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It's Kind Of Ridiculous That MTV Bleeped The Word 'Molly' During The VMAs

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miley cyrus mtv vmas

If you watched MTV's Video Music Awards, it may have seemed a bit strange when parts of Miley Cyrus and Kanye West's performances were censored. 

For the most part, the lyrics being censored weren't obscenities.  

Fans of the two songs know among the bleeped content were drug references to "molly" aka MDMA aka ecstasy. 

Here are the lyrics that were bleeped.

From "We Can't Stop":  

"So la da di da di, we like to party
dancing with Molly 
doing whatever we want"

From Kanye's "Blood on the Leaves":

"Let's take it back to the first party
When you tried your first molly" 

It's not just the VMAs that censor the lyric. The radio does it, too. 

Younger viewers would probably easily miss the drug reference if it wasn't bleeped. If anything, the abrupt censor would bring more attention to the obscured lyric, prompting kids to ask about the questionable lyrics. 

Yet while MTV bleeps the word "molly" saving our ears from a drug reference, it has no problem showing us Lady Gaga strut around the stage in a seashell bikini thong or Cyrus gyrating against Beetlejuice-clad Robin Thicke.

lady gaga sea shell bikini vmas mtv

miley cyrus vma twerk

Cyrus has previously opened up about the censoring of the controversial lyric to The Daily Mail:

"It depends who's doing what. If you're aged 10, [the lyric is] 'Miley,' if you know what I'm talking about then you know. I just wanted it to be played on the radio and they've already had to edit it so much,"  says Cyrus. "I don't think people have a hard time understanding that I've grown up. You can Google me and you know what I'm up to -- you know what that lyric is saying."

SEE ALSO: Miley Cyrus' crazy VMA performance

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This 'Breaking Bad' Mashup Sums Up Everyone's Reaction To Miley Cyrus' Wild VMA Performance

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The two most talked about events from Sunday evening (other than the Smith family reaction to an MTV video music award performance) were Miley Cyrus' wild VMA act and "Breaking Bad."

Quick recaps:

Miley Cyrus twerked around onstage to her hit "We Can't Stop" before stripping down to a nude bikini to dance alongside — and on — Robin Thicke.

Meanwhile, on "Breaking Bad" (SPOILERS!) Hank (Dean Norris) and wife Marie (Betsy Brandt) horrifYingly watch a supposed "confession" tape made by brother-in-law and meth kingpin Walter White that actually pins all wrongdoings on Hank. 

Since then, the two following GIFs have circled the Internet:

miley cyrus vma twerk

breaking bad confession tape

Cyrus' performance has shocked everyone from media to viewers and the Parents Television Council.

YouTube user Sam Barnett made an excellent mashup of the two showing (what looks like) Hank and Marie's reaction to Cyrus' raunchy performance.

Last night the video was at 26 views. Since then, it has blown up and has surpassed 400,000 views.

SEE ALSO: Miley Cyrus' full VMA performance

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Ireland Baldwin Writes Revealing Blog Post Welcoming New Sister To 'Cursed, Crazy Family'

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Ireland Baldwin Alec Baldwin Hilaria Baldwin

Alec Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, welcomed a baby daughter last week named Carmen Gabriela.

Alec's 17-year-old model daughter, Ireland, welcomed her new half-sister by posting a note to Instagram that read "I have a f------ sister!!!"

Ireland, whose mom is Kim Basinger, later wrote a long, revealing blog post on her Tumblr account, offering advice for her new little sis on how to navigate the world.

"I love you, Carmen. You have been born into one crazy family," Ireland warns. "You are both lucky and cursed at the same time."

Ireland was the recipient of her father's much publicized, hateful voicemails in 2011 when he called her a "rude, thoughtless little pig" during a custody battle.

"Parents are cray cray and sometimes you want to just put a muzzle on it," she wrote in the post. "BUT they don't make muzzles for parents and again, it just isn't worth it. Just say you're sorry and leave it at that."

Despite now having a close relationship with her famous parents, she admits their journey has had its bumps.

"I have said many things to our Dad and to my mom that I regret terribly. I have hurt their feelings countless times," Ireland continued. "It isn't worth it. Don't dish s--tty things right back at them. Don't say things out of anger. You will get extremely annoyed with your parents. TRUST ME."

She also advises her new sister on drugs and alcohol: "Don't be that girl that get's wasted at parties and crawls on bathroom floors. It ain't cute. Luckily, I've never there, but I have gotten too drunk. Usually I would just pet people like farm animals and turn into a lesbotron and try to kiss a bunch of girls."

Ireland, often an over-sharer, doesn't stop there. She also warns Carmen about smoking weed at parties, telling her to do it "somewhere safe. With people you trust." 

And if a guy is pressuring her about sex, the big sis warns "If you don't want to do it, say no. I'll probably be parked in a minivan outside of your parties with binoculars….So no funny business."

Read the TMI blog post in its entirety here >

SEE ALSO: Meet the beautiful young daughters of the Baldwin brothers

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Everybody Is Missing Miley Cyrus's Sad And Devastating Message

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miley cyrus we can't stop

Miley Cyrus, currently enjoying a bout of publicity due to an interestingly choreographed performance at the VMAs, is currently riding off the popularity of her song of the summer "We Can't Stop."

This is the song that she performed at the MTV Video Music Awards in Brooklyn on Sunday night.

Commonly misconstrued as a vivacious summer "party anthem," there's something insidious going on in Miley's big hit.

See, the song isn't happy. 

It's a song about being stuck in a cycle, and being unable to leave. The key line isn't "we won't stop" or "don't stop," it's "we can't stop." 

miley cyrus we can't stopThere's ample evidence in the song that the subject is unhappy. There's the slowness. There's the fact that it's written in a minor key.

There's the foreboding, deep, potentially male voice that's first to sing the refrain ("It's our party, we can do what we want," etc.) in the beginning of the song. 

There are several lines that also call into question the interpretation that all is right. For instance, while "we came to have so much fun now," clearly they have not. How do we know this? Well, they're "not ready to go home" for starters. 

And of course, they can't stop. 

This song is distinctly different from a similar song — on paper at least — "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha. Both are about getting ready for a party, then going to that party, then articulating the intention to continue with the party until dawn. 

However, contrast the tempos, and the inflection of the core credo. Ke$ha rallies the troops with "Don't stop, make it pop, DJ blow my speakers up tonight, Im'ma fight, 'til we see the sunlight!"

miley cyrus we can't stopMiley? "We can't stop, we won't stop," she drones. "We run things, things don't run we," she insists. 

So why the difference between the hedonist anthems?

The drug use in Cyrus' song is more than an oblique reference to MDMA, or "molly," and forms a central theme. "Everyone in line in the bathroom, trying to get a line in the bathroom" is clearly about doing lines in the bathroom. 

The line "can't you see it's we who own the night" is also rather interesting, as the phrase "we own the night" was used by the NYPD in the 1980s to publicize their anti-drug efforts. 

And while normally casual designer drug use would be a crucial part of any self-respecting party anthem in this day and age, the inflection is mechanical, and the repetition of the song itself conveys a cycle. A cycle they, yes, can't stop.  

miley cyrus we can't stopBecause here's the thing about Molly (MDMA): The drug brings about a euphoric feeling by increasing the presence of three neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

These are the chemicals that, for all intents and purposes, make you feel happy. 

MDMA makes these three neurotransmitters release in your brain, and then prevents them from being absorbed back.

Since they're just hanging out in your brain, you feel happy for the entire course of the drug as they're released and prevented from being removed from the system. 

miley cyrus we can't stopBut, you don't have an infinite supply of them.

When you deplete serotonin, it takes a while to get back to normal serotonin levels.

As a result, regular MDMA abusers get serotonin hangovers several days later, because they have actually run out of the brain molecule that makes them feel happy.

This results in difficulty concentrating, fatigue, emotional exhaustion, sleep disturbance, low to no self esteem and social withdrawal. 

In order to get out of this, some addicts might take MDMA again, in order to draw from the reservoir and get back on top, but this is robbing Peter to pay Paul when it comes to serotonin.

This is what "We Can't Stop" is about, because once this cycle stops, the facade will be over.

The narrator will have to endure the dissolution of the party.

miley cyrus we can't stopWorst of all, the narrator will have to bounce back without the use of the drug. 

And if you don't believe it, just watch the video. 

While generally speaking the video should be considered a separate work from the song itself, here the video only bolsters our perspective. 

It's permeated by a sense of foreboding, designed to make the viewer ill at ease, and full of potent imagery that is anything but fulfilling.

An unhappy man devours a money sandwich, remaining unsatisfied.

It's one of the most literal articulations of un-fulfilling monetary consumption in recent memory.

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There's the imagery of self harm — a skull is crushed beneath a boot, and someone slowly, gingerly cuts off their fingers about the knuckles. Happy people don't do that. 

Miley, at one point, is in a swimming pool full of attractive young twenty-somethings straight out of central casting. Whom does Miley gravitate to?

Well it's a plastic, unrealistic puppet, an internally dead thing that's easily manipulated and doesn't say no. 

But in the middle of the video, you see the most potent symbol of the entire song.

You see a series of taxidermied animals.

miley cyrus we can't stop

One animal is placed in front of a mirror, an effect which makes it appear that the animal is not really alone, that's it's supported by a circle of understanding, identical companions. But it's not. It's alone. 

The line of the song that this occurs during, for what it's worth, is "Forget the haters, because somebody loves us."

By they way, it's wearing sunglasses — Miley's sunglasses — to hide its dead eyes.  

One animal is dragged on a cart, forced into motion. 

Lastly, the first animal is cradled by Miley as she walks to "the line for the bathroom, trying to get a line in the bathroom," as she stares directly into the camera. 

miley cyrus we can't stop

Because here's the interesting thing about taxidermied animals ...

They're vivacious, vibrant, realistic on the outside, set into a "natural" pose designed, just for a second, for the person not looking too closely, to convey that the animal is alive, behaving as it normally would.  

But really, the animal is dead, gutted, and stuffed on the inside, and only preserved from rot thanks to a multitude of chemicals.

That's what "We can't stop" is about. 

As noted before, the song starts with a deep, ominous male voice repeating "It's our party we can do what we want," but the voice could easily be Miley's just slowed down with computers, projected years into the future, when she's still stuck in the club and totally exhausted.

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: Celine Dion Is Selling Her Lavish Florida Compound For $72 Million

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Celine Dion has put up her gorgeous compound on Florida's Jupiter Island on the market for $72 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The home, which is jointly listed by Sotheby's International Realty agents Joseph Montanaro and Cristina Condon, was custom-built and designed in 2010 by Celine Dion herself.

She and her manager husband Reneé Angélil bought the lot of land in 2005 for $12.5 million and the adjacent mansion in 2008 for $7 million, The WSJ reports. They then razed to build the current spread.

The five-and-a-half-acre property has views of the Atlantic Ocean, a four-bedroom guest house, a simulated golf range, pool house, and three separate pools.

The main residence alone measures close to 10,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and a custom-designed, walk-in closet with automated rack for clothing and automated carousel for shoes.

Last year, Dion listed her home on a private island in Quebec for $29.3 million; it's still on the market.

Welcome to Celine Dion's 5.5-acre compound on Jupiter Island in Florida.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty



The singer is selling the property for $72 million.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty



She and her husband custom-designed the property themselves after buying two lots and razing one of the existing homes.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






Cool Animated Alternate Endings To 'Iron Man 3' Show How The Film Could Have Been Different

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The "Iron Man 3" DVD and Blu-ray won't be released until September 24, but features from the film are already hitting the web.

A few alternate scenes to the film including different endings have popped up on YouTube.

The animated sequences are from artist Federico D'Alessandro who is the animatics supervisor and storyboard artist on Marvel films including "Iron Man 3," "The Avengers," and the upcoming "Thor: The Dark World."

Check them out below:

[h/t Playlist]

SEE ALSO: Why Warner Bros. had to pick Ben Affleck to play Batman

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'Breaking Bad' Actress Anna Gunn Explains Why Fans Hate Her Character, Skyler

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skyler breaking badIf you watch AMC's hit series "Breaking Bad" you probably aren't a huge fan of Walter White's wife Skyler (Anna Gunn).  

Since season one, fans have seen her as a nagging, pestering, cheating wife who gets in the way of Walt trying to run a successful meth business. 

In a New York Times op-ed, Gunn explains how it's normal for the viewer to empathize with and root for Walt since he's the show's protagonist. Since her reactions go against Walt, she's easily seen as a foe even though she's acing in a rational manner. 

Here's part of her response to the message board haters: 

"As an actress, I realize that viewers are entitled to have whatever feelings they want about the characters they watch. But as a human being, I’m concerned that so many people react to Skyler with such venom. Could it be that they can’t stand a woman who won’t suffer silently or “stand by her man”? That they despise her because she won’t back down or give up? Or because she is, in fact, Walter’s equal?"

In the end, Gunn decided it comes down to gender. 

"But I finally realized that most people’s hatred of Skyler had little to do with me and a lot to do with their own perception of women and wives. Because Skyler didn’t conform to a comfortable ideal of the archetypical female, she had become a kind of Rorschach test for society, a measure of our attitudes toward gender." 

Read Gunn's complete op-ed on The New York Times.

More "Breaking Bad": The most intense moments from this week's episode

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RELAX, AMERICA: Miley Cyrus Didn't Destroy Her Career -- She Created A New One!

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Howard Bragman is the vice chairman of Reputation.com, author of the book "Where’s My Fifteen Minutes?" and a seasoned Hollywood publicist of 30 years.

And he's good friends with Miley Cyrus' rock star dad, Billy Ray Cyrus.

In light of 20-year-old Miley's raunchy MTV Video Music Awards performance on Sunday, Bragman tells Business Insider, "I think it's hard for parents to watch, but that's part of having a kid in entertainment."

Howard Bragman publicist"I know Billy Ray really well; I've worked with him and he's my friend, and I think he adores Miley and respects her talent a great deal," adds Bragman. "He understands that this is how it works in this business."

But Bragman, who has consulted on dozens of celebrity careers, says don't count Miley out despite all of the negative attention following her VMA performance.

"It's a rite of passage, particularly with these Disney girls. They seem to want to say 'hey, I'm not that little kid anymore, I'm a grown up lady.'"

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"Effectively she killed Hannah Montana Sunday night," says Bragman. "Long live Miley Cyrus, I think that was the message."

The veteran Hollywood publicist explains, "I understand it from a psychological point of view and a marketing point of view."

"From a psychological point of view, everyone tells Miley that they loved her as Hannah Montana and I'm sure she wants to throw up," he explains bluntly. "From a marketing point of view, these artists want to carry their audience with them — which is hard to do. It's easy to be hot for a while but in music in particular, it's hard to keep that going."

So how does Miley "keep that going" and where does she go from here?

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"I think she has a different kind of path ahead of her, different kind of music," says Bragman. "Whether you liked it or not, she made her point. She had to be the caterpillar that shed her skin and now we're going to see what butterfly she's going to become."

As for how to do that, Bragman advises "All it takes is a couple good songs and you're relevant and you're hot. It's less about branding and more about what resonates. I think this is part of her finding herself and finding her new brand."

While some reports state that Miley's team is "freaking out" over her nearly naked twerk-tastic VMA performance, Bragman argues "I think they're thrilled."

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"The VMAs were up 66% in viewers, she got over 300,000 tweets per minute, I do not think that any damage was done."

But Bragman also doesn't think that it's the people behind Miley who are pushing her new look and act.

"I think Miley's been in the business a very long time; I know her, she has opinions," Bragman tells Business Insider. "She wouldn't do it if she didn't feel comfortable doing this."

Bragman adds, "You look at all the people who performed that night and we're all talking about Miley —who didn't win an award. But she won the night."

SEE ALSO: Miley Cyrus' Had The Craziest Performance Of The VMAs

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Madonna Tops Forbes' List Of Highest-Paid Celebrities

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madonna superbowl 2012It's official: Madonna has more than enough money for any Material Girl.

The international pop superstar leads Forbes' list of Highest-Paid Celebrities of 2013, clocking in at a cool $125 million.

Her earnings come as a slight surprise in light of her latest album flop. "MDNA" sold fewer than 1 million copies in the U.S., according to Forbes.

Rolling Stone destroyed the single, "Give Me All Your Luvin," in its review, saying the "aggressive, assaultive spunkiness makes you want to run and hide."

However, the singer's throwback tour grossed an impressive $305 million, in addition to merchandise sales, a clothing line, fragrance, and investments in companies like Vita Coco.

The Brits claimed three out of the top five spots on Forbes' list. TV personality Simon Cowell leapt from 10th place, with an increase of $5 million in earnings, and "50 Shades of Grey" author E.L. James made the ranks for the first time.

Others fell from grace, including no-shows Dr. Dre, George Lucas, Elton John, Tom Cruise, Manny Pacquiao, Donald Trump, Ryan Seacrest, Britney Spears.

Last year's top-earner, the queen of daytime television Oprah Winfrey sunk to an unlucky 13th place. Her earnings fell by a staggering $88 million, compounded by a loss of $125 million the year before. Despite the dip, Oprah topped Forbes' list of most powerful celebrities earlier this summer.

Here's the full list of Forbes' Highest-Paid Celebrities of 2013 (with their 2012 rankings in parentheses):

1. Madonna — $125 million

2. Steven Spielberg — $100 million (#3)

3. Simon Cowell — $95  million (#10)

4. E.L. James — $95 million

5. Howard Stern — $95 million (#7)

6. James Patterson — $91 million ($8)

7. Glenn Beck — $90 million (#11)

8. Michael Bay — $82 million (#2)

9. Jerry Bruckheimer — $80 million (#4)

10. Lady Gaga — $80 million

11. Tyler Perry — $78 million (#6)

12. Tiger Woods — $78 million (#21)

13. Oprah Winfrey — $77 million (#1)

14. Robert Downey Jr. — $75 million

15. Dr. Phil McGraw — $72 million (#17)

16. Roger Federer — $71 million

17. Dick Wolf — $70 million (#14)

18. Rush Limbaugh — $66 million (#15)

18. Toby Keith — $65 million

20. Mark Burnett — $63 million

SEE ALSO: Angelina Jolie Tops Forbes' Highest-Paid Actress List

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JAMIE OLIVER: Poor Families Choose The Worst 'Cheap' Meals To Eat

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As a celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver has garnered both praise and criticism for his reality TV-backed mission to put healthy foods on tables around the world.

The British import most recently went back home to the UK to launch a new series, "Jamie's Money Saving Meals" to give consumers tips on trimming their grocery bill.

But it's not an easy job to do, Oliver told the Huffington Post UK.

"The fascinating thing for me is that seven times out of 10, the poorest families in this country choose the most expensive way to hydrate and feed their families. The ready meals, the convenience foods," he said.

He went on to compare poor families in developed nations to those he's met on his travels to countries with excruciatingly high levels of poverty. You won't find Big Macs on a lot of their tables, he argues. 

"I meet people who say, 'You don't understand what it's like [to be poor].' I just want to hug them and teleport them to the Sicilian street cleaner who has 25 mussels, 10 cherry tomatoes, and a packet of spaghetti for 60 pence, and knocks out the most amazing pasta," he said. "You go to Italy or Spain and they eat well on not much money." 

We don't find much at issue with Oliver's overall mission here, but he seems to have missed a crucial point: Poor people in developed countries often find themselves literally surrounded by convenience foods. That's what makes them convenient. Hopping on a train or using precious gas money to get to their nearest green grocer 5 miles outside of their neighborhood isn't exactly worth saving a few bucks

Just visit any street in the South Bronx, one of the poorest New York City's neighborhoods where the unemployment rate has been the double digits for years. Count the number of fast food restaurants and convenience stores per block versus the number of fresh produce markets and that might explain how Easy Mac and Hamburger Helper wind up on the menu more often than Sicilian seafood pasta. 

In any case, hopefully shows like Oliver's (and plenty of other like-minded initiatives around the world) will help attack the issue from both sides: not only teaching people that they should eat healthy foods, but also dispelling the myth that they must always be the pricier option.

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Eminem Releases New Single 'Berzerk' Off Next Album

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Eminem is back, folks.

After previewing new song "Survival" earlier this month, Eminem announced the title and release date of his anticipated eighth studio album during MTV's Video Music Awards Sunday night.

MMLP2 (following the title of Eminem's successful 2000 album Marshall Mather LP) will be released November 5.

This will be the rapper's first album since 2010's "Recovery."

Listen to the song below:

Right now, the Twitterverse is going crazy passing along "lyrics" to the song that trash Miley Cyrus. 

The fast-spreading lyrics are fake, having originated on Twitter handle @SlimShadyRaps.

So many people are attributing the lyrics to the actual singer that the user tweeted out a disclaimer:

More Eminem:  Listen to his other single, "Survival"

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Fandango Buys Promotional Reward Service Quantum

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fandango president paul yanoverTicket seller Fandango has purchased promotional service Quantum Rewards.

The company announced the acquisition Wednesday making it number one in movie ticket promotions.

The purchase also gives Fandango the rights to Quantum's lucrative Hollywood Movie Money currency — gift certificates for tickets — which will help the company expand its promotions for free and discounted tickets. 

“We look forward to working with the Quantum team to build on Hollywood Movie Money’s momentum and help drive even more movie fans into theaters,"  said Paul Yanover, President of Fandango, in a statement.

Since last summer, the company has seen more than a 75% increase in mobile ticket sales. Mobile currently makes up 44% of Fandango's sales. 

Fandango has not disclosed how much it spent to acquire Quantum. 

Here's the full release.

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Matt Damon Says He Won't Play Robin In Batman/Superman Movie

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Last week, the entertainment news world was rocked when Ben Affleck was announced to play the next Batman 

While Batfleck sparked a heavy Twitter backlash and multiple online petitions, many were quick to joke that long-time pal Matt Damon would be cast as Robin. 

Rest assured it doesn't look like that's happening … yet. 

While promoting his latest film, sci-fi thriller "Elysium" abroad, Damon told The Times of India he has no plans to reunite the dynamic duo.

"I am a little older than Ben. I never saw Robin as older than Batman," says Damon. "Somebody sent me a picture actually (of his face photoshopped on Robin's body and Ben's on Batman's). It was really funny. But it's safe to say I won't be Robin." 

While Damon says he won't play the boy wonder, another rumor going around is that he's up for the role of Aquaman or Martian Manhunter in an upcoming Warner Bros. film tied to the DC universe. 

And for all the naysayers bringing on the Batfleck hate? Damon thinks Affleck will do a great job taking the mantle of the bat from Christian Bale. 

 "It will be terrific. I know there are a lot of people grousing on the internet," says Damon. "I just think it's kind of funny. You know, he's not playing King Lear. It's Batman! Certainly within his skill set. If anybody saw Argo or The Town, and all the work he's been doing lately, it's way more nuanced and interesting and way more difficult than Batman! Batman just sits there with his cowl over his head and whispers in a kinda gruff voice at people. Bruce Wayne is the more challenging part of the role, and Ben will be great at that." 

The Batman / Superman film is scheduled for a July 17 release and begins filming early next year.

SEE ALSO: Why Warner Bros. had to pick Ben Affleck to play Batman

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JOB OF THE WEEK: Director of Business Intelligence

'Twerk' Is Now A Word In Oxford Dictionary Thanks To Miley Cyrus

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miley cyrus twerk"Twerk" has been added to Oxford Dictionaries Online— and the world can thank Miley Cyrus for making it happen. 

Quartz broke the news on Tuesday, announcing that the Oxford University Press, which publishes the more popular Oxford English Dictionary, approved a slew of tech slang and pop culture references for its online edition.

Here's how ODO defines the verb:

twerk (v.): to dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance 

Quartz reports the print dictionary will not include the word.

The word became prominent after Cyrus uploaded a video "twerking" in a unicorn onesie to her Facebook page in March.

miley cyrus twerk unicorn

miley cyrus twerk unicorn

The dance craze has since exploded, and everyone was talking about Cyrus' demonstration at the MTV Video Music Awards this past weekend.

"Oxford English Dictionary" began trending on Twitter Wednesday morning.

People seem generally disgusted by the word's new authority.

Phablet, selfie, bitcoin, emoji, FOMO, girl crush, Internet of things, jorts, srsly, vom, and derp, which we helped make happen, also made their way into the online dictionary.

SEE ALSO: Miley Cyrus' Had The Craziest Performance Of The VMAs

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How Twitter's Star New Hire Nathan Hubbard Transitioned From A Touring Singer-Songwriter To A Top Tech Executive

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This week, Twitter announced a big new hire. Nathan Hubbard, 38, has joined the 140-character platform as its first-ever Head of Commerce. 

Who is Hubbard and how's he going to boost Twitter's bottom line?

Hubbard, 38, didn't always work in tech. After earning an MBA from Stanford, Hubbard pursued music. The singer-songwriter toured with his acoustic band, Rockwell Church, and released five albums, according to Fast Company's Chuck Salter. In its prime, Rockwell Church was performing 200 times per year. "Church" is Hubbard's middle name.

Soon, Hubbard transitioned from an artist to a businessman. Friends were skeptical, but Hubbard saw it as a way to influence an industry he's passionate about.

"Any artist who cares about this industry would die to be in my chair and try to make sweeping changes," he told Fast Company. 

Hubbard landed at Musictoday, an entertainment marketing company created by the manager of Dave Matthews Band, Coran Capshaw. There, he helped sell merchandise for artists like John Legend and became the company's CEO.

Four years later, Musictoday was acquired by Live Nation. Hubbard became CEO of E-commerce at Live Nation, overseeing all ticketing and digital initiatives. His team was responsible for launching a ticketing platform that rivaled Ticketmaster in 2009.

In 2010, Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged. Hubbard became CEO of Ticketing at the newly formed company.

Hubbard may be young, but he's chock full of experience. When he joined Ticketmaster, he had never managed a company that size, with 3,000 employees and $1.2 billion in revenue. But his former boss told Fast Company then, "Behind that baby face is a wealth of experience. He has the greatest credentials in the business."

Now, as Twitter's Head of Commerce, the former Ticketmaster president will report to Head of Global Revenue, Adam Bain. Hubbard has been tasked with opening up a new revenue stream for Twitter and helping grow the startup's bottom line before its impending IPO, which could come later this year or early next. Twitter is reportedly aiming to generate $1 billion in 2014. This year, the company is expected to pull in more than $500 million and it has been able to monetize mobile better than most other companies.

Twitter isn't going into the payments business, but it will help retailers sell items directly through their 140-characters. Twitter may then take a percentage of each transition. 

Hubbard's plan is simple. "We're going to go to people who have stuff to sell and help them sell it to Twitter more effectively," Hubbard tells Bloomberg West's Jon Erlichman. 

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Forget Ben Affleck — Here Are 9 Other Actors Who Could Have Easily Played Batman

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The Internet went insane over the casting choice of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel. 

Since Warner Bros. announced Affleck would be Gotham's new Dark Knight, many have expressed outrage through petitions and social media.

After all, it's difficult to imagine Affleck do dark and broody after his performance in "Daredevil."

The hashtag #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck quickly became popular suggesting both serious and ridiculous suggestions to replace the actor.

Warner Bros. never would have gone with an unknown as Batman. It needed a big A-list actor to take on the role of DC's most popular superhero.

Regardless, we've still put together a list of a few other actors who could definitely play the part.

Have your own casting choices? Add them below.

Ryan Gosling

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gosling was in the running to don the cape and cowl; however, the "Drive" actor says he doesn't do sequels.

"The Notebook" aside, not only is he one of the hottest actors out there right now, but he also has equal appeal with women and men. If Ryan Gosling was Bruce Wayne, every girl would have wanted to see that movie. 

If you've seen "Drive" or "Gangster Squad" Gosling can give a chillingly haunting performance as well. His ability to effortlessly transform from devilish heartthrob to menacing protector won us over. 

At 32, he may have been a little too young for the 40-ish Warner Bros. was going for.



Michael Fassbender

The idea wouldn't have been difficult to imagine.

Fassbender has worked with Snyder before in "300" and has quickly become a household name after "Prometheus" and "Inglourious Basterds." The only problem is that the "X-Men" gang have a hold on him.



Josh Brolin

The actor was reportedly also up for the role. It's not difficult to see why after his roles in "True Grit," "No Country for Old Men," and "Gangster Squad."

Brolin would have delivered a dark, grittier Wayne to the big screen.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    






'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis Is Going To Jail For Allegedly Holding 3 Women Captive In His Limo

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"Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis will go to jail for 9 months for allegedly holding 3 women hostage in his limo and viciously attacking one of them, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Francis was also sentenced to a year of psychological counseling and a class on anger management.

The 3 victims say they were partying at Hollywood's Supper Club when Francis took the hand of one of them and pulled her into his limo, according to the Times. Her two friends say they followed, thinking Francis would give them a lift to their car.

Instead, in a bizarre turn of events, Francis and his driver allegedly flashed sheriff's badges and said the women had to stay in the limo. Francis took the women to his gated home, where he got into a physical fight with one of them and slammed her head into tile, authorities say.

Francis says he's "completely innocent," according to the Hollywood Reporter. After he was convicted in May, Francis ranted to the Hollywood Reporter about how the jury was "retarded" and should be "euthanized."

The 40-year-old soft porn mogul has been hounded by various legal problems, as has his adult film entertainment company — a franchise that's based on filming young, drunk women willing to expose themselves.

One of those women, who was filmed when she was 20 years old, won a $5.77 million jury award last year after she filed a lawsuit alleging she never consented to the use of her image in Francis' video. In an even bigger loss, casino mogul Steve Wynn won a $20 million jury verdict in a suit claiming Francis slandered him by spreading rumors that Wynn was making death threats against him.

Francis' empire, GGW Brands Inc., filed for bankruptcy in February, in part to protect its assets from Wynn.

Francis founded "Girls Gone Wild" back in 1997. By 2004, the venture had become "pure gold," The New York Times reported, affording him two mansions, two jets, and a ski retreat.

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Obama Teared Up Watching 'The Butler'

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"Lee Daniels' The Butler" has swept the box office for two weekends in a row, earning $53 million at theaters.

The film has caught the attention of many, including the Commander-in-Chief who counts himself among audience members most impressed by the Weinstein Company's historical drama.

"I did tear up," President Obama told the Tom Joyner Morning Show during an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

The film is inspired by the life of Eugene Allen, a White House butler who served during eight presidential administrations. The film stars Forrest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Alan Rickman, and Jane Fonda.

Obama said his favorite parts were Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s jokes — which he "can’t repeat on the air" — and performances by the movie's stars.

lee daniels the butler

"All of the acting was terrific, and I thought Forrest Whitaker was wonderful," Obama said. "And Oprah, my girl, she can act."

Winfrey received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for "The Color Purple" in 1985.

When asked about getting teary-eyed, Obama said:

"I teared up just thinking about not just the butlers who have worked here in the White House, but an entire generation of people who were talented and skilled, but because of Jim Crow, because of discrimination, there was only so far they could go.  And yet, with dignity and tenacity, they got up and worked every single day, and put up with a whole lot of mess because they hoped for something better for their kids."

The President acknowledged the current butlers, who eased the First Family's transition into the White House:

"I will tell you that the butlers who are now here in the White House, when we first arrived, when Michelle and the girls just — first arrived, they could not have been kinder to us and warmer to us.  And part of it, I suspect, is they look at Malia and Sasha and they say, well, this looks like my grandbaby, or this looks like my daughter.  And I think for them to have a sense that we’ve come that far was a powerful moment for them, and certainly a powerful moment for us.  We love them to death.  They look after us just wonderfully."

No word if the President saw "We're The Millers."

SEE ALSO: Moviegoers Accuse Regal Cinema Of Racial Profiling At 'The Butler' Screening

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Miley Cyrus Releases Single 'Twerk' With Justin Bieber

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At this point, it feels like we've had enough twerking for a lifetime.

If you're out of the loop, the dance craze involves women thrusting their hips while positioned in a low squat.

"Twerk" became the word to discuss after Miley Cyrus' much-talked about and scrutinized MTV Video Music Awards' performance.

If the word wasn't already ubiquitous, it's now a word in the Oxford Dictionary.

To continue riding the media wave, Cyrus debuted a song with Justin Bieber this morning called, you guessed it, "Twerk."

If you want to take a pass, the two and a half minute song includes a chorus with Cyrus repeating the phrase "I came up in this party time to twerk" while Bieber repeats "twerk it, twerk it" repeatedly in the background. 

The song also features Bieber's pal Lil Twist.  

SEE ALSO: Miley Cyrus' VMA performance didn't kill her career, it helped her

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