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Pop Culture's Digital DaVinci Sam Spratt Talks Star Reactions To His Work

Posted 1/27/12 10:25 am EST by in art, Kanye West, Television


<i>Kanye West by Sam Spratt</i>

Kanye West by Sam Spratt

By Zachary Swickey

When digital painter Sam Spratt was a spry art college grad in June 2010, he immediately became the (first) in-house staff illustrator for popular media conglomerate Gawker. Articles boasting his work were getting plenty more hits than ones carrying boring stock photo images. Before long, Spratt was getting more commission work than he could handle and had to say goodbye to Gawker and venture out on his own. (But trust us, he’s doing just fine!)

Since his departure, Spratt has diversified his portfolio - creating merch designs for herbal enthusiast and rapper Wiz Khalifa, as well as album artwork for rockers Foxy Shazam and metal-heads Trivium. Spratt has no problem with tricky imagery, whether it’s a Renaissance period piece for a private client or his collaboration with Rovio Mobile’s super-mega-smash-hit “Angry Birds.” It seems he’s up for any type of visual challenge.

Quite the fan of pop culture, Spratt has painted multiple interesting likenesses of various characters, including Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation,” quirky Dwight Schrute of “The Office,” Kanye West, a breathtaking portrait of “2 Broke Girls” star Kat Dennings and a hilarious take on Troy and Abed of “Community” in a fake movie poster for “Inspector Spacetime." Even his personal self-portrait is stunning to say the least. We are simply floored by the visual creations Spratt manages to create and with Twitter as an outlet – some of his creations have gone viral. Rainn Wilson is even using his portrait as his Twitter avatar.

Spratt is currently based in Brooklyn, New York, and was kind enough to chat with us about his interesting craft and provide us a look into his digital art domain. Read More...

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Kanye West Teams With Angry Birds, Gives Us Plenty Of App Ideas

Posted 1/19/12 3:29 pm EST by in Kanye West


Kanye West

In news that either signifies the first phase of the DONDA world-domination plan or is a complete fabrication (since it was first "reported" by England's the Sun), Kanye West supposedly met with the developers of the ultra-addictive "Angry Birds" app earlier this month in London, where, according to a source, "they brainstormed ideas and talked about ways they could work together."

Obviously, this development is huge for anyone who enjoys both avoiding human interaction in all forms and limited-edition scarves, and while we can't vouch for the validity of the story (a spokesperson for West could not be reached for comment), the possibilities of a team-up between the rapper and Rovio already have our brains swirling. When it comes to Kanye-centric apps, the sky truly is the limit.

So, while we wait for any type of official confirmation on the collaboration — our download fingers are already quivering with anticipation — we've created a wish list of potential apps, all of which are not only Kanye ready, but waay better than that stupid "Plants v. Zombies" game. Play on, player. Read More...

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Twama Roundup: Nick Cannon's Hospitalization, Kanye's DONDA And Britney's Bling

Posted 1/6/12 4:27 pm EST by in Britney Spears, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Tweet Beat, Twitter


<i>Mariah Carey, Twitter</i>

Mariah Carey, Twitter

By Kara Klenk

With millions of inane tweets being pumped out every day, it can be hard to keep track of actual celebrity gossip, feuds and random observations that make Twitter so much fun. So we’re rounding up the week in Twitter drama – or Twama for those of you not yet sick of cutesy word combos!

Nick Cannon Hospitalized

Nick Cannon’s wife Mariah Carey took to Twitter to announce his hospitalization due to kidney failure. "Please pray for Nick as he's fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure. #mybraveman," Carey tweeted. The mother of “Dem Babies” also surprisingly included a photo of herself curled up with Cannon in his hospital bed (above). This was shocking only because Mariah is infrequently photographed sans perfect hair and makeup, but I guess when your man is sick vanity takes a back seat. Wonder how psyched Nick was to have his picture taken during mild kidney failure and tweeted to millions? Stay tuned to Mariah’s account for updates on Nick’s prognosis.

Read on for Kanye's missive and Britney's bling! Read More...

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Jon Bon Jovi Joins Kanye And Britney As The Latest Star To Receive The Death Hoax Treatment

Posted 12/20/11 11:26 am EST by in bon-jovi, Britney Spears, deaths, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus


By Zachary Swickey

New Jersey’s hottest rock export Jon Bon Jovi is the latest star to get the death hoax treatment, as false reports of his demise ran rampant late yesterday on the Internet. A rep for the singer quickly quashed the rumors, saying JBJ was alive and even performing at a charity even that night.

The rumors gained steam as a trending topic yesterday on Twitter when accompanied with a fake press release that was frequently being retweeted. Noisecreep points out that the false report appears to have been copied from an LA Times story on the death announcement of Michael Jackson.

A photog friend of Jovi’s snapped a fun pic of the star holding a sign that reads “Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey! Dec. 19th 2011, 6:00” to post on Twitter ending the hoax. So at least he was a good sport about the whole silly ordeal.

Unfortunately, death hoaxes have become something of a trend. Several notable stars, from Jaleel White (aka Steve Urkel) to living legend Paul McCartney, have had to publicly deny their own death. Here are some of the craziest death rumors about our favorite stars that we’ve heard about. Read More...

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Kanye West And Kim Kardashian Reportedly Get Romantic At Throne Concert After-Party

Posted 12/15/11 11:36 am EST by in Kanye West


Kim K

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have a bit of a history, so we're not exactly surprised that the hip-hop all-star was reportedly "all over" the newly single reality TV thingamajig, according to the New York Daily News.

The pair were spotted chatting up a storm at billionaire Ron Burkle's after-party for The Throne's concert at Los Angeles' Staples Center. "Kanye was eating Kim up like she was a piece of cake. He was all over her – caressing her head, touching her waist," an "insider" (who is also doubles as a mind-reader) told the Daily News. "I think he was dying to kiss her, but there were too many people in the room."

Do you think that?

Asked about the whispers that Kim K. and West had a little somethin'-somethin' going on in late 2010, West's ex Amber Rose pretty much confirmed the rumors to Wendy Williams back in November, saying, "I mean, come on, like, you know. Come on! We'll keep it cute." (She also confirmed that she and Kim's ex Reggie Bush "were each other's rebounds" after their respective breakups … which is kinda strange, right?)

The source at the Throne after-party went on to say that West only talked to Kardashian at the party and that at one point the two went outside together (le scandal!), though it wasn't clear if they left the fiesta together. The mind-reading source concluded that Kim was "totally into it." Read More...

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Grammy Snubs: Beyonce And Britney Were Robbed, Kanye West, Lady Gaga And Taylor Swift Should Have Gotten Even More Love

Posted 12/1/11 1:24 pm EST by in Beyonce, Britney Spears, Grammys, Kanye West, Lady Gaga


Last night's announcement of the nominees for the 2012 Grammys came with them few surprises: Kanye West earned a leading seven nominations for his solo work on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the Jay-Z collaboration Watch the Throne and Adele's mega-selling 21 and its ubiquitous lead single "Rolling in the Deep" dominated the top categories. There were, however, several notable snubs among the nominations, the most glaring of which we've cataloged below.

Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Album of the Year

How Kanye West could score the most nominations, including Best Song for "All of the Lights," and not see his critically adored Fantasy nominated for Album of the Year is beyond us. The set enjoys a 94 out of 100 rating on album review aggregator Metacritic, a full 18 points better than the highest-rated album to make the Grammy cut (Adele's 21 with a 76).

Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory," Song of the Year

Lady Gaga has released so many singles off her hit album Born This Way that we sometimes lose track, but the one track that has really stuck is "The Edge of Glory." Lyrically inspired by the death of her grandfather, the song features soaring hooks and the most anthemic chorus to hit Top 40 radio this year. That the Academy chose to honor only four songs with nominations in this category rather than the usual five while overlooking the highlight of an album it chose to award a nomination for Album of the Year is silly business.

Read on for more. Read More...

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Adele's Tour Cancelation Brings Back Bad Memories Of Other Must-See Tours That Fell Apart

Posted 10/5/11 3:03 pm EST by in Adele, Concerts, tour


By Zachary Swickey

Chart-topping songstress of the year Adele is disappointed just as much as us that she’s had to cancel her U.S. tour once again. It’s easy for fans to be upset, considering this is her second scrapped stateside tour, and there’s no immediate mention of rescheduling the dates. Although, it’s understandably imperative that she properly rests her vocal chords because it appears they never fully healed from the first tour cancellation.

Axed tours are always a bummer, especially when it’s from one of the year’s biggest acts, but she’s not the first heavy hitter forced to cancel. From Kanye to the Lollapalooza festival itself, here are five of the biggest tour cancellations that prompted a universal sigh from fans.

Kanye West and Lady Gaga’s “Fame Kills Tour”
Appropriately, Kanye West visited the ladies on talk show "The View" in June 2009 to announce a co-headlining tour with then-rising star Lady Gaga, who was riding high on the success of her debut The Fame. Dubbed “Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga,” the tour would have found West supporting his auto-tune disc 808s & Heartbreak, while Gaga would release The Fame Monster EP during the tour. However, following West’s infamous stage-crashing incident with Taylor Swift at the VMAs, the entire production was canceled (only two weeks after it was even official). Various rumors suggested poor ticket sales, creative differences and feuding between the two icons … but they both seem to be doing all right today.

Read More...

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Jay-Z And Kanye West’s Spike Jonze-Directed 'Otis' Video Set To Premiere Thursday

Posted 8/10/11 1:00 pm EST by in Jay-Z, Kanye West, Video


Earlier this week, one of the year’s most anticipated albums, the Jay-Z and Kanye West collaboration Watch the Throne, dropped to much fanfare, a bevy of positive reviews and a big opening on the iTunes charts, where it hit No. 1 in 23 countries.

The album is a rarity these days in that it didn’t leak online before its official release. Now, the video for the set’s first single, “Otis,” is poised to do the same. With the exception of two images that made their way online just days after the song was released, little is known about the “Otis” video.

What we do know is that it is directed by Spike Jonze, the mastermind director behind the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” Bjork’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” and Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” as well as the award-winning films “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaptation” and “Where the Wild Things Are.”

We also know it will make its official debut tomorrow (Thursday, 8/11) at 8:56 PM on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV.com and BET. Read More...

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Lady Gaga Shows Britney Pop Star Love In Concert

Posted 8/8/11 2:32 pm EST by in Music


Last year, Britney Spears hit up Lady Gaga's epic Monster Ball Tour during a Los Angeles-area stop, and over the weekend, Mother Monster decided to return the favor, attending the Atlantic City date on Brit's dazzling Femme Fatale Tour.

Photos made their way online of Gaga drinking, laughing and wearing her Gaga finest (a police officer's hat,gold medallion belt and a bra). According to E! News, her appearance in the crowd didn't go unnoticed by Brit.

"I have a very special guest tonight ... Lady Gaga is here," the Femme Fatale herself told the audience. (No word on whether the ladies hung out backstage at all, but to be a fly on that wall!)

Gaga was also spotted dancing, fist-pumping (we expect nothing less when hanging out at the Jersey Shore) and taking pictures with fans, according to reports. But Gaga missed the encore as she slipped out with her security before the masses did.

Post-show, Gaga was seen gambling a bit, while Britney took to Twitter to thank Gaga one last time for checking out her show. She wrote, "So amazing to have the beautiful @LadyGaga at the show in AC tonight. Love you girl."

We love to see female pop-star camaraderie. And in the spirit of the just-dropped Jay-Z/ Kanye West joint project, Watch the Throne, we'd be more than excited to Gaga and Britney try their hand at a similar project. In fact, our heads would explode if they did. Are we right people?

Would you like to see Gaga and Britney team up for a joint album? Tell us in the comments!

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U2 Star In A New Doc, But Here Are The All-Access Passes We Really Want

Posted 7/27/11 5:45 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Kanye West, Music, U2


U2

By Matt Goodhue

Guggenheim says, "this band has endured and thrived." The film, chronicling the rocker's talent and dedication to music, asks the question why.

While festival-goers will catch the band behind the scenes and off stage, we've begun to think of other bands and artists we'd be interested in seeing when the spotlight is off. Some come to mind because of their genius work and success, others because of the crazy lifestyle that we all want to see.

Kanye West
From spitting through the wire to his VMA antics with Taylor Swift, Kanye West is one artist who certainly lives an eccentric life. The Chicago rapper is constantly cranking out hits and sporting some swagged-out fashion, and I'm totally intrigued to see where his inspiration comes from. I wouldn't mind seeing him and Jay-Z collaborate and chill in the studio either. They both seem like some real cool dudes.

The Strokes
After not releasing an album for about 5 years, there must be some interesting story behind the bands on- and off-again status. Yet, the group still manages to produce some of the best rock music of our era. These New York City musicians seem like they couldn't care less about how they're received, which make them good candidates for the title of most badass band in the US. They must have some killer backstage parties, too.

Read More...

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