Posts Tagged ‘Boxer’
February 16th, 2010
Original Article from Rolling Stone
Photograph by Sylvere H.
When Brooklyn baroque-pop group the National released Boxer in 2007, it was a left-field critical and commercial success that helped them score them an opening slot for R.E.M. Even Barack Obama used the stately piano ballad “Fake Empire” on his campaign trail the following year.
Three years later, the National are putting the finishing touches on their anticipated follow-up, logging marathon days mixing tracks at a studio in Bridgeport, Connecticut. “We’re finishing all the songs in this sort of run-down Victorian house,” says guitarist Aaron Dessner. “The mixing is really important part of the process — we tend to really edit ourselves heavily.” Dessner says the still-untitled album (due May 11th) has “a darker and meaner” vibe than previous efforts but that it is also “catchier and more of a pop record,” referring to tracks like propulsive guitar-powered rocker “Blood Buzz, Ohio” and the orchestral anthem “L.A. Cathedral.” Berninger, who punctuates National songs with his transfixing, Leonard Cohen-style baritone, also returns to screaming in a similar manner as early National rockers like “Abel.” “Our last album was more restrained and this is definitely a louder record,” says Dessner.
Still, Boxer fans will find plenty to like too, especially on tracks like “Runaway.” “It’s the most understated, spacious song on the album,” says Dessner. “It’s the only one of its kind, as far as a ballad.” Other cuts, like “Little Space,” revolve around guitar loops and double bass. “That’s a new thing in our music,” says Dessner.
For the new record, the group also rallied a crew of their musician pals to contribute vocals, including Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. “We never thought of it as getting special guest stars or anything,” says Dessner. “It’s more like our friends coming through for us.”
The National — Dessner and his brother Bryce; brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf and Berninger — are perfectionists when it comes to recording in the studio and Aaron admits that bandmates don’t always agree creatively. “We’re really critical of ourselves,” he says. “And we spend a lot of time destroying and re-recording tracks.” Still, he knows that the hard work and frustration pays off. “We’re making huge strides every day,” he says. “We’re all about making the record better.”
Read more articles from Rolling Stone
February 11th, 2010
Original Article from PopCrunch
Evander Holyfield’s wife, Candi Calvana Smith Holyfield, is seeking a temporary protective order against her husband after accusing the boxing legend of regularly beating her.
Candi says Evander’s abuse began six months into their marriage, when she was pregnant with the couple’s first child nearly six years ago. The couple wed on Candi’s 24th birthday, July 1, 2003, and have two children, ages 6 and 4.) Now 30, Candi’s had enough of the alleged battery and is asking an Atlanta court to keep Evander away from her.
The Atlanta Constitution-Journal writes: “…Candi Holyfield accuses her husband of hitting her in the face, the back of her head, and on her back during the middle of the night, according to the petition for temporary protective order…”
Candi claims that during a verbal spat last week Holyfield urged her to “put god first in her life” before striking her in the face. In the restraining order, she also clams that Holyfield has been physical with her in the presence of the couple’s young children:
“In 2008 he choked me in front of our daughter and house keeper. In 2009 he has hit me in front of the children. He has grabbed me in front of the children. A couple of weeks ago he threw a bottle of water at me.”
Read more articles from PopCrunch
May 15th, 2009
I was perusing the new Maxim magazine with their hot 100 list and found this fallacy. If one of the hottest chicks on the planet Joanna Krupa was listed at #92, how the hell did that trainwreck Christina Aguilera end up at #14. It doesn’t make any sense and really discredits Maxim’s list.
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Daily Odor:
Super Hot Ringside Girls (Caveman Circus)
Maria Verchenova Is Hottlest Golf Chick Ever (Total Pro Sports)
Corky From “Life Goes On” Loves Dancing (Holy Taco)
Minka Kelly Doing Nothing But Still Hot (Bastardly)
Hot Boxer Gina Carano Lays The Smack Down (On 205th)
Melissa Rycroft – Yummy at Maxim’sHot 100 (NS4W)
Marisa Miller Makes For A Good Friday (Yeeeah)
My Favorite Belly Dancer, Brit Ameera (Uncoached)
Moon Bloodgood: gorgeous in black (HQ-Celebrity)
Funtasticus Hottie of the Month: Tori Thompson (Funtasticus)
Mayra Veronica’s Massive Boobs Save Face (The Grumpiest)
Heidi Montag – Trying to Look Hot (Glamzilla)
Sean Penn is still hittin’ this (The Blemish)
Busty mannequin gets more customers for BBQ place (Hilarity)
Anna Kornikova Makes Jogging Sexy (LAX Time)
Rosario Dawson – Esquire Magazine Photoshoot (Camel Tap)
May 14th, 2009
| Movie: A Plumm Summer * Official Site | On DVD: May 5, 2009 |
| Runtime: 99 minutes | Directed by: Caroline Zelder |
| MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements and some mild rude language |  Gecko Rating: |
"A Plumm Summer" is one of those sweet little movies that will probably fly under the radar of most DVD watchers. It’s a home-spun tale reminiscent of the live-action Disney movies of the 60s, only with an edge to it.
Based on a true story, the movie takes place in a small town in Montana, where kids wait impatiently to see a green marionette named Froggy Doo and his buddy Happy Herb on TV every day at 3 PM. All the kids LOVE Froggy Doo, especially Rocky Plumm (Owen Pearce), whose older brother Elliott (Chris Kelly), can’t understand the obsession at all.
When Froggy goes missing from the TV station one day, the FBI’s attempts to recover the missing frog go nowhere. So Rocky convinces Elliott to start their own investigation into the disappearance. With help from a cute neighbor Haley (Morgan Flynn), the group set out to find the frog.
Ok, so that all sounds nice and sweet, and could easily have starred Dean Jones and Kurt Russell in a 60s Disney movie. But here’s the edgy part. While all this is going on, the boys are dealing with daddy issues. Namely, their father Mick Plumm (William Baldwin), a former Olympic quality boxer who’s sunken into a dismal life of alcohol and regret.
See what I mean about the edgy part? It doesn’t really belong in this movie, and trying to fit two completely different stories into what could have been a cute family film doesn’t really work.
If I was in charge of the world (and this movie), I would have slanted things more towards the cute kid movie rather than the grownup family-dysfunction movie.
Still, it’s got a few things going for it: Henry Winkler plays Happy Herb, and it’s always fun seeing "The Fonz" on screen. His story is more in the "cute family movie" vein – he’s so entrenched in his life with Froggy Doo that he’s missing out on the "real world" things going on around him.
Also, "A Plumm Summer" is narrated by Jeff Daniels, whose calm, steady voice reminds me a bit of the narration in "The Wonder Years."
There’s also plenty of action and bumbling cops and inventive technology from the kids in catching the villain. It all works out, and everyone is happy.
I’m not sure which age range to recommend for this movie. The cute family movie is fine for ages 6 to 9. But the alcoholic father movie is better suited for teens and grownups. It’s a conundrum, for sure.
Bonus Features include deleted scenes, a gag reel, behind-the-scenes music video, behind-the-scenes on the red carpet, theatrical trailer, and audio commentary by writer/director Caroline Zelder and writer/producer Frank Antonelli. Both offer plenty of insight and background info on the script, story and production.
Image: Amazon.com
Tags: a plumm summer, chris kelly, dvd, DVD-Reviews, Family-Movies, henry winkler, jeff daniels, morgan flynn, Movie-Reviews, Movies, owen pearce, william baldwin
Post from: Film Gecko
January 9th, 2009
Jim Carrey was spotted with his girlfriend Jenny McCarthy at Hawaii Beach while strolling down the seashore last weekend. Jim was wearing a simple white shirt and boxer short while Jenny was wearing a saffron colored two piece bikini.
The couple seemed to be enjoying every moment of their stroll smooching and enjoying their private moments together. In related news, Jim Carrey recently set up a $50 million trust fund for Jenny McCarthy. Jim credits Jenny for his better
positive outlook towards life. Jim did this despite their mutual agreement that they will never marry.
A source told Star Magazine,”He adores her and credits her with his better health and happier outlook on life. (He) wants her to have all the perks in life should anything happen to him.”
Also Jim Carrey’s latest release “Yes Man” has retained its no.1 position at UK Box Office garnering more than $3.3 million.
Well that’s really nice of you Jim… 
What do you think of Jim’s Gesture???? Will you do it for your girlfriend???? Let me know.
December 28th, 2008
Pieces on Lil Wayne, Mariah and Nick, the VMAs and more were also among the most-viewed videos of the year.By Gil Kaufman
Britney SpearsPhoto: Kevin Mazur/ WireImageWe get it. You can’t get enough of “Twilight” or Britney Spears. And if the producers of the teen vamp flick had cast the Circus ring-mistress in their movie — we could have all gone home early every night instead of staying here and racking our brains to figure out how to give you more of what you crave.But, based on our list of the most-viewed MTV News videos of 2008, those weren’t the only hot topics of the year. You also wanted to see Lil Wayne, a soft-focus visit to “American Idol” castoff Josiah Leming’s hometown, scoop on Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, a stiff arm from Chris Brown and, of course, our recap of this year’s VMAs (which you probably watched to see Britney and the cast of “Twilight” anyway).1. Of course #1 is our preview of “Britney: For the Record,” the documentary that gives a sneak peek at the behind-the-scenes drama captured during a two-month stretch in Spears’ life leading up to the release of her half-million selling Circus album.2. Not far behind Brit is our resident 60-second man Jim Cantiello recapping the biggest night of MTV’s year with “VMAs in One Minute.” That, of course, was the night that made headlines when Britney took home the top three prizes and opened the show with a bit featuring “Superbad” star Jonah Hill.3. A whole lot of you enjoyed seeing Chris Brown tell our own Tim Kash that he wishes people would stop gossiping about him and unofficial girlfriend Rihanna. “My personal life is my personal life, but that’s not the case with us. We’re just friends.” In fact, Brown suggested that the key to making relationships work in Hollywood is to just be yourself and “see as many girls as possible.” Well, then.4. One artist who wasn’t shy about talking about his life was our 2008 Man of the Year himself, Lil Wayne, who gave our crew a tour of his old high school art classroom in New Orleans and entertained a prom invite from one of his biggest fans back in February. He humbly told us that “hip-hop just ain’t hip-hop without me” and that he is the “best rapper alive.”5. And then there was Mariah Carey, who surprised us all with her hush-hush overnight marriage to “Wild ‘N Out” star Nick Cannon. When we hooked up with Cannon back in April just before the couple’s wedding, he called Carey “the most festive, remarkable person I’ve ever met” but was coy about their relationship. “Rumors happen,” he laughed at the time, eyes evading the camera’s gaze as his head bopped side-to-side like a boxer’s.6. Who could forget frequently teary 18-year-old “American Idol” castoff Josiah Leming? The Tennessean with the heart of glass didn’t make the cut on the show. But when we visited his hometown of Morristown, Tennessee, the mop-topped troubadour was happy to play a few acoustic tunes on the streets of his city and show off the infamous 1989 Mercury Topaz he used to crash in.7. Usher charmed our viewers with his talk of chivalry and wishful thinking in the video for “Trading Places,” in which he fantasizes about the ladies taking control and lavishing compliments on him.8. Just behind that daydream was the harsh reality of one of the year’s most disturbing and saddening stories, the deadly plane crash that caused serious injuries to former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and musical partner DJ AM, and killed Barker’s close friend and personal assistant, Lil Chris Baker and his bodyguard, Charles “Che” Still, as well as the jet’s pilot and co-pilot. MTV brought you updates on the injuries to Barker and AM and words of support from Fall Out Boy just days after the September accident.9. In other tragic news, there was the shocking accidental death of acclaimed “Dark Knight” actor Heath Ledger in January. Our tribute to 28-year-old Ledger’s career-making performance in the comic book tale — which just earned him a posthumous Golden Globe nomination — also touched on some of his other memorable roles in movies such as “10 Things I Hate About You” and “Brokeback Mountain.”10. And, finally, where would a top 10 list be without a visit from our favorite dysfunctional girl group, Danity Kane? Our final spot is a catch-up with since-ousted DK cutie Aubrey O’Day, who talks way, way excitedly about the warm welcome she got when she joined the cast of “Hairspray” in July.Share your favorite stories, albums and artists of 2008 by uploading a video to YouRHere.MTV.com or leaving a comment below.Related Videos
- MTV News’ Women And Men Of The Year
- Who Do The Artists Think Had A Great ‘08?
- The Top Stories of 2008
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April 26th, 2008
Tegan and Sara will be filing dispatches from Coachella. Here is their opening entry. Click here for more from Rolling Stone at Coachella.
Tegan: We watched The Dog Whisperer this morning when we got up, that helped us ease into Coachella.
Sara: It’s like a safe place to watch Cesar Milan talk to the dogs. I own two seasons of The Dog Whisperer on DVD, and I don’t even like dogs, I’m a cat person.
T: It really trained us. Then we got up and we got on a cart, a really nice girl came and gave us a ride to our dressing room, and it’s covered in stars and butterflies and rainbows and hearts. It’s super girly, it’s hilarious.
S: The people who do the trailers say they have a sweet spot for us every time we play, so they put extra effort into it.
T: For each artist, they get artists to paint funny paintings. The one we got this year is two bunnies and their umbilical cords are all tangled up. Which is kind of funny because yesterday we got a fan video for the song “Floorplan” on our new record, and in it there’s a little girl character that’s supposed to be Sara and she’s wearing bunny slippers and they’re all evil at the end, so when we walked in today and it was the bunnies I was like, oh my God! Then we ate, so we took another ride in the cart.
S: And that was scary for me, because Tegan and I did not go to camp, our mother was a single parent and camp was totally out of the question. We found out later because she went to Catholic boarding school, she doesn’t like communal living without parents, so she enforced a no-communal living rule when we were growing up, so we have never done camp really. Now we’re at Coachella and we’re in the catering tent and all the bands are there and I’m sweating profusely, I’m very uncomfortable, I’m afraid everyone hates us. I see people looking at me, I think maybe we know each other. I avoid eye contact. The next time we play Coachella I hope we are the size of Prince …
S: In terms of our career, if we are the size of Prince and I am going to hire Cesar Milan to come soothe me.
T: And now we’re doing press. And we’re wearing suntan lotion. Someone tried to give us suntan lotion that was 15, I was like, 15? Have you seen me before?
S: A guy just walked by here with the most incredible body I’ve ever seen. This is a funny thing for me, as a gay human. When I see people of the opposite sex with phenomenal bodies I feel like I can stare at them and if they look at me weird it’s like a lion walked by. You don’t usually see them in the wild. He was already tan. For him, this is heaven. He probably went to camp when he was a kid. We’re pale and pasty and my jeans are chafing already because I’m sweating.
T: There is nothing more un-rock & roll than shorts. We learned this on our first tour. Our first tour was opening for Neil Young and the Pretenders and we wore fucking shorts onstage every night because it was hot. Except now I look back at it and we look like stagehands. You kind of look like a kid in shorts unless you wear little short ones. Then you’re like a hooker. I opened up my suitcase today and pulled out the one white shirt and put in on and was like, uck, and went and put my black shirt on and felt better.
S: Basically, post-two o’clock you just have to high-five people.
Who are you excited to see?
S: We’re only staying tonight. We’re super-psyched to see the Raconteurs. We’re big Brendan Benson fans and we’ve never met Jack and with the whole White Stripes covering “Walking With a Ghost” thing I feel like it’s a weird synchronicity that we’re playing on the same stage right before them. I’m going to use Brendan Benson to get to him.
T: We met Meg. When we played in Detroit she came to the show, brought the song and played it for us, we went bowling, got wasted, it was so fun, highlight of my career.
S: I always feel shy telling stories like that because maybe Meg White wouldn’t want everyone to know she’s an absolutely stunningly, phenomenal … bowler. While smoking cigarettes! She bowled with one hand and still whooped our asses. I am going to try to see Jens Lekman, and one of my favorite records of the year was the National, Boxer.
If you had five minutes alone with Prince …
S: I’d try to get him out of his jumpsuit so I could try it on.
T: I think I’d be like, don’t be afraid, I’m going to take you outside of your compound and it’s going to be really nice. Imagine ten minutes from now you see me and Prince walking around laughing together. Wouldn’t that blow your mind?
S: I know he’s very lean and quite short, I feel like Tegan and I would look a bit … not chunky, but probably beefy compared to him. We might look like his security. And everybody would be like, who is Prince with? These tattooed cute security guards.
What’s the best way to deal with onstage sweat?
S: We sweat on the inside.