Thursday, July 24, 2008

Debate:Ronaldinho At Milan-Boon Or Bane?


So the big transfer story of the summer has eventually come to fruition. Ronaldinho has moved from FC Barcelona to AC Milan with all three parties eagerly expressing their unbridled gladness. Barca have pocketed €21 million, Milan have added another gem to their crown while Ronnie is heaving a huge sigh of relief after he finally shipped out of Catalunya. Yet the doubts linger on. After all, Ronaldinho doesn’t arrive in Milan on the back of a great season. Instead, he arrives on the back of his worst ever season, a season in which he was dumped out of the squad by the then Barca coach Frank Rijkaard, in which he himself pulled out of several matches on matchday mornings, in which he fell out with the fans who had for four seasons fanatically worshipped him. But more importantly perhaps for AC Milan, the big question is whether the signing of Ronaldinho is something good for the club or not. It might seem obscenely ludicrous to many to even remotely doubt that signing the two times former FIFA World Player of the Year is detrimental for Milan but exploring the situation would exhibit that the circus is not all about fun and thrill at all. The Kaka Transfer Story No sooner had Ronaldinho stepped in Milan than his Brazilian compatriot Kaka seemed to step out of the city. The previously murmuring rumours of Chelsea(and at times Real Madrid) hunting the current FIFA Word Player’s signature became a vicious avalanche as Milan admitted that Chelsea had indeed made a huge offer(according to reports €100 million) for the player, an offer which Milan insist they have rejected. Not that one can swallow Milan’s stance on the affair without a hiccup or two. The player’s agent admitted that the player was more likely to move to Chelsea to rejoin his former Brazilian national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari since he wanted to play in the UEFA Champions League next season and could also inflate his bank account by €15 million. Now all these days Kaka has gone on public record to disclaim any reports of moving out of Milan. But suddenly his position at the Rossoneri appeared(and appears) to stutter. Kaka is a very pious young man, someone who was born and bred in a cultured and devoutly evangelical family and who has ideals and values but suddenly the myth that Kaka was never going to leave Milan needs a revision. Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani announced that Ronaldinho would be allowed to play in the Olympics, implying that Ronnie would be given everything that he wants to make himself comfortable, but the club is disinclined to let Kaka do the same, which given the 26-year old’s desire to play for his nation in the biggest sporting event in the world, has reportedly and understandably but unwittingly constructed a chasm. The Clarence Seedorf Controversy And then there was the Clarence Seedorf warning. Just days before the deal between Milan and Barcelona saw the light of the day, the (former?) Dutch international midfielder claimed that signing Ronaldinho would be a huge mistake for Milan as the club did not need him. Soon after Ronnie was signed by Milan Seedorf made it clear that he wouldn’t do away with the number 10 shirt, hinting Ronnie to f*** off. The Marco Borriello Threat Ronaldinho might be going through arguably the worst blue patch in his career but at AC Milan he can still aspire to be given the nod ahead of several players. Marco Borriello’s agent has announced that he is looking for a new club for his client while the formation of Carlo Ancelotti's side and the future of some young players appear to be enshrouded in uncertainly in the wake of the arrival of the 2002 World Cup winner. Blessing Or Curse? Ronaldinho is supposed to be a boon for a Milan side that desperately seeks reinforcement and fresh legs. While Ronaldinho is still a classy player, maybe even a legend, you have to be naïve to blindly believe that Ronnie can singlehandedly drag Milan out of the mess. Ronaldinho first needs to pick himself up and regain match fitness and more importantly try and accommodate himself into the Milan set-up rather than have the Milan set-up accommodate him(although given the welcome Ronnie has received at Milan, he could well expect the club to bow down to his wishes). A whisper of doubt remains on whether Ronaldinho can play along with Kaka in the Milan midfield or not. He has not quite gelled with Kaka so far for Brazil as both appear to trim each other out of spaces. And more importantly, it remains to be seen how Ancelotti accommodates Ronnie on his favoured left channel. Ronaldinho is the face of world football even now when he is stagnated in the doldrums and does have the capability to turn himself on. But given his reported hunger for nightclubs, there might be some problem with him again at Milan. And if you mark the words of Seedorf and Borriello’s agent, then the dressing room is already getting heated. So is Ronaldnho a boon or a bane for AC Milan? Would he turn out to be a blessing or a curse? What do you fans think of the matter?
Read More

Rapper DMX denies theft charges, sings at court


PHOENIX (Reuters) - Chart-topping rapper DMX pleaded not guilty to a pair of felony theft charges in a Phoenix court on Thursday, and then treated reporters to an impromptu rap about bouncing back from adversity.
DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was charged with one count of theft and one count of taking someone else's identity.
The charges stemmed from a visit Simmons made to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in April during which he gave his name as "Troy Jones," allegedly to avoid paying for treatment.
After denying the charges, he serenaded reporters waiting outside the Maricopa County Superior Court.
"If and when you ever fall down, get back up," Simmons began, according to a censored recording on a local radio station's Web site.
"Drop something, stop fretting, pick that ... back up, stand for something or fall for everything, wait for the right pitch or miss with every swing," Simmons sang.
The 37-year-old rapper is next due to appear in court on August 12.
Simmons, who has a home outside Phoenix, has been involved in a string of legal tangles. In May, he was arrested on suspicion of drug possession and animal cruelty after searches of his home allegedly turned up weapons, drugs, dog carcasses and abused pit bulls.
In 2006, he served more than two months at New York's Rikers Island jail in connection with a 2004 incident when he smashed his sport utility vehicle into a gate at John F. Kennedy Airport after identifying himself as a federal agent.

His first five albums opened at No. 1 on the U.S. pop album charts, but his most recent release, 2006's "Year of the Dog ... Again," ended that run by debuting at No. 2. Simmons has also acted in several action movies, including "Cradle 2 The Grave" and "Exit Wounds."
Read More

Snoop Dogg to record duet with Bollywood star


snoop dogg is set to give his fans a taste of something different with his next release.
He's working with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar on a bhangra tune that will be used as the title track for the Hindi film Singh Is Kinng.Snoop, 36 – real name Calvin Broadus – and actor Akshay, 40, are also planning a Bollywood-style video to accompany the song. ‘Snoop was to have his own crew and clothes,’ a source tells the Daily Mirror. ‘But Akshay convinced him to don a sardar look for the £250,000 video. It's totally different from what you'd expect from him. ‘With the song you get two very different styles - hip-hop with Snoop and bhangra with Akshay. Their chemistry's well worth seeing!’
Read More

Russell Brand's MTV Bedtime for Jonas Brothers

You may not automatically know who Russell Brand is when you hear his name, but that's probably going to change on Sept. 7.
The British bad-boy comedian, who played rehabbed rocker Aldous Snow in the recent Judd Apatow-produced hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall, was named today as host of MTV's Video Music Awards.
Brand has a history with the network. He was fired from his gig as a VJ on MTV in London after he came to work dressed as Osama Bin Laden on Sept. 12, 2001.
"I didn't mention [the incident] to them when they offered me this gig," Brand told me this afternoon from his home in London, "which leads me to believe that they haven't investigated my career history too closely."
MTV signed Brand for the VMAs after producers saw his standup act at L.A.'s famed Roxy Theatre.
"I'm planning to have lesbian kisses with Britney and Madonna individually," Brand said. "It's not going to be easy what with my genitals, but God, I will try."
Past hosts have included Jack Black, Chris Rock, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jimmy Fallon and Jamie foxx.
Those are some mighty big shoes to fill. "I thought I might trust my luck and improvise," Brand said. "I'll have a couple of glasses of gin and just stagger out there and bellow with the Jonas Brothers."
The gin part is definitely a joke. Brand, who has been very open about his battle with substance abuse, has been sober for a number of years.
But being clean doesn't mean he won't be looking for some dirty fun during the awards show, which will telecast live from Hollywood's Paramount lot. Let's just hope no one dares him to cop a cheap feel with any number of the starlets who will be in the audience.
"One night, Chrissie Hynde encouraged me to touch Rosanna Arquette's breasts," Brand recalled with a laugh about the aforementioned Roxy gig. "And I did it. She said, 'Feel Roseanna's breasts. They're real.' It was a good experience."
But he promises not to go that far come VMA time...or does he? "No one will thank me for touching breasts during the show," he said. "But I can almost guarantee a Janet Jackson-style Super Bowl nip slip."
Expect plenty of ribbing of the Jonas Brothers, who will be making their VMA-performance debut. "We may have to cancel them, because I don't think the show will be early enough for them," Brand cracked about the JoBros. "Those boys will be sent promptly to bed if I come across them."
Read More

Fall Out Boy, T.I. Team Up For Personal Song With 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Sound


On the surface (or pretty much any other level), T.I. and Fall Out Boy don't have much in common. But that hasn't stopped them from joining forces on a new track, which is in line to appear on the rapper's upcoming Paper Trail album.
MTV News listened to a rough demo of the song, tentatively called "Out in the Cold" last week in Los Angeles, and judging from what we heard, fans of both camps are going to be rather surprised by the results.
Starting off with chiming electronic stabs — which Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz likened to "something from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' " — the song is somber and emotional, loaded with dramatic, crashing guitars, soaring strings and the King of the South's deeply personal lyrics, which detail the trials and tribulations he's endured over the past year.
"Biggie and 'Pac's murders still unsolved/ And you wonder why I got 'em in the car and the trunk," T.I. raps at one point, addressing his arrest on weapons charges late last year. Later in the song, he makes mention of threats against his home and of "tying up [his] family" and adds that, while he's hired security for protection, "What happens when it freezes up again, like it did in Cincinnati?" — a reference to the 2006 shooting death of his friend Philant Johnson in that city.
And while he's defiant throughout, there are also moments where Tip lets his guard down. At another point in the song, he apologizes for his arrest and admits he's done wrong, specifically saying that he "Call[ed] on God" and prayed deeply for forgiveness during his weapons trial.
But the autobiographical stuff doesn't end there. Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump sings the hook on the track, and he plumbs the same depths, bellowing, "I drink to forget/ I write so I never will/ Curse myself/ Down and out for all time/ I'm always leaving you high and dry/ I'm always leaving you out in the cold."
It's all pretty powerful stuff, made even more so by the track itself, which, though it's infused with skittering drum patterns and synthesizers, was actually one that FOB had intended to use on their upcoming album, according to Wentz (though this seems to fly in the face of his earlier,"riff-heavy" description of the record"
"That actually was a part we had written in between Infinity on High and when we went to Chile on tour," Wentz told MTV News. "After hearing about the chance to do a collaboration with someone like T.I., we thought, 'How amazing would it be to send him something with strings and a Danny Elfman-like intro that Patrick came up with?' Lyrically you can take it as [being about] a friend, a lover or even a fan."
A spokesperson for T.I.'s label, Atlantic, confirmed to MTV News that "Out in the Cold" is "in consideration" for Tip's Paper Trail, which hits stores in September. If the song makes the cut, it wouldn't be FOB's first foray into the world of hip-hop. Jay-Z collaborated with them on the opening track to 2006's Infinity on High album, and Stump sang the hook on the Roots' "Birthday Girl," though that song ended up being cut from the group's Rising Down album
Read More

Timbaland Working On Shock Value Sequel

Timbaland is currently working on the follow-up to his smash album Shock Value. The follow-up, entitled Shock Value 2 already has a few tracks completed and according to MTV News, Tim wants to stay away from working with some of the same folks he included last time, just to keep everyone guessing.
"Shock Value is really like the Now [That's What I Call Music!] compilation," he said. "That's my goal for this — not [to showcase] me as an artist. Of course I'll do my little part, introduce some people. It gives me room to go tour across the world. People request me. I put on a show. I put on a musical show."
"Right now, I have a song with Madonna that I didn't put on her album. I saved [it] in case I wanna do one for me," he revealed. "Of course I'mma do one with Beyoncé. Of course I'mma do one with Jordin Sparks, Rihanna. It's a lot of people. I'mma do one with The Jonas Brothers. I'mma try to have 10 major ones."
The producer also told MTV News that there will be guest appearances by Hip-Hop artists including T.I., T-Pain and Jay-Z. "Jay was really on the last one, but he wanted to change [the song]," Tim told MTV. "I said, 'Look, man, I gotta put out an album. You're killing me.'"
Besides working on Shock Value 2, Timbaland recently said he may be producing one of Jay-Z’s upcoming LP’s in its entirety. He has also been working with Missy Elliot and Chris Cornell.
Read More

Lindsay Lohan Holding Hands With Samantha Ronson

Haven’t said much about Lindsay Lohan in a while now so it was about time. Couple of things happened with the girl, but they are all good things.
First she is back on the set of Ugly Betty, second she is not afraid anymore to show her affection for Samantha in public. They are seen more often holding hands or hugging, but no kissing.
Now when you are 13th and you are holding hands with your best girl friend that’s nothing wrong in that but when you 22 and you live in the same house with your bgf and you are holding hands and hugging and kissing with her something is not ok.
I just hope these two will admit they love each other and that they are together. I don’t think anyone has something against it; it’s so great feeling to be in love. They shouldn’t be ashamed and hide.
Read More

Batman's Marriage Not in Trouble

Sources close to the couple tell "The Insider" that the rumors that Bale's 8-year-marriage to Sandra 'Sibi' Blazic, seen above with Christian and his mother, is under pressure are untrue. Sources tell "The Insider" that their 8-year long marriage is solid and thriving despite a report in today's London Daily Mail which claims that the alleged fracas with his mother and sister, "apparently comes at a time when his marriage to Sandra 'Sibi' Bale;... is enduring difficulties." The London Daily Mail is reporting the Batman star allegedly "flew into a rage after his mother allegedly insulted his wife."
"The Insider" is also debunking another rumor surrounding Bale. For years, the media has reported that his daughter's name is Emmeline, but Bale's rep now tells "The Insider" that is not true and that Bale has never revealed the name of his daughter.
Meanwhile, sources close to the actor tell the paper Bale allegedly confronted his mother at London's Dorchester hotel after Jenny Bale allegedly said "some outrageous things."
Bale was arrested and released yesterday in London over an assault allegation which he has denied to "The Insider." The London Mail is also reporting a source close to the actor says Bale is confident he has done nothing wrong and "did not lay a finger on anyone."
"The Insider" also confirmed that Bale's wife and daughter are scheduled to travel with him to Tokyo for Monday's premiere of 'The Dark Knight,' which Warner Brothers has confirmed just surpassed the $200 million mark. After the Japanese premiere, Bale will head straight to New Mexico to continue filming his next blockbuster, 'Terminator Salvation,' due to be released in May 2009.
Read More

Selena Gomez's Song About Nick Jonas?

Has Selena Gomez been writing songs about her rumored boyfriend Nick Jonas?
A source claims that back in February, the star of Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place wrote a song inspired by the youngest brother of the hitmaking Jonas Brothers trio.
"They were writing lyrics for the bridge, and she was saying how Nick makes her so mad when he doesn't call her back," the source tells E! News about the tune, titled "Head First." "The verse was definitely written about Nick Jonas."
The source claims (as did People magazine yesterday) that Gomez, 16, and Jonas, 15, have been an item for several months.
Gomez's rep, however, insists the two are nothing more than a couple of good buddies.
"She is friends with all of the Jonas Brothers," the rep said. "Her best friend, Demi Lovato, is on tour with them, so it makes sense that she's been at some of their shows."
Just last month, Gomez predicted her personal life would undoubtedly become tabloid fodder. "Sometimes you can get caught up in the media, but I've just learned to not let it bother me, and I know that it's only going to get worse," she told me. "I think that with the support of my friends and family, that's all I need to pull me through
Read More

An Oscar for Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight'?

Thanks to The Dark Knight, you might actually care about the Oscars next year. Though summer blockbusters don't usually show up in the big races at the Academy Awards, the film's glowing reviews make it a possible contender in the Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay categories, and it will surely be considered a front-runner for technical prizes. But its greatest Oscar hope has to be Heath Ledger, who'll likely become the seventh-ever posthumous acting nominee for his mesmerizing performance as the Joker. And it's safe to say that several million Dark Knight fans would tune in to the telecast to see if he can become the second such winner (after Network's Peter Finch in 1977).
The Academy Awards could use the boost. For the last several years, the gala has been filled with lesser-known nominees and seen its ratings plummet. This past ceremony, all four acting winners were foreigners, only one major-category victor (Juno) grossed more than $75 million—and the show attracted an all-time-low audience of 32 million.
Next year's telecast could end up being quite the A-list affair. Possible contenders include Brad Pitt, who ages in reverse for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Angelina Jolie, playing the mother of a missing child in Clint Eastwood's Changeling; Will Smith, reteaming with Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino, in the character study Seven Pounds; Nicole Kidman, once more under the tutelage of Moulin Rouge maestro Baz Luhrmann in the epic Australia; and the Titanic duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who'll reunite for the first time in the suburban drama Revolutionary Road.
Of course, not all of next year's nomination slots will be filled by blockbusters. But the presence of hits like The Dark Knight could go a long way toward keeping Oscar viewers from changing the Bat-channel. What say you, PopWatchers? Does Ledger deserve to be in the running for an Oscar nod? If the Academy starts paying more attention to well-crafted popcorn flicks, would it raise your overall interest in the Oscar telecast? (And if you can't wait for this week's EW cover story on The Dark Knight,
Read More
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)