MTV News |
- Lady Gaga Premieres Epic, Outrageous 'Telephone' Video
- 'American Idol' Shocker: Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert, Katelyn Epperly, Todrick Hall Exit
- Lupe Fiasco Reaches Out To Jay Electronica, Explains Jay-Z Comment
- Justin Timberlake To Introduce 'Summit On The Summit: Kilimanjaro'
- What Would Gerard Butler 'Telephone' Lady Gaga About?
- Corey Haim Died Due To An Enlarged Heart, Manager Says
- T.I. Name-Checks Tiger Woods On Leaked Usher Song
- Matt Giraud And Scott MacIntyre Lighten Up A Shocking 'American Idol'
- Lil Wayne Told His Family To Be 'Strong' During His Incarceration, Ex-Wife Says
- MTV News Visits Haiti To Track 'Hope For Haiti Now' Donations
| Lady Gaga Premieres Epic, Outrageous 'Telephone' Video Posted: 11 Mar 2010 08:54 AM PST Beyoncé co-stars in the clip, which is the best big-budget video since ... Gaga's last big-budget video.
Well, that was certainly worth the wait. On Thursday night (March 11), after months of anticipation, leaked on-set photos and rather excellent adventures in hairstyling, Lady Gaga's epic video for "Telephone" finally premiered during E! News, and, honestly, if there's something she didn't cram into the clip, well, then we missed it.
Part hyperkinetic pop-culture joyride — nods to everything from films like "Caged Heat" and "Kill Bill" to seizure-inducing Japanese television and the color-drenched photography of David LaChapelle — part electric dance extravaganza, "Telephone" is nine-plus minutes of everything you could possibly love about Gaga (and Beyoncé, who, we're sure you know by now, co-stars in the clip), only amped up to the Nth degree. It's ambitious, funny and clever, playing much more like a short film than a music video. There are opening and closing credits — it's important to know that the video was written by Gaga and director Jonas -kerlund, after all — elaborate, over-the-top (or barely there) costumes, and a whole lot of celebrity cameos. This cost money, this took time, this was a work of love and blood and sweat and tears (and a whole lot of hairspray). This was worth it. Opening in an ominous women's prison, we first see Gaga being led to her cell by a pair of, well, let's just call them "beefy guards." She is stripped of her impossibly shoulder-padded dress and left nude, while the other inmates howl, and as the guards shut the door behind them, the one cracks to the other, "I told you she didn't have a di--" (a joking nod to those nasty hermaphrodite rumors, of course). From there, we get glimpses of Gaga's life behind bars — make-out sessions in the exercise yard (where she is inexplicably wearing sunglasses made out of half-smoked cigarettes), the occasional catfight in the commissary — and then, after nearly three minutes of introduction, Gaga takes a phone call and the song finally begins, first with just some gentle electronic notes and LG's tender vocals, then morphing into a stuttering electro-pop stomper, complemented by a dance sequence (Gaga and her inmates strutting and climbing dressed only in studded underwear, fishnets and stiletto heels) that's sure to make the censors rather nervous. Gaga is then bailed out, but not before she busts a Michael Jackson shuffle while one of the guards surfs around on the dating site PlentyOfFish.com (a scene which isn't even the strangest example of product placement in this video). Waiting for her outside the gates is none other than Beyoncé, driving the so-called "P---y Wagon" from "Kill Bill." The two engage in some seriously stilted dialogue — "You know what they say: Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger" — though Gaga's dead-eyed stares at the camera make it very clear that it's all intentionally bad (as the acting in all good "women in prison" flicks should be). They then go screaming off into the desert. They pull into a diner, where Beyoncé pours herself into a booth opposite Tyrese Gibson, who is a total jerk — so much so that B poisons his coffee. We then cut to a delightfully campy sequence titled "Let's Make a Sandwich" featuring Gaga standing in a kitchen wearing a folded-up telephone on her head while dancers cavort behind her, wielding salad tongs and assorted cutlery. She then, well, makes a sandwich, being sure to show off the Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip logos (this is the strangest example of product placement), whips through a tightly choreographed — and, really, pretty clever — dance sequence and then chomps down on the sandwich. And when was the last time you got to see her do something like that? It turns out she also makes poison, which she dumps into some honey and delivers to Beyoncé's booth, dressed as a towering waitress with a telephone dangling in her eye. Gibson smothers his breakfast in the stuff and dies. Unfortunately, everyone else in the joint — including Gaga's pals the Semi Precious Weapons — does the same, and they all suffer the same fate. Gaga and Beyoncé begin the video's third over-the-top dance number, popping and strutting while the dead bodies lay around them. It's sort of creepy, to be honest. The two then pile back into the Wagon and head out onto the highway (not before Gaga does a solo performance in front of the vehicle while dressed in an ultra-tight leopard-print number), and as the video reaches its conclusion, they deliver some more of those cheesy lines, join hands and zoom toward the horizon, police sirens wailing in the background. The last thing we see onscreen is text, which promises us "To Be Continued ... " because, hey, why not? So now that it's finally here, what else can really be said about the "Telephone" video? To be honest, I'm not sure. It is electric and excellent and alive. It is certainly the best big-budget clip since, well, Gaga's last big-budget clip and probably the best video you'll see all year (well, either that or OK Go's new one). It more than lived up to the hype, which, frankly, few thought it would. But, perhaps most notably, it is an event. You will remember where you were when you first saw it. And when was the last time you could say that about a music video? With "Telephone," Gaga has entered the rarest of pop stratospheres, up there with the Madonnas and the, gasp, Michael Jacksons. I'm not comparing talent, just ability: ability to wow, to enthrall and put on a show — one I can only hope is continued sometime very soon. What did you think of the "Telephone" video? Was it all you wanted and more? Sound off below! Related Videos Related Artists |
| 'American Idol' Shocker: Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert, Katelyn Epperly, Todrick Hall Exit Posted: 11 Mar 2010 07:38 AM PST Shaky singers Aaron Kelly and Paige Miles survive to make it to the season-nine top 12.
After months of auditions, nail-biting Hollywood drama and three sometimes-painful live-performance weeks, America finally got its top 12 on "American Idol" Thursday night (March 11) on a show that provided some of the first true surprises — and shocking exits — of season nine. The handful of singers who appeared certain to end their runs on the show after crash-and-burn performances got miracle reprieves as Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott, Todrick Hall and Alex Lambert were voted off.
In the first elimination group, host Ryan Seacrest waved through potential singer/songwriter Didi Benami and quirky dark horse Siobhan Magnus. That left Katelyn Epperly and Paige Miles standing center stage, with one facing elimination. It seemed certain that Miles, whom the judges have repeatedly said had the strongest voice in the competition, would be the one to go after her poorly received cover of "Smile," a song made famous by Michael Jackson. But in a surprise, it was Epperly, who went home after an equally slammed cover of Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move." Miles looked shocked and not quite as elated as one would suspect, while the somewhat emotional Epperly began to well up when she said she'd learned a ton on the show and her elimination was "just a push for me to go do more stuff." The second go-round for "Earth" was a bit more energetic and had the personality the judges had been missing, though the vocals were still not great. Then it was the guys' turn, as Tim Urban, Todrick Hall, Lee Dewyze and Casey James lined up on the stage. First to go through was sensitive pinup James, who played it safe with Keith Urban's "You'll Think of Me," followed by this year's true wild card, Urban, who seemed destined to go home after two horrendous weeks but somehow pulled out a strong vocal on Wednesday night with his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Not surprisingly, the much-praised Dewyze was safe, thanks to his serviceable cover of Owl City's "Fireflies," while dancer Hall was sent packing even after his big gamble with a gospel version of Queen's "Somebody to Love" that drew praise but didn't seem to endear him to voters. Hall seemed to sense his number was up, staring blank-faced into the camera with a resigned look. He said he was just happy that fans came up to him over the weekend and said they'd voted for him. "This has been an awesome experience," he said. "I came here to prove that I'm not just a dancer, I can also sing. I think I've done that." The reprise of the bombastic glam-rock tune indeed proved that Hall has a powerful voice and strong performance chops that will likely keep the former Broadway star — who performed with onetime "Idol" Fantasia in "The Color Purple" — gainfully employed. Seacrest mixed it up as he built the second half of the top 12, starting out with leading female contender Crystal Bowersox, who looked more nervous than she should have been as she got the good news, followed by Michael Lynche, who was a shoo-in following his searing, tear-jerking cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work." During her second go-round on the show, Lacey Brown made it further than last year, when she washed out just before the live rounds. This year will be different, as she took a seat, along with jittery teen Aaron Kelly, who managed to make it to the top 12 despite a so-so performance of Lonestar's "I'm Already There." That left Alex Lambert and Andrew Garcia standing with their arms around each other's shoulders awaiting the news. It was another shocking exit, as Lambert, who was beginning to overcome his paralyzing case of stage fright, got the bad news. The men gave each other several deep hugs, and Lambert lamented how nervous he was during his run. "There's a lot of things America hasn't seen me do yet," he said. "And a lot of things I know I'm capable of. ... I wish I could have just broken out of my shell." Magnus was brought to tears, and Bowersox mouthed along as Lambert tried his best to keep his emotions in check during one more run through Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble," earning a group hug from the male top six at song's end. The final pairing featured teen Katie Stevens and Lilly Scott awaiting their fate. Stevens, who was tagged as a potential winner of the whole thing early on, stumbled in the live rounds, unable to find a performance personality and repeatedly getting feedback from the judges that she came off as much older than 17 and needed to get more experience under her belt. But, despite another poorly received performance on Tuesday, this time of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," America gave her the nod over Scott, a unique performer who won the judges over with her offbeat style, musical chops and a solid cover of Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces." Scott looked dumbfounded at the news and genuinely bummed. "I thought I did really well, I thought I was appealing to a lot of people," she said, shaking her head while Stevens wiped away tears of joy. "I put my heart into every performance. I really gave it my all every time. ... I don't know what America wants to hear." Without her mandolin, Scott sang another solid rendition of the 50-year-old country classic, singing it even more powerfully than she did earlier in the week, perhaps leaving the audience with a sense of an opportunity missed. The show opened with one of the blandest group lip-synch numbers in recent memory, a vanilla waltz through Michael Bublé's bubbly "Haven't Met You Yet." Later in the program, returning to the stage were a pair of finalists from last year, dueling piano players Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre, who played a boogie-woogie version of Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It." Next week, the top 12 contestants will be singing songs from iconic rock band the Rolling Stones. What did you think of Thursday night's eliminations? Did the right people go home? Did America make a mistake? Leave your comments below! Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos |
| Lupe Fiasco Reaches Out To Jay Electronica, Explains Jay-Z Comment Posted: 12 Mar 2010 03:51 AM PST 'Everybody thinks because you're black and you're from the 'hood, you wanna be Jay-Z,' Lu tells Mixtape Daily.
Celebrity Favorites Please respect our exclusive game. Just a couple of weeks ago, we told you how one of the underground's favorites, Jay Electronica, said he wanted to make an album with Lupe Fiasco. He also said he wanted to go in on projects with Nas, Mos Def and a slew of others, but who's counting? On Wednesday night in Manhattan, Lupe popped up on the red carpet for the MTV documentary "Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro," which airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Not only did Lu say he was down with collaborating with Jay, he's initiating things. "I reached out to him a couple of days ago with some real serious ideas," Lupe said. " 'Let's put a program together. Something that works out and makes sense for the both of us.' He's a very talented MC. One of the few MCs that I actually listen to what they're saying. I don't listen to 98 percent of the rappers out there. But he's one of the MCs I listen to and I'm inspired to do so. A collaboration is in the works." Lupe also clarified the comments he made to TheAge.com, when he said he did not want to be like Jay-Z. "There's a misunderstanding with my fanbase,'' The Age quoted him as saying. ''People [at Warner] feel they know my fans more than I do. They want me to step out of my comfort zone and step into theirs. I don't have necessarily the celebrity success they want me to have, but it's more social success and being able to speak at a college about world affairs. That's a success to me. I don't want to be Jay-Z and be worth $400 million and perform on every awards show. It's getting in touch with somebody who needs to improve their self-esteem as opposed to driving a Bentley and putting some chains on." Lupe told us he didn't mean any malice toward Jigga but was speaking up for individuality. "Jay-Z's a personal friend of mine. [He] executive-produced my first album," Fiasco said. "[My comments were] just an example using him of how people rate success. There's an idea of the status quo that every rapper wants to be Jay-Z. Nah. Every rapper does not want to be Jay-Z. Every rapper don't wanna be Kanye West. Everybody don't wanna be Lil Wayne. They wanna be who they are. ... You're a fool trying to chase that success down and manage it like that. I always look at my success as further than a dollar sign, further than record sales. ... Everybody thinks because you're black and you're from the 'hood, you wanna be Jay-Z. There's kids who wanna be astrophysicists and don't care about rap. That should be OK. You should be OK just being you, working your regular job and being happy. That's why I made that statement. I felt it need to be said." Don't miss "Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro," airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. And find out what you can do to help solve the global water crisis now at the "Summit on the Summit" Web site. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| Justin Timberlake To Introduce 'Summit On The Summit: Kilimanjaro' Posted: 11 Mar 2010 07:32 AM PST Documentary airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on MTV.
Earlier this year, Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch, Lupe Fiasco, Santigold and others banded together to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about the global clean-water crisis. Now Justin Timberlake has pitched in to support the effort.
The singer is set to provide a personal introduction to "Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro," the 90-minute documentary about the celebrities' climb that will air on MTV on March 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Masterminded by Grammy-nominated musician Kenna, the team took a six-day, 50-mile trek to the peak of the tallest mountain in Africa. "It was a combination of the mental and the psychological aspects of the mountain, of the slow-but-steady pace that you had to go up it, and that sometimes made your brain just want to explode, because you just wanted to get there so badly," Biel told MTV News Wednesday. "But then you'd get this rush of inspiration of 'I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for something bigger than me, for people who don't have a voice, for people that need water around the world,' and then you'd power through." In addition to raising awareness about the clean-water crisis, the "Summit on the Summit" raises funds for P&G's Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Water for People's PlayPumps Technology. During the MTV broadcast, viewers will be able to text SEND to 90999 to donate $10 to the U.N. Foundation on behalf of "Summit on the Summit." Each donation will send 1,000 liters of clean water to people in need. "MTV has a long history of educating its audience to raise awareness on issues that are important to them," said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President, News and Docs. "More than 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. By airing this documentary, MTV hopes to mobilize a new generation of young people who may not be aware of this global cause and take action to get involved in helping find solutions to the water crisis." Don't miss "Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro," airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. And find out what you can do to help solve the global water crisis now at the "Summit on the Summit" Web site. Related Videos Related Artists |
| What Would Gerard Butler 'Telephone' Lady Gaga About? Posted: 11 Mar 2010 08:30 AM PST The 'Bounty Hunter' star wants some fashion advice from Gaga.
In honor of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" music video premiere on Thursday, MTV News got celebrities to weigh in on what they would ask Gaga about on a phone call, if they could ask about anything in the world. So this week, we've been rolling out their burning questions for the pop princess. And stay tuned to MTV News for more on the "Telephone" video.
Celebrities certainly have a lot to ask Lady Gaga now that she's premiered her video for "Telephone," and "Bounty Hunter" star Gerard Butler wants to know how Gaga would dress him for some special occasions. "What I should wear," Butler laughed to MTV News about his burning question for Gaga. "I think she'd probably say, 'Get a life — it's not happening!' " "My Life as Liz" star Liz Lee shared earlier this week that she wants to know just how Gaga thinks up all those crazy things, like the "Telephone" video. "What would I call her about? ... I want to know what's going on in her mind," Lee told MTV News when she stopped by to chat about the season finale of her show. "Like, where does she come up with this stuff?" It seems that Kellan Lutz also wanted to know all about her wacky train of thought. "Her creativeness," the "Twilight" star said. "I love to invent stuff, and she's so inventive. She's so creative, and I love people who think that way and are very just out-there and don't care and do whatever." But perhaps the most intriguing call of all might take place between "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz and the pop queen. He's trying to get her on "Gossip Girl" again. "I'd call and ask her if she'd come back," he said, adding he already had a plot twist in mind for the native New Yorker. "Maybe she can play, like, Lily's sister, Aunt Carol ... Serena's aunt." What would you call Lady Gaga about? Tell us in the comments below! Related Videos |
| Corey Haim Died Due To An Enlarged Heart, Manager Says Posted: 11 Mar 2010 06:34 AM PST Late actor's mom was told that an early autopsy points to pulmonary congestion as the cause of death, manager tells CNN.
Preliminary reports reveal that 1980s heartthrob Corey Haim died of an enlarged heart with water-filled lungs, the actor's manager told CNN. The Los Angeles County coroner told Haim's mother that the culprit was pulmonary congestion, manager Mark Heaslip said. Haim was found dead Wednesday after collapsing in the Los Angeles apartment he shared with his mother, Judy Haim.
Heaslip went on to say that this was proof that the actor didn't die from a drug overdose, contrary to early media reports shortly after the news of his death broke. However, Brian Elias, who is with the coroner's office, said that they are waiting for toxicology tests to return before making the official call on what ultimately killed the actor. The initial buzz of what might have actually killed Haim came from the 1980s teen icon's decades-long struggle with drug addiction. Longtime friend and frequent co-star Corey Feldman asked Wednesday that people not "jump the gun" to conclude a drug overdose killed Haim. Heaslip, manager to both Feldman and Haim, said he seemed to be winning his battle against drug abuse in the weeks before his death. Haim had suffered from flulike symptoms for two days, the deputy coroner said. "We found no illicit drugs. However, we did recover four of his prescription meds at the location," said Ed Winter, the Los Angeles County deputy coroner, adding that he does not know what those drugs were. Haim was "weaned down to literally zero medications" in the past two weeks by an addiction specialist, Heaslip said Wednesday on CNN's "Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell." The doctor "put him on a new line of medications," Feldman said on "Larry King Live" on Wednesday. Related Videos Related Photos |
| T.I. Name-Checks Tiger Woods On Leaked Usher Song Posted: 11 Mar 2010 06:34 AM PST Atlanta MC mentions the scandal-weary golfer on singer's 'Guilty.'
The hook of the first songs T.I. guests on since being sentenced to a year and a day in prison says, "Don't take me to jail." Isn't it ironic? Tip collaborates with Usher on a new leaked record from Raymond v. Raymond called "Guilty," where the singer is charged with breaking his girl's heart.
Tip did record another song with Usher last year before going to prison, but it sounds like the rhymes on "Guilty" were recorded recently — he name-checks a certain scandal-plagued athlete. "Right hand to the sky/ Strike me down if I a lie," the King of the South proclaims. "If she sayin' she's the victim in this case then what am I/ She got proof, well I got alibis too/ I never been on bullsh-- ... she ain't caught me on no Tiger Woods sh--/ Do what I expected when she met me/ Ballin' against the law/ Shawty arrest me then." Usher then pleads guilty. "I guess I'm guilty of always being in the club," he sings. "I guess I'm guilty 'cause girls always wanna show me love/ I guess I'm guilty for living and having all of the fun/ Girl, I'm guilty for that/ Girl, I'm guilty." Other recently leaked songs include "She Don't Know" featuring Ludacris and "OMG" featuring Will.I.Am. Raymond v. Raymond is due in stores March 30. Related Artists |
| Matt Giraud And Scott MacIntyre Lighten Up A Shocking 'American Idol' Posted: 11 Mar 2010 07:38 AM PST Season-eight finalists perform a dueling-pianos version of Billy Joel's 'Tell Her About It.'
Amid the carnage and genuinely confusing results on Thursday night's (March 11) "American Idol" (Aaron Kelly? Katie Stevens? Paige Miles?!?), two of last year's hopefuls took the stage to lighten the mood with a sunny, dueling-pianos duet. Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre — who just released a brand-new album called Heartstrings — joined forces on an upbeat version of Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It," trading verses and runs up and down the keys. Backed by the "Idol" house band, the duo muscled their way through the song, with Giraud hitting a few falsetto spots, each ripping off rocking, fleet-fingered solos.
The performance earned a standing ovation from the "Idol" crowd, and as Ryan Seacrest approached the two grand pianos, the host gave MacIntyre a chance to plug Heartstrings and asked Giraud about the status of his new EP, which he said is well under way. When MTV News spoke to Giraud last month, he told us about the EP, which he's working on in Nashville with songwriters like Marcus Hummon (Rascal Flatts, the Dixie Chicks) and Monty Powell (Keith Urban). But he made sure to let us know that — unlike fellow season-eight hopeful Danny Gokey — he wasn't about to get fitted for his 10-gallon hat. "I'm not really going country," he said. "But they appreciate soul down there, and I've been playing with them and making great music. ... Really, I'm just learning the craft of songwriting." And while Giraud and MacIntyre's version of "Tell Her About It" may have seemed slightly out of place on such a grim night, perhaps the newly departed contestants can take some solace in where each man is today. Giraud especially knows a thing or two about the heart-stopping "Idol" moments. After all, last season, he was voted off the show, only to be rescued by the judges when they used their controversial "save" to keep him around. Were you happy to see Matt and Scott back on the "Idol" stage? Will you check out their new music? Let us know below! Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos |
| Lil Wayne Told His Family To Be 'Strong' During His Incarceration, Ex-Wife Says Posted: 10 Mar 2010 11:07 PM PST 'At this point it is what it is, and we just gotta make the best of it,' Antonia 'Toya' Johnson told Vibe magazine.
After several postponements due to dental surgery, a courthouse fire and court-date rescheduling, Lil Wayne finally turned himself in on Monday to begin his one-year jail sentence at Rikers Island. However, he wasn't the only one feeling the strain. The rapper's ex-wife Antonia "Toya" Johnson and daughter Reginae shuttled back and forth to the New York City courthouse from Atlanta in anticipation of his incarceration. "It was up and down, you know. One minute we thought he was going and she'd be sad, and then he don't go," Johnson told Vibe magazine recently. "We [were] in New York like two times and we ended up turning right back around because he didn't go." Despite all of the back-and-forth, Reginae missed seeing her father on Monday when he began his sentence stemming from a July 2007 gun-possession charge. "The last day he finally went in, we didn't go, so my daughter was like, 'I wish I would've went.' It was just too much. I just didn't want to let her see that again 'cause both times she took it real hard," said Johnson. "So I was like, I'm not gon' let her go this last time. I'm just gon' make sure he talk to her 'cause I didn't know if he was really gonna go. They kept pushing back." Wayne might be the biggest rapper on the planet, but he's just "Dad" to Reginae, so Johnson said the time apart will be hard on the 11 year-old. "He just told me to be strong and don't really trip. Don't let her see me down," said Johnson. "At first my daughter would see me a little sad and you know kids they react off of your feelings sometimes, so he was just like, 'Be strong, make sure you take care of her. Make sure she straight and keep her phone on all the time so I can call her. The time is gonna fly by.' "The whole point of him being in jail is just not good for her — to say her dad's in jail," Johnson continued. "But at this point it is what it is, and we just gotta make the best of it. I'ma take her to visit him and talk to him and she'll get through this eight months. It'll fly by. I tell her all the time, 'Just call daddy and tell him you love him,' and he'll be home soon." Lil Wayne and Johnson married in 2004 and divorced in 2006. In 2009, Johnson and her friend, T.I.'s fiancée Tiny, debuted their BET reality series "Tiny & Toya." The second season premieres on April 13. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| MTV News Visits Haiti To Track 'Hope For Haiti Now' Donations Posted: 11 Mar 2010 02:21 AM PST MTV crew meets with Partners in Health to see how telethon donations are being used.
Nearly two months after a massive earthquake leveled thousands of buildings and killed more than 200,000 people in Haiti, MTV News returned to the island in late February to follow the trail of some of the more than $65 million raised during January's "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon.
MTV News' Sway traveled to Haiti to follow a mission from Partners in Health, which is providing crucially needed food, water and medical supplies to the millions of Haitians displaced by the 7.0 earthquake thanks to an $8 million grant from "Hope for Haiti Now." From a collection point in Miami to the airport in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, Sway and company tracked the shipment of a pallet of goods tagged with a "Hope for Haiti Now" sticker as it made its way to the Caribbean island. "[This shipment contains] surgical supplies, and especially urgent, we have wound VACs [which clean open wounds to avoid infection], which go to help keep wounds clean, protects against infection, and we need it really urgently up in Cange, which is our main site," Jonathan Lascher of Partners in Health said on the tarmac in Port-au-Prince as the shipment was unloaded from a cargo plane. The crew then piled into vehicles for the three-hour ride up into the mountains to deliver the kits to Cange, driving past the miles of temporary tent cities and piles of rubble left in the wake of the quake. "The epicenter of the earthquake was just outside of Port-au-Prince, and most of the major destruction was in Port-au-Prince, but as a result of that destruction, hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing Port-au-Prince out into the other regions of Haiti," Lascher explained. As a result, the patient load in more remote cities has greatly increased, as has the need for funding to care for the displaced wounded. Upon arrival in Cange, the vital nature of the shipment became immediately clear as doctors in the town said they were needed urgently for surgeries scheduled for that very day. "We only have enough dressings left to finish one or two cases today," Partners in Health's Sarah Marsh said. "And we have many, many more children particularly who are in need of VACs and new dressings." The kits are crucial to saving limbs in danger of being lost, one of the most common medical issues in the wake of the disaster and a mission that Dr. Aaron Glynn said was akin to saving lives in the troubled nation where tens of thousands face amputation due to infection and lack of adequate medical care. Sway then watched as one of the wound VACs was used during a surgery to save the leg of a 13-year-old quake victim. "No VAC, no leg," he said from the surgical theater. "This is a prime example of positive action here on the ground on the frontlines in Haiti, right now." Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now. |
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