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Video: Common Performs at the White House, Nation Still Intact
When rapper and activist Common was invited to perform at a White House celebration of poetry earlier this week, Fox News went nuts, accusing the artist of being, essentially, a cop-killing gangsta rapper. Which is absurd, because Common is one of the most positive and socially conscious rappers out there. The show took place last night — here’s Common’s performance, which, shockingly, did not incite a national race riot, and was instead rather lovely. More »
Crush Links: Beyonce’s Intimate, Star-Studded B-Day Bash
• Jay-Z threw wifey Beyonce an intimate 29th birthday party Saturday night. But apparently his definition of intimate is different from ours, because this party involved filling about-to-open New York hotspot The Darby with orchids and included fellow A-list guests like Alicia Keys, Kayne West and Diddy. (Page Six)
• Natalie Portman will star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the 3D film Gravity, after Angelina Jolie passed — twice. In this case, we wouldn’t mind being second choice. (Deadline Hollywood)
• But don’t feel sorry for Angelina. She’ll no doubt be unwinding in the $40 million Italian mansion — with vineyard and stables — that she just purchased with Brad Pitt. (Herald Sun)
• Phew — Robert Pattinson won’t be guest starring in an upcoming episode of Entourage. What about True Blood? (E! Online)
• Snooki’s “boyfriend” Jeff Miranda says he gets death threats. Hey, he better treat our girl right or else! (Radar Online)
• As if it couldn’t get any worse for Mel Gibson, ex Oksana Grigorieva wants him to pay $84,000 for the PR team she hired during her very public spat with him. So that’s how much it costs to slowly leak damaging tapes day by day. (New York Post)
• Tennis star Serena Williams is said to have her eye on red hot Canadian rapper Drake, after recently breaking up with rapper Common. Hands off, Serena, Drake is ours! (Page Six)
• Joel McHale is getting to live out lots of mens’ fantasies — he’s set to play Jessica Alba‘s husband in Spy Kids 4. (Variety) More »
Crush Links: Heidi Moves Out, Starts New Reality Show
Looks like Heidi Montag is continuing with the breakup story that came out yesterday — her rep confirms that she’s moved out of the home she shares with Spencer Pratt. (Page Six)
But don’t worry, she’s now moving in with friend Jen Bunney, who says they’ll be shooting a reality TV show together this summer. So is the breakup just part of the narrative? (Radar Online)
Ke$ha has been compared to Lady Gaga before, but now they have something else in common:… More »
Crush This: ‘Robin Hood’, Rom-Coms Rule This Week
Welcome to Crush This, your weekly guide to what’s new in movies, music and TV. We’ve navigated the inner reaches of our entertainment-obsessed brains in search of all the pop culture landscape has to offer. This week, we’re getting into the summer movie season in earnest, with big releases like Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood with Russell Crowe in the lead role and romantic comedies Letters to Juliet and Just Wright. And don’t miss this week’s season finales of some of your favorite TV shows like Vampire Diaries — especially if they haven’t been renewed by the networks yet. More »
Video: Queen Latifah And Common Surprise P.S. 22′s Chorus, Children’s Lives All Downhill From Here
Staten Island’s P.S. 22 may have one of the most viral chorus groups of all time (seriously, for a public school they have a great P.R. team), with big love from the likes of Perez Hilton, Passion Pit (which had the group of kids sing on three of their tracks, and Barack Obama. And most of these kids aren’t even old enough to know who those people are. But when Queen Latifah and Common made a surprise visit to where… More »
Celeb Trainer Harley Pasternak Wants You To Eat Better
Look what recently landed on our desk: Harley Pasternak’s book, The 5-Factor World Diet. You may not know Harley, but you certainly recognize the bodies that he’s help shape and tone. He’s worked with celebs like John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, using a combination of training and diet that he’s perfected, and he wants to pass along this knowledge to you.
In The 5-Factor World Diet, Harley focuses on the world’s 10 leanest and longest-living nations: … More »
Stereolab, Hot Chip, Jenny Lewis, and More This Weekend
There is a ton of stuff going on this weekend in NYC, including some free stuff. Here are your weekend music choices:
FRIDAY
Dark Meat, Vivian Girls @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise
Lucinda Williams @ Madison Square Garden
Tonearm @ BAM Cafe, FREE
Hot Chip @ Terminal 5
The Kills, Magic Wand @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Stereolab, Antipop Consortium, Hospitality @ Irving Plaza
The Rumble Strips, My Sister in 1994 @ Sound Fix, FREE
A-Trak, Boys Noize @ Webster Hall
SATURDAY
Hot Chip @ Terminal 5
Jenny Lewis @ Apollo Theater
Hot… More »