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President Obama Invites Young Hollywood Power Players To Breakfast

Posted 6/8/12 11:45 am EST by in Activism, Celebrity, Obama

President Barack Obama has always had a way with young people, and when it comes to his re-election bid, the POTUS is turning to young Hollywood to make sure it stays that way.

The youth vote was key to the president's election in 2008. He captured two thirds of voters under the age of 30 last time around and wants to recapture the magic again, so the Commander in Chief invited 25 lucky stars to a private breakfast at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday (June 7) to discuss the Young America Effort, an initiative that encourages young people to vote.

Jeremy Renner, Ian Somerhalder, Dianna Agron and Zach Braff were among the stars to chat up Obama, whose well-known charm won over the famous crowd. After the meet-up, many of the famous faces in attendance took to Twitter to post anecdotes about their convos with Pres as well as plenty of pics, which you can check out below.

Read on for more! Read More...

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Grab A Tissue, PBS Has Remixed Mr. Rogers' Lessons Into 'Garden of Your Mind' Video

Posted 6/7/12 5:13 pm EST by in Television, Video

Grab some Kleenex and get ready to tear up and feel inspired, PBS Digital Studios has teamed up with Symphony of Science's John D. Boswell to create "Garden of Your Mind," an autotuned mash-up video of the late Fred Rogers speak-singing about the power of curiosity, imagination and learning.

Like just about everything affiliated with Mr. Rogers, the clip, the first of many planned remix videos set to feature PBS icons, is incredibly moving. This is, after all, the man who taught many of us to tie our shoes and believe we could do anything we set our minds on.

"Do you ever imagine things?" Rogers starts. "Did you ever grow anything in the garden of your mind?"

The video contains scenes from more than three decades of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and was was released on PBS' Facebook page today (June 6).

>> Five Reasons Mister Rogers Was A Rock Star

"When we discovered video mash-up artist John D. Boswell, aka melodysheep, on YouTube, we immediately wanted to work together," the description on the video on PBS Digital Studios' YouTube channel reads. "Turns out that he is a huge 'Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood' fan, and was thrilled at the chance to pay tribute to one of our heroes. Both PBS and the Fred Rogers Company hope you like John’s celebration of Fred Rogers’ message."

Watch below (we were serious about that tissue, guys):

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Album Trailers Are The New Thing: Check Out The Clip For The Killers' Battle Born

Posted 6/7/12 4:35 pm EST by in The Killers

Yesterday it was Muse and today it's the Killers … album trailers are officially the new thing!

The Killers revealed the trailer for their fall 2012 release Battle Born on their VEVO page today (June 7) and the sound is, well, very much like most other Killers albums. Things kick off with some ambient sounds that evolve into a heavy synth line, which itself builds to a crescendo before introducing some drums. Sounds about right.

Visually, the clip opens on a sunset before seguing to a campfire intercut with a montage of shots of the band and flashes to the album title being spelled out letter by letter.

NME reports that track titles confirmed for Battle Born include "Heart Of A Girl," "Flesh And Bone," "Carry Me Home" and "Runaways." The band is again working with producer Stuart Price, who previously worked with the band on their last effort, 2008's Day & Age, and is best known for his years-long collaboration with Madonna, which began when he was hired as the musical director for her 2001 "Drowned World Tour" after remixing some of the tracks on Music and reached its peak when he produced her Grammy-winning 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Other producers working on the album include Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor and Brendan O'Brien, who is well known for his work with veteran rock acts like Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Incubus and Stone Temple Pilots.

While the music in the trailer might be classic Killers, the eclectic producer lineup suggests the band may have some surprises up its sleeve when Battle Born drops this fall.

Check out the trailer below:

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Chris Brown Reaches Out To Cher After Twitter Hacker Claiming To Be Him Threatens Her

Posted 6/7/12 1:39 pm EST by in Chris Brown, Tweet Beat

We're used to real Twitter beefs at this point, but now it seems we should be on the lookout for hackers trying to stir up trouble after a tweet created by a duplicating site claiming to be Chris Brown reportedly threatened Cher over her political opinions.

Brown has since reached out to the music legend after the fake Twitter account claiming to be him threatened to "beat" her.

"That damn GRANNY b**ch CHER needs to keep her mouth SHUTTTT about her opinion against obama !!! smh she needs a beating," the tweet read, Digital Spy reports.

(This whole thing is even stranger considering Cher is a fan of Obama and recently got into some hot water with conservative groups over tweets dissing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.)

Cher's fans pointed out the threatening tweet and, as often happens on Twitter, started sending attacks and insults of their own to Brown's Twitter.

After being alerted to the falsified tweets, Brown took to the social network to clarify the situation and even sent some love Cher's way.

Cher responded to Brown yesterday and admitted to being a fan of R&B-dance hitmaker. She wrote, (Ed note: Cher's tweets are sometimes a little difficult to read, though her heart is always in the right place, so, you know, SIC), "Thanks Chris,Appreciate The Sentiment!As artist I'm Always Impressed by u!No war!no throw 'n Shade!Just peace Goin C Pres.2morrow,Am excited."

Apparently Cher's meet-up with the president at a fundraising event went pretty well too. Read on to see what she tweeted about meeting President Obama. Read More...

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Michael Jackson's Estate Sued For $1 Billion And Three Other Outrageous Celebrity Lawsuits

Posted 6/7/12 12:36 pm EST by in Lawsuit, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Jackson, Miley Cyrus

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson and his estate have faced more than their share of strange lawsuits, but this latest one has got to be one of the most outrageous.

Kimberly Griggs filed handwritten paperwork in San Diego, California claiming she had an intimate relationship with Jackson in 1979 and that he went on to use personal details about her life in his music, TMZ reports. She says he wrote about their affair on his Thriller, Bad and Dangerous albums and, after exploiting her personal secrets, promised to give her the rights to the tracks.

He never did give her the rights to his music, of course, and now she is suing for $1 billion in damages.

TMZ sought comment from Jackson's estate, but the calls were curiously not returned.

This latest suit reminds us that Jackson isn't the only celeb to get slapped with a multi-million (sometimes multi-billion) dollar lawsuit that seems, well, a little off the wall (pun intended)! More than a few big names have found themselves embroiled in outrageous lawsuits, whether they're targeted by others (as is the case with Jackson today) or the ones doing the filing.

Below are three of the most outlandish celeb litigations to see the light of day. Check it out!

Miley Cyrus

In 2009, the recently engaged starlet found herself in some hot water after a racially-insensitive photo of her making "slant eyes" found its way online. She was widely criticized by Asian and Pacific Islander groups who said the photo reinforced racial stereotypes, and Cyrus issued a public apology on her website saying, "I've also been told there are some people upset about some pictures taken of me with friends making goofy faces! Well, I'm sorry if those people looked at those pics and took them wrong and out of context! … In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity!"

But that wasn't enough for one Los Angeles woman, who filed a, ahem, $4 billion class action lawsuit against the former Hannah Montana – who was 16 at the time – on behalf of LA's Asian-American community, alleging the pic mocked Asians and that she (and presumably many others) was left emotionally distressed after seeing it. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed by the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Read on for more! Read More...

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The Cyrus Family Is Very Excited By Miley's Engagement

Posted 6/6/12 6:30 pm EST by in Miley Cyrus, Tweet Beat

Because nothing is official in celebrity-ville until it's Twitter official (just got with it), the Cyrus family hit the social network to let the world know how happy they are about Miley Cyrus' engagement to "Hunger Games" hunk Liam Hemsworth.

>> Miley Cyrus' Engagement Ring: All The Details!

From her papa, Billy Ray, to her little bro, everyone is chiming in with happy words for the couple. Check them out below and read on after the jump to see what Miley herself hit Twitter to say about the outpouring of love.

>> Miley Cyrus And Liam Hemsworth: A Timeline Of Love

>> Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth Are Engaged: We Plan Their 'Hunger Games'-Themed Wedding!

Read More...

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Rihanna Scores 22nd Top Ten Hit, One More And She Ties Whitney Houston On All-Time List

Posted 6/6/12 5:02 pm EST by in Rihanna

On this week's Billboard Hot 100, Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" moves into the #9 position, giving the Barbadian pop diva her 22nd top ten hit. That's 22 top tens in just 7 years!

>> Go Behind The Scenes Of Rihanna's New Vita Coco Campaign

It's an impressive feat any way you look at it. At just 24 years old, Rihanna is now sitting pretty at #5 on the list of women with the most top tens in the 54-year history of the Billboard singles chart. The four ladies who rank above her are among the most successful women in the history of music – Madonna (38 top tens), Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson (tied with 27) and the late Whitney Houston (23).

>> Rihanna Goes 'Nude' Yet Again For Third Fragrance Campaign (Pics)

Madonna's 38 top tens make her the chart leader among all artists. She sits ahead of Elvis Presley (36) and the Beatles (34) on the all-time list of artists with the most top ten singles.

Rihanna's latest chart achievement offers further proof that she is among top singles artists of the last several years. Since making her debut with 2005's Music of the Sun, Rihanna has scored 11 #1 singles, the same number as Houston, who she currently trails on the top ten tally by one hit. (Only six artists – Madonna, the Supremes, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Carey and the Beatles – can claim more chart toppers.) She's tallied a cumulative 44 weeks atop the singles chart.

>> Rihanna Takes Fans Behind The Scenes Of Video Shoot, Continues To Be a Lil Scandalous

Check out the video for Rihanna's latest dance-heavy hit below:

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Prince Harry Has a #1 Album … Kind Of

Posted 6/6/12 11:39 am EST by in Celebrity

YouTube

In his ongoing quest to prove himself the most awesome of all the Royals – quite a task considering our personal affinity for Duchess Catherine Kate Middleton – Prince Harry has outdone even his own super cool past achievements by scoring a #1 album in the U.K.

Well, sort of.

It's not his album, of course (though we'd certainly buy his album if he released one, out of pure curiosity and on principal), it's Take That's Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band's Diamond Jubilee-inspired Sing. Harry is featured on tambourine on the title track, "Sing," Billboard reports.

The song was recorded to celebrate Harry's grandmum's 60th year as the Queen of England, and was written by Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of such Broadway classics as "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Evita."

The only other #1 album to feature a member of the royal family, according to Alan Jones of Music Week (via Billboard), was The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding. That album commemorated the 1981 wedding of Harry's parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, whose vows are heard on the track "The Marriage Service."

Harry has been busy recent charming the pants off the world while on a global tour celebrating Queen Elizabeth's historic reign and talking about how he's ready to start making babies. Applications are currently being accepted for the lucky lady, but you best get to the back of the line because he's already mine.

Listen to "Sing" below. Read More...

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Amanda Bynes Would Like President Obama To Get Her Out of Her DUI

Posted 6/6/12 10:40 am EST by in Movies

Because he doesn't have enough to do as leader of the free world, actress Amanda Bynes would like President Obama to step in and rescue her from DUI charges.

The actress was arrested in Los Angeles in the early morning hours of April 6 on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence after reportedly getting into a minor accident with a Los Angeles Police Department officer. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department report indicates that Bynes, who was last featured (quite wonderfully, it's worth noting) in Emma Stone's hit 2010 comedy "Easy A," was attempting to pass a police car as it prepared to make a right turn at around 3 a.m. in West Hollywood when her black BMW collided with the right rear panel of the police cruiser, causing minor damage to both vehicles.

On May 27 she tweeted, "I can't help but laugh at all of you writing fake stories about me. I was not in any hit and runs. I don't drink so the DUI is false."

Charges were officially filed yesterday (June 5), prompting Bynes to return to the social network last night to make a plea that the president save her from this injustice: "Hey @BarackObama... I don't drink. Please fire the cop who arrested me. I also don't hit and run. The end."

You know, because the President of the United States jumps in often to dismiss terrible police officers who tell lies about former teen actresses.

Bynes is set to appear before Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge Elden Fox, one of the many judges who famously tried to get Lindsay Lohan back on the straight and narrow when she oversaw much of her years-long DUI extravaganza. (Ultimately, Judge Stephanie Sautner proved to be the most successful in that regard, guiding the actress through to the end of her probation.)

The "What a Girl Wants" starlet is also charged with refusing a breathalyzer or blood-alcohol test.

Should the president step in and rescue Bynes from this bind? Let us know in the comments below!

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Nero To Join Madonna On North American Leg Of 'MDNA Tour' This Fall

Posted 6/5/12 3:23 pm EST by in dance, Madonna, Tour Dates

Nero

London dubstep duo Nero are the latest dance superstars set to join Madonna’s "MDNA Tour."

Nero, comprised of British-born producer-DJs Dan Stephens and Joe Ray, will open for M on the North American leg of her world tour, which kicked off last week in Tel Aviv, Israel, and just wrapped up a sold-out two-show run in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Nero will open the show with a DJ set, featuring live vocals from Alana.

The group are the latest dance music stars enlisted by the Queen of Pop to open her largest-ever tour. Israeli DJ and producer Offer Nissim was the show-opener for the tour kick-off in Tel Aviv and Italian producer-DJ Benny Benassi, who produced three tracks on Madonna's most recent album MDNA, including the single "Girl Gone Wild" and "I'm Addicted" (one of the albums best tracks), handled the decks for the pop superstar's Abu Dhabi shows.

Nero recently appeared at Coachella, Sasquatch and the Electric Daisy Carnival NYC festivals and is also set to perform several shows on this summer’s IDentity Festival, as well as at Lollapalooza in Chicago and Hard Summer Los Angeles in August.

The "MDNA Tour" travels next to Istanbul, Turkey, the first stop on the 29-show European leg of the tour, where Madonna will be joined on selected dates by Alesso and Martin Solveig. Sloveig served as house DJ at Sunday's 2012 MTV Movie Awards and brought the house down with his own remixes of some of the most iconic movie themes of all time, from "Star Wars'" "Imperial March" to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Theme." Sloveig also produced several songs on Madonna's album, including the top ten single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and one of our personal favorites, "Turn up The Radio."

Nero will take over when Madonna arrives in the U.S. on August 28 for an already sold-out show at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. The group is also currently hard at work on the follow-up to their Welcome Reality album.

Check out the "MDNA Tour" with special guest Nero tour dates below! Read More...

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