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On Jam Master Jay's Birthday, A Remembrance From A Friend

Posted 1/21/10 1:10 pm EST by in Music


Today would have been legendary DJ Jam Master Jay's 45th birthday. The man born Jason William Mizell was tragically gunned down in a recording studio in Queens back in 2002. As a member of Run-DMC and on his own, Jay was an inspirational member of the hip-hop community who touched most everybody he met — including Eric "Shake" James, one of the DJ's closest friends who provided this remembrance for MTV Newsroom.

By Eric "Shake" James

JMJ, what can I say? You're the greatest friend anyone could hope to have. Thank you for everything you taught and showed me, from explaining why songs are put in order on CDs to how to write with melody in mind to how to just be a great person.

I remember when you used to tap your foot when you listened to demos or new music. If a cat got the JMJ foot tap, then you knew it was hot! Remember when I was about to get that production deal, but I turned it down and you asked 'Why?' I told you that if I took it, then we wouldn't be able to hang out any more.

I remember when Onyx was making their second album and they were trying to come up with a title. Fredro Starr called you and said it was between Three the Hard Way and All We Got is Us. You asked me which one, and I said All We Got is Us, and you picked up the phone and called Fredro and said, "All we got is us!"

I remember how excited you were when I told you that 50 had signed with Dre and Emimen. I remember how excited you were when I told you I was having a son. (I think you were more excited then me.)

So happy birthday, my dude. God needed a DJ. You are always on my mind and forever in my heart! What's my name? I can't hear you! A little bit louder!

Check out LL Cool J's memories of JMJ.

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Haitian-American Grad Student Shares His Journey To Haiti

Posted 1/21/10 12:46 pm EST by in Haiti


Alison Smith is a medical student at Tulane University who will be posting frequent reports from Haiti to the MTV Newsroom blog this week. Today she offers us the story of 33-year-old Haitian-American grad student Terry Pierre-Louis, who left for Haiti as soon as he heard about last week's earthquake and could hardly believe the scene that greeted him when he arrived.

Terry Pierre-Louis, Haitian-American grad student: "Today I woke up again thinking, 'How can I make a difference for the people of Haiti?' After seeing the aftermath of the earthquake, I immediately made plans to fly out to assist. I called up a good friend mine, Dominique, and told him we have to do something and we have to do something now. We boarded a private jet to the Dominican Republic because Haiti was not allowing any commercial flights into the country.

"Upon our arrival in the Dominican, we had to wait to get clearance from the U.S. to fly into Haiti. While waiting for clearance, we met a wonderful group of doctors who were in a similar situation. We hitched a ride with them and we stayed together at a local hotel. The following day, we all visited the General Hospital. I experienced things that I thought I would never experience in my life.

"It was like visiting patients that had been through a war. Read More...

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MTV News Crew Departs For Haiti: Help On The Way

Posted 1/21/10 12:06 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Haiti


MTV News is sending a team of reporters to Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We will be following their journey to Haiti through e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m. ET.

Reporter Suchin Pak, production manager Adam Stewart and producer Sean Lee arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Wednesday and will depart for a naval vessel off the coast of Haiti on Thursday.

Suchin Pak, 9:15 p.m., Wednesday (January 20), ?Guantanamo Bay: "We get up in a few hours to catch the helicopter into Haiti. Today I was able to see how the base at Guantanamo Bay — which is best known for less optimistic missions — is coordinating a massive effort to get supplies to Haiti. Thousands of cases of water bottles, MREs (meals ready-to-eat), water canisters and helicopter cargo nets bound for air-drop were being loaded onto giant aircraft.

"What is normally a nearly-empty base has become a major hub for humanitarian efforts to Haiti, with aircraft landing and taking off on the runway 24 hours a day. This place is alive with action. Military from all over the country are arriving by the hour and there is a sense of urgency and camaraderie in the air. Our guide, Joshua Nistas, a 26-year-old Naval petty officer who has been stationed here since August, is amazed and proud of how quickly they've sprung into action, calling this his most inspiring mission to date.

"But the reality is clear: As body bags are also being loaded on to the planes, the loss of life will be far greater than any of us imagined just a week ago. Josh has been told to prepare for aftershocks, and this base will be a part of the aid efforts for as long as it takes. How all this aid will be distributed is overwhelming, and on Thursday we'll be able to see this from the air and ground."

Sean Lee also tweeted updates from the ground in Guantanamo on Wednesday, reporting that, "A bunch of naval officers have been temporarily forced to camp out at Gitmo on their way to Haiti because there's now so many boots moving in." He also reported on one of Nistas' good friends, who "left his very prego girlfriend on a dime to go to Haiti when the quake hit. As president Obama said of America, 'That's what we do.'" Lee also reported that the giant pallets of MREs that keep popping up in news reports contain 480 meals per pallet.

Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back In Haiti

Posted 1/21/10 11:42 am EST by in Haiti


Alison Smith is a medical student at Tulane University who will be posting frequent reports from Haiti to the MTV Newsroom blog this week. Today she offers us an account of the renewed chaos set off by Wednesday's aftershock.

By Alison Smith

On Tuesday night when we departed the hospital, we were very optimistic: Supplies were coming, more doctors were arriving, we finally had organization and we were going to be able to fly people to the USS Comfort for medical care. We were the second medical team here and our progress has been incredible.

However, Wednesday morning we awoke to a 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered 35 miles from Port-au-Prince. The building we are staying in shook and many people went running into the street screaming. We arrived at the General Hospital to find chaos, as every patient had been moved outside after the earthquake and could not be moved back in until the Army cleared the buildings for safety. People were in a panic and we had lost any system that we had in place from all our hard work over the last few days.

So many people were crying saying that they were going to die. Everyone was sitting in the hot sun and we had to work desperately to get them water and try to tend to the sickest and weakest patients. Many more injuries occurred from the fresh aftershock. We had one boy brought in who had been trapped in a house since the earthquake eight days ago. He was very sick with many traumatic injuries, but we were able to get him to surgery and he is currently in stable condition. I hope he makes it through the night.

It was a day of gains and losses. We had many babies born today, but we also had many people pass away due to the extreme conditions. However, we did get a great deal of help today from all over the world and after struggling all day long, we were able to put all the patients back into their rooms before sunset. Many refused to go inside because they are afraid of another earthquake. We still do not have food or water for the patients, X-ray capabilities or a way to transfer patients out, but we are slowly regaining ground. I hope that tomorrow will be more of the step in the right direction and we can resume building this medical facility with the amazing Haitian doctors and nurses here.

I stayed late and worked in the emergency room. Read More...

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The Film Industry Buttons Up: Wake-Up Video

Posted 1/21/10 11:15 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


Right now is the best time to be a film fan, as the Oscars are coming up (so the best films from last year will get their props) and the annual Sundance Film Festival is about to kick off (so we can find out what we'll be saluting at the Oscars next year). But today also marks a dubious anniversary in cinema history. On this day in 1916, the National Board of Censorship (which later became known as the National Board of Review) banned all nudity in films. The industry watchdog group, comprised mostly of film fans policing studio policies and content, had faced accusations of being far too liberal since its inception in 1909. The nudity ban was meant to be a dramatic shift towards a more conservative outlook on film content. The National Board of Review's power over content lessened in the 1920s, though their stamp of approval appeared on movies well into the 1950s in the era before film ratings. Along they way, they shifted from a censorship body to more of a cultural institution, launching publications on the art of film and underwriting educational seminars and programs about the history and importance of the populist art.

The nudity ban didn't last very long, clearing the way for the careers of Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Connelly. While it's too-often used as a crutch for bringing teens into cinemas (as in slasher movies and teen sex comedies), nudity can be an incredibly effective tool in a variety of cinema styles (especially in America, where we sometimes seem stuck in Puritanism). As a celebration of nudity on film (and naked people in general), check out the Woodie Award-winning "Lessons Learned" from Matt and Kim.

Be sure to follow the MTV Movies Blog for updates on Sundance.

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The Buzz On (Possible) 'American Idol' Star Andrew Garcia

Posted 1/21/10 10:35 am EST by in Music


By Joel Hanek

This may be the first time in "American" Idol history that the most buzzed-about contestant is someone who hasn't even been on the show yet. Andrew Garcia, an "Idol" auditioner who was featured in a preview for next week's round of episodes, is already picking up a lot of Internet buzz. Was last night's "Idol" that lackluster, or is this guy really going to be that big?

Although Mr. Garcia has an active Twitter account, a YouTube ID and a MySpace page, little is known about this young singer. Various posted photos show him posing with a child (possibly his son), but all of the music and video content that was uploaded is no longer accessible or has been replaced with a stark sign informing the visitor that the item has been "removed by user." Some fans have been left in disarray without the songs — in fact, one commenter on his MySpace page asks, "Why did you take your song off? I listened to it everyday!"

So has the eager army of "Idol" fans stumbled upon a struggling, enigmatic and charismatic singer who has already been blessed by Simon Cowell's Midas touch, or is this just a guy who is business and Internet savvy? Both possibilities are realistic, especially since this is also the first season that there has been an alleged "leaked" list of the top 24 contestants. It lends a new dynamic to the show: With this privileged knowledge out in the open, the minds behind "American Idol" are in less control of building the stories and characters of the contestants. One could argue that the power has slightly shifted towards the contestants themselves.

Either way, we won't know who this Andrew Garcia guy is until next week. But until then, we can speculate: Is it legitimate buzz or is he a great simply a savvy opportunist? Let us know in the comments!

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MTV News Team Leaves For Cuba En Route To Haiti

Posted 1/21/10 10:02 am EST by in Behind The Scenes, Haiti


MTV News is sending a team of reporters to Haiti to chronicle the recovery effort in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. We will be following their journey to Haiti through e-mails, tweets, BBMs and video in the lead-up to Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, which will air on MTV and dozens of other networks at 8 p.m. ET.

Reporter Suchin Pak, production manager Adam Stewart and producer Sean Lee departed Miami on Wednesday on their way to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they will embed with the military for a relief flight to Haiti.

Suchin Pak, 11:20 a.m. (Wednesday, January 20): "We are waiting for our military contact and the private plane terminal is filled with young doctors in scrubs. I talk with Rodney Napier, 24, who works in a Haitian restaurant here in Miami and is going with the surgeons to Haiti tonight. They're here with a volunteer organization based out of Canton, Ohio called the Granted Wish Foundation. Rodney has been to Haiti before with his father, who has been working in Haiti for the past six years. I asked him what he thought and he said he was nervous, but mostly sad. His last trip to Haiti two years ago was heartbreaking enough. His family left in tears and today he'll be in the same city. We wished each other well."

Adam Stewart, 12:05 p.m. (Wednesday, January 20): Our two Air Force pilots arrive at the terminal in Miami to begin fueling and prepping the Lear Jet. It's very small, but also apparently very fast. We'll make the approximately 400 mile trip in about one and a half hours, as opposed to the three it normally takes when flying in a prop plane."

12:25 p.m.: "I just had an informal conversation with our initial military press contact Raymond Sarracino (retired Air Force). He was giving us some of the broader details on the operation going on in Port-au-Prince, specifically diving into one of the primary functions of the two aircraft carriers stationed there (one of which we will be our home on Thursday and Friday night). The two massive ships are each able to produce approx 5,000 gallons of fresh water per hour via reverse osmosis treatment of sea water. The hard part, however, is that there is no direct pipe that runs from the ships to the mainland, so each bottle of fresh water has to be hand-filled and transported via helicopter. It's quite a daunting task, but one that has produced millions of gallons and provided clean drinking water for thousands of the quake victims already."

Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

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Jennifer Lopez Hijacks 'Lopez Tonight,' Takes On Sarah Palin

Posted 1/21/10 9:00 am EST by in Television


In the midst of the late-night wars (which, sadly, will be coming to a close far too soon), nobody has talked much about George Lopez. It's not entirely surprising, as though he manages to book solid guests for his TBS show, he has yet to make a real impact on the late-night landscape with any sort of signature bits or guests. (Also, Lopez is often painfully unfunny.) But on Monday night (January 18) night's edition of "Lopez Tonight" may have changed all that.

Jennifer Lopez hijacked the top of "Lopez Tonight" last night to mixed results. "Welcome to 'Lopez Tonight,'" she said as she opened her monologue. "Where nobody gets fired — they just get replaced by a bigger star with the same last name." Though she seemed a little uncomfortable at the top of the show, she eventually settled into her role as a pundit. The highlight came early, when she referred to former Alaska governor and new Fox News contributor Sarah Palin as "la cabrona," which is slang for "bitch."

The singer seemed to be enjoying herself, and even engaged in some late-night wars fisticuffs. When talking about the drink named after Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, Lopez quipped, "The same bartender has made a drink for Conan. It's called the 'Go Back to Manhattan.' It's a Manhattan made with sour grapes and a knife in it." Her best line came right after that: "NBC is considering changing their peacock logo to a cougar, because they're trying to attract young people to an old host." Shortly after that, George returned to reclaim his show.

The artist formerly known as J-Lo won't be ascending to the top of our next wave of late-night shortlist, but she did manage to get a few genuine laughs. If there's one suggestion we can offer for the future, it's that she ditch the plain while jacket she was wearing in favor of more amazing catsuits.

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'American Idol' Recap: Welcome To The Golden Picket Era

Posted 1/21/10 8:05 am EST by in Music, Television


On Wednesday night's (January 20) episode of "American Idol," the audition tour stopped in Orlando, land of Mickey Mouse and Skiiboski's mugshots!

The proximity to Miami allowed for Simon, Randy and Ryan to party hard and show up to work blatantly hungover (professionalism!) while guest judge Kristin Chenoweth's proximity to Kara DioGuardi turned Kara into a hyperactive eight-year-old child with Sapphic tendencies. (No wonder Simon ditched "Idol" — Kara and Kristin's high-pitched squeals could be used by Jack Bauer to torture hostile suspects.)

None of the talent featured in Orlando inspired me to jump up and down and pack up my Kradison shrine just yet. But the lackluster auditions (and unfortunate positive reinforcement the judges doled out all night long) inspired my wife to coin a new term: The Golden Picket.

The Golden Picket refers to any Golden Ticket given to a contestant out of pity. Golden ticket + Pity = Golden Picket. And boy, the Golden Pickets were being handed out left and right in Orlando.

The first picket went to Seth Rollins, an instantly-likeable father of an autistic child whose buttery R&B tones were a nice addition to the old standard "Someone to Watch Over Me." But his voice wasn't on the level of the hosannas it received from the judges. Perhaps I'm just cynical because they used Coldplay's "Fix You" on the soundtrack, one of the quickest (and laziest) shortcuts to tears in the Cantiello home. (For my wife. Not me. I swear. There's just something stuck in my eye!)

Shelby Dressel was another Golden Picket recipient. She was the insecure waitress with the paralyzed mouth who adorably cursed when she forgot the words to Norah Jones' "Turn Me On." The judges themselves admitted that they weren't "blown away" by her voice, but applauded that she could sing in tune given that her paralyzed face was freaking them out. (That's essentially what Randy said. A way with words, that man.)

Later, Jay Stone walked into the "Idol" audition room looking like a weird mash-up of Robin Williams and Blake Lewis. Fitting, then, that the dude maniacally beatboxed his way through a Beatles tune. But unlike Blake Lewis, Jay boasted that he can beatbox and sing ... at the same time! (One could argue that humans can eat while sitting on the toilet, yet those are two activities shouldn't necessarily be combined.) While the judges didn't necessarily pity him, I certainly did for thinking he was more unique than Blake Lewis. Thus, Jay left Orlando with a Golden Picket.

If you doubt that the judges went soft for bad reasons, look no further than Cornelius Edwards. Read More...

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Rivers Cuomo Is Feeling Fine: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 1/20/10 5:10 pm EST by in Music


"I remember lying in my bed in the hospital, and the other guys [in the band] came in one by one, and they all looked so concerned and sad and scared. I was just thinking, 'What's wrong with you guys? It's not like I'm dead or something. I feel fine!' But I recently saw video of myself that day, and I looked so terrible. I looked like I was on the verge of dying. I was pale and my eyes were closed. I think at the time I was on so much morphine, I felt that everything was A-OK."

-Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, telling MTV News about the hours following the bus accident that left Cuomo with three cracked ribs and kept the band off the road for a month. He returns tonight for a show at Florida State University and promises that he's ready to bring the heat back, though because of his injuries won't be able to do "the full David Lee Roth routine."

Cuomo provided a scary account of the accident, which also sent his assistant to the hospital with similar injuries. "I remember waking up as the bus was swerving, and I didn't think anything of it because the bus has swerved so many times and nothing bad has ever happened," he said." And the next thing I remember, the accident was over and I couldn't move. I could barely speak. I was trapped there, and I couldn't move at all, and it was really scary. I was definitely thinking, 'Well, maybe this is it for me. Maybe I'm on the way out here.' But I don't remember any impact. I'm about to go under this 45 day meditation retreat, and one of the things that happens to me in these courses is that my memory gets razor-sharp, so I'm expecting that a lot of the accident is going to come back to me." The band plans to make up the dates they had to cancel due to the accident, and Cuomo also says he has worked on a ton of new music during his down time. "It's just a matter of figuring out what to do with it," he said.

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