John Legend on Ending Racism

Mar 22, 2015

AP: Common received some backlash for his comments about ending racism on “The Daily Show” last week. What are your thoughts?

John Legend: Oh yeah, I heard a little bit about it and I understand what he’s saying because I do believe that part of us ending racism is us seeing each other’s humanity and learning to love each other, even if we look different or worship differently or live differently. But I think it’s not enough for us to extend the hand of love. I think it’s important that that goes both ways. It’s important also that we look at policies we need to change as well.

It’s important for us also to fight for certain changes that need to happen. And one of those issues that I really care about is education. But also another one is incarceration, which is what I talked about at the Oscars. And mass incarceration is a policy that’s kind of built up over the last four decades and it’s destroyed families and communities, and something we need to change. And it’s fallen disproportionally on black and brown communities, especially black communities, and it’s kind of a manifestation of structural racism. So when you think about that kind of thing, it’s not enough to say we need to love each other, you have to go behind that and say we need to change these policies, we need to fight, we need to protest, we need to agitate for change.

Via Yahoo

Monica Lewinsky’s Ted Talk: The Price Of Shame

Mar 22, 2015

In 1998, says Monica Lewinsky, “I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously.” Today, the kind of online public shaming she went through has become a constant. In a brave talk, she takes a look at our “culture of humiliation,” in which online shame equals dollar signs — and demands a different way.

Video: Chris Farley and Tim Meadows In a 1989 Second City Performance

Mar 22, 2015

Watch Chris Farley and Tim Meadows play Wrigley Field security guards in 1989, originally performed in the Second City Revue “It Was 30 Years Ago Today.”

https://youtu.be/MwOAIk_HxbY

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath Reveals Heavy Metal’s Bloody Origins In New Animated Short

Mar 21, 2015

67 years ago last month. clouds blackened the skies over Birmingham, England to herald the birth of the future Father of Heavy Metal, Anthony Frank “Tony” Iommi of Black Sabbath. But did you know that if it weren’t for a tragic industrial accident which chopped off the tops of two of the fingers on his fretting hand, he might not ever have created the heavy metal guitar sound that has reverberated through the ages? The new VH1.com animated short The Complete History of Heavy Metal: Fingers Bloody Fingers explores how the guitarist made “a good thing off a bad thing.”

Watch this exclusive online and get a whole new appreciation for Tony Iommi’s legendary guitar work and learn all the different things you can do with a plastic soap bottle.

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Black Sabbath, TV Shows, Full Episode Video, Reality TV Shows

Flowchart to help you figure out if Drake dissed you on “6pm In New York”

Mar 21, 2015

Drake continued with this third installment in his “In the AM” series, following “9AM In Dallas” and “5AM In Toronto”. This hook-less track features Drake attacking several figures in the rap game for four minutes straight.

Slaight Family Foundation announces $7M in donations to seven Canadian NGOs

Mar 21, 2015

The Slaight Family Foundation today announced that it will donate $7 million to support seven Canadian non-governmental organizations. The donation will be split equally among all seven groups, which include Stephen Lewis Foundation, War Child, Free The Children, Right To Play, Human Rights Watch, Partners In Health Canada, and World Vision.

The donations aim to support Canada’s efforts in global humanitarianism. The work of these NGOs will be supported over the next four years as they aim to create change in seven unique ways across the globe.

“The work these seven NGOs are doing is critically important. When we were selecting different organizations to partner with, it really came down to the versatility of these projects and the need for change in these regions,” saidGary Slaight, President and CEO of Slaight Family Foundation. “We hope these gifts will benefit many people for years to come, and that we inspire others to support humanitarianism efforts on a global scale.”

The gifts were announced today at an event hosted by the Slaight Family Foundation. Leaders in Canadian humanitarianism and business leaders were also present. Chief executive officers from all seven NGOs spoke about the importance of these gifts and the projects they will support.

“The work that we do as humanitarians is only made possible by the generosity of others. The generosity we’ve seen from the Slaight Family Foundation is an inspiring example of those who want to make a difference in the world,” saidDave Toycen, President and CEO of World Vision. “At the end of the day, our dream is to change the lives of women, men and children around the world, and these donations help make that dream a reality.”

The donations announced today will fund seven special projects in different regions throughout the globe. Each project will touch a different group of equally important recipients, including women and children in Thailand, grandmothers and orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, and victims of war and human rights violations in Cambodia and beyond.

The Slaight Family Foundation Gifts, in detail:

Stephen Lewis Foundation
Support to grandmothers raising children orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa
The Stephen Lewis Foundation will continue to work with grassroots organizations to improve the livelihood and security of grandmothers raising children orphaned by AIDS. Support will be provided through food security, income-generation opportunities, and housing for grandmothers and orphans in their care, as well as national convenings of grandmother groups in Uganda, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania.

War Child
Justice support to abused mothers and children in war torn countries
Support for mothers and children that have experienced abandonment and violence inflicted by war is critical. War Child aims to expand current justice programs to additional war torn countries where the need it evident. These programs rebuild legal structures, provide access to free legal counsel and ensure authorities understand the meaning of rights.

Free The Children
Agriculture and food security in Kenya
This project focuses on community based support for 2,000 farmers in 20 Kenyan communities through training and resource availability. Agricultural education will be offered through school based support, which will focus on training and support work on farms, agricultural clubs, and construction of school based green houses for school and home consumption.

Right To Play
Child centered learning in Thailand
To help with the physical, emotional and social wellbeing of children in Thailand, Right To Play will focus on improving life skills through sport and play based learning activities. The donation will improve access to teachers and volunteers and increase the capacity to incorporate play into school activities.

Human Rights Watch
Access to clean water and sanitation in Thailand
Developing expertise on rights to clean water and sanitation is the focus of this project. Increasing women’s rights and developing sophisticated methodologies for documenting economic, social and culture rights will assist in gaining access to clean water and sanitation.

Partners In Health Canada
First residencies in emergency medicine in Haiti
Over the next five years, Partners In Health will train 18 residents in emergency medical care to help assist with trauma, triage and disaster relief in Haiti. Processes will also be set up to ensure a transfer of skills to other medical professionals in the area.

World Vision
Protecting human rights in Cambodia
World Vision will work to prevent human rights violations in Cambodia through education and assistance. Work will focus on advocating new policy initiatives to government, raising the profile of human rights issues within Cambodia, and helping victims of human rights injustice transition back into the community.

Andy Kim Gets It Right On Having Friends In The Music Industry

Mar 21, 2015

I always thought my career at the beginning was more about courage than talent. It went from a dream to being in an environment with Jeff and Lieber & Stoller and Don Kirshner and Phil Spector – my transistor radio came to life. But for all the hits I had at the time – with John Lennon giving me my gold record for ‘Rock Me Gently’ – you get lost in the fact that you have so many friends. It wasn’t reality. You’re on the Billboard charts? You got tons of friends. Not on the charts? People don’t call you back. – Andy Kim, Rolling Stone

The Swedes have the best way of teaching kids about sex

Mar 21, 2015

Into the cartoon world we go, the Swedes have created a sex education video that is utterly untamed and fun to watch. Heck, it might even be tremendously educational, if I could understand the language. But I’m going to guess it’s all correct – look how happy and catchy that little tune is – it must be true!

https://youtu.be/50mtASxdnow

For Your Inner Bruce Lee: Nunchucks iPhone Case

Mar 21, 2015

Sad enough for the 12-year-old or Bruce Lee inside all of us, there are all too few opportunities to whip around a pair of nunchucks in contemporary adult society.

Until now.

Entertainment One Garners 33 Nominations For 2015 Stellar Gospel Music Awards

Mar 21, 2015

Entertainment One Music (eOne Music) marks a momentous year delivering a broad range of chart-topping hits over the past year – garnering 33 Stellar Awards nominations across 19 categories for 6 artists – from nominations for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, to Female Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and more, for the upcoming 2015 Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Creating a powerful repertoire, Erica Campbell, Ricky Dillard, James Fortune, Donald Lawrence, William McDowell, and Michelle Williams have continued to inspire fans across the world with their latest hit releases, encompassing diverse sounds from contemporary gospel and urban inspirational, to the sounds of choir and praise and worship. Multiple Stellar Award-winner and esteemed Bishop Paul S. Morton will also be honored with a special award, receiving the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s show.

Phil Thornton, eOne Music Vice President and General Manager, Urban Inspirational, says: “We are honored that eOne Music has received 33 nominations for this year’s Stellar Awards! We are thrilled to congratulate Erica Campbell, Ricky Dillard, James Fortune, Donald Lawrence, William McDowell, and Michelle Williams on the recognition across multiple categories supporting their work over this past year, and also celebrate Bishop Paul S. Morton’s special honors on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. Their work has been filled with many milestones and they continue to inspire us all with their prolific creative gifts and powerful music ministry.”

The incomparable Stellar Award-winning choir master Ricky Dillard garners 10 Stellar Awards nominations for his acclaimed release with New G, the 25th anniversary Ricky Dillard & New G live album Amazing. Featuring the #1 hit single “Amazing” – one of the biggest songs of the year which has remained atop the Gospel radio chart for over 7 months – Dillard’s #1 Gospel album receives nominations in the categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for the single “Amazing,” Male Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Choir of the Year, Producer of the Year, Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year, Traditional Choir of the Year, and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.

Making a splash with her first solo record, Mary Mary’s Erica Campbell branched out with the chart-topping release of her highly-anticipated solo album Help. Continuing to garner accolades for her #1 Gospel album, Campbell’s award-winning album receives 10 Stellar Awards nominations in the categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for the single “Help” (ft. Lecrae), Female Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Producer of the Year (for album producer Warryn Campbell), Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year, Urban/Inspirational/Instrumental Single/Performance of the Year for the single “Help” (ft. Lecrae), Music Video of the Year for the single “Help” (ft. Lecrae), and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.

Award-winning songstress Michelle Williams racks up 4 Stellar Award nominations for her hit album Journey to Freedom, her fourth solo album. Garnering nominations in the categories of Song of the Year for the chart-topping #1 Gospel single “Say Yes” (ft. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland), Female Vocalist of the Year, Urban/Inspirational/Instrumental Single/Performance of the Year for “Say Yes” (ft. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland), and Music Video of the Year for “Say Yes” (ft. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland), Williams continued to challenge musical conventions as a singer, songwriter and producer, with indelible vocals and global beats on additional songs such as “If We Had Your Eyes” (ft. Fantasia), “Free,” “Fire,” and more.

The release of the live album Live Through It, from the award-winning James Fortune & FIYA, garners 3 Stellar Awards nominations, in the categories of Group/Duo of the Year, Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year, and Urban/Inspirational/Instrumental Single/Performance of the Year for the hit single “Live Through It.” Fortune’s chart-topping album also features the songs “Forever,” “Never Forsake Me,” “Best Praise,” and more on the two-disc set.

Stellar Award-winning artist, producer and songwriter Donald Lawrence racks up 3 Stellar Awards nominations surrounding his acclaimed #1 Gospel album, Best for Last. Nominated in the categories of Group/Duo of the Year, Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year, and Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, Lawrence’s 20-year anniversary live album showcases the dynamic talents that have garnered him abundant recognition among peers and fans as one of the industry’s most prolific artists, continuing to make an indelible mark with hit songs such as “The Gift,” “There Remaineth a Rest” (ft. the Tri-City Singers), and “Best for Last” (ft. Yolanda Adams).

Bringing fans another chart-topping hit, award-winning worship leader William McDowell enveloped listeners in a live worship experience with the two-disc release of Withholding Nothing. Featuring his first-ever combined CD/DVD collection including the hits “Withholding Nothing,” “My Heart Sings,” and more on his third album, McDowell is nominated for 3 Stellar Awards in the categories of Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year, and Praise and Worship CD of the Year.

With a prolific global ministry, Bishop Paul S. Morton pastors one of the country’s largest church organizations, as founder and bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, and has released 10 albums in his multiple Stellar Award-winning recording career. For his influential work in ministry, Bishop Morton will be the special 2015 recipient of the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Stellar Awards.

The upcoming 30th Stellar Gospel Music Awards will take place at a new venue for 2015, with a live taping at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on March 28, 2015.