Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The many wives of Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee announced on Monday that he’ll be tying the knot with long time girlfriend and EDM musician Sofi Toufa.
This won’t be the first time he’s headed to the altar. The 51-year-old skinsman has already said “I do” three times in the past, but according to his announcement on Twitter and the band’s Facebook page, “There comes a time in a mans life when you just know your partner is for LIFE!! Say hello to my fiancé and soon to be wife @SOFIofficial”.

Read the full article here.

Sochi Closing Ceremony: Funniest Twitter reactions

The much talked about and highly controversial 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi have finally come to a close.
Sunday night the games ended with the traditional closing ceremony carrying of the flags, a huge honor that select athletes were excited to be given.
The ceremony also gave us plenty to continue to talk about, including everything from Nightmare Bear to the ring failure joke, but we’re still curious; WTF is curling?

Read the full article here.

Sidney Crosby: 5 facts about Canadian hockey’s new superstar

Hockey pro and Canada native Sidney Crosby is on his way to becoming a household name after making waves at the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi. The 26-year-old played a huge role in Canada’s win against Sweden on Sunday, finishing the game with a final score of 3-0.
With so much attention focused on the Olympics, it’s easy to ignore every other aspect of an athlete’s life and achievements, so here are five things you should know about the hockey prodigy from the north:

Read the full article here.

Mob Wives’ Alicia DiMichele tweets about her guilty plea

VH1’s Mob Wives is bringing reality to the courtroom with star Alicia DiMichele, who is charged with embezzlement after she pleaded guilty to aiding her husband, Edward “The Tall Guy” Garofalo in stealing union funds from his trucking company.
Spoiler alert for those who missed Season Four’s finale of the Harvey Weinstein-produced reality show, DiMichele’s trial date was postponed again, so we’ll have to wait and see how her court case actually turns out. But in the meantime Twitter, is here to amuse us.

Read the full article here.

Sochi 2014: The 7 stars we’ll remember when the Winter Olympics are over

Every four years the Winter Olympics does more than just prove which country has the best athletes competing in winter sports.
While the games used to be focused solely on athletic ability, more recently -– think back to the most recent Summer Olympics and the conversation about Gabby Douglas and specifically, her hair –- the athletes star power and celeb status has become a bigger take away for the public and the media.

Read the full article here.

Sheezus album by Lily Allen may be Kanye West jab

Rumor has it that Lily Allen is calling her newest album Sheezus.
The Brit singer has reportedly said that her album, which doesn’t have a set release date but is supposedly due out sometime this year, will be titled Sheezus, a name that she called “a confident title choice and a little nod to Kanye West,” on BBC One’s The Graham Norton Show.

Read the full article here.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Pussy Riot in Sochi: Anti-Putin video released

After being detained multiple times in Sochi, Russia, the members of punk band Pussy Riot have finally been able to hold a news conference and release their music video for the song, “Putin Will Teach You How to Love the Motherland.”
Notorious band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina served 21 months of their two-year sentence for performing a “punk prayer” in Moscow’s main cathedral, calling for the purge of President Vladimir Putin. After their early release in December, the band members said it was done as a publicity stunt to try and save face with the upcoming Olympics in Sochi.

Read the full article here.

Jenna Marbles releases new video renaming all body parts

YouTube sensation, Jenna Marbles, released another video providing us with better names for things that already exist with “Better Names for Body Parts.”
Previously, Marbles has done “Better Names for Animals” and “Better Names for Food.” This time around though, she has renamed everything from eyeballs, to hands, to inner organs and we’re not exactly sure how we feel about that last one, but it’s Jenna’s Internet and we’re just along for the ride.

Read the full article here.

Kanye West and Bret Easton Ellis making movie together

Novelist Bret Easton Ellis of American Psycho fame recently admitted to Vice Magazine that he is collaborating on a film with ultra-famous rapper Kanye West.
When West initially approached Ellis about making the film he didn’t want to do it and felt that he was the wrong man for the job. After listening to an advance copy of Yeezus though, Ellis changed his tune and thought that regardless of whether he was right for it or not, he wanted to work with the man who made the album happen.

Read the full article here.

WhatsApp Facebook Deal: $19 billion dollars, a whole mess of Tweets

In a tech business move that everyone is talking about, Facebook’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is set to acquire the free mobile messaging service WhatsApp for a total of $19 Billion.
According to NPR, $16 billion of the purchase comes in cash and stock. The additional $3 billion is in Facebook stock for the employees of WhatsApp…all 55 of them. The small team runs this free app that seems to be hugely popular outside of America, where text messaging rates can be exorbitantly high.

Read the full article here.

Candice Glover: An American Idol alum releases debut album

American Idol season 12 winner Candice Glover is finally releasing her debut album, Music Speaks, to some unfortunately lame reviews.
The 24-year-old’s silky vocals don’t seem to be enough to push her to the level of stardom Idol has always promised. Despite noting that “TV’s loss is music’s gain,” The LA TimesMikael Wood only gave two and a half stars to Music Speaks.

Read the full article here.

Canh Oxelson (famous Tiger Woods impersonator) named in revenge porn lawsuit

Canh Oxelson, famous Tiger Woods impersonator and also of super fancy, Ivy League prep school Horace Mann scandal fame, is once again under fire in a revenge porn lawsuit brought by his ex-girlfriend.
As the New York Post reports, Oxelson allegedly threatened to send nude photos of his ex to her bosses and family. The complaint states that he sent her the images, which he had previously saved, via text along with the messages “Good luck loser,” and “Can’t wait for the folks to see this one.”

Read the full article here.

Bode Miller cries at Sochi and Twitter gets pissed at NBC

NBC’s coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics came under fire Monday when former Olympiad-turned-sports journo Christian Cooper asked the questions to bring bronze medalist Bode Miller to tears.
An Alpine skier, Miller had just won his Olympic medal in the men’s super-G at Sochi when Cooper began her interview. Already emotional over the win and more than likely overwhelmed with the thought of his deceased brother, Miller was pushed over the edge and brought to tears by Cooper’s questions about Chelone Miller.

Read the full article here.

Comcast buys Time Warner Cable, Twitter demands a refund

For those who haven’t heard, cable behemoth Comcast is set to acquire other cable giant Time Warner Cable in a $45 billion merger.
Before this can officially take place, the federal government has to approve. We’re really hoping that they don’t, but if they do, the new and not-so-improved massive cable provider will serve one out of every three homes in the United States, according to CNN.

Read the full article here.

Snowstorm blankets the East Coast – in tweets

You know you’re from the East Coast when you can tell the difference between hail and freezing rain — especially after this winter, which has provided plenty of opportunities to categorize all kinds of precipitation Mother Nature has thrown at us.
But in just the last few days, it’s gotten worse than ever — icy roads and a lovely mix of rain and sleet are starting to make people wonder why they live there in the first place.

Read the full article here.

The Beatles 50th anniversary concert: The best of Twitter

This year we celebrate The Beatles 50th anniversary of coming to America and officially changing the music landscape forever.
To commemorate the occasion, CBS held a tribute special on the same date and at the same time The Beatles first performed in the U.S. on the Ed Sullivan show.
The special, which included performances by Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and a host of other prominent artists like John Legend, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder aired Feb. 9 (TV Mix had a reporter inside. Read her account here).

Read the full article here.

The Walking Dead midseason premiere: 5 things you need to know

The second half of season four of The Walking Dead premieres this weekend, and fans of the show couldn’t be more excited.
It’s been a long ten weeks since we’ve seen Rick, Carl and everyone else, so we’re here to recap the first eight episodes of this season to give fans and newcomers a gore-filled refresher to the zombie madness that is AMC’s The Walking Dead.

Read the full article here.

Sochi 2014: The best Opening Ceremony tweets

The Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia, the event that practically everyone has been talking about, is finally here.
With all the controversy surrounding Russia’s gay propaganda law, the safety of the athletes and the safety of those attending the games it’s no surprise that everyone’s got an opinion on them.
Friday night’s opening ceremony welcomed all the athletes brought to Russia while simultaneously bringing us ugly sweaters, master ballet performances and what appeared to be an acid trip projected across the floor.

Read the full article here.

Jay Leno’s Tonight Show goodbye: Twitter says goodbye, slams Kim Kardashian

After 22 years, Jay Leno officially left the Tonight Show, handing the reigns over to 38-year-old comedian and Late Night host, Jimmy Fallon.
According to the New York Daily News, NBC paid Leno $15 million to get him to leave the show before his contract is up in September. The network hopes to use its Winter Olympics 2014 coverage to springboard Fallon as the new host.

Read the full article here.

Justin Bieber yoga? Canada mom starts yogaBiebs class

A 40-year-old mother of two has decided to start a yoga class taught to the soothing sounds of…Justin Bieber.
Toronto native Roseanne McCollum fell in love with the Biebs in 2010 when her youngest daughter, who was in kindergarten at the time, brought the pop star’s music home. Since then, it’s clear that McCollum has been a firm Belieber, especially since she now teaches a class called yogaBiebs. We couldn’t make this up if we tried.

Read the full article here.

Axl Rose vs. Flea: Twitter Reacts

The halftime show at this years Super Bowl with the Red Hot Chili Peppers put Axl Rose in a bit of a fit.
As RHCP bassist Flea admitted, the bands instruments were not plugged in for the performance. Anthony Keidis’ vocals were live, but due to tight time constraints and concern that something might go wrong, the NFL’s conditions stated that music would be pre-recorded.

Read the full article here.

Bob Dylan Super Bowl Ad: Folk-rock god trashed by Twitter

Original counter-culture icon, Bob Dylan, did the unthinkable during Super Bowl XLVIII by appearing in a Chrysler car commercial. Possibly worse than when he plugged in at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, his promotion of the all-American consumer car brand has everyone yelling “sell-out,” especially those live-tweeting the sports event and it’s commercials.

Read the full article here.

Super Bowl commercials: The best tweets, part 2

Every year the Super Bowl delivers viewers some of the best commercials we see on TV. This year was the exception. With commercial space going for $4 million per 30-second slot it’s no surprise ad makers usually put all their effort into what will be shown during arguably the biggest annual event on television. Throughout the four-hour-long televised sporting event ads seemed to only get worse, at least according to those on Twitter.

Read the full article here.

Super Bowl Commercials: Best Tweets part 1.

It’s what everyone talks about as soon as we know which teams are headed to the Super Bowl, the commercials.
Every year, football enthusiasts or not, practically everyone mentions or hears about at least a few of the ads seen during the four hour sports extravaganza.
According to Adage, ad space averaged $4 million for just 30 seconds this year, which is why Super Bowl commercials are usually some of the best ones we see all year. This time around though, Twitter users are telling a different story.

Read the full article here.

The Fault in Our Stars trailer inspires teary-eyed tween tweets

John Green’s book, The Fault in Our Stars, was published in January 2012 and its heartbreaking romance spoke to tweens. A trailer was just released for the movie version, due in June, and brought floods of tears and tweets from Green’s young fan base.
The premise of both the novel and the movie revolves around young love between a cancer patient and an amputee who meet in a support group.

Read the full article here.

Macklemore’s Grammy wins: Hip hop world reacts via social media

Possibly the most anticipated night in music awards, the Grammys never fail to prove just how out of touch the voting committees are with the music industry. 1989 was the year that Jethro Tull beat out Metallica for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance and ever since viewers have known that the committees are practically clueless when it comes to doling out awards to musical talent. Now in 2014, the same thing has happened to the rap categories, with Macklemore sweeping the awards for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and, most notably, Best Rap Album.

Read the full article here.

Aaron Eckhart’s I, Frankenstein stinks. Because Twitter says so

New action film take on the Mary Shelly classic, Frankenstein, called I, Frankenstein, tanked in theaters its opening day. The $65 million budget movie brought in a paltry $2.8 million on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It seems the only good things the film has brought viewers are the hilariously scathing reviews from both professional critics and regular movie-goers alike. Ranging from mild criticism to downright harsh, those who have seen the film all agree: don’t waste your money going to see I, Frankenstein.

Read the full article here.

Everything you need to know for Vampire Diaries 100th birthday

The Vampire Diaries returns to the CW Thursday night for its 100th episode, where fans can expect more than a few plot twists to keep them glued to the screen. (Check here to see if a CW affiliate is available in your area.)
Before the show airs though, there’s a couple of things viewers need to know for the second half of the series’ fifth season. (Yes these will be spoilers if you didn’t watch all of last season).

Read the full article here.

Best FreeBieber tweets: “Justin Bieber is going to make a great mayor of Toronto someday”

Young and reckless Justin Bieber is making headlines again, following his Miami arrest for driving under the influence and drag racing. The 19-year-old failed a field sobriety test and police confirmed he had alcohol and marijuana in his system before driving a rented Lamborghini.
The pop star is being charged with resisting arrest and had been driving without a valid license at the time of arrest.

Read the full article here.

What’s Rand Paul doing with the sexting app SnapChat?

Politicians are infiltrating the social media sphere outside of Twitter and Facebook and before you even ask, yes, it’s getting weird…fast.
Sure, Barack Obama and Joe Biden are on Twitter. Cory Booker has a public Instagram account, and just about everyone is on Facebook. These political figures usually manage to keep their online content related to, you know, things that aren’t super weird.

Read the full article here.

The death of net neutrality is the final F-you to consumers

Every once in a while the government and the courts system sticks its nose in places where it doesn’t truly understand what the eff is going on, and this week that place is the Internet. The death of net neutrality has sparked controversy and outrage across all forums, and for good reason.
Many still don’t understand the concept, but when broken down it’s easy to understand. Perhaps appropriately, Twitter tells you everything you need to know about net neutrality (for as long as the Net is still neutral, at least).

Read the full article here.

Jennifer Lawrence wins Best Supporting Actress, lovers and haters react

The one actress who probably made everyone’s most watched list for the 71st annual Golden Globes is Jennifer Lawrence. The ever-quirky 23-year-old photobombed Taylor Swift on the red carpet and won the award for best supporting actress in a drama, musical or comedy for her most recent film, American Hustle.
Fans and haters took to Twitter to announce every thought and feeling about JLaw, because really, what was she doing wearing that dress?

Read the full article here.

Brooklyn 99 wins Best Comedy Series Golden Globe, TV fans suspect foul play

For those who don’t know, Brooklyn 99 is a comedy TV series with Andy Samberg that airs on Fox. The show hit the airwaves this past September and apparently, it’s good. So good, in fact, that the Golden Globes decided to award the show with best comedy series on television.
Twitter brought us everyone’s surprise, doubt and joy at the show’s big win, along with those who think the whole thing was a sham, because really, had anybody even heard of this show before?

Read the full article here.

The Golden Globes according to Twitter: It’s all about the booze

The 71st annual Golden Globe Awards show brought us tiny statues, booze and ball gowns for viewers to enjoy, criticize and of course, tweet about.
The three hour long award show, hosted by comedienne’s of SNL fame, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, also brought about a few memorable moments — all perfect material for those live-tweeting the glamorous gig, that was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Read the full article here.

A Twitter anatomy of Chris Christie’s Bridgegate

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has either solidified his run for president in 2016 or completely destroyed all hopes of ever seeing the inside of any executive office again with the #Bridgegate scandal.
For those who don’t know, the story breaks down like this: Christie and his team wanted to punish Mark Sokolich, Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, NJ, by closing down certain lanes of the George Washington Bridge. This lame stunt created heavy traffic jams between New Jersey and New York, along with creating a major headache for Mayor Sokolich, who had not endorsed Christie’s re-election bid.

Read the full article here.

Who is Sasheer Zamata and can she save Saturday Night Live?

Saturday evening television staple, Saturday Night Live, is making headlines with its addition of the first black female cast member in six years.
Upright Citizens Brigade member Sasheer Zamata will be making her late night debut on Jan. 18, in an episode hosted by hip-hop star Drake, according to CNN.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, SNL also made progress with the addition of two new black female writers, LaDendra Tookes and Leslie Jones.

Read the full article here.

Downton Abbey returns to America and is welcomed with Twitter snark

PBS British drama Downton Abbey made its way back to U.S. television Sunday night, and fans of the series couldn’t have been more excited for all the tea, biscuits and numerous other Brit staples found in the show. Not to mention the plot line steeped in historic events and garnished with twists and snark that keeps fans coming back for more.

Read the full article here.

Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident brings an outpouring of support from F1 world and beyond

Former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher remains in critical condition following a skiing accident at the French Alpine resort of Maribel.
It’s been confirmed that Schumacher was wearing a helmet when the accident happened. According to Reuters, Men’s Alpine skiing World Cup director Guenter Hujara said, “Without a helmet, Michael Schumacher would be dead.”

Read the full article here.

Are you on Toronto crack mayor Rob Ford’s Christmas shopping list?

Politicians make headlines all the time, and 2013 was a big year in the papers for Mayor of Toronto, Canada, Rob Ford.
Between smoking crack, rumors of gallivanting around with prostitutes and saying the word “pussy” on live television (no, he wasn’t talking about a Russian dissident punk band), Ford managed to make everyone’s jaws drop with his antics, so we can only imagine how many people he owes individual apologies to, despite his public ones.

Read the full article here.

Barry Diller’s press rep Justine Sacco sends racist tweet, ends Phil Robertson news cycle

Justine Sacco’s now trending tweet — despite its deletion — is the worst thing since Duck Dynast star Phil Robertson’s anti-gay comments in his profile for GQ magazine.
Wait wasn’t that just a few days ago?
Yes, in fact, Sacco’s tweet has taken the reigns, leading the Internet to frenzy by positing the most intolerance using the fewest characters by tweeting: “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”

Read the full article here.

The Voice finale causes expected social media storm, including Adam Levine-led round of ‘Twitter Applause’

NBC’s The Voice ended season 5 on Tuesday night, Dec 17, with not only the declaration of its winner but also performances from musical giants Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and show judge Christina Aguilera. The show’s judges, which also include Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green, choose their favorite talent at the beginning of the season and coach them throughout the entire competition.

Read the full article here.

A real life Ron Burgundy? TV anchor is fired for wild F-bomb sign-off

Poor Justin Kraemer. Perhaps caught up in enthusiasm for Anchorman 2 and its PR blitz, he signed off his KSNW newscast with the memorable line, “Let’s get the F— out of this place!” and was duly canned the next day.
Television and film censorship has been a hot topic on many fronts recently. Singer Miley Cyrus has called out America on its ideas of what’s okay and what’s not okay to show on screen with her support of the Free the Nipple Campaign, along with her statements in her interview with Rolling Stone in September where she pointed out the ridiculousness that cooking meth on TV is acceptable, but saying the f-word is not.

Read the full article here.

Homeland’s season three finale throws shocking twist, ignites Twitter

Showtime’s political thriller, Homeland, ended with season three’s finale on Sunday with some major changes to the cast that will affect the plot going forward. The removal of two main characters is enough to let viewers know things are going to be a little different from now on.
We took a look at audience reactions on Twitter and so far we’ve found that every one still hates Carrie. Sorry, Claire Danes, it’s nothing personal.

Read the full article here.

The Nerd Kingdom reacts to The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

Following last year’s blockbuster smash, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson has given birth, obviously with great labor pains, to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which was released on Friday, Dec. 13, to an excited audience who are already upset they have to wait another year for the third and final film.

Read the full article here.

The Grammy Awards wanna party like its…1975?

Everyone knows that the Grammys don’t really mean anything, despite all the hype they attract each year. The nominations for the 56th Grammy Awards are out and nevermind Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, this organization, the so-called Recording Academy, has got some serious problems.
A couple of nameless committees decide what they like best, vote on it, vote again, then vote one more time before choosing an artist or group that they see fit to win an award. (If you’re still confused on the voting process you can check out their snazzy infographic.

Read the full article here.

Barack Obama shakes Raul Castro’s hand. Twitter wets its pants

Today in Africa, a funeral was held in remembrance of freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, who died Thursday at the age of 95. Rather than, you know, remember all the things Mandela did to fight towards peace and freedom, everyone is freaking out over the moment when U.S. President Barack Obama shook Cuban President Raul Castro‘s hand because: ‘Murica vs. Communism. The Obama administration has worked to warm relations with Cuba in order, it says, to advance civil rights causes on the island and engaging Raul, brother of ailing Fidel, is an obvious next step. We found a variety of responses covering the good, bad, ugly and just plain stupid, with every one of them coming from the all-knowing Twitterverse.

Read the full article here.

The Duck Dynasty Christmas Special is here (to destroy our brains)

For most people the holiday season means lots of food, ridiculous hours spent shopping prices and getting mad at the neighborhood kids who throw snowballs at cars. That’s not the case with Duck Dynasty’s Robertson family, however, who has their own way of celebrating Christmas in their southern home of West Monroe, Louisiana. Their holiday special, Duck the Halls, A Robertson Family Christmas airs Wednesday, Dec. 10 and — Damn it! — those nasty beards and redneck ways have crept into all of our lives. We’ve got the camo underwear to prove it.

Read the full article here.

The Zombie Ate My Homework: UC Irvine’s Walking Dead MOOC comes to an end

Hello class, we are sad to say that this is the last week of Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead. The course, sponsored jointly by Canvas.net, AMC and UC Irvine, finished by discussing the topic of stress and its effects on the body over long periods of time, along with how a positive attitude can help ward off disease and boost the immune system. Fans of the show can definitely benefit from this knowledge, especially after the heart-wrenching mid-season four finale, in which Scott Wilson‘s character Hershel met his gruesome demise.

Read the full album here.

How does The Sound of Music become #VonTrappNado?

NBC’s live adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic The Sound of Music, starring Carrie Underwood as Maria and True Blood‘s  Stephen Moyer as Capt. Von Trapp, was highly anticipated and even endorsed by Julie Andrews, according to E!, but if you go by those watching (and tweeting about) it, the production left much to be desired.

Read the full article here.

The world expresses its heartbreak over Nelson Mandela’s death

South African icon and former president Nelson Mandela died Thursday in his home at the age of 95. According to NBC News, a state funeral will be held for the politician and activist, who served as a beacon of hope for so many in Africa and across the globe.
As we mourn his death, numerous supporters of the Nobel Peace Prize winner tweeted their condolences and memories of him across social media. We compiled some of the best sent in his memory.

Read the full article here.

The Zombie Ate My Homework: Our week 7 report card for UC Irvine’s Walking Dead course

Hello class, now that we have finished the first half of season four there will only be one more installment of The Walking Dead massive open online course, Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead. Once again, we took a look at this week’s course material and graded it on how well the readings and guest instructors presented each topic. This week we studied physics in relation to zombies, because realistically, could a crossbow arrow actually go through the head of a zombie or would it just get stuck?

Read the full article here.

Twitter mourns loss of Fast and Furious star Paul Walker

The death of actor Paul Walker continues to shake his fans, Hollywood and the car racing community. The 40-year-old Fast and the Furious star was pronounced dead on Saturday after a fatal single-car accident in Santa Clarita, California. A statement from his Twitter account says Walker was on his way to a charity event to aid Filipino victims of Typhoon Haiyan, according to the LA Times. Walker was riding passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT with his friend Roger Rodas behind the wheel. Rodas was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Read the full article here.

The Zombie Ate My Homework: Our week 6 report card for UC Irvine’s Walking Dead course

Attention class! Week six of Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from The Walking Dead is about to begin. This week in the course co-produced by Canvas.net and AMC,  we discussed how to survive on a post-apocalyptic diet because without any working McDonald’s, how are we supposed to eat? Public Health guru Zuzana Bic put together course materials that taught us about nutrition and how to eat a balanced diet when grocery stores are overrun by the living dead.

Read the full article here.

Miley Cyrus fails to ignite a new scandal at the AMAs but Twitter snark still flies

Last night, the 41st annual American Music Awards went by without any twerking or weed smoking, making for a pretty blasé awards show. Taylor Swift took home three awards — for favorite Country Album, favorite Country Female and the most coveted, Artist of the Year Award — while Justin Timberlake also swept the awards, taking home favorite Pop/Rock male, favorite Soul/R&B Male and favorite Soul/R&B Album.

Read the full article here.

Armani Instagram-gate confuses Alfre Woodward with Idris Elba; Spoofs flood Twitter

An inexcusable fashion blunder on Armani’s Instagram account almost guarantees that someone on the brand’s social media team got fired.
At the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ 5th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, Nov. 16, Armani posted an Instagram photo of actress Alfre Woodard wearing an Armani dress. Problem? The caption identified Woodard as male actor Idris Elba.

Read the full article here.

Kim Kardashian’s topless ride in new Kanye West video Bound 2 excites Ellen Degeneres, confuses fans

Ellen Degeneres just couldn’t contain her excitement as she tweeted a link to Kanye West’s newest music video. The song, “Bound 2,” is a favorite among fans but the video is something else.
Between adjectives like “trashy” and “awful” used to describe the creative venture, you can get a sense of the general opinion fans have of the Bound 2 video, but for every ten people saying they hate it there’s always that one diehard fan who refuses to let go of West’s better days.

Read the full article here.

The Zombie Ate my Homework: Our week 5 report card of UC Irvine’s Walking Dead online course

Hello, class! This week’s discussion of Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from The Walking Dead, the MOOC run by UC Irvine and Canvas.net, revolves around modeling a zombie outbreak by taking a close look at the disease itself. By modeling a zombie outbreak, we learned just how rapidly the virus can spread and what interventions, such as vaccinations and quarantines, could be used to contain or stop it from spreading and just how effective those methods would be.

Read the full article here.

Moto Cross champion Kurt Caselli dies in SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 race

American off-road racing champion, Kurt Caselli, died Friday after sustaining injuries from a crash during the SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 race in Mexico.
Rumors flew that the crash happened due to a man-made booby trap, however that has been discredited by eyewitness accounts, according to ESPN. Caselli was riding through a high-speed, sandy part of the track when he lost control of his bike. The 30-year-old died during transportation to a hospital in Ensenada.

Read the full article here.

Mark Wahlberg vs Tom Cruise: Here’s hoping a true Hollywood feud ignites

The only thing better than hearing about a celeb feud go down in print is watching it happen on screen, and that’s what we’re hoping for with the current media fueled Mark Wahlberg vs. Tom Cruise battle.
Cruise made comments comparing a career in acting to a career in the military, using long stays away from home and family as the basis to his argument. Wahlberg has since been very vocal in his disagreement, and — through use of many expletives — unknowingly slammed Cruise, saying, “For somebody to sit there and say ‘my job was as difficult as being in the military.’ How f***ing dare you, while you sit in a makeup chair for two hours.”

Read the full article here.

Andy Kaufman is/is not dead and Twitter can/cannot prove it

Following a long-standing conspiracy theory, Michael Kaufman, brother of deceased comedian Andy Kaufman, announced Monday, Nov. 11 at the Andy Kaufman Awards that the Taxi star is alive and well, in love and has a 24-year-old daughter.
That being said, the recently re-released death certificate has a bit of a different spin on what Michael Kaufman is now calling a hoax. The entertainer died in 1984 at the age of 35 from lung cancer. Despite his untimely death, Kaufman has been an inspiration to many current comedians, and stands as a memorable force in the evolution of comedy.

Read the full article here.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

The Zombie Ate My Homework, Week 4: Our latest report card for UC Irvine’s Walking Dead course

Class! We are already halfway through UC Irvine’s course, Society, Science, Survival: Lessons From The Walking Dead. This week’s lesson took a look at social identity, personalities and the way we interpret others. It also covered stereotypes and how as humans when we are under stress we jump to stereotypes to create order for ourselves.

Read the full article here.

Miley Cyrus desperate to shock at the MTV EMAs

After another MTV awards show all the talk is once again around 20-year-old Miley Cyrus.
The pop singer gave two performances at the MTV European Music Awards on Sunday in Amsterdam: one performance of her song “We Can’t Stop”, and another of her newer single, “Wrecking Ball”. Will Ferrell, dressed as anchorman Ron Burgundy, presented her with the award for Best Video for “Wrecking Ball,” after which she lit what appeared to be a joint that she smoked on stage.

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Kanye West’s Yeezus tour goes haywire; we don’t give him a break

Kanye West’s highly anticipated Yeezus tour was five years in the making when it kicked off in Seattle last month with new rap sensation Kendrick Lamar.
Starting off strong the tour ran into a few kinks here and there — a postponed second date in Vancouver, then a later date for Anaheim that was also postponed.
Only 13 days into the tour, the self-proclaimed “Number one rock star on the planet” postponed it indefinitely, citing a truck collision that caused irreparable damage to gear that is “central to the staging of the Yeezus tour,” according to a press release.

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Thomas Roberts to stare down Putin’s anti-gay laws at Miss Universe pageant in Moscow

Now that all the talk about the Winter Olympics being held in homophobic Russia has died down, conversation about the Miss Universe pageant is starting to heat up.
This year’s Miss Universe will be chosen in Moscow with hosts former Spice Girl and current America’s Got Talent judge, Mel B, and openly gay news anchor for MSNBC Live, Thomas Roberts. The pageant takes place on Nov. 9 and will air on NBC.

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From Christina Aguilera to Coldplay: The Catching Fire soundtrack preview

The Hunger Games movie trilogy began in 2012, creating the springboard not only for Jennifer Lawrence’s fame but also for a whole new Twilight-sized cinematic obsession.
The newest movie release, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, comes out on November 22, just three days after the release of the soundtrack, which houses tracks from such big name artists as Coldplay and Christina Aguilera. The first soundtrack, The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 480,000 copies according to Nielson SoundScan. The Taylor Swift single, “Safe & Sound,” won a Grammy Award for best song written for visual media and led the album. We took a look at a few of the tracks listed and made some predictions on how they will be used in the film.

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The Zombie Ate My Homework: Week Three report card for UC Irvine’s Walking Dead MOOC

If everyone can settle down we can get started on week three of Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from The Walking Dead. This week’s module covered different types of societies, how they come about and how leaders emerge within societies. Themes of isolation and the human need for human contact are discussed in depth and questions such as ‘how do we define society?’ are answered.

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Red Sox World Series win causes Boston celebs to go apesh*t on Twitter

Boston Red Sox fans are no strangers to victory. Over the past ten years, the team has won three World Series Championships — in 2004, 2007 and now in 2013. But this year was different for a couple of reasons. One: this was the first time since 1918 that the Red Sox won the World Series in their hometown at legendary Fenway Park. Two: this year’s win wasn’t just for the fans or the team; it was for all of Boston who suffered tragedy in April with the Boston bombings.

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2013′s Trashiest and Most Tasteless Halloween Costumes

2013 seems to be the year of tasteless costumes for celebrities and non-famous folk alike.
It all began with country singer Julianne Hough wearing blackface to supposedly pay tribute to actress Uza Aduba, who plays Crazy Eyes on the Netflix hit series, Orange is the New Black.

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The New Horror: Why the sickest rock gods are the new maestros of Hollywood gore

Heavy metal and horror mastermind Rob Zombie has been straddling the music and film worlds since his debut exploitation horror flick, House of 1,000 Corpses in 2003. This past April, he released psychological thriller The Lords of Salem, which became an instant cult classic. Zombie’s real commercial success lies in his 2007 remake of Halloween and the follow-up Halloween II, which brought in a combined $120 million worldwide.

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Cougar humor and porn star pitchwoman Julia Ann outlawed in Australia

Today there’s a dating website for everyone. Match.com and eHarmony have been around forever, while newer sites like ChristianMingle and JDate still need to get the word out about their existence.
In that same boat is CougarLife.com, where young men can “meet divorcees, single moms and sexy singles looking for a young stud!”

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Julianne Hough commits blackface faceplant at party for “Oprah’s favorite tequila”

Country singer and Dancing with the Stars star Julianne Hough brought her level of fame up a few notches, but not for anything she should be proud of.
The 25-year-old Utah native took racism to new heights when she, a white entertainer, donned blackface to the Casamigos Tequila Halloween Party on Friday night. Casmigos is owned by Rande Gerber and George Clooney and has promoted itself with the claim to be Oprah’s favorite tequila. In addition to the minstrel-show makeup, Hough had on a neon orange jumpsuit, nametag that said “Crazy Eyes” and her hair tied up in a knotty style all over her head. She was meant to be a character that is  played by black actress Uzu Aduba on the hit Netflix series, Orange is the New Black.

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The Zombie Ate My Homework: Week 2 report card for The Walking Dead course at UC Irvine

Students of “Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead”, please take your seats as the class review is about to begin. Last week’s course material covered the topic of public health. As many of you can recall, making it to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention was a number one priority for Rick and his group until they found out that the entire globe was infected. That being said, public health is one of the most important things to know about when the zombie apocalypse takes hold.

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Walking Dead and Marilyn Manson: Fans take to Twitter to shout STFU!

Walking Dead fans know that the best part of the AMC series is its companion show, Talking Dead. Hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick, the usually hilarious response to whatever episode of  TWD has just aired puts celeb guests with producers, makeup artists and the like. This week’s guests were Jack Osbourneof Dancing With the Stars fame, rock musician Marilyn Manson and executive producer Gale Anne Hurd.

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Homeland plot twist hate booms on Twitter

The internet is still buzzing about Sunday’s episode of Homeland. (Spoiler alert!)  Talk of trickery this season and claims that only season one was actually any good may be indicators of the series’ fate. Writer Alex Gansa even admitted to tricking the audience on purpose, instead of just throwing in a plot twist, which we’re sure didn’t boost his approval ratings. Before the show gets any worse, we found some of the best quotes and tweets about the fourth episode of season three.

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AFI attempts to turn away from Goth Punk darkness, fails miserably

Dark lyrics and looming chords have earned AFI a spot in the musical genre  known as Goth Punk. Despite earnest efforts to break away from this, their new album, Burials, follows the same formula as all the others.

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Escape Plan bombs at box office despite Arnold and Sly firepower

Combining two action movie heavyweights like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone should have obvious results at the box office. After all, it’s helped the Expendables franchise rake in some $200 million.  But Escape Plan has effectively proved that theory wrong.

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Beyonce takes a big fall in New Zealand

Along with mother-of-one, world-famous singer, songwriter, and actress, Beyonce can now add daredevil to her growing resume.
The 32-year-old used her time off from the Mr. Carter Show World Tour to freefall in Auckland, New Zealand. Unlike skydiving, freefalling is more similar to base jumping where the participant tumbles from a very high platform – in this case over 1,000 ft. off the ground – while harnessed and attached to a cord. Unlike traditional bunjee jumping where the participant is attached at the ankles, freefalling involves being attached at the torso, and instead of falling head first the participant jumps feet first from the platform.

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Zombies ate my homework: Going to school with The Walking Dead

Attention class!  On Oct. 14, the day after the season four premiere of The Walking Dead, The University of California at Irvine in partnership with AMC and canvas.net began its MOOC, “Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead”. Taught by professors from the departments of public health, social sciences, physics, and mathematics, the eight-week course covers quite a bit of post-apocalyptic ground. Although students actually taking the course don’t receive a grade, we decided to flip roles and take a critical look at each section of the course and grade it accordingly.

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Rihanna Mosque controversy: all good fun or will sh*t hit the fan?

Rihanna sparked controversy once again when she posed seductively out front of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Saturday wearing a black jumpsuit and headscarf for a photo-shoot with Steven Gomillion and Dennis Leupold of photography team Gomillion Leupold.

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Is Coldplay making an Oscar bid with Hunger Games sequel song “Atlas”?

After remaining dormant for almost two years, Coldplay is heating up with their newest single “Atlas.”
The lead track off the Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack, “Atlas” was released as a single in the U.S. in September, but didn’t pick up steam until now, as the Catching Fire trailer is dominating the Internet. “Atlas” peaked in the Top 20 of Billboards’ Rock Songs and Alternative Songs chart after reaching no. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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