MTV News |
- 'Idol Gives Back' Gets A Hand From Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Elton John
- Young Jeezy 'Knocked Out' The '(Ha Ha) Slow Down' Hook, Fat Joe Says
- 'Hills' Most Buzzed-About Moment #8: Heidi Montag Crashes Lauren's Party
- Earth Day Celebrated By John Legend, Jack Johnson, Others
- Green Day's 'American Idiot' Musical Is Political <i>And</i> Personal
- Jack Johnson Hopes To Make Every Day Earth Day On Upcoming Tour
- Gang Starr's DJ Premier Comments On Guru's Death
- Tim Urban Sent Packing During 'Idol Gives Back'
- Solar Opens Up About His Relationship With Guru
- Rihanna Hospitalized In Switzerland
| 'Idol Gives Back' Gets A Hand From Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Elton John Posted: 21 Apr 2010 07:57 AM PDT Black Eyed Peas and Carrie Underwood also perform during 'American Idol' fundraising effort.
Most of Wednesday night's (April 21) "American Idol" was given over to the all-star fundraising effort "Idol Gives Back," featuring performances from Alicia Keys, Elton John, Mary J. Blige and others uniting to raise funds for children's charities in the U.S. and abroad. There was, of course, also work to be done, as another contestant faced elimination at the end of the nearly two-and-a-half-hour special. But the majority of the show was focused on performances at the "Idol" studios in Los Angeles, as well as a second location at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where Queen Latifah hosted in front of a rowdy crowd hyped for Carrie Underwood, the Black Eyed Peas and other special guests.
The evening opened with President Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, delivering a pre-taped message from the White House. " 'American Idol' has always been about changing lives, on the stage and around the world," the president said. "That's why Michelle and I want to take a moment to thank everyone watching tonight for your continued generosity as part of 'Idol Gives Back.' " The top 12, all wearing crisp white outfits, were reunited for one last group number, the 1986 Freiheit song "Keeping the Dream Alive," followed by the Black Eyed Peas, who beamed in for their tune "Rock That Body" on a stage shrouded in fog and crisscrossing lasers. As a half-dozen futuristic robot-girl warriors flashed their ray guns at the crowd, Fergie worked the stage in a metallic snakeskin bodysuit and knee-high matching boots for the uptempo dance tune. This week's mentor, Alicia Keys, sang her sultry new ballad "Un-Thinkable" while wearing a silky black pantsuit, and then sat down at the piano for a forceful run through the sequel to her hit duet with Jay-Z, "Empire State of Mind (Pt. II) Broken Down." Former "Idol" winner and country superstar Carrie Underwood dropped by to sing her inspirational ballad about trying to make a difference in the world, "Change." Though former Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox was scheduled to perform, she was grounded by the Icelandic volcano, but still made an appearance in a touching segment about how the right drugs helped save the life of a desperately ill 7-year-old girl with pneumonia and AIDS. She later appeared in a satellite segment singing her hopeful tribute to children in need, "Universal Child," a new song that was available for download on iTunes after the show. English guitar icon Jeff Beck was joined by Joss Stone and the Jubilation choir for a slinky ramble through "I Put a Spell on You," which featured plenty of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's legendary whammy-bar pyrotechnics. Mary J. Blige also lent a hand, hooking up with Orianthi, Travis Barker, Steve Vai and "Idol" judge Randy Jackson to perform Led Zeppelin's rock classic "Stairway to Heaven." Wearing dark shades, black leather pants and a black leotard with mirrored shoulder pads, Blige brought some soul power to the rock anthem, with Barker bashing out the rumbling rhythm and Vai and Orianthi trading off riffs as the tune built to a titanic peak. The night's final performance came from Elton John, who encouraged viewers to get educated about HIV/AIDS and to get tested for the disease before singing his ageless piano ballad "Your Song." Among the stars lending a hand through video segments chronicling childhood poverty and hunger were Jennifer Garner, former guest judge Victoria Beckham, Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, George Lopez, David Duchovny, Chris Rock, Josh Groban, Morgan Freeman, Slash, Jim Carrey, Wanda Sykes and Ben Affleck. Garner visited an Appalachian town near hear hometown in Charleston, West Virginia, where 45 percent of children are growing up in poverty. She met a family of six that lives in a cramped two-room trailer with no heat and is getting some educational help from Save the Children, one of the night's beneficiaries. Freeman and Randy Jackson traveled to Mississippi and watched as Save the Children helped spread literacy to help rural children get out of poverty. DeGeneres was in Monrovia, California, with David Arquette to see the efforts of Feeding America, which provides food to families in need, while former "Idol" winner David Cook went to Ethiopia on behalf of the U.N. Foundation to see their work trying to help save young girls from servitude. After taking a year off in 2009 due to the financial crisis, Wednesday night's show was the third edition of "Idol Gives Back," and near the end of the show, Simon Cowell announced that $15 million had already been raised. To donate to "Idol Gives Back," call (877) 436-5243 or visit AmericanIdol.com. Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Young Jeezy 'Knocked Out' The '(Ha Ha) Slow Down' Hook, Fat Joe Says Posted: 22 Apr 2010 03:52 AM PDT 'We was sitting there, vibing on the verses,' Jeezy tells Mixtape Daily of making the Darkside track.
The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive Young Jeezy was always going to be on Fat Joe's The Darkside; he just wasn't always on deck for their club banger "(Ha Ha) Slow Down." Jeezy had agreed to get on a record called "Dope Boys" for Joe, but when he got to the studio, DJ Khaled kept raving about the Scoop DeVille-produced "Slow Down." The Snowman asked to hear it. "He played it for me one time," Jeezy, said on the song's video set in Harlem last week. "We was sitting there, vibing on the verses. I went in there and knocked out the hook." "He knocked that hook out quick," Joe marveled. "I told him we were using that 'Slow down, son, you're killin' 'em,' then he started with that 'We came in this bi--- tonight to murder things. And we gonna leave this bi--- tonight a murder scene.' " "Two seconds," Jeezy added his speed on the booth. "We in Harlem now. This is where it got us." Joe's video takes the viewer into the party. "The video is going down movie-style, if the hip-hop police let us," Fat Joe said. "We in Harlem. We gonna touch that town. Me and Jeezy gonna have Puff surfin' on the 'hood of the Phantom Drop. That New York Diddy bop. Jeezy coming through with that A-Town stomp." Speaking of Young, he said he's going to remain just that, refuting online reports that he dropped the first word of his moniker. "Nah. I'm 'Young,' man," he declared. "I'mma stay Young till I ain't Young no more. I don't know why they trying to make me old. But this is 'Young Jizzle from the bottom of the map.' This is the name they gave me. I gotta rock till it's over with." Young said his album Thug Motivation 103 is now slated for July, while Joe's The Darkside is on schedule for June 29. Meanwhile, Jeezy's Trap or Die 2: By Any Means Necessary mixtape is coming soon. Fat Joe is also contemplating a tape prior to his LP's release. The Streets Is Talking: News And Notes From the Underground Just because they sing doesn't mean that they don't want to feed the streets and Net. Look out for a wave of mixtapes by R&B singers. Bobby V just released a tape with DJ Drama called 60 Mins. Dram also has one in the cooker with The-Dream named #lovesessions. Meanwhile, So So Def newbie Dondria is planning to follow up her Dondria Duets with a sequel in the near future; DJ Envy hosted the original. Queens' Super Star Jay is in the lab with one of our all-time favorites, Faith Evans. Faith already dropped a freestyle to Snoop Dogg's "I Wanna Rock" beat last week. We hear Trey Songz may be dropping another tape as well, and we know for sure former G-Unit princess Olivia has Under the Radar coming this weekend. Last but not least, sexy singer Shanell is stepping into the forefront with her recent release Shut Up and Listen. The girl can sing! For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc. Related Videos |
| 'Hills' Most Buzzed-About Moment #8: Heidi Montag Crashes Lauren's Party Posted: 22 Apr 2010 03:52 AM PDT Montag could have cost Conrad her internship when she showed up to the Teen Vogue party uninvited.
MTV News is counting down the most buzzed-about "Hills" moments before the premiere of the show's final season airs on Tuesday, and our #8 moment comes courtesy of the show's very first episode. When Lauren Conrad began on the show, she was an intern at Teen Vogue just hoping to make a good first impression on her then-boss, Lisa Love. However, her party-girl roommate Heidi Montag just wanted to have a good time and nearly ruined Conrad's first major assignment at the magazine.
During LC's big task — helping out at the Young Hollywood Party being thrown by Teen Vogue — Heidi showed up looking for a good time, unfortunately at her pal's expense. Montag showed the world early on that she had a taste for causing trouble. When Heidi showed up unannounced at the event, she caused a scene and almost cost Lauren her internship. Without asking and without approval, she made her way to a section of the party intended only for VIP guests (which the unknown Heidi definitely wasn't at the time) and even got into a heated argument with her then-boyfriend in front of everyone in attendance at the event. Heidi ended up reconciling with the guy and things went well with Lauren and Teen Vogue, but we can't say the same for the pair's friendship — the two famously parted ways, although it would be over Heidi's future husband Spencer Pratt and not over a party mishap. What are some of your favorite "Hills" moments? Let us know in the comments below! "The Hills: Final Season" premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT followed by "The City" at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Earth Day Celebrated By John Legend, Jack Johnson, Others Posted: 22 Apr 2010 03:52 AM PDT 'Avatar' director James Cameron, Sting and Q-Tip are expected at Washington, D.C.'s Climate Rally.
For the past 40 years, environmentalists have considered April 22 to be a day of reckoning. Earth Day is a time to organize, lecture, clean up and generally respect the planet — and remind others to do so as well. With President Obama focused on greening the economy by finding more, and better, alternative sources of energy and encouraging Americans to upgrade their old, inefficient appliances and cars, suddenly Earth Day is back in vogue. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Vice President Joe Biden announced this week that the administration intends to invest $452 million in Recovery Act funding to retrofit buildings in 25 communities from Wisconsin to New York as part of the White House's ambitious plans to cut down energy use and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. (Here are some White House tips on how to green your home, work and community.)
Although communities across the country will be holding various events to commemorate the day, the biggest gathering is planned for the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, when Sting and John Legend will be joined by the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, Booker T. Jones, Mavis Staples, the Roots, Passion Pit, former Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump and Q-Tip for the Climate Rally. Organizers and speakers will urge Congress to pass clean-energy legislation in 2010. Also participating in the event are "Avatar" director James Cameron and civil-rights activist Jesse Jackson. The day's actual musical event will feature a concert by Ben Harper and the Relentless7, Guster and Alberta Cross at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta, Georgia, and a gig by folk duo the Indigo Girls at the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. One of the greenest rock musicians, Jack Johnson, will hold his environmental benefit, the Kokua Festival 2010, at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu on Friday and Saturday, with help from supporting acts Ziggy Marley and Taj Mahal. Also touching down in Hawaii, at the University of Hawaii (Manoa) through Friday, is the Save My Oceans Tour, a multimedia event featuring music, film and art installations celebrating the oceans. The tour will also stop at George Washington University, the University of Utah (Salt Lake City) and University of Colorado (Boulder) through Friday and UN Berkeley through Thursday. Earth Day was founded by the late U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to raise awareness about environmental issues and was first held on April 22, 1970. It has since turned into an international event that often features a week's worth of activities centered on conservation and clean-energy awareness. How are you celebrating Earth Day? Let us know in the comments! |
| Green Day's 'American Idiot' Musical Is Political <i>And</i> Personal Posted: 22 Apr 2010 03:52 AM PDT 'It's about people becoming lost and just trying to find their way,' Billie Joe Armstrong tells MTV News.
By now, you're probably aware that Green Day's 2004 album American Idiot was a fairly, uh, political affair. And while the Broadway version of the record doesn't exactly shy away from the topic, it also reveals a side of the music that most probably never realized was there in the first place: the personal. "I think, politically, American Idiot, when we were writing it, it was trying to make sense out of a big mess," Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said. "You're trying to find something to believe in, but it's difficult when you're getting bombarded with useless information. So it's just [about] trying to find your identity and your individualism in the midst of all that."
"That's the political side, but on the personal side, there's characters in American Idiot that allowed Billie and us to carry those emotions and translate them," bassist Mike Dirnt added. "And I think that it's really great. We've had those characters, and in the play, [director] Michael Mayer has expanded on that ... made a more linear approach to it with adding extra characters and expanding the original story-line concept." So while the Broadway reimagining of Idiot is plenty loud and raucous, there's also more of the softer stuff: the voyage of discovery that three bored teens embark on, the struggle to find themselves in a world gone haywire. It's the kind of stuff that resonates not just with Armstrong, but with theater-going audiences too — which is sort of the point, if you think about it. "I think a lot of people weighed really heavy on the 'American' side of American Idiot and what it's like to be an American and what it means when the record came out, so a lot of people were looking towards the political, angry part of it," Armstrong said. "But I think there is a theme with the characters, it's about people becoming lost and just trying to find their way, and I think that's a theme that's been going through our songs since 1988, and it really kind of manifests itself, you know, with the characters, like Jesus of Suburbia, Whatsername and St. Jimmy. And now, on the stage, that's really coming across. You're investing into the characters a lot more and identifying with them." Do you want to head to NYC to check out "American Idiot" on Broadway? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos |
| Jack Johnson Hopes To Make Every Day Earth Day On Upcoming Tour Posted: 22 Apr 2010 03:52 AM PDT 'I never thought of it as trying to save the word so much as trying not to ruin it,' singer says of green-friendly tour.
For Jack Johnson, environmentalism has always been second nature. Born in Hawaii, he followed in his father's footsteps and took to the waves at an early age, eventually becoming the youngest surfer to ever make the finals at the legendary Pipeline Masters event on Oahu's North Shore. And with that involvement in surfing came a keen awareness of not just the ocean, but the land as well. Which is why, when he switched gears and became a musician, he also quickly latched on to environmental groups like the Surfrider Foundation and Heal the Ocean. After all, it just made sense.
"It kind of all started back when I could first fill up a room with people, when it was a couple hundred people, I started getting asked by Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Ocean, Heal the Bay — different groups like that — if I would help doing fundraisers for them," Johnson said. "And when that started, I realized you could use music to gather people to raise awareness or to raise funds, and we took that little spark and started rolling with it." Johnson and his wife would go on to start the Kokua Hawaii foundation, a nonprofit aimed at educating students on the concept of environmentalism. Every year he also organizes the Kokua Festival in Hawaii, a green-friendly event that raises awareness (and funds) for his foundation (Kokua 2010 will be held Friday and Saturday). And from his early days as a touring musician, he's been determined to make his concerts as environmentally friendly as possible. "Once we started doing this fest in Hawaii, [we started] learning ways we could lessen the negative impact of a show by using biodiesel, water stations, recycling bins, all the little things you could do to lessen the negative impact," he explained. "And then started to see how you could expand on the positive impact by having local nonprofit groups at every venue you play, so as the people from that town are coming to the shows, they can get on mailing lists. Money from that show can go to those groups, so after you leave the town, it was actually beneficial you were there because it starts the positive work." So truly, for him, every day is Earth Day. And when he hits the road later this summer in support of his To the Sea album, he'll continue with a trend he started on his last tour: donating 100 percent of all proceeds to local nonprofits with a green bend. Much like everything he does, it just seemed like second nature. "The venue has to agree to do carbon offsets, there have to be recycling stations there ... I never thought of it as trying to save the world so much as trying not to ruin it. Doing what you can to be responsible with the industry you're in. Trying to better it," he said. "We take 100 percent of our proceeds from the night and donate that to nonprofit groups that are doing really positive work, because then, it's much better that we tour, because it's not just lessening the impact, we try to grow the positive." What do you think of Jack Johnson keeping his shows green-friendly? Let us know in the comments below! |
| Gang Starr's DJ Premier Comments On Guru's Death Posted: 21 Apr 2010 03:58 AM PDT Premier does not comment on harsh statements directed at him in 'farewell' letter reportedly written by MC.
In the statement announcing the death of Gang Starr's Guru on Monday, a letter was included that found the MC directing some harsh words at his longtime partner in the group, DJ Premier. Some have questioned the validity of the letter — claims that Guru's recent partner, Solar, has refuted. "I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name, likeness, events, tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this," the letter reads. "I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ." In a statement issued Wednesday (April 21) on a DJ Premier fan blog that his manager had earlier told MTV News is legitimate, the Gang Starr DJ chose not to address the comments in the letter and instead remember his longtime collaborator. "It was a sad day for me to get confirmation on the death of a man who I will continue to call my brother, Keith Elam, better known as Guru of the legendary Gang Starr," the statement reads. "From 1988-2004, we experienced so much success together that we were able to expand our businesses independently and give each other what Guru called 'creative space,' before planning to reunite for our seventh LP when the time was right. Tragically, we will never reach that day. "I've been asked to comment on a letter speaking ill of me which was supposedly written by Guru in his dying days. All I will say about it is that our time together was beautiful, we built a hip-hop legacy together, and no one can re-write history or take away my love for him. One thing I would never do is play around with the truth about his life. "I will celebrate Guru's life ... I will honor his memory ... I will grieve with the Elam family over his untimely death ... I will remember the Gang Starr foundation and all of the original members of Gang Starr who came before me — we all know each other ... mostly, I will cherish everything we created together as Gang Starr, forever. I'm gonna miss hearing his signature monotone voice when he walks in the room, but the songs will always bring it back to me ... His rhyme flows were insane, and I will never remove him from my heart and soul. Rest in peace to the man who felt 'satisfaction from the street crowd reaction.' I love you Goo ... DJ Premier." Share your memories of Guru and Gang Starr in the comments below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Tim Urban Sent Packing During 'Idol Gives Back' Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:56 AM PDT Elimination came after a night of all-star performances and fundraising pleas.
Wednesday night's (April 21) "American Idol" was focused on "Idol Gives Back," so the two-hour-plus show devoted most of the airtime to raising funds for children's charities with a series of celebrity pleas and performances from Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underwood, Elton John, the Black Eyed Peas and several others. But there was an elimination to take care of, and after visiting the bottom three on three earlier occasions, the sand finally ran out of the hourglass for Texas singer Tim Urban.
With help from comedian George Lopez, the first step toward cutting the group down to six came with a role reversal, as Lopez judged the judges for a change. He told Randy Jackson to come up with something to say besides "pitchy" and encouraged Kara DioGuardi to formulate her own thoughts, giving both of them a pass and declaring them safe. Addressing his pal Ellen DeGeneres, whom he faulted for loving too much, and Simon Cowell, whose size-small T-shirts and flirtation with Ryan Seacrest he mocked, Lopez gave Ellen the pass but said Cowell had to return to England immediately. Because of the Icelandic volcano, though, he said Cowell could hang out. That made way for Ryan Seacrest to call Casey James and Crystal Bowersox center stage, where he sent James to the bottom three for the first time this season after a lackluster Fleetwood Mac cover. MamaSox was sent back to safety after her emotional performance on Tuesday night. Next up were Lee Dewyze and Aaron Kelly, with the high-schooler taking a seat next to James in the bottom three after a lukewarm response from the judges for his cover of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." Siobhan Magnus, Michael Lynche and Urban were the last group to face Seacrest, with Urban ending up in the bottom three yet again after America agreed with Ellen that his rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls' "Better Days" just wasn't their cup of soup. With the show running more than 20 minutes over, the elimination was finally due, as Seacrest sent Kelly to safety yet again, followed by James. Calling Tim the "comeback kid," Seacrest stood next to the always-smiling mop-topped singer. As he watched his goodbye segment, Urban was surrounded by the final six, though he did not get a chance to sing one more time, likely because of the show running so far over. Next week's mentor will be country icon Shania Twain, and the remaining six-pack will choose from her songs during Tuesday night's performance show. What did you think of Tim Urban's elimination? Was it the right call? Let us know in the comments! Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos |
| Solar Opens Up About His Relationship With Guru Posted: 21 Apr 2010 07:40 AM PDT 'I looked at him as a brother,' Solar says; denies rumors of romantic relationship.
Simply known as Solar, the music-industry veteran knows when it comes to the hip-hop community, he's probably the most hated man on the Internet. It seems that everyone is questioning his relationship with Keith Elam — better known to millions of fans as Guru — who died on Monday. On Wednesday (April 21), RapRadar.com had Solar as the focus of their infamous "You Played Yourself" section and one of the blog's writers, Brian "B. Dot" Miller, referred to him as a "lying sack of sh--."
"This is one solar that needs to be eclipsed," B. Dot went on to write. And that may be one of the kindest things said about Solar, friend and confidant of the rap legend since 2002. Twitter's list of trending topics includes #F---SOLAR and longtime Gang Starr musical family member Bumpy Knuckles has been posting tweets directed at Solar that we cannot reprint here. Journalists such as "The Media Assassin" Harry Allen and Miss Info have openly questioned the authenticity of statements issued by Solar on behalf of Guru. Beloved rap figures such as ?uestlove have called him a fraud and Ice-T has expressed that he intends to get to the bottom of the situation. "All this Guru drama WILL be exposed and dealt with ... say no more ... , " Ice tweeted. Solar maintains his intentions are pure and sat down with MTV's Sway for an extensive discussion about his relationship with Guru and all the controversy surrounding his role in Guru's life and tragic death. "The friendship got close fairly rapidly," Solar said of their first meeting through a mutual friend in 2002. "I think the reason why it got close is that I wasn't interested in a record deal. I wasn't interested in him as Guru. Me and him just hit it off as men. I got to know him as a man, he got to know me as a man. We were both going through tricky periods in our lives. I was working with homeless children at the time. It's a heavy problem ... Guru was dealing with certain situations. We started hanging out, hitting the clubs in New York. We needed to lighten it up a little bit. "Once that trust developed, he was able to tell me about certain things within his life and career that was leading him to feel extremely frustrated that I believe contributed to his problems with substance abuse," Solar continued. "Anybody who knows him knows that it was a very serious situation at the time. I wasn't judgmental. I just listened and became a friend." Solar said he eventually helped Guru to rid himself of weed and other substances as well as alcohol, and he had been clean and sober since 2003. Solar came onboard to work on Guru's last two Jazzmatazz albums and toured with him. They also started the label 7 Grand Records. "Once 7 Grand was started, certain aspects of Gang Starr kept holding onto him and he felt that it was dragging him down or holding him from getting to where he wanted to get," Solar explained. "It was influences around the industry that he felt was contributing to that. It was a source of frustration for him and also for myself." Guru maintained a consistent touring schedule around the world. According to Solar, in early 2009, he started to experience pain in his back, which he at first attributed to vigorous gym workouts. After the pain carried on for a couple of months, Guru sought medical attention, which resulted in an MRI and a cancer diagnosis. "He was upset and distraught," Solar added. Guru went in for further testing and it was confirmed that he suffered from myeloma, a cancer that affects the white blood cells. He had an operation in July 2009 that was unfortunately unsuccessful. "It wasn't long before we realized the operation wasn't a success — by the end of the summer we knew the cancer was spreading." Still, Guru and Solar continued to tour around the world — Guru was able to get onstage and perform as long as he took his medicine. However, despite the setbacks, Solar insisted Guru didn't want to tell his family about his situation, as he was still optimistic that he could overcome the diagnosis. "When I met Guru, his situation with his family was somewhat of an estrangement," Solar explained. "I was an advocate of meeting his mom, meeting his dad — developing a strong, good relationship with them." Solar said that Guru and his parents eventually became close again and he got back in contact with his brother as well, however he still wasn't close with his sister Trish and her children. In March, Trish's son Justin said that Solar — who had become Guru's medical proxy — was keeping info from the family about Guru's condition. "My family has no way of knowing what is going on with Guru's situation," Justin said via his YouTube vlog. "[Solar] also has primary control over the decisions made for Guru's health in the hospital. Solar has complete control of the flow of information. I know that Solar has been his right-hand man, day-in and day-out for the last six years, but that does not give him the right to make decisions about whether his family is to see Guru or learn about his status. The fact that he is acting like this lets me know that he does not have Guru's best interests in mind." Solar denied that he took advantage of Guru while he was in a weakened mental state. "He doesn't fit the profile of someone that is mentally unstable," Solar said calmly. " ... He knew exactly what he wanted to do, not only his business but his personal life." He also denied rumors that he used to physically abuse Guru while he was sick. "Me and Guru, we used to play fight," Solar answered. "Roughhouse. Not only with him, but other members of the band. These are all accusations without Guru being here to look you in the eye and saying that's just ridiculous. That's just idiotic." Solar also denied widespread rumors that he was involved in a romantic relationship with the MC. "That's untrue, completely unfounded," he said. "Guru is a family man, I'm a family man. I don't want to say anything against anybody living a certain type of lifestyle — everybody is free to live their life how they choose to live it — but that's not my lifestyle or Guru's lifestyle. We're straight men. He dealt with women and family. I dealt with women and family. There's never been any blurring of the lines whatsoever." Between last summer and February 2010, Guru's focus shifted to his health, and his condition worsened to the point where Solar had to temporarily move into Guru's New Jersey residence to help the rap legend with daily activities. "It was getting bad," Solar said. "His mobility was starting to worsen. I was staying in his home with him to help him with his day to day. I did it as a brother — I looked at him as a brother. I did that to preserve his dignity, even in those times." Guru checked himself into the hospital at the start of the year and underwent chemotherapy, but later suffered two cardiac arrests and slipped into a coma. He died on Monday. Guru's family issued a statement about his passing on Wednesday. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Rihanna Hospitalized In Switzerland Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:17 AM PDT She injured her rib during a show Monday and was back on the stage Tuesday night.
In the midst of her 27-date European tour, Rihanna suffered an injured rib that required a brief trip to an emergency room in Switzerland. The injury took place during Monday's show in Zurich, according to People. Following the performance, Rihanna was taken to a private clinic. "[She] had an injured rib and went to have it looked at to be sure it was nothing serious, and it wasn't," the 22-year-old singer's rep said. Rihanna continued on with the tour, performing Tuesday night in Lyon, France, and then heading to Marseille for Wednesday's (April 21) concert. From there, her Last Girl on Earth Tour will weave through Western Europe, hitting countries like Germany and Luxembourg, before jumping over to the U.K. for 13 dates. The European leg of the tour will wrap up June 5 in Madrid. "All is OK and the tour is going great," her rep said. The Last Girl on Earth Tour will pick back up in the U.S. on July 2 when Rihanna performs in Seattle. That show will kick off a 27-date North American run, which heads north to Canada and then down through Western states like California and Arizona. The Eastern dates will hit cities such as Miami, Boston and New York. The tour finishes up in Chicago on August 25. Ke$ha will join Rihanna on the tour; Nicki Minaj was set to tour with the two women as well, but pulled out earlier this month. "I'm just so excited to be on the same stage as Rihanna," Ke$ha told us recently. "She's obviously an incredible performer, singer, woman. So that tour's going to be so much fun." Are you excited to see the Last Girl on Earth Tour? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists |
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