Hundreds and thousands of children in Haiti are lost and they’re looking for their parents,” actress Halle Berry said. “Please, look into your heart. Please, help these children of Haiti.”

Cooper, in one of several live appearances, was joined by 5-year-old Monley, a Haitian boy who was pulled alive — but severely dehydrated — from the rubble nearly eight days after the quake. Ten members of his family, including both parents, were killed.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson, walking in front of a phone bank staffed by celebrities, assured viewers that “100 percent of your donations will go directly to organizations that are on the ground right now.”

More than 100 actors, musicians and other celebrities answered phones in New York and Los Angeles — after professional operators first talked to donors.

“Thank you so much for your donation,” actress Reese Witherspoon told one caller. “You can’t imagine how much love and great, wonderful energy is here today. People are doing everything they can to make a difference in these people’s lives.”

“I’m just calling to help out,” the male donor said. “I couldn’t donate a lot, but what I could I did donate.”

Several other calls were aired live, including with Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Taylor Swift and Stevie Wonder.

Boxing great Muhammed Ali appeared with comedian Chris Rock by his side.

Ali — who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 25 years ago — sat silently as Rock delivered a message he said was written by Ali.

“There’s an old saying that charity begins at home, but it cannot end there,” Rock said.

Jean — a native of Haiti and the New York host for the event — talked about his visit last week to Haiti.

“I was there to clear away concrete and pull away rubble,” Jean said. “I carried bodies of my people to the cemetery.”

Jean’s “Yele Haiti Foundation” will receive some of the money raised.

“From the ashes we shall rise, so please give what you can,” he said.

Bruce Springsteen performed “We Shall Overcome,” a spiritual that became the anthem of the U.S civil rights movement.

“This is a small prayer for Haiti,” Springsteen said as he began.

Other musical performers included Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Jennifer Hudson, Madonna, Dave Matthews and Neil Young.

Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna also joined for a song.

Haitian singer Emeline Michel performed “Many Rivers to Cross,” a Jimmy Cliff song.

Other celebrities appearing on the telethon included John Stewart, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, Ben Stiller, Clint Eastwood and Denzel Washington.

The show — presented by MTV — was carried on CNN.com/Live and the CNN iPhone application. Other networks airing “Hope for Haiti” included ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT. The show was also aired on the Discovery’s eco-lifestyle television network, Planet Green.

Proceeds from the telethon will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, the U.N. World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation, and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.

The event is not the first time the stars have come out to drum up donations in the aftermath of a catastrophe.

Celebrities stepped up to lend their names and voices to telethons after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in South Asia. The predecessor of them all was Live Aid, which raised millions for the continent of Africa and was broadcast around the world in 1985.

Judy McGrath, the CEO of MTV Networks, told People magazine that she received a phone call from Clooney two days after the earthquake. The actor wanted to help, she said.

“He jumped in with such incredible commitment,” McGrath said. “And he had already spoken to Bono, Wyclef, Sting and Bruce.”

That commitment became the foundation for “Hope for Haiti.” Putting his money where his star power is, Clooney has donated $1 million.

Sandra Miniutti, vice president of the charity evaluation organization Charity Navigator, said the relationship between charities and stars is mutually beneficial.

“The celebrity looks more altruistic to the public. They are seen doing good things and it makes them more endearing,” she said. “For the charity, it makes them more important that they are able to be affiliated with such a well-known person.”

Charities wouldn’t be able, financially, to pay for the type of publicity and exposure celebrities bring to a cause, Miniutti said. And the success of drives such as the “American Idol” campaign, “Idol Gives Back,” show the public doesn’t mind programming that both entertains and inspires generosity.

In the case of Haiti, Miniutti said she believes the devastating images and stories are having a profound effect on the public.

“We are just seeing such a tremendous outpouring of support,” she said. “I think people really do want to help.”

Musical performances from the telethon will be available for purchase and download from Apple’s iTunes store. Apple, the record labels and the artists have pledged to donate their share of the proceeds to Haiti relief funds managed by the telethon charities.

CNN’s Lisa France contributed to this report.

© 2009 Cable News Network Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

[Via http://dominicstoughton.wordpress.com]

Help Chapman student land reporting gig at Oscars!

Rachel Berry

Chapman senior broadcast major (and Miss City of Orange!) Rachel Berry is among  10 national finalists  vying for a gig as a student correspondent reporter at the Oscars on March 7. She and her cameraman/classmate Christian Hartnett need Chapman’s support to make it to the red carpet,  though!  Check out her video submission for the contest, which is sponsored by MTVu (MTV University), and give her your vote!

You have from now until Feb. 10 to vote (you can vote once a day). On Feb. 16, MTVu will reveal the Top 3 finalists and then the voting starts again.  The Top 3 finalists will take part in  events during Oscar weekend, but only one team gets onto the red carpet!  So help our Chapman team make it to the 82nd Annual Academy Awards!  CLICK HERE to vote. (You’ll need to register before you vote!)

[Via http://chapmannews.wordpress.com]

MTV's 'Jersey Shore' Ronnie Still On Hook for Knockout...'Jersey' Knockout Victim..One Huge Racist

Ronnie Still On Hook for ‘Jersey Shore’ Knockout

Posted Jan 21st 2010 12:10AM by TMZ Staff

Ronnie from “Jersey Shore” went on a radio show and proclaimed that his sucker punch case had been officially dismissed — unfortunately for him, someone’s info is waaaayyy off.

It’s all over an incident featured on the MTV reality show — where Ronnie was arrested after bragging about knocking out some guy in “one shot.” Yesterday, Ronnie and GF Sammi “Sweetheart” were on B100 in Davenport, Iowa, where they said, “The case is dismissed, all the charges were dropped.”

But according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s office, the investigation is ongoing — and the fist pumping reality star still faces a charge of 3rd degree aggravated assault.

Despite the victim — a guy named Stephen Izzo — telling TMZ he’s going to show up to Ronnie’s court date in a couple weeks, we’re told no date has actually been set.
‘Jersey’ Knockout Victim — One Huge Stephen Izzo

Posted Jan 20th 2010 4:27PM by TMZ Staff

The guy Ronnie cold-cocked on “Jersey Shore” has unleashed a hateful, n-word riddled statement on his Facebook page — verbally attacking the Black MTV security guards he fought on last week’s episode.

Stephen Izzo — the guy who got his ass kicked — took to the Internet after the episode aired … and typed the following disgusting tirade:

“lets get something straight what u didnt see is i never fought ronnie i was fighting…those N**GER bouncers when that bitch ran over and snuck me..then got stomped out by those 3 n**gers as he ran away.”

Izzo also uses several other slurs in various updates to his profile, including the word “mulian” … which is a misspelled racist Italian-American term for Black people.

[Via http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com]

Reality TV: The Zeitgeist of our time.

I always say why write fiction when there is so much history out there that has never been told. No writer could ever compete with the randomness of real humans interacting and events colliding to create previous unimaginable situations. This is why I love history and reality TV. Not all reality TV. That would be ridiculous. Just the stuff that appeals to me, just as some history topics I have no interest and others I can’t get enough. Reality TV when done well is a no script live action soon-to-be history lesson.
e.g. Snooki gets hit. As random as real life a Long Island school teacher with no prior record of violence punches a young woman at a bar over shots of alcohol. WOW! Where did that come from? The douche-bag that punched Snooki had no clue he would punch a girl the morning before he acted so reckless. Nor did Snooki have any idea that before the days end she would be worried that she may have lost a tooth. The reality of it all is that even with a film crew and visible mics the random real life events proceed without a hitch. There lies the “RUB”.
Whenever a non fan of Reality TV barks its always about how fake the shows are and thus they have no interest. Yes, some shows are less real than others. Some revolve around a contest of some kind. Others a prize. But other TV programing besides news shows are completely fake. They are made up by some douche-bag. Then re-worked by another. Think about it: What makes fiction good? Answer; It’s authenticy. Even science fiction has to relate to the same part of your brain that rules your real life experiences and relationships. Isn’t that the point of all fiction anyway? Without such why would you be interested?
As in life we come home and tell or friends and family the interesting real-to-life stories of the day. “You wouldn’t believe what happened to me today” or “I just saw the most amazing thing happen”. Then we proceed to tell the story as accurate as possible painting the story with details so as to get the listener to imagine they witnessed the events themselves.
Jersey Shore appeals to me on the same level. Probably for a number of reasons. Probably a few that are honorable and others that aren’t so much. Either way the participants are interacting sans script just as they would in their real lives. The more real it becomes the more appealing it becomes.
The “Real World”, MTV’s first reality TV show, is almost as predictable as the Chargers in the playoffs. Everyone knows what type of participants will take part and why they were chosen. The black guy, the Gay guy, the loose woman, the Christian. Jersey Shore on the other hand was not only new to the viewer but also included a subculture that few knew anything about. That is the East Coast Italian youth that dominate the areas of Staten Island, New Jersey, and Long Island NY. Learning about this culture through the eyes of youngsters with no hang-ups or shame is masterful. The viewer is served a slice of life uncorrupted by Hollywood. Sure there are edits and re-edits but the action and speech is as real as can be. Unlike the typical Hollywood scripted shows so many of the Reality TV haters complain about all the time. Does “What a fake ending that show had” or “”That would never happen in real life” ring a bell. Those same haters are looking for a suspension of disbelief that doesn’t exist in scripted shows. Yet at the same time they (dis)miss reality TV.
Reality TV has an authentic place in our broader culture that is going nowhere but up. No one knows what will happen next on Reality TV not even the participants. But you will have to tune in to witness.

[Via http://2oldformaxim.wordpress.com]

My Life As Liz

I had no idea what this show was going to be able. From the previews, I just thought it was going to be about her day-to-day life as a high school senior, but no! there’s a plot and everything and characters.

Synopsis: Liz is a senior at her highschool in a conservative town in Texas. She hates it there. She’s very much Juno esque – does what she wants – etc. Liz stands out in her high school, but not in a favoritable way. In fact, she never used to be “alternative,” she used to be a girl with highlights in her hair and non-vintage clothing. She hangs out with these boys that kind of look like AV dorks, but they seem like very nice friends and they let her boss them around. The show reminds me of true life with a normal person, but it is filmed in a way that is almost like a real show…

My take on the show: This brings me back to the high school days for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mean group of girls like this, but I’m sure they exist somewhere… or everywhere. I basically want to be this girl slash have sort of felt like I have been her before except without dying my hair. I love that she is so scene and awesome. Oh high school… how it means so much to be like everyone else when you’re there, it’s too bad no one told you that you start becoming a real person AFTER.

I know, it’s tough to take in.

I hope this show is real. Even if it’s not, I think I would still watch it because the girl makes me laugh.

Mondays – MTV – 10:30 PM

[Via http://itsyowyow.com]

MTV's Teen Mom star choked by her own mother??

Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, 18 reportedly got into a heated argument with her mom Debra Danielson, 54 which resulted in domestic violence charges.

TMZ reports cops were called to their home on Saturday and Debra was arrested at around 1 PM on Saturday for suspicion of domestic abuse/serious assault.

Here’s what happened:

According to cops, Farrah and Debra started arguing over childcare issues when Debra allegedly threw an MTV shirt at her daughter … which landed “on or near” Farrah’s baby, who started crying.

That’s when Farrah claims she went off on her mother — who then grabbed Farrah by the throat. Farrah told cops she pushed her mother’s hand away from her throat, causing her mother to strike her on the right side of her head and mouth.

In the report, officers say they observed multiple cuts on the right side of Farrah’s lips.

We love Teen Mom but in most of the episodes it’s been pretty apparent that Farrah and her mom Debra have a pretty rocky relationship. Hopefully they can get their issues resolved for baby Sophia’s sake!

Read more from TMZ

Photo: MTV

[Via http://celebritychatta.wordpress.com]

Leighton Meester's "Somebody to Love"

“

“Somebody to Love” Single by Leighton Meester featuring Robin Thicke from the album Love Is a Drug Released October 14, 2009

(see release history)

Format digital download, airplay Recorded 2009 Genre Electropop, dance-pop, R&B, trance Length 3:32 Label Universal Republic Writer(s) Leighton Meester, Robin Thicke, Mike Caren, Ollie Goldstein, Rico Love and Shahine Ezell Producer Mike Caren and Oligee Leighton Meester singles chronology “Good Girls Go Bad“

(2009)

“Somebody to Love”

(2009)

“Make It Rain”

(2010)

 

Somebody to Love” is a song performed by pop singer Leighton Meester featuring Robin Thicke. It is the lead single from her debut album and was produced by Mike Caren and written by Leighton Meester, Robin Thicke, Mike Caren, Ollie Goldstein, Rico Love and Shahine Ezell. The song was featured in an episode of Gossip Girl, which stars Leighton Meester.

Music and lyrics

“Somebody to Love” is an uptempo electropop and trance song that harks elements of Blue Monday by New Order. It draws influences of pop music, electronica and R&B with Robin Thicke’s vocals. Meester said in an interview that “the song is basically about how I can’t get any — I can’t find anyone to love.” “I really wanted to make something that’s completely different from anything that’s on the radio right now,” said Leighton. “I feel like it’s really dancy and fun, but it’s still laid back and relaxed and moody and sexy.” Of the single, songwriter Love stated to MTV that “I was honored when I found out that my record was chosen to be Leighton’s first single. It’s exciting to be able to show a different side of my work and me.”

Critical reception

Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song four stars commenting on Leighton Meester’s “sexy, slinky vocals, Robin Thicke’s smooth, intimate voice, and the electropop synth driven singalong chorus,” but disregards that there are few lyrical revelations. Overall, he thinks that this song should help build significant anticipation for her debut album saying that “It provides a fitting context for Meester to purr and cavort around the synth chords and electro beats. R&B – pop star Robin Thicke provides his own smooth and seductive male vocals as a counterpoint. A touch of French in the lyrics adds a bit of elegant sexuality to the overall picture. … It is easy to sing along with and will get listeners dancing at a party. This isn’t simply a quick cash-in on TV success. Leighton Meester contributes highly listenable vocals with an edge of drama and sex. The song has become a surprise hit in Australia being a real dance song in the clubs.”

Music video

The music video was directed by Zoe Cassavetes and was released online on 8th November 2009 to Last.FM.

Charts Chart (2009) Peak

position

U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles 11 U.S. Heatseekers Songs 13 Mediabase Top 40 Top 50 49 Release history Region Date Format United States October 14, 2009 Digital download October 27, 2009 Radio airplay Australia November 20, 2009 Digital Download United Kingdom January, 2010 Digital download

[Via http://ro2010.wordpress.com]

Haiti Relief Telethon; Compliments Of George Clooney & Wyclef Jean.

A global telethon to raise money for victims of Haiti’s catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake will air Jan. 22 on MTV and other networks.  The two-hour Hope for Haiti will run commercial free and be led by George Clooney in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean in New York City and CNN’s Anderson Cooper in Haiti. The special will be broadcast from L.A. and New York and air live at 8 p.m. ET on MTV, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, BET, The CW and HBO, among other networks. Donations will benefit relief efforts in the Caribbean country by the Red Cross, UNICEF, the Yele Hait Foundation, Oxfam America, and Partners in Health. The proceeds will be split evenly among the groups. The program will feature musical performances and celebrity appearances that will be announced later, before the special, as well as live news reports from CNN. Meanwhile, Not on Our Watch – an international advocacy organization founded by Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, Clooney and producer Jerry Weintraub – announced Friday it would be giving $1 million in emergency funds to provide medical services to the earthquake victims. “The people of Haiti are in desperate need of help,” the group said. “Our organization, Not On Our Watch, will do whatever it can and we know the international community will as well.”

-”The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

[Via http://heavenhollywood.wordpress.com]

Back!

Guess what, guys.

I’M BAAA-AAAACK!

Feeling so much better this morning!!!  It took support team talks, your lovely comments, and LOTS of The Real World + The Real World after show (I can not believe my affinity for MTV shows lately) to get me pumped up for recovery again.  At least I know the recipe for a bad day now, right?

So, I’m thinking since we’re rollin’ two themes deep today, I’m going to feature one this morning with breakfast (Wednesday’s), and one with lunch (today’s).  Capiche?

We’ll do a breakfast review first.

Pretty much the same bowl of oats as yesterday, but I was camera-happy this morning.

*******

OK pretend it’s Wednesday real quick…

Today’s theme is

Fitness!

I was reading an article in SELF Magazine the other night, and one of the things it covered was the importance of rest days.  I knew immediately this was something I wanted to share on the blog.  We all know it, but it’s definitely something I know I need to constantly remind myself of, and perhaps you do, too???

I think one thing a lot of us forget is that we need a mental break from exercise as much as we need to rest physically.  Apparently, you can really start to lose motivation if you don’t give your brain a break from gymming it (or wherever it is you work out).  Plus, the article states that in a study, those who were worn out mentally stopped exercising 15% earlier than people whose minds were rested.

If you struggle with taking rest days (I know I tend to have a war going on in my head when I take more than one day a week off – stupid!), this tidbit I found in an article on Runner’s World might help:

Years of research disprove the notion that a day off wrecks fitness; in fact, the opposite is true. Little detraining—the loss of fitness and performance that occurs when you stop working out—happens until you take off more than two weeks. When it follows difficult bouts of work, rest lets your body adapt to the work and improve.

Dude, how good is that to know?!  I don’t know about you, but that seriously puts my mind at ease.

How do you feel about rest days?  Do you feel guilty for missing workouts?  Do you have any tips or tricks that help you embrace rest days?

*******

Alright, guys.  Today shall be productive!  I think I’m going to push my gym date to the evening so that I can focus on knocking some stuff out today. 

Theme# 2 coming with lunch!  Holler.

[Via http://averybusymind.com]

Sloppy Joes, Slop- Sloppy Joes

OK –  please tell me you watch Jersey Shore.  Or The Real World.  Or Teen Mom.  Or something equally embarrassing.

I was debating how I wanted to begin this post…just sitting here staring at my computer screen…when I realized Jersey Shore was on TV.  I always have the TV on; I rarely watch it.  I do watch a little before bed, though.

Anyway, I realized it was on and looked over at the TV…and five minutes later I realized I was still watching.  And it’s one I’ve already seen!  OMG why are shows on MTV so good/bad?!

*******

Dinner tonight was another Smart Ground veggie protein crumbles (a.k.a. faux ground beef) experiment…and another success!

But first, my afternoon snackage.

The classic PB + nanner combo on an Earthgrains Thin Bun.  I actually stuck this entire thing in the microwave for about 40 seconds because I wanted it warm, but I didn’t want the bread toasted for some reason.  I don’t know, guys.

So, tonight’s dinner experiment was sloppy joes!  (sloppy joes, slop- sloppy joes)

I started by cooking a 3 pepper and onion blend (frozen veggies make for suuuuuuuch easy meals, no?), then heated a pan and broke up the block of faux meat.

Next I added these three things:

I consulted my father on the sloppy joe sauces.  It was one of the meals my dad always made growing up, and his sloppy joes were the bomb.  (He uses yellow mustard and sugar, not honey mustard, but I thought the substitution would be fine…I thought right!)

After I mixed in the sauces (I didn’t measure, I just kind of poured.  It was probably about equal parts of all three, though.), I added the pepper and onion blend to get this:

I steamed some california blend veggies, plopped some “meat” on an Earthgrains Thin Bun, plated it all, and went to town!

Seriously…yum.

Tonight’s yogurt mess:

Strawberry Brown Cow Greek Yogurt + a trifecta of cereals + dark chocolate chips.

Again, yum.

Sweet dreams, all!

A new theme for tomorrow!

[Via http://averybusymind.wordpress.com]