Skrillex Taps Ex Ellie Goulding, Rick Ross, James Franco For 'Spring Breakers' Soundtrack

Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane and film composer Cliff Martinez also on 19-track album

 Skrillex has roped in a roster of big names for his first-ever Hollywood gig, the soundtrack
 to Harmony Korine's highly anticipated "Spring Breakers."
In addition to including the hit "Lights" from his ex-girlfriend, Ellie Goulding, the EDM star has partnered with acclaimed film composer (and former Red Hot Chili Peppers member) Cliff Martinez ("Traffic," "Solaris," "Drive") for a number of score pieces for the 19-track album.
Among the names of their original pieces are such provocatively-titled tunes as: "Rise and Shine Little B---h" and "Bikinis & Big Booties Ya'll." There is, of course, also a version of "Hangin' With Da Dopeboys" by star James Franco and the real-life model for his corn-rowed character, Dangeruss,
 as well as songs by Rick Ross with Meek Mill, Torch and French Montana, Waka Flocka Flame and Gucci Mane.
Skrillex also cooked up some new tracks to go with such favorites as "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," including "Smell This Money" and "With You, Friends (Long Drive)."
The film's co-star, Selena Gomez, has already said her upcoming "tell-all" album
 is heavily influenced by Skrill's sound.
"Skrillex was a big inspiration because he did the score of 'Spring Breakers,' so being a part of that and meeting him and watching 'Spring Breakers' a thousand times through festivals and stuff, you kinda get hooked on it," said Gomez, who also cited pal Taylor Swift as an inspiration
 on the album.
"Spring Breakers" soundtrack list:

»"Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," Skrillex
»"Rise And Shine Little B---h," by Cliff Martinez & Skrillex
»"Pretend It's A Video Game," Cliff Martinez
»"With You, Friends (Long Drive)," Skrillex
»"Hangin' With Da Dopeboys," Dangeruss with James Franco
»"Bikinis & Big Booties Y'all," Cliff Martinez & Skrillex
»"Never Gonna Get This P---y," Cliff Martinez
»"Goin' In (Skrillex Goin' Down Remix)," Birdy Nam Nam
»"F--- This Industry," Waka Flocka Flame
»"Smell This Money (Original Mix)," Skrillex
»"Park Smoke," Skrillex
»"Young N----s," Gucci Mane (feat. Waka Flocka Flame)
»"Your Friends Ain't Gonna Leave With You," Cliff Martinez
»"Ride Home," Skrillex
»"Big Bank," Meek Mill, Pill, Torch & Rick Ross (feat. French Montana)
»"Son Of Scary Monsters," Cliff Martinez & Skrillex
»"Big 'Ol Scardy Pants," Cliff Martinez
»"Scary Monsters on Strings," Skrillex
»"Lights," Ellie Goulding

Young Vito Acquitted Of Slim Dunkin Murder

Rapper convicted of aggravated assault and gun charge, sentenced to 25 years in prison.

 
 Slim Dunkin

  Rapper Young Vito was acquitted of the murder
 of Brick Squad member Slim Dunkin on Monday, but was sentenced to 25 years in prison on an aggravated assault charge.
Vito (born Vinson Hardimon), dodged murder and felony murder charges in the killing of Dunkin (born Mario Hamilton, 24), who was slain in December 2011 during a fight with Hardimon at an east Atlanta studio.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, while a jury acquitted Hardimon of the murder charges, he was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a handgun during the commission of a felony for the altercation that ended in Dunkin's death.
In handing down the 25-year sentence on the gun charges, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall alluded to a gun incident involving Hardimon, 29, eight months before Dunkin's death. In that case, Hardimon entered an "Alford" guilty plea — not admitting guilt, but saying that a prosecutor might find enough evidence to convince a jury to convict — over accusations that he held a gun on his ex-girlfriend and her 16-year-old daughter. That plea was entered last year while he was already in jail for Hamilton's shooting.
"I just think he's prone to carry a gun, and he's violent and dangerous," Schwall said. Dunkin's father told the paper that he was upset with the murder acquittal, saying, "I'm disappointed with that verdict ... I don't know what (the jury) saw. In the end, he got 25 years and we can have some closure."
Witnesses claimed that the two rappers fought over a piece of candy
 at the studio where Dunkin was recording a video with Gucci Mane and after their crews separated them an unarmed Dunkin rushed at Vito, who claimed they shot and killed the up-and-coming rapper affiliated with Waka Flocka Flame.

Pitbull Aims At Lil Wayne With 'Welcome To Dade County' Dis

Mr. 305 takes exception to Lil Wayne's slurs against the Miami Heat on the new track, over Baauer's 'Harlem Shake' instrumental.

 
 Lil Wayne and Pitbull


New Orleans may be Lil Wayne's birthplace, but the YMCMB rap icon has called Miami his home for several years. And until recently, South Beach had always welcomed Weezy with open arms. That was until Tunechi called out the Miami Heat, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in an onstage tirade, a move that didn't sit well with M-I-A rap vets Uncle Luke, Trick Daddy and now Pitbull.
On Monday (February 25), the self-proclaimed Mr. 305 dropped "Welcome to Dade County," a warning shot aimed at Weezy. "Mouth signed check, ass can't cash/ One-time LeBron, Bosh, D-Wade, Flash," Pit spits over Baauer's buzzing "Harlem Shake" instrumental, making a clear reference to Wayne's All-Star weekend.
Weezy called out the NBA, the Miami Heat, LeBron, Wade and claimed that he once slept with Chris Bosh's wife in a NBA All-Star afterparty following the February 17 game in Houston. Weezy has since apologized to LeBron James, but stood strong on the rest of his comments. "I don't apologize for being who I am. That's who I am, and yes, I did say those things. Only thing I do want to take back from saying that night, I said 'F--- LeBron,' I didn't mean to say that because me and LeBron we are cool and I'm really cool with his mom and we have a real good relationship. That's my homie but it just slipped out. I didn't mean to say that. Other than that though I don't take nothing back," he said during an interview on 99 Jamz last week.
The insult angered a number of Miami residents. Uncle Luke penned an open letter in the Miami New Times, Trick Daddy responded during a radio interview, but Pit is the first to dedicate a song to the incident.
"You talk Miami, if you talkin' heat/ Moral of the story: Don't sh-- where you eat," Pit continues to rap on the track which debuted on the popular rap site VladTV.
The two rappers once collaborated back in 2006 on "Holla At Me," a star-studded single on DJ Khaled's debut LP Listennn... the Album, but the relationship has clearly soured since Wayne's comments. At the song's close Pit goes on a rant of his own. "I had to do this for my city dog, it's something that I love so deeply," he says before making reference to Wayne's move to the M-I-A, after Hurricane Katrina hit his native New Orleans.
"I am 305, Miami-Dade County. I bleed 305, Miami-Dade County," he boasts.

 Kendrick Lamar's 'Poetic Justice' Video: Fatal Attraction

Rapper releases a fittingly haunting visual for the good kid, m.A.A.d city track.                                               The song also features Drake

It was impossible to guess what Kendrick Lamar had in store for his "Poetic Justice" video, but the Compton rapper has debuted a perfectly haunting visual that furthers the cinematic experience he's been weaving on good kid, m.A.A.d city.
The clip opens in Los Angeles' famed Crenshaw neighborhood, on what could be Friday or Saturday night, with a young crowd — including Black Hippy's Jay Rock and even Dom Kennedy — hanging around their cars, drinking 40s, smoking and playing dice, before we're introduced to the object of Kendrick's affection.
The scenes are shot in slow motion, which really helps viewers feel the chilled-out vibe of the night, before distaste strikes. Moments after Kendrick flirtatiously greets his girl, gunshots send everyone ducking and K-Dot running to protect her — but he's too late.
Fans are left with the haunting visual of Kendrick laid out in the street, on top of his girl, riddled with gunshots in his attempt to cover her. The phone in his hand keeps ringing as Drake tries to get in touch, but he never will.
 back in December, he pleaded with Janet Jackson for a cameo in the video, since he sampled her song "Any Time, Any Place" to create something new. "Janet, c'mon, Janet. No paperwork with the managers, contact the managers," he said at the time. "This is artist to artist." Obviously that didn't work out, but even without Janet, the video is a memorable one.

Complete Oscars winners list

              WINNERS

Best Picture

Winner: "Argo"

NOMINEES:

"Amour"

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

"Django Unchained"

"Les Miserables"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Zero Dark Thirty"

Actor in a Leading Role

Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis - "Lincoln"

NOMINEES:

Bradley Cooper - "Silver Linings Playbook"

Hugh Jackman - "Les Miserables"

Joaquin Phoenix - "The Master"

Denzel Washington - "Flight"

Actress in a Leading Role

Winner: Jennifer Lawrence - "Silver Linings Playbook"

NOMINEES:

Jessica Chastain - "Zero Dark Thirty"

Emmanuelle Riva - "Amour"

Quvenzhané Wallis - "Beasts of Southern Wild"

Naomi Watts - "The Impossible"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner: Christoph Waltz - "Django Unchained"

NOMINEES:

Alan Arkin - "Argo"

Robert De Niro - "Silver Linings Playbook"

Philip Seymour Hoffman - "The Master"

Tommy Lee Jones - "Lincoln"

Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner: Anne Hathaway - "Les Miserables"

NOMINEES:

Amy Adams - "The Master"

Sally Field - "Lincoln"

Helen Hunt - "The Sessions"

Jackie Weaver - "Silver Linings Playbook"

Animated Feature Film

Winner: "Brave"

NOMINEES:

"Frankenweenie"

"ParaNorman"

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits"

"Wreck-It Ralph"

Directing

Winner: "Life of Pi" - Ang Lee

NOMINEES:

"Amour" - Michael Haneke

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" - Benh Zeitlin

"Lincoln" - Steven Spielberg

"Silver Linings Playbook" - David O. Russell

Writing - Original Screenplay

Winner: "Django Unchained" - Quentin Tarantino

NOMINEES:

"Amour" - Michael Haneke

"Flight" - John Gatins

"Moonrise Kingdom" - Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola

"Zero Dark Thirty" - Mark Boal

Writing - Adapted Screenplay

Winner: "Argo" - Chris Terrio

NOMINEES:

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" - Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin

"Life of Pi" - David Magee

"Lincoln" - Tony Kushner

"Silver Linings Playbook" - David O. Russell

Music - Original Song

Winner: "Skyfall" from "Skyfall," music and lyrics by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

NOMINEES:

"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," music and lyrics by J. Ralph

"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from "Ted," music by Walter Murphy, lyrics by Seth MacFarlane

"Suddenly" from "Les Miserables," music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Winner: "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," music by Mychael Danna, lyrics by Bombay Jayashri

Foreign Language Film

Winner: "Amour" (Austria)

NOMINEES:

"Kon-Tiki" (Norway)

"No" (Chile)

"A Royal Affair" (Denmark)

"War Witch" (Canada)

Cinematography

Winner: "Life of Pi"

NOMINEES:

"Anna Karenina"

"Django Unchained"

"Lincoln"

"Skyfall"

Costume Design

Winner: "Anna Karenina"

NOMINEES:

"Les Miserables"

"Lincoln"

"Mirror Mirror"

"Snow White and the Huntsman"

Documentary - Feature

Winner: "Searching for Sugar Man"

NOMINEES:

"5 Broken Cameras"

"The Gatekeepers"

"How to Survive a Plague"

"The Invisible War"

Documentary - Short

Winner: "Inocente"

NOMINEES:

"Kings Point"

"Mondays at Racine"

"Open Heart"

"Redemption"

Film Editing

Winner: "Argo"

NOMINEES:

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Zero Dark Thirty"

Makeup And Hairstyling

Winner: "Les Miserables"

NOMINEES:

"Hitchcock"

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

Music - Original Score

Winner: "Life of Pi"

NOMINEES:

"Anna Karenina"

"Argo"

"Lincoln"

"Skyfall"

Production Design

Winner: "Lincoln"

NOMINEES:

"Anna Karenina"

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

"Les Miserables"

"Life of Pi"

Short Film - Animated

Winner: "Paperman"

NOMINEES:

"Adam and Dog"

"Fresh Guacamole"

"Head over Heels"

"Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare' "

Short Film - Live Action

Winner: "Curfew"

NOMINEES:

"Asad"

"Buzkashi Boys"

"Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)"

"Henry"

Sound Editing

Tie: "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall"

NOMINEES:

"Argo"

"Django Unchained"

"Life of Pi"

Sound Mixing

Winner: "Les Miserables"

NOMINEES:

"Argo"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

"Skyfall"

Visual Effects

Winner: "Life of Pi"

NOMINEES:

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

"Marvel's The Avengers"

"Prometheus"

"Snow White and the Huntsman"

Oscars 2013: Meet The Presenters

Kristen Stewart, Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will take the stage at the Academy Awards.

 Nominees, shnominees! The Academy Awards ceremony wouldn't be what it is without the fearless few who take the stage to deliver canned quips and engage in awkward banter, all the while at the mercy of fickle teleprompters. We call these brave The Presenters.
And with the big show just hours away, we're taking a closer look at the famous faces who will grace the Dolby Theatre to read nominee names and foist statuettes with all the grace and dignity the office affords.
Without further ado, please turn your gaze to:

Kristen Stewart
Age: 22
Best 2012 movie quote: "Jake, you really do stink!" — Bella Swan, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2"
Oscar bona fides: Never nominated but did present a horror-film tribute alongside "Twilight" co-star Taylor Lautner during the 2010 ceremony.
How she can impress us: By taking out one of the venue's roving mountain lions in a gravity-defying feat of acrobatics.

Channing Tatum
Age: 32
Best 2012 movie quote: "Oh, you don't wanna know what I have to do for twenties." — Mike, "Magic Mike"
Oscar bona fides: Tatum is, from all appearances, an Academy Awards virgin.
How he can impress us: This. Over and over again.

Jennifer Lawrence
Age: 22
Best 2012 movie quote: "I volunteer as tribute!" — Katniss Everdeen, "The Hunger Games"
Oscar bona fides: Nominated twice, first in 2011 for Best Actress in "Winter's Bone" and this year for Best Actress in "Silver Linings Playbook."
How she can impress us: By shooting an apple off of Seth MacFarlane's head. Blind-folded. With one arm.

Chris Evans
Age: 31
Best 2012 movie quote: "Doctor Banner, I think now might be a good time for you to get angry." — Steve Rogers, "The Avengers"
Oscar bona fides: Rippling pecs aren't the only thing Evans and Tatum have in common: Captain America's a n00b to the podium too. (Though he's never met an Oscar party he didn't like.)
How he can impress us: We love a man in uniform...

Charlize Theron
Age: 37
Best 2012 movie quote: "Do you hear that? It's the sound of battles fought and lives lost. It once pained me to know that I am the cause of such despair, but now their cries give me strength. Beauty is my power." — Queen Ravenna, "Snow White and the Huntsman"
Oscar bona fides: Won Best Actress in 2004 for "Monster," was nominated in 2006 for Best Actress in "North Country."
How she can impress us: By presenting alongside hologram Marilyn Monroe and hologram Grace Kelly.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Age: 32
Best 2012 movie quote: "This is my life now. I earned it. You had yours already. So why don't you do what old men do and die?" — Joe, "Looper"
How he can impress us: This. Over and over again.

Daniel Radcliffe
Age: 23
Best 2012 movie quote: C'mon! Can't we select something from "Harry Potter"?
Oscar bona fides: Never nominated
How he can impress us: Magic. Duh.

Melissa McCarthy
Age: 42
Best 2012 movie quote: "I have very high nipples." — Catherine, "This is Forty"
Oscar bona fides: Nominated in 2012 for Best Supporting Actress in "Bridesmaids."
How she can impress us: Forget Hidden Valley Ranch, spring for the Thousand Island!

Mark Wahlberg
Age: 41
Best 2012 movie quote: "This guy took my teddy bear!" — John, "Ted"
Oscar bona fides: Nominated in 2006 for Best Supporting Actor in "The Departed." He also received a Best Picture nomination in 2011 as a producer on "The Fighter."
How he can impress us: Bench press MacFarlane ... and Ted.

Robert Downey Jr.
Age: 47
Best 2012 movie quote: "We have a Hulk." — Tony Stark, "The Avengers"
Oscar bona fides: Nominated twice, first in 1993 for Best Actor in "Chaplin" and then in 2009 for Best Supporting Actor in "Tropic Thunder."
How he can impress us: Three words: Stark Expo entrance.
Rounding out the list of presenters is Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Garner, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Aniston, Michael Douglas, Jamie Foxx, Paul Rudd, Salma Hayek Pinault, Liam Neeson, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer, Octavia Spencer, Meryl Streep, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, One Direction And Adele Among 'Music's Top 40 Money Makers'

Top 20 on Billboard list also includes Carrie Underwood, Coldplay and #1 Madonna.

 

As you might expect, the top tiers of Billboard magazine's "Music's Top 40 Money Makers" list was lousy with some of the usual, north of 50 players.
But a number of young guns managed to barge their way into the millionaires players club, including Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, One Direction, Coldplay, Carrie Underwood, and Adele.
The list, compiled by measuring touring revenue, music sales, publishing royalties and other streaming and on-demand figures, was topped by Madonna with $34.5 million. Like many of the acts on the list, her gaudy figures were goosed by concert revenues, in her case the blockbuster MDNA tour, which was 2012's biggest outing with $305 million in grosses.
Madge earned a hefty $32 million of that cash, combined with $1.5 million from album sales. Bruce Springsteen ($33.4 million), Roger Waters ($21.1 million), Van Halen ($20.1 million), Kenny Chesney ($19.1 million), the Dave Matthews Band ($18.9 million), Tim McGraw ($18.3 million) and Jason Aldean ($17.5 million) rounded out the rest of the top eight.
Thanks to their massive Mylo Xyloto tour and strong album and singles sales, Coldplay cracked the top 10 at #9 with $17.3 million and Bieber snuck in at #10 with $15.9 million. JB racked up $2.6 million in physical album sales, along with another $806,000 in digital album sales and $1.8 million in digital track sales as well as $10 million from his sold-out Believe arena tour.
One artist who didn't rely on touring to bank big bucks was Adele, who hit #11 with $13.9 million thanks to physical album sales of more than four million in 2012 and more than 1.2 million digital sales. Swift came in behind Lady Antebellum ($12.9 million), Celine Dion ($12.9 million) and Brad Paisley ($12.8 million) at #15 with more than $12.6 million in earnings from the sales of more than four million physical and digital albums and a mind-blowing 15.6 million digital tracks as well as tour revenue.
Underwood was hard on her heels at #16 with $11.9 million, also with a combination of strong digital sales and live dates. Drake's Club Paradise tour helped him nab the #24 slot ($9.5 million), earning him the majority of his haul, along with the 8.8 million digital track sales from Take Care, which brought in another $1.6 million.
Making their debut at #30 were One Direction, who banked $7.9 million thanks to sales of two million copies of their two #1 albums. Grammy winners the Black Keys came in at #32 with $7.3 million on the back of their first headlining arena tour, which grossed them $4.2 million.
Maroon 5 were just behind at #33 with $7.1 million, mostly thanks to sales of 13.3 million digital tracks, which banked them $2.4 million, as well as album sales for Overexposed.
Jay-Z drifted in at #34 with $7 million, most of which ($4.7 million) came from his Watch The Throne tour dates with Kanye West. Helping to round out the list were Album of the Year Grammy winners Mumford & Sons, who hit #39 with $6.1 million, mostly from the $3.7 million they earned off sales of Babel.

Amber Rose has Wiz Khalifa's Child

 Wiz Khalifa and wife Amber Rose Gives Birth to a baby boy

 


 Wiz Khalifa isn't the only one in first class anymore. On Thursday (February 21), the Taylor Gang captain became a proud papa after his fiancée Amber Rose gave birth to their baby boy, Sebastian Thomaz.
"Happy Birthday Sebastian "The Bash" Taylor Thomaz!!!" Wiz tweeted on Thursday. "Everyone welcome this perfect young man into the world.
The countdown for baby Wizbud began Tuesday afternoon when Khalifa hit Instagram with a picture of a fetal monitor and the caption: "Coming soon..." Then earlier on Thursday, Wiz posted a picture of himself in scrubs to Instagram with the caption "Daddy Time."

Rose has been getting ready for the blessed event since last week. "Hey Rosebuds & Rosestuds Muva won't be back on twitter until Wizbud is born I need 2 mediate & focus on our Lil boy Luv u talk soon," she tweeted on Valentine's Day.
The couple announced Amber's pregnancy on the red carpet at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards on September 6 and have been sharing updates with fans and the media every step of the way. In the October/November issue of XXL magazine, Rose pledged to have an all-natural birth. "I'm so ready. I'm going all-natural. I've decided that I'm going to have an all-natural water birth. No medicine. I want those bragging rights," Amber told the mag. "The next time Wiz has a stomachache or anything, I'll say, 'I popped out a baby all-natural.' "
Khalifa seems ready to be a daddy: During Rose's pregnancy, the weed advocate even curtailed his marijuana habits. "I smoke outside instead of inside. Everything is all about smells, man. If the smell irritates her, then it gotta go.

Lindsay Lohan Destroys Expensive Gown

Lindsay Lohan destroys $1,750 gown

 You may recall Lindsay Lohan's sparkling Theia gown from the recent amfAR gala in New York, a shimmering nude and silver bugle-beaded fringe gown from the spring 2011 collection valued at $1,750 that turned heads all night long at the charity event.
Now take a peek at the current condition of the dress, which was on loan to Lohan, and drastically altered -- for the worse.
To date, we have confirmation that the dress still hasn't been returned to the label, and it appears as though the star took a pair of scissors to the delicate fabrication and created a messy haphazard minidress of her own.

Lindsay Lohan's amfAR gown: Charlie Sheen offered to pay for half of her dress

 

A rep from Theia tells us, "The dress was loaned in good faith to Phillip Bloch, Lindsay Lohan's stylist. We were informed by Mr. Bloch's assistant that the dress was damaged during the course of the evening. The dress has not been returned, and it wasn't until we saw the photos in the media that we became aware of the actual condition of the gown."
Oops. LiLo, you should know better! Sure, plenty of stars borrow beautiful dresses, but seldom do we see shredded evidence of a DIY project gone wrong.
We reached out to Bloch for further explanation.
"What we hear happened was the dress ripped when she was out and then she decided to cut it into a mullet minidress. It took days to get the dress back. Dress has been returned to us and it is being handled since the designer now does not want the torn dress back," he tells E! News. "I love Lindsay and I would work with her again, but you just have to stick to some rules. The magic of Lindsay is she picked the dress out of 40 dresses and she looks great in everything. No alterations were needed. That said, I work in this industry and was embarrassed because it is someone else's property and I don't want to ruin relationships, but it is being handled."
Lesson learned -- at least we hope so!

Will Seth MacFarlane Be A Good Oscar Host?

 Interviewed by: Kristie Puchko and Mack Rawden

We’re just a few days away from the Oscars, and the arguments about Argo and Lincoln and Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain are only getting louder. At some point or another, the Cinema Blend writers have either campaigned for or against every single Best Picture nominee, but in our personal meetings, there’s actually one debate that seems to crop up more than any other. Will Seth MacFarlane be great or godawful on Sunday?

After dozens of arguments and untold numbers of angry glares, CB scribes Mack Rawden and Kristy Puchko decided to debate it out on GChat. Their (friendlier than expected) conversation is published below. Read it over, scroll to the bottom of the page and vote in the poll to let us know how you think Seth will do on Sunday…

Mack: There are two reasons I can't wait for the Academy Awards on Sunday. First, there's more nominated films I can actually talk about with friends and family members than just about any year I can remember, and second, I am seriously stoked for Seth MacFarlane to host. I expect the ceremony to be one of the funniest and highest rated nights in recent memory.

Kristy: Wow. You make a great point about the nominees. I hadn't thought about it, but even my friends and family who go to the movies like once or twice a year are at least familiar with all the nominees this year...well, maybe not Amour. But I couldn't disagree with you more about my expectations of MacFarlane. I am actually dreading his MCing.

Mack:: What is it about him that you're not sold on?

Kristy: I think his sense of humor is totally wrong for the Oscars. His whole schtick is smug and cynical, and often flat-out sophomoric. I'm all for bringing some humor into the Oscars, but I think he's the wrong person to do it.

Mack: I see where you're coming from, but I actually think he's the exact right person for the ceremony. The Oscars are a formal event and his humor can be a bit sophomoric. I will give you that ,but MacFarlane himself is actually a very presentable guy. He's the gent in the polished tux that orders his steak rare and whispers a dick joke in your ear a few seconds later. That's why I like him in this role. He has the poise and elitism to pass for someone who should be there; yet, he has the wicked sense of humor and aggression needed to cut people down a peg. Someone like Jon Stewart comes across as a comedian trying to class up. I suspect MacFarlane will come across as a formal host who just so happens to have a biting sense of humor.

Kristy: He cleans up nice, I'll give you that. But I have to admit you lose me with your steak and dick joke comment. That just sounds awful to me. I've been against the Academy picking him from the start, feeling he is an obvious attempt to lure younger audience members. That's even a joke in one of his Oscar promos. But having seen the string of ads they've been running that are meant to be funny, I've become more convinced he will be a dud. The jokes in each of the promos feel obvious and dated. In The Matrix one, he makes a Viagra joke. Bad omens.

Mack: James Bond offering aside, those promos have been godawful. To be honest, they've taken me from 95% confidence in MacFarlane to 85% confidence in MacFarlane, but here's what I keep telling myself: almost every promo I've ever seen for Saturday Night Live has been horrible. Lorne Michaels and company have been putting on a live show for almost forty years, and they still can't figure out how to sell a host. So, I can't lose sleep over the fact that the Oscar committee hasn't properly sold Seth. As for the skewing younger thing, I think younger demographics might tune in, but I really don't think he's going to go that lowbrow. What I meant by steak and whispered dick jokes is that I suspect MacFarlane will not come out guns a blazing. I think we'll get a very efficient and clean ceremony with a lot of pace that features occasionally biting comments.

Mack: Are you concerned he's going to turn this into live action Family Guy with a serious lack of taste?

Kristy: I think he has a serious lack of taste. He is low-brow and proud of it. While I think the Oscars need a host that can be playful and silly, I don't think low-brow needs to enter into it. I've seen episodes of each of his TV shows and Ted, so I have zero faith that he'll be expected to do anything less than be a cynical showman.

Kristy: And I detest cynicism.

Mack: I see why you don't trust MacFarlane. Hell, part of me doesn't trust him either. Sometimes his taste level is sketchy, but I have faith in him because I think he's a funny, high class guy who is incredibly intelligent. He's not Peter Griffin. He might appeal to working class seventeen-year-olds, but he's actually an elitist, privileged prick. I truly think he's going to recognize the occasion and alter his sense of humor in order to be a charming, efficient and cunning host with an asshole streak on Sunday. To paraphrase his For Your Consideration debacle, I think he'll go over very well with the "Brentwood Jews".

Kristy: I'd hope he'd do something different from what I suspect he will, but I've seen no evidence to show he won't be a snarky showboat. And that puts me off. The Oscars aren't about the MC, and I don't think MacFarlane will recognize that.

Wale Storms Announcement Booth After Drake Diss At The Raptor's Game.

 


The 2013 NBA All-Star Game not only brought die-hard basketball fans to Houston this past weekend, but rap's biggest names also came out in droves. While the stars and their favorite ballers partied in harmony for the most part (besides Lil Wayne's onstage rant), the ASG's aftermath ushered in a bizarre incident involving Wale and a sports analyst.
The Maybach Music MC attended the Washington Wizards/ Toronto Raptors game in his native D.C. on Tuesday night when he was called out by Raptors announcer Matt Devlin on air. It all came after Wale playfully heckled the Raptors' new forward Rudy Gay.
"Supposedly this fan is a well-known local rapper — Wal-Aye," during thetelevised broadcast which has made its rounds on YouTube. "I'm sure somebody on Twitter can tell me exactly if they've ever heard of Wale. He's not Drake, that's for sure."
The Ambition MC didn't take too kindly to Devlin's jab and tweeted: "@MattDevlinRaps watch ur mouth" before he actually confronted the commentator during the broadcast toward the end of the third quarter, as seen in a second viral video which has hit the 'Net.
Gay then jumped on Twitter to clarify that he and the rapper were just horsing around. "Me and @Wale was just joking y'all. That's my boy right there," he wrote.
Lil Wayne had a similar incident last week when he sat courtside for a game against his favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. Tunechi said that he was asked to leave the American Airlines Arena, where the Heat play their home games, because he was cheering for Kobe and company. According to Wayne, who went on stage to rant at a post All-Star Game concert, he was banned from Sunday's game by the NBA, though a source from the league told MTV News that was not true. Weezy also threw disparaging remarks toward NBA stars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade and also claims to have slept with Chris Bosh's wife at some point in time.
Historically Wale, doesn't take too kindly to criticism against him. He often responds to his detractors on Twitter, choosing to confront his naysayers rather than ignore them. "Somebody call u out your name . And you confront them . YOU wrong . So who u cheerin for the people who take insults in stride? Since when," he tweeted early this morning.

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