Thursday, October 31, 2013

Top 10 NBA Plays of the Night: October 30th, 2013



Andrew Bynum makes his return, Kevin Love tied a game with seconds left in regulation, and Jason Thompson put the icing on the cake with a ridiculous putback dunk in October 30th's Top 10.

Ketchup, No Ketchup


“My mind has a question, I respond to a silver domed microphone
(One step beyond.)
Straight to Eighty-Eight to the curves of the 90's.
I'm universal, I set a line free behind me, the three the hard way, the jackpot.
(Awaitin Satan's, tryin to take cheap shots.)
We groove crowds, the three stand proud the brothers round the way sit down and say
(How'd you do this?) 
Ludicrous rhythm of rhyme anticipate like a bottle of Heinz Ketchup
(No catch up!)
Cause you fell behind I'm steppin to the A.M.”
-Pete Nice (3rd Bass, Steppin’ to the A.M.)


Ketchup, No Ketchup
by Amasing

It’s been referenced that 97% of American households has at least one bottle of ketchup in their home, though this author has not verified such claim. Still, ketchup is a condiment that is versatile enough to flavor, cook with, or just a plain dip. Basically, we expect to have it near us when we eat anything that compliments its usage.


So why an article on ketchup? The world’s largest fast food chain is breaking ties to the world’s largest ketchup producer.


McDonald's issued the following statement on the decision in an email to The Huffington Post: “We value the relationship we’ve maintained with Heinz for more than 40 years. As a result of recent management changes at Heinz, we have decided to transition our business to other suppliers over time. We have spoken to Heinz and plan to work together to ensure a smooth and orderly transition of the McDonald’s restaurant business, and are confident that there will be no impact to our business, our customers and our great tasting food at McDonald’s.”

In a nutshell, the former CEO of Burger King is now the CEO of Heinz (Bernardo Hees).


I can relate to McDonald’s decision! I watch my favorite hockey team the New York Islanders play on MSG.


So what’s wrong with that? James Dolan is president and CEO of MSG which also owns my hated team the New York Rangers.

(James Dolan on the left)

Basically, every time I watch the Islanders, I’m supporting the Rangers. It’s a pretty pathetic situation.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Top 10 NBA Plays of Opening Night: October 29th, 2013



The Heat get their rings and Xavier Henry thrills the Staples Center crowd in this Opening Night edition of the Top 10.

R.I.P. Giant George R.I.P.

George was "the outcast of the litter" when the Nassers made him their family pet.
George was "the outcast of the litter" when the Nassers made him their family pet.
Giant George, Once World's Tallest Dog, Dies
by Lilit Marcus

The Great Dane who once held the Guinness Book of World Records title for being the world’s tallest dog has died a month shy of his eighth birthday. Although the world knew him as Giant George, to his owners, Dave and Christine Nasser of Tuscon, Ariz., he was just plain old George, their beloved family pet.

“He was the outcast of the litter,” Dave Nasser told TODAY.com about the fateful day he first laid eyes on the blue-grey pooch. “He was off to the side, not playing with the others.”

But George was anything but a runt. Christine Nasser chose the pup’s name, telling her husband, “a dog this size needs a person’s name.” From then on, George was just another member of the family — even though his massive size sometimes caused surprisingly funny problems around the house. “His tail — one time he put a dent in the drywall just by wagging it,” Dave Nasser laughs. “Yet he was also delicate and gentle. The kids could be around and you were never worried.”

Giant George, who died at nearly 8 years old, stood at seven feet, three inches.
Erin Barnes Photography
Giant George, who died at nearly 8 years old,
stood at three feet, seven inches. 
When Dave and Christine welcomed children — the kids are now 4 and 2 — George warmed up to them and kept a watchful eye on anyone who got too close. “Danes do not do well separated from their families. They want to hang out, be with you, spend time with you, be part of the family. They just want to feel included in everything.”

Once the Guinness Book came calling (George held the record from 2010-2012), the Nassers felt their lives change almost instantly. George had already been a local celebrity, with strangers asking to take pictures, but the new-found fame catapulted them to another level. Dave, who works in real estate, felt that George had become his second job. He organized a Facebook page, handled interview requests, and answered fan mail from around the world — including one request from a man in England who collects paw prints of famous dogs.

Since announcing George’s death on October 18, his owners have been bereft. But Dave has found comfort by going online and interacting with the fans around the world who had come to love the three-foot, seven-inch-tall dog.

“The day that we put up on Facebook that he had passed away,” he says, “we got 13,000 comments. They were all so amazingly nice. I just sat there, and it was so emotional. It helped, but it made me sad too.”


Touched by the kind responses, Dave knew he had to do something to memorialize the dog he loved so much. He’s organizing National Giant George Service Day on November 17. That day, he’s encouraging all of George’s fans to donate money or volunteer with their favorite animal-related charity.
“It’s hard to believe that he touched so many people,” Dave says about his ordinary pet-turned-celebrity. “It’s really overwhelming.” – MSN.com

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Ultimate Fake-Out: How I Didn't Buy A Banksy

Banksy made a monkey out of me.
On Saturday afternoon, I was taking two out-of-town friends on a tour of Central Park, giving them the insider's view of the city.
One pal idly mentioned that she was hoping to buy a bag — one of the designer knockoffs hawked on every Midtown corner.
Moments later, we happened to pass a table filled with white canvases covered in stenciled spray-paint images, near one of those ubiquitous "your-name-in-calligraphy" artists.

"Look at this guy," I said with a note of derision. "Knocking off Banksy."
Banksy, of course, is the world-famous street artist whose original works have sold for more than a million bucks and who is in the middle of a month-long "residency" in New York.
Every day, he completes a new work in the city and posts it on his website. There's been a slaughterhouse truck filled with stuffed animals, a delivery truck housing a trompe l'oeil paradise and a bunch of graffiti that's been instantly defaced.
I've been following his travels through the boroughs. Five years ago, I attended his installation in Greenwich Village. Plus, I studied art history in college.
  
So, I know a fake Banksy when I see one — I thought.
As counterfeits go, these were pretty good, I had to admit. I noticed there were quite a few pieces with a monkey motif, and my boyfriend really likes monkeys.
But as a street-smart New Yorker, I wasn't about to give my hard-earned cash — they were $60 each — to some con artist trying to capitalize on real art.
On we walked, out of the park and past the Museum of Modern Art, where Banksy once surreptitiously hung his own painting of a can of cream-of-tomato soup.
That guy — such a joker.
This time, however, the joke was on me and countless other New Yorkers and tourists who marched past the unassuming table with the sign "Spray Art."
Because, as I found out when I got to work on Monday and read a story about Banksy's weekend exploits, every single canvas on that table was the genuine article — and signed, to boot.
A video on his website revealed it took hours to make a sale. A woman bought two for her kids, after negotiating a 50% discount. A tourist bought two, and a man from Chicago bought four to decorate the blank walls of his new house.
Each one is worth at least five figures, if past sales are any indication. The bragging rights? Priceless.

All day, I've been replaying my brush with Banksy through my head, trying to figure out if I missed any tip-offs that a pot of art-world gold was right under my nose.
Nope.
Although, now that I think about it, one of those monkeys I was looking at for my boyfriend was wearing a signboard.
The message: "Keep it real." — Emily Christensen-Flowers | NBC News

Monday, October 28, 2013

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Black Teen Sues Over Arrest After Buying $350 Designer Belt


Black Teen Sues Over Arrest After Buying $350 Designer Belt
by Andrew Siff
A 19-year-old college student from Queens says he was handcuffed and locked in a jail cell after buying a $350 designer belt at Barneys on New York's Madison Avenue because he is "a young black man."
Trayon Christian told NBC 4 New York on Wednesday that he saved up from a part-time job for weeks to buy a Salvatore Ferragamo belt at Barneys. 

Salvatore Ferragamo
When he went to the store to buy it in April, he says the checkout clerk asked to see his identification. After the sale went through and he left the store, he was approached by police about a block away, and asked "how a young black man such as himself could afford to purchase such an expensive belt," according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Officers hauled Christian to the local precinct, where he showed police his identification, as well as his debit card and the receipt for the belt, the lawsuit says.
 Police still believed Christian's identification was fake, and eventually called his bank, which verified it was his, according to the complaint. Christian, who has no prior arrests, was released.
He told NBC 4 New York that questions were racing through his mind while he went through the painful experience of being handcuffed and taken to a cell.


"Why me? I guess because I'm a young black man, and you know, people do a credit card scam so they probably thought that I was one of them," Christian said. "They probably think that black people don't have money like that."
He later returned the belt to Barneys because he says he "didn't want to have nothing to do with it."
He is suing the city and the luxury department store for unspecified damages as a result of "great physical and mental distress and humiliation."
Christian's attorney, Michael Palillo, told the Post, "His only crime was being a young black man."
Barneys said in a statement Wednesday that none of its employees was involved in any action with Christian other than the sale, and added that the store "has zero tolerance for any form of discrimination." – NBC

Friday, October 25, 2013

Don Mattingly to Return as Los Angeles Dodgers Manager in 2014

Don Mattingly intends to be Dodgers manager in 2014

Mattingly plans to honor the year left in his contract, his agent says, and Dodgers President Stan Kasten says the club will do the same. A formal announcement is not expected until after the World Series.

"Absolutely," said Stan Kasten, the Dodgers' president and primary decision maker.

Said Mattingly's agent, Ray Schulte: "Donnie's always been a man of his word and he's under contract."

Only two days earlier, Mattingly blindsided upper management by saying he might not be back if he had to be a lame-duck manager for a second consecutive season. Asked what changed between then and Wednesday, Schulte replied, "Nothing, really."

The Dodgers aren't expected to formally announce Mattingly's return until after the World Series, during which Major League Baseball asks teams and players to not break any news.

In the coming days, Mattingly and the Dodgers figure to start addressing his long-term future.

Mattingly's contract became guaranteed for the 2014 season when the Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves in a National League division series, but Mattingly doesn't have any assurances beyond that.

Schulte said his client is still looking for a multi-year contract.

"He feels that's what's good for the organization, as well as his security," Schulte said.

Mattingly, who couldn't be reached for comment, is believed to be asking for a three-year deal.

Kasten declined to discuss the possibility of a contract extension, but said, "I'm anticipating a happy ending."

Kasten also wouldn't talk about the comments Mattingly made Monday.

The time for details will be after the World Series.

"We'll explain it all," Kasten said.


Mattingly and Kasten haven't spoken about his future since the season ended. That was said to be one of the primary reasons Mattingly said what he said Monday.

By Wednesday, Schulte was describing Mattingly as being calmer about the situation.

"Donnie knows he's going to talk to him," Schulte said. "It's a long off-season."

But even after Schulte said Mattingly intended to manage the Dodgers next season, the possibility existed that Mattingly could be fired. That was until Kasten said he had no intention of dismissing Mattingly.

"I've always been a big supporter of his," Kasten said.

Kasten regretted whatever role he might have played in creating the impression that Mattingly might not return.

"I apologize for the confusion," he said.

When Mattingly returns to the dugout next season, he will do so with a new bench coach by his side. On Tuesday, the Dodgers fired Trey Hillman, Mattingly's bench coach of three seasons. The remainder of the coaching staff will remain intact.

The front office hopes a new bench coach will help Mattingly make better decisions late in games, an area in which the manager drew criticism, particularly in the playoffs.

Whereas his tactics were questioned, Mattingly received high marks for how he handled a clubhouse full of high-priced players.

Mattingly led the Dodgers to a 92-70 record this season. Over three seasons, they are 260-225 under him. He has never won fewer than 82 games in a season.

Kanye West To Reportedly Sue YouTube Co-Founder Chad Hurley

Kanye West To Reportedly Sue YouTube Co-Founder Chad Hurley

Kanye West & Kim Kardashian are reportedly set to sue YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley over the release of footage from the couple's proposal.
Yesterday (October 24), it was reported that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are reportedly planning to sue the person who released their proposal video, according to tmz.com.
Kanye West To Reportedly Sue YouTube Co-Founder Chad Hurley Kardashian and West reportedly plan to sue the person responsible for the video's release because they say it was disseminated without their consent and because everyone present at their engagement party signed a confidentiality agreement. The site reports that a lawsuit is imminent. 
Vanity Fair published the video on October 23, reporting that it came from YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, who uploaded it on his new video app, MixBit. 
Hurley reportedly released the video with a press release explaining that the clip includes “the orchestra and lights show in anticipation of the proposal, Kanye down on one knee, the reaction from family and friends, and the celebration and toasting to the newly engaged couple afterwards,” as per Vanity Fair. 
Hurley also released the video via Twitter. 

In August, Kanye West talked about his relationship with Kardashian on her mother Kris Jenner's talk show, "Kris." 
"I'm trying to remember if the first time we met was her being in the studio when she was Brandy's assistant," Kanye West said. "I think she brought us in something to drink that you can't drink on daytime TV, but we were in the studio so it was okay. Or it might have been when I was doing Brandy's video. I remember asking my manager, 'Who is that girl?'" 
During the "Kris" interview, West also defended his relationship with Kardashian.
"I could have people saying, 'This is going to damage your credibility as an artist or a designer,'" West said. "And I say, 'I don't care. I love this woman.' Or someone could say, 'When the paparazzi surround you, everyone knows you don't like the paparazzi. Why would you be with this person?' And I'm saying, 'I'm being with this person because I love this person and she's worth it to me."
West and Kardashian have a daughter together, North West, who was born June 15. — Hip-Hop DX

James Taylor messes up the National Anthem at the World Series




James Taylor messes up the National Anthem at the World Series

James Taylor got a bit confused when it was time to belt out the National Anthem at Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night.

The legendary folk singer began singing "America the Beautiful" instead of the "Star-Spangled Banner" as the audience at the game looked on. He quickly caught his mistake and switched over to the National Anthem after the first few words.

Taylor, 65, was scheduled to play "America the Beautiful" during the seventh inning of the game, so that may be where the mix up came from. Taylor was able to transition into the National Anthem seamlessly and his mistake was barely noticed... barely.

Some users on Twitter, however, were quick to comment on his faux pas.

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain and at least I know which song is the #nationalanthem," one user quipped.

"James Taylor is great and all, but he just made up his own National Anthem," another noted.

Others defended the singer. "So what if James Taylor messed up? It was still beautiful," one tweeted.

Later, Boston Marathon bombing survivors stood on the field during the seventh inning stretch as Taylor led the crowd in "America the Beautiful."

Thursday, October 24, 2013

"Dreamchasers 3" – Meek Mill




Meek Mill - Dreamchasers 3

Production Credits: AYO, Black Metaphor, Cardo, Boi-1da, Key Wane, The Mekanics, Rio, Scott Storch, Southside, TM88, Tone Beats

Philly emcee Meek Mill has unleashed Dreamchasers 3, the latest entry in his popular mixtape series, presented by Puma. Meek’s eighth mixtape in total, the project follows May 2012’s Dreamchasers 2. Seventeen original tracks are featured on the album, including lead single “From Da Bottom” and “Make Me.” Throughout, the MMG signee is joined by a variety of noteworthy guest artists, among themFuture, Guordan, Jadakiss, Trina and Waka Flocka Flame. Beats comes courtesy of AYO,Black Metaphor, Cardo, Boi-1da, Key Wane, The Mekanics, Rio, Scott Storch,Southside, TM88, Tone Beats.

The Most Expensive BMW 7-Series Ever



This is the most expensive BMW 7 Series car.

This impressive world-premiere was perfectly staged in the large building hall of our sister-company, the yacht yard Robbe & Berking Classics. It was an evening of highlights, one of which was the podium talk about “luxury created for individuals” between Adrian van Hooydonk (Senior Vice President BMW Group Design), Oliver Berking, Thomas Schemera (Marketing Director BMW) and star-chef Cornelia Poletto, chaired by TV-star Thomas Gottschalk. After this, the select guests were treated to a festive dinner in silver glance, between mahogany yachts and classy BMW cars that was prepared in front of tinterhem, beneath the yard’s largest yacht currently in build, by Cornelia Poletto and Dirk Luther.

The evening’s culmination however must surely have been the ceremonial uncovering of the new, unique “BMW Individual 760Li inspired by ROBBE & BERKING”, the wonderful result of an unusual cooperation between BMW on one and Robbe & Berking on the other hand. Oliver Berking: “As different as both companies may seem at first glance, both do act and think similar in many ways. Our commonness is expressed by the word Freude – Joy – in the BMW slogan “Aus Freude am Fahren” (for the joy of driving) .” Both firms not only produce technically unsurpassed products, but these products create joy, well beyond the pure technical perfection, and strong emotions. “No matter if it is the enjoyment of a dinner shared in silvery glance, of a day spent on board one of our classic mahogany yachts or the joy of driving a BMW!” Adrian van Hooydonk added: “Both firms are strongly committed to the ethos of manufactory – the strive for perfection, love of detail and traditional values in contemporary interpretation.”


Thus the idea for this exceptional project was born, which both partners found extremely attractive: “If two brands each with such a tradition and experience get together to realise a vision, something new and highly interesting will inevitably happen. The mutual respect for the identity of the other brand was always the basis for the cooperation”, said Adrian van Hooydonk. The designers at BMW and the silversmiths at Robbe & Berking sought inspiration in each other’s work. “Just as the silversmiths got inside the car and absorbed its ambience, we went through their workshops and took in the whole atmosphere and the special techniques for creating silverware in order to translate them into the vehicle,” adds Martina Starke, head of BMW Colour and Trim Design, recalling the beginning of this collaboration. Which was hand-made: „Manu factum. Made by hand. Our silver manufactory and this boat yard are manufactories in the pure sense of the word. Each item from our silversmith’s workshops passes through 50 different stages of hand-processing before it leaves our house, but we do owe that our friends and clients. Nearly every single piece that leaves our house will eventually become a piece of the family tradition. The family silver just as the family yacht”, Oliver Berking added.




The common understanding of aesthetics, luxury and elegance assumes an extraordinary form in the BMW Individual 760Li Sterling inspired by ROBBE & BERKING and is suffused with the warmth and soul of supreme craftsmanship. The eloquent exterior and interior surfaces – crafted by human hands – as well as the sophisticated leatherworking of the BMW join the exquisitely hammered silver surfaces by ROBBE & BERKING to make a uniquely exclusive statement of individuality.



And yet at first glance it is far from the most conspicuous car – deliberately so. On the contrary, in keeping with the concept of discreet luxury and exclusivity espoused by both partners, the BMW Individual 760Li Sterling only reveals its merits upon closer inspection. Oliver Berking explains the difference between silver and other shiny metals as follows: “It has a uniquely warm glow that instantly tells the connoisseur it is silver and not chrome or polished aluminium.”


On the BMW Individual 760Li Sterling, the hallmark BMW exterior characteristics are finished in silver. The BMW kidney grille, the side trim element signalling the powerful V12 engine and, at the rear, the trim strip, model designation and tailpipe embellisher are finished in characteristic ROBBE & BERKING solid silver plating. The BMW logos on the bonnet and boot lid even boast solid 925 sterling silver, as do the interior design elements. 



As a special highlight, our specialists have also artistically applied blue and white enamel to the BMW emblem. Discreet ROBBE & BERKING lettering on the C-pillar as well as “ROBBE & BERKING Sterling” – along with “BMW Individual” – on the silver-plated trim strip at the rear bear further witness to the joint undertaking that produced this dream-car.

The Best Soccer Fake-Out Goal



SYNOPSIS: During the Rot-Weiss Essen vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf II game, Fortuna pulled a fast one during a free kick — using a double fake-out, tricking the wall of defenders and goalie Kevin Grund to score a, "GooooooooOoOOOOOOOOooOoOOooo-aal!

Facts You Never Knew About Gauntlet

Seven Facts You Never Knew About Gauntlet

Gauntlet creator Ed Logg talks the Hulk and Japanese spies.
by Daemon Hatfield

Released in 1985, Gauntlet was the original four-player arcade game and is considered by many to be one of the great video games. Today at the Game Developers Conference, Gauntlet creator Ed Logg (who also worked on Asteroids and Centipede) gave a talk about designing Gauntlet way back when. He revealed some facts even the biggest retro fans among you may not have heard.

Facts such as...

Dungeons & Dragons
Gauntlet was inspired by the OG of role-playing games: Dungeons & Dragons. Logg's son kept begging him to make a D&D game, but he wasn't sure how to pull it off. Then he discovered a game called Dandy on the Atari 800 computer in 1983.



Dandy was a top-down dungeon crawler that also supported four players. Using this as his jumping off point, Logg set to work making a fancier version for the arcade in 1983.

Codename: Dungeons
Gauntlet was originally to be called Dungeons. It wasn't until April of 1985 that the Atari legal team told Logg that name wasn't available. He changed it to Gauntlet on May 10, 1985, a title Logg remains very happy with.

"Hulk is about to die!"
Two character names were also changed before release. The Valkyrie was originally named "Amazon" and the Warrior was "Hulk." The first character art was produced on January 1, 1984.

Wizard, Warrior, Valkyrie, and Elf

More Players = More $$$
In the early '80s, arcades were struggling. Manufacturers created more elaborate games that operators could charge more money for ($.50!), but players were resistant to the increase. The question at Atari was: "How do we get extra earnings?" The idea with Gauntlet was that with four players you earn four times as much with every play. It was a drop-in/drop-out design so if someone died they could immediately rejoin or someone new could step in -- there was no down time, so the quarters just kept coming. Another choice made specifically to increase the coin drop: there was no end to the game. Gauntlet would recycle levels by flipping them horizontally and vertically once the players had run through all of them.



Gauntlet was a big success in 1985. But the marketing team at Atari was actually worried about the four-player cabinet. They weren't sure four strangers would want to play a game together and they also had concerns about the four separate coin shoots (which were known to break easily). Confident in his game, Logg convinced the marketing team to just go with it.

Japanese Spies
It was common practice to test a new arcade game at select locations before wide release. The operator was given the cabinet for free, but in exchange they couldn't promote it (as a precaution against competition) and they would share the coin drop numbers of it and all the other machines at the location so that Atari could evaluate the new game's success against current games. But when Logg came by to check on Gauntlet during its field test, he found developers from SEGA snapping photos of the cabinet. Atari pulled it from that location and didn't work with the operator henceforth. A year after Gauntlet's release in 1985, SEGA released a four-player arcade game called Quartet (although it was side-scrolling).

It was common practice to test a new arcade game at select locations before wide release. The operator was given the cabinet for free, but in exchange they couldn't promote it (as a precaution against competition) and they would share the coin drop numbers of it and all the other machines at the location so that Atari could evaluate the new game's success against current games. But when Logg came by to check on Gauntlet during its field test, he found developers from SEGA snapping photos of the cabinet. Atari pulled it from that location and didn't work with the operator henceforth. A year after Gauntlet's release in 1985, SEGA released a four-player arcade game called Quartet (although it was side-scrolling).




7,850
That's how many Gauntlet cabinets were sold in the U.S. A few thousand more were sold in Japan and Europe. Even though Atari considered Gauntlet a success, earlier games like Space Invaders and Ms. Pac-Man sold hundreds of thousands of cabinets. One of Gauntlet's contemporaries from Atari, the excellent Temple of Doom game, sold just 2,800 copies.

"The most fun a quarter can buy!"
That was the official tagline used in Gauntlet promotional materials. An animated commercial was also run in theaters, which was very unusual for arcade games. Behold:

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Complete Guide to Eminem's 'Marshall Mathers LP 2'


The Complete Guide to Eminem's 'Marshall Mathers LP 2'

The music. The controversy. The guests. Here's everything we know about rapper's upcoming eighth album

Fuse Staff / October 21, 2013

With only two weeks to go until the release of Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2, the Detroit rapper has made moves both traditional and unique in promoting and teasing his eighth LP. For his first effort since 2010's underwhelming Recovery, Em is prepping a sequel to his 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP. While we impatiently await for the album to drop November 5 (and see the results of Em's Top 40 battle against Kanye West for No. 1 video), here's your complete guide to the album.

The Buildup

Eminem first announced the album in May 2012 and dropped hints about working on it for the rest of the year. In February of this year, Em's longtime manager Paul Rosenberg told Billboard that the album would be released "after Memorial Day." MTV, XXL and Complex all named the album to their Most Anticipated Albums of 2013 list.

The rapper made a few, er, interesting moves to promote the upcoming release. In August, he joined Instagram just to flip you off. One month later, he was the featured guest during the Michigan-Notre Dame halftime show and appeared uncomfortable and awkward with hosts Kirk Herbstreit and Brent Musberger (or it was just master trolling...?).

The Music

Judging from the three songs already released—"Berzerk," "Survival" and "Rap God"—Eminem is going back to his aggressive roots, forsaking ornate production in favor of Rick Rubin-produced hard drums and electric guitars. Rather than telling descriptive stories (both fantastical and autobiographical), Em packs his verses with rapid-fire flows, stuffing each song with lyrics that need to be listened to multiple times for full comprehension.


The Guests

The album features guest spots by Rihanna, Skylar Gray, Kendrick Lamar and, most surprisingly, fun. singer Nate Ruess. Grey and Rihanna are of course no strangers to Em, as the former wrote "Love the Way You Lie" (featuring Rihanna), with RiRi also appearing on the song's sequel and "Numb." Grey also appeared in Dr. Dre's 2011 hit "I Need a Doctor" with Eminem. Lamar's never worked with Em before, but has always been a Dr. Dre phone call away from a collaboration.

The Controversy

Some critics have lambasted the rapper for what they perceive as homophobic lyrics in "Rap God." On the track, Em rhymes, "Little gay-looking boy / So gay I can barely say it with a straight face-looking boy" and "I attempt these lyrical acrobat stunts while I'm practicing that / I'll still be able to break a motherf-ckin' table / Over the back of a couple of f-ggots and crack it in half." The track has been called "ugly and repressive" (The Week) and "pejorative" (Huffington Post). "I do appreciate the verse for achieving incoherence in its apparent bigotry," writes Gawker's Rich Juzwiak. "Homophobia as nonsense—what a powerful statement." It wasn't just critics, though. Boy George recently slammed the rapper on Twitter.

The Cover

Eminem tweeted the album’s cover art, a picture of a dilapidated house, last month. It’s the house the rapper lived in as a teenager and, keeping in line with the whole Marshall Mathers sequel, is similar to the cover art of the rapper’s 2000 album. The house was purchased for $19,900 in 1987 by Eminem’s mom Debbie Nelson, but was foreclosed in 2001. A past owner unsuccessfully tried to sell the house on eBay for $500,000, but the Detroit News quotes the house’s actual value at $44,400 and yes, it’s still for sale for you rich Em completists.


The Track List

1. "Bad Guy"
2. "Parking Lot" (skit)
3. "Rhyme Or Reason"
4. "So Much Better"
5. "Survival"
6. "Legacy"
7. "Asshole" (featuring Skylar Grey)
8. "Berzerk"
9. "Rap God"
10. "Brainless"
11. "Stronger Than I Was"
12. "The Monster" (featuring Rihanna)
13. "So Far..."
14. "Love Game" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
15. "Headlights" (featuring Nate Ruess)
16. "Evil Twin"


Kanye West Proposal to Kim Kardashian Caught on Distant Video

Yelp Extortion

Yelp Extortion


 

Yelp's New Badge Of Shame

AP | Posted 10.18.2012 | Small Business

SAN FRANCISCO -- Yelp says it will alert users if it suspects that a business has tried to buy fake, misleading reviews on its site. Yelp Inc. said T...

WATCH: Yelp Extortion Claims Persist

The Huffington Post | Nate C. Hindman | Posted 09.14.2012 | Small Business

A Connecticut restaurant owner is claiming that Yelp deleted positive posts about her eatery after she refused to purchase advertising from the consum...

Restaurant Owners Claim 'Yelp Extortion' From Opportunistic Diners

Posted 05.30.2012 | Home

It's common knowledge that Yelp is often the vehicle for lengthy rants by angry restaurant patrons, but for extortion? That was the case earlier th...

Judge Tosses Extortion Lawsuit Against Yelp

AP | By MARCUS WOHLSEN | Posted 06.02.2011 | Technology

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge who dismissed a class-action lawsuit accusing consumer review website Yelp of extortion is giving plaintiffs a month ...

Yelp Lawsuits Allege Review Site Engaged In Extortion

AP | RACHEL METZ | Posted 05.25.2011 | Technology

SAN FRANCISCO — Yelp, one of the most popular Web sites that let people post opinions about restaurants, shops and local services, is being sued...
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