Radio City's annual Christmas Spectacular is months away, but auditions for the Rockettes — those leggy dancers who are known for their uniform high-kick line — are in full swing.
Hundreds of aspiring dancers lined up outside Radio City Music Hall today to try out for the chance to become a Rockette.
The ad stars Felicia the Goat (voiced by Tyler) in a police lineup with five black men because he beat up waitress for not giving him enough Mountain Dew. He goes on to intimidate the severely battered woman — taunting, "Snitches get stitches, foo," and "Keep ya mouth shut, I'm going to get out of here and Dew you up!" — before she runs out crying and screaming.
PepsiCo immediately released this statement: "We apologize for this video and take full responsibility. We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well."
Tyler, The Creator, however, seems less than apologetic.
Watkins wrote, "Of course, in the world of Mountain Dew, every single suspect is black. Not just regular black people, but the kinds of ratchety negroes you might find in the middle of any hip-hop minstrel show. Mountain Dew has set a new low for corporate racism. Their decision to lean on well-known racial stereotypes is beyond disgusting. This doesn't even include the fact that the company has put black men on par with animals."
Tyler, The Creator hasn't said anything about the other controversial element of the commercial: The celebratory intimidation of the female victim.
Although on April 25 he did tweet:
Although later that day he wrote:
Although PepsiCo told Business Insider that it asked Tyler, The Creator to take the video off of his YouTube channel, it declined commenting on whether or not it had asked him to apologize.
Chris Kelly -- one half of the music duo Kris Kross -- has died at age 34.
The rapper was found unresponsive in his Atlanta home on Wednesday.
"A spokeswoman with the Fulton County Police Department said unless the medical examiner finds out something different, it appears Kelly died of a drug overdose," reports CBS Atlanta.
Kelly, along with Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, was discovered as a young teen by Jermaine Dupri.
The rap duo quickly became famous for wearing their clothes backwards and shot to super stardom in the '90s with the group's number one Billboard hit, "Jump."
A handwritten ledger documenting author F Scott Fitzgerald's film payments from 1919 through 1938 has just been released online— shortly before the modern "Great Gatsby" movie adaptation opens in theaters May 10.
According to Fitzgerald's records, he sold the "Gatsby" film rights to Hollywood in 1926 for $16,666.00.
According to an inflation calculator, today that amount would be equal to $219,174.85.
Fitzgerald's Ledger documenting his film payments is part of the F Scott Fitzgerald collection in the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
Check out Fitzgerald's movie industry earnings, in chronological order, before commissions were taken:
Head And Shoulders - $2,500.00
Myra Meets His Family – $1,000.00
The Off Shore Pirate – $2,250.00
‘Option on my output’ – $3,000.
The Beautiful And Damned – $2,500.00
This Side Of Paradise – $10,000.00
The Camel’s Back – $1,000.00
Grit – $2,000.00
Titles for Glimpses Of The Moon – $500.00
The Great Gatsby – $16,666.00
‘California work’ on Lipstick - $3,500 00
‘Additional Payment’ The Great Gatsby - $3,333.00
‘Treatment’ Metro Goldwyn Mayer – $6,000
Elizabeth Sudduth, director of the Ernest F. Hollings Library and Rare Books Collection at the University of South Carolina, points at items in a ledger owned by author F.Scott Fitzgerald.
All told, last year's flight of Idol episodes generated a TV-high $836.4 million in ad revenue. According to Kantar Media, that was about $100 million more than what the show raked in during Season 10.
This just an amateur singing contest, after all. And yet it commands the better part of $1 billion a season in ad fees. Idol brings in that money because of its massive audience. In some seasons, it was more widely watched than the NFL:
Idol is averaging 13.3 million viewers per episode this year, season 12.
In Season 5, it delivered 30.3 million viewers.
30-second ad prices in the final 16 episodes of Season 11 averaged out at $491,781 each.
This year, as ratings for the still-huge show have shrunk, ads are going for $350,000 apiece.
Lindsay Lohanwas supposed to check into the Seafield Center in Westhampton Beach today for a 90-day court ordered stay, but instead the actress has flown to California in hopes of entering the Morningside facility in Newport Beach — which allows patients to smoke. Problem is, by not entering Seafield, Lohan has violated her plea deal. If the judge believes she has violated the deal, he can throw her in jail for 90 days.
Following 34-year-old Kriss Kross rapper Chris Kelly's death, his mom released a statement saying he is "the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party ... His legacy will live on through his music, and we will forever love him."
John Oliver will officially take over "Daily Show" hosting duties from John Stewart starting June 10. Stewart is taking a hiatus to direct a feature film about the true story of a journalist who was taken prisoner in Iraq for 118 days.
Gwyneth Paltrowwants her own "Iron Man" spin-off centered around her character, Pepper Potts. "I would love Pepper to get her own movie. In the comics, she becomes Rescue and gets her own suit. Maybe we'll push Marvel a little ... I love her. She's so sweet and she's strong."
On Tuesday, "Man vs. Wild" host Bear Grylls tweeted an utterly disgusting photo of his producer's snake-bitten foot.
The identity of the man whose foot bones were exposed after the terrible bite has finally been revealed.
Steve Rankin, a producer on the upcoming Discovery show "Naked and Afraid," tells TMZ what happened that fateful day:
"I was scouting locations in Costa Rica ... As I was traversing through some deep jungle I was bitten on the foot by a Fer-de-Lance. It's one of the deadliest snakes in the world and the fangs went right through my boot."
Rankin says his production team "hustled him for two miles on a makeshift stretcher, drove to a helipad and had him airlifted to a San Jose hospital ... where he got antivenom and antibiotics," according to TMZ.
But once there, things went horribly wrong. [STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE GRAPHIC PHOTOS.]
"About five days later the flesh in my foot had started to rot," said Rankin, explaining that surgeons in Costa Rica had to cut away a serious chunk of his foot.
Rankin was then rushed to L.A. for skin grafts, but tells the site he's recovering just fine.
Marvel and Chinese distributor DMG entertainment collaborated to produce the film.
The additional scenes revolve around two Chinese actors, Xueqi Wang and Bingbing Fan. Wang is seen in all other versions of the film as Dr. Wu briefly.
1. The film opens with the question: “What does Iron Man rely on to revitalize his energy?” Movie goers are then blasted with the words "Gu Li Duo," a milk drink in the country.
"The appearance of Yili [the manufacturers of the Gu Li Duo drink] is really shocking. And I don’t know what that Zoomlion [a brand name which appears in a China-only scene] was – and after an online search I realized it’s a heavy industry enterprise in China."
Kotaku's Eric Jou told Shanghaiist.com the version added nothing to the film:
"The Chinese version is a hot mess of poor planning. The addition of Fan Bingbing and Wang Xueqi does absolutely nothing to advance the flow and plot points of the movie, I mean, seriously who the f--- comes to China for heart surgery?"
"Iron Man 3" debuted in China Wednesday to a record-breaking $2 million midnight premiere.
The film opens Friday in the U.S. Boxoffice.com projects it to earn $157 million opening weekend.
"Kim Kardashian announced she was pregnant with their child on Dec. 31. So it wouldn't be too big a guess to say he was giving his 9.4 million followers a due date," writes The Wrap.
But Huffington Post seems to think the tweet could be an indication of when to expect West's latest album, citing his work schedule: "West is also set to appear on 'SNL,' so look for him to drop at least a new song before that appearance. Tri-state area fans will be sure to hear a sampling of the album at Governor's Ball, where he'll close out the three-day festival on June 9."
This is a tough one to interpret, but we’re going to go out on a limb and assume that it’s a release date of some kind. An album, probably, since his is supportably done. Maybe a single. Maybe it’s the official release date of The Greatest Baby Who Ever Lived. Maybe somebody called in a favor and June 18 will mark the release of new line of Rob Kardashiansocks. Who knows?
"The Great Gatsby" stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Isla Fisher all hit the red carpet Wednesday night for the film's world premiere at Lincoln Center in New York City.
After the premiere, celebs ranging from Jay-Z to Martha Stewart hit the after party at the Plaza Hotel, which was transformed to look like Gatsby’s mansion.
See who made it out for Baz Luhrmann's big night, and what everyone wore.
"Gatsby" opens in theaters May 10.
"The Great Gatsby" world premiere took place at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays title character Jay Gatsby.
Carey Mulligan has the role of his childhood love, Daisy Buchanan.
Women are having a bigger impact on our world than ever.
In the past year, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg pushed feminism back into the center of the national discourse.
In Afghanistan, a country where women used to be treated as second class citizens, parliament member Fawzia Koofi made history by announcing plans to run for president.
To recognize these and other impressive women, we asked readers for nominations and asked our reporters and editors to vote on the women who did the most in the past year to change the world.
#50 Cameron Russell
The Victoria's Secret model gave a powerful TED talk last year about the fashion industry's obsession with beauty, discouraging young women from pursuing careers in modeling. She has controversially said she "has to feel guilty" working in the industry, even as she's pushing the conversation about unrealistic standards into the forefront.
Russell has also branched off into other political ventures by running the blog ArtRoots.info, which aims to encourage grassroots public art and political power; and is director of The Big Bad Lab, focused on participatory art meant to inspire people to engage in radical demonstrations to bring about positive social change.
#49 Alice Waters
Chef Alice Waters is at the forefront of the popular "slow food" movement" that has gained momentum across the country.
Her culinary philosophy is rooted in the belief that the ingredients should come from local and sustainable farms. Her restaurant Chez Panisse supports a network of local farmers, and has inspired many others around the country to do the same. Chez Panisse was badly damaged by a fire in March, but is expected to reopen in June.
Waters is VP of Slow Food International, a global nonprofit organization that promotes local farming initiatives; and speaks out about how fast food ruins culture.
#48 Tig Notaro
Comedian Tig Notaro captured America with her vulnerable stand-up routine last August. She took the stage soon after being diagnosed with cancer, and told the audience: "With humor, the equation is tragedy plus time equals comedy. I am just at tragedy right now."
The androgynous 41-year-old also shared her sadness over the death of her mother, a breakup, and a threatening intestinal disease. During her routine, one guy said, "This is fucking awesome."
Since then, many people around the world say that she's helped them get through their own battles with cancer and other hardships.
Olivia Wilde, Lake Bell, Lo Bosworth and countless fashionistas attended the Whitney Museum's annual Art Party Wednesday night at Moynihan Station in New York City.
Sponsored by Max Mara, Belvedere and in partnership with Art.sy, a pre-sale preview of the art works alone generated close to $70,000 in funds.
See who made it out for the museum's big night.
Newly engaged actress Olivia Wilde attended solo:
Tattoo artist Scott Campbell accompanied his girlfriend, actress Lake Bell:
Reality star-turned-entrepreneur Lauren Bosworth kept it sleek and simple:
"Girls" actor Adam Driver made a rare appearance:
Yasmin Dolatabadi of Google Ideas wore her Google glass:
Model Jourdan Dunn struck a pose:
Manrepeller blogger Leandra Medine made a funny face:
Nur Khan, Chloe Norgaard, Harif Guzman showed off matching looks:
Honorary Co-Chair Hannah Bronfman got some fresh air:
Wednesday Kurtz wrote that Collins didn't admit that he was engaged to a woman.
That was factually incorrect.
In his coming out column in Sports Illustrated, Collins wrote, "When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her."
In the retraction earlier Thursday, the Daily Beast wrote simply, "The Daily Beast sincerely regrets Kurtz’s error — and any implication that Collins attempted to hide or obscure the engagement."
He posted a Daily Download video Wednesday morning talking about Collins being engaged. In it, he reiterated the lie about the engagement, and had this awkward exchange:
Kurtz: "If you leave out the fact that you dated this woman for eight years and you were engaged to be married, then you have not told the whole story. I think this really muddies the plot line here."
Co-host (Lauren Ashburn): "What are you saying he's not gay?"
Kurtz: "Well obviously in basketball terms he has played both sides of the court."
The comedian Tig Notaro did something truly revolutionary in August 2012.
She'd just been diagnosed with cancer in both breasts, and she stepped onto a stage in Los Angeles where she'd originally planned to tell jokes. The jokes didn't come, though.
Instead, Notaro talked about her cancer and the string of tragedies she'd experienced in the span of just four months. This is not the typical formula for an evening comedy show.
"With humor, the equation is tragedy plus time equals comedy," Notaro said that night. "I am just at tragedy right now."
Notaro — an androgynous 41-year-old with deadpan humor — continued to go over the truly crappy things that were still troubling her during a set that has since become legendary. The cancer diagnosis. The sudden death of her mother. A breakup. To top it all off, Notaro got a life-threatening intestinal disease that left her frighteningly thin.
"The condition I had in the hospital is called C diff. And so I just refer to it as the C diff diet. You just sit there and watch the pounds melt away. Don't like exercising? Who does, girlfriend? This diet does all the work for you. Just clear all the bacteria from your intestines and let the C diff whittle way at your waistline," she said that night.
A week after she got out of the hospital, her mother died.
"I know, it's hilarious. Then I went through a break up, right in the middle of it all. It's tough times. You can't stick around for that. Got to get out before the cancer comes," she added.
The audience was rapt. People looked on sympathetically, but they also laughed. At one point, she suggested telling goofy jokes instead of talking about her cancer, to which one man shouted, "This is f---ing amazing."
Notaro's dry take on her cancer that night was indeed funny. It was also incredibly raw and one of the most emotionally honest performances in recent memory. (You can listen to the entire thing here.)
"It's OK. It's going to be OK. It might not be OK. But I'm just saying, it's OK. You're going to be OK. I don't know what's going on with me," she said.
She didn't plan on going on stage to talk about her tragedy. The first part of her performance — "Good evening. Hello. I have cancer." — popped into her head in the shower an hour and a half before the performance, Notaro told Business Insider.
Once she got on stage, she says, she was consumed with thoughts of dying.
"I was just so scared that my life was about to slip away. When I went on stage I didn't have all the information yet," she told us. "It [The cancer] was bilateral. It was invasive. I just didn't know a lot. It was standup but it was also just me being on my knees in a way."
It turns out Notaro will probably be fine. She had a double mastectomy, and there's only a 7% chance that her cancer will come back.
But her few moments on her knees before a live audience have touched a lot of people. She gets letters every single day from people with cancer, and from people who are dying of other diseases. People tell her she's helped them get through their own impossibly rough times.
"This one guy he was in his early 30s and he had pancreatic cancer he said he felt like it [her set] gave him courage, like he could do this," Notaro said. "And it was terminal cancer."
"Tig took us to a scary place and made us laugh there," he writes. "She proved that everything is funny. And has to be."
By taking everybody to that scary place, Notaro showed us that we can stare tragedy in the face and laugh despite our terror. Notaro admits the cancer has changed her. She's more honest than ever, and she doesn't stay angry at people. But one thing won't change.
"I love silliness," she says. "That will never go away."
Reporter Howard Kurtz was let go by the Daily Beast hours after retracting his article that incorrectly said gay NBA player Jason Collins didn't tell the truth about his engagement to a woman.
That article wasn't the only thing Kurtz said about Collins yesterday.
He also made this video with Lauren Ashburn for the website Daily Download.
In it, Kurtz reiterates the factually inaccurate statement about Collins' engagement, and makes an off-color comment about him "playing both sides of the court."
The entire tone of the conversation is accusatory and oddly snarky, and the "playing both sides" part is downright uncomfortable.
We can't find the video in the Daily Download YouTube page anymore, so we're guessing that it was taken down after the article was retracted.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned the next film from Steven Spielberg will be about Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper the U.S. military has ever had.
The film, titled "American Sniper," will be based on Kyle's memoir of the same name, which chronicles his 10-year career as a Navy SEAL sniper. With service in every major battle of the Iraq war and 225 confirmed kills, Kyle was so effective the enemy called him "The Devil Of Ramadi" and offered an $80,000 bounty on his head.
Actor Bradley Cooper of "The Hangover" fame will star as Kyle in the Warner Bros. production, slated for release in early 2014.
His first kill was a woman about to throw a hand-grenade at a group of Marines. His most distant kill was from 2,100 yards away outside Sadr City in 2008.
It was there he saw a man leveling a rocket launcher at an Army convoy and fired a single round from his .338 Lapua Magnum rifle with its Nightforce power scope.
From that distance, Kyle had to factor in terrain, wind, elevation, vibration from the shot, and even the Coriolis effect where the rotation of the earth affects where the bullet arrives.
Despite surviving heavy combat overseas and returning to head his own company, Kyle was killed earlier this year by a fellow veteran at a shooting range. His memorial service brought more than 7,000 attendees and his funeral procession stretched for miles.
When Mountain Dew released its first "Felicia the Goat" commercial back on March 20, PepsiCo thought it had a good thing going. The spot is bizarre: An angry caprine (voiced by rapper Tyler, The Creator) beats up a waitress after she fails to give him enough fluorescent green soda.
The goat is shown in a lineup with five black men and viewers can hear Tyler's voice intimidating the injured, terrified waitress, "Snitches get stitches, foo," and "Keep ya mouth shut, I'm going to get out of here and Dew you up!" She runs out, near tears. (You can watch all the ads below.)
Things looked alright for Mountain Dew for a couple days. Tyler angrily responded to some confusion as to who the woman in the last ad was:
Watkins wrote a scathing review of the "racist" elements in the ad:
"Of course, in the world of Mountain Dew, every single suspect is black. Not just regular black people, but the kinds of ratchety negroes you might find in the middle of any hip-hop minstrel show. Mountain Dew has set a new low for corporate racism. Their decision to lean on well-known racial stereotypes is beyond disgusting. This doesn't even include the fact that the company has put black men on par with animals."
Watkins fears, "Even worse is that Mountain Dew probably thinks this ad is acceptable because they got the OK from a black man."
In crisis mode, Mountain Dew quickly issued the statement: "We apologize for this video and take full responsibility. We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well."
But when Business Insider asked if they planned on having Tyler, The Creator apologize, a rep declined to comment.
Without fully saying sorry, Tyler's manager Christian Clancy posted on his Tumblr, "It was never Tyler's intention to offend however offense is personal and valid to anyone who is offended."
Even though Mountain Dew said it was only removing the final video, it removed the others as well.
But it's impossible to erase a video from the internet, so some are still available on rogue YouTube accounts.
How It Happened
The real question everyone is asking is how on earth this ad got approved in the first place.
PepsiCo spokesperson Jen Ryan saidthat Tyler had "final approval" over the ad but did not know the details of PepsiCo's involvement. The ad was never intended to run on TV." (The first commercial did air on television.)
But even if Mountain Dew did give Tyler free reign, it definitely knew what to expect.
Rap Radar posted a video on April 29, after the last ad was released but before the controversy spread, in which Tyler explained to a crowded audience (including Mountain Dew reps) how the soda company approached him to tap into his creative talent and loved his concept.
He excitedly recalled the pitch: "Alright, it's a f***ing goat, right? It's a goat and he's going to drink the f***ing Mountain Dew, and he's gonna yell at the lady, and the cops are going to pull him over, and then he's going to be in jail and then he gonna do PCP."
Tyler admitted that he didn't think that Mountain Dew would love "some stupid idea I come up with five minutes before the meeting ... I'm so used to people saying, 'That's f***ing retarded, and I'm looking at Clancy like, 'Yo are they serious' and they actually liked it."
Mountain Dew was was him when he went to the Valley in LA to look at goats.
A Bloomberg article from April 2012 noted PepsiCo's explicit attempts to "bring urban cool to [the] Mountain Dew image." While it had a handle on cities like Nebraska and Kentucky, Mountain Dew was aiming to target a younger and more diverse audience in New York, LA, Miami, and New Orleans.
“It’s been a matter of messaging,” VP of marketing Brett O’Brien told Bloomberg. “We haven’t really talked to this differentiated, emerging teen base as much as we have that heartland consumer.”
So Mountain Dew signed rapper Lil Wayne as a spokesperson to tap into that market.
But Lil Wayne also caused problems for Mountain Dew this week over lyrics in his song "Karate Chop," about how he wanted to "beat the p***y up like Emmett Till." Till is a civil rights figure who was beaten to death for allegedly whistling at a white woman in 1955.
"Don't do the Dew. His biggest endorsement is through Pepsi's Mountain Dew. Stop buying it, stop lining his pockets. People are outraged because they feel that he should apologize to our family," a Till representative said to camera."
One of the risks of signing with edgy artists with a young following is that they received their edgy reputation by pushing the limits and ignoring social norms.
Tyler told Rap Radar he was gratified that Mountain Dew had put that aside and was willing to give his new, adult self a shot: "Finally someone looked past the rape or the devil worshiping or the immaturity which is evident in the ad, and they gave me a chance and let me be f***ing seven years old with their product."
"Iron Man 3" is upon us and it's time to catch up on the franchise. We care because you care, and because Robert Downey Jr.'s past Iron Man movies have grossed $1.3 billion, between "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2," and "Marvel's The Avengers."
Expect that number to get a lot higher with "Iron Man 3," which opens in the U.S. Friday, May 5 after debuting overseas to a massive $195 million haul.
However, as hot as the series is, many people still don't know the story of billionaire playboy Tony Stark and his adventures as Iron Man. We're here to help out with that.
Time to get caught up on "Iron Man" and get psyched for "Iron Man 3."
Meet Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.): a narcissistic, billionaire playboy in charge of his father's weapons and defense technology company, "Stark Industries."
He travels the world demonstrating defense technology to interested buyers.
During a missile demo in Afghanistan for the army ...
Video of Reese Witherspoon's recent disorderly conduct arrest feels more like an episode of "Punk'd" than real life.
In footage obtained by TMZ from law enforcement sources, Witherspoon is seen acting out and telling cops lies such as "I'm pregnant" while her husband is getting arrested for DUI.
In this first video, Witherspoon gets out of the car and yells at the cop: "You're about to find out who I am" and "You're harassing me as an American citizen."
After Witherspoon's tirade, her husband Jim Toth actually apologizes to the cop, saying "I'm sorry, I had nothing to do with that."
The first cover of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" in 1925 features the artwork of Francis Cugat.
"Celestial Eyes," the name of the painting, is inarguably one of the most recognizable book covers ever created.
Fitzgerald took such a fancy to the artwork that he wrote it into the book.
If you head to bookstores now, you may be hard-pressed to find those eyes staring out at you.
Last week, publisher Scribner released a movie tie-in edition of the classic featuring Leonardo DiCaprio looking out at the reader with Carey Mulligan looking distantly onward below.
If you're partial to the original jacket, don't worry. You can still purchase the classic look.
The New York Times reports Scribner sells approximately 500,000 copies of the book each year.
Since its initial printing in 1925, "The Great Gatsby" has been translated into 42 languages including Spanish, French, and Russian.
Though Cugat's book jacket is the most iconic one to associate the book with today, its far from the only fancy book art.
We've compiled some of the different covers of the book since its launch.
"The Great Gatsby" is in theaters May 10.
There are many variations on the American version of the novel. Many reference the lavishness and looks of the roaring '20s:
This version cleverly hides Daisy's face to keep the illusion of her face.
While another highlights Gatsby's car from the trailer.
This one references the green light from the book.
A movie tie-in with the 1949 film features Alan Ladd in one of the novel's end scenes. Note the line at the top, "The Great Novel Of The Sinful Twenties."
In other countries, the book looks really different. Here's one version of a book in China.
This Russian paperback is more regal.
A Swedish version of the book depicts a climactic scene from the book.
This French cover suggests a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy.
A handwritten ledger documenting author F Scott Fitzgerald's film payments from 1919 through 1938 has 
On Tuesday, "Man vs. Wild" host Bear Grylls tweeted an utterly disgusting photo of his producer's 
"The Great Gatsby" stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Isla Fisher all hit the red carpet Wednesday night for the film's 
Watkins wrote a scathing review of the "racist" elements in the ad:
A 
This one references the green light from the book.
A movie tie-in with the 
In other countries, the book looks really different. Here's one version of a book in China.
