By Maurice Bobb

Good news, Nas fans. New York-based film distributor Tribeca Film announced Tuesday (May 13) that it acquired the North American rights to “Time Is Illmatic.” The hip-hop documentary about the making of the Queensbridge MC’s seminal debut LP, Illmatic, kicked off the Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews.

Tribeca Film is planning an October day-and-date release, which means the doc will hit theaters, DVD and VOD on the same day. In addition to a planned educational youth screening series, Nas will complement the release with special performances of his classic album in select cities.

The movie — which features vivid recreations from family members (mother Ann Jones, father Olu Dara and brother “Jungle”) of the rapper born Nasir Jones’ upbringing and struggles — was directed by multimedia artist One9 and written by Erik Parker.

“With ‘Time is Illmatic,’ Erik and I wanted to celebrate Nas’ groundbreaking album Illmatic and shed light on the socio-economic conditions that created it,” said One9. “Most importantly, we wanted to show how one piece of art gave hope to those searching for their voice in America. We are confident that our partnership with Tribeca will give the proper platform for this important American experience.”

After the film premiered at the Beacon Theater, the iconic lyricist performed every song from his classic album for hip-hop luminaries and TIFF founder, Robert DeNiro. He was blown away by the love.

“I want to thank Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal & the Tribeca Film family for all of the ...

By Kat Rosenfield

If you’ve been longing all your life to see the charming Owen Wilson in the guise of a talking crayon, that is… pretty weird, actually. But hey, it’s your lucky day, weirdo! Because Wilson has officially joined the cast of “The Hero of Color City,” an animated feature film about — you guessed it — a heroic band of talking, adventure-seeking crayons.

The movie already boasts a star-studded cast including Christina Ricci, Wayne Brady and Craig Ferguson (in a standout, non-crayon role.) Wilson is the latest addition, along with “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Jessica Capshaw.

And despite the film’s G rating and lighthearted, whimsical premise, this movie is serious business for the actors on board. Serious, secret, Freudian business. What does it mean that Christina Ricci went yellow for this role? What does Rosie Perez’s ravishing red onscreen epidermis say about the color of her dreams?! Read on for some highly accurate psychological analysis which we are definitely not making up.

The Yellow Crayon: Christina Ricci

Ricci has never quite been able to shed the lingering mantle of Wednesday Addams, the teensy uber Goth and every homicidal cynic’s dreamgirl. But as a sunny, yellow crayon, she has the opportunity to remind us all that, dammit, she can be perky.

The Blue Crayon: Wayne Brady

And clearly, world-famous improv comedian Brady has taken this moment to remind the world that despite his sunny, funny exterior, on the inside he’s… well, y’know.

The Red Crayon: Rosie Perez

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By Kat Rosenfield

What’s a scaredy-cat actress to do when she’s filming a small-screen horror story in one of America’s most haunted cities? The answer can be summed up in one word: TEQUILA.

So says Emma Roberts, recent alumna of “American Horror Story: Coven,” who made an appearance on Late Night with Seth Myers to promote her new film “Palo Alto.”

“Everywhere I go, I think it’s haunted,” Roberts said. “I’m the person checking under the bed, behind the curtains ten times before I go to bed.”

So when the talk turned to New Orleans, a place known for its ghostliness and the city in which “American Horror Story” shot its most recent season, the actress shared the best advice from a NOLA native on keeping one’s hair free of ectoplasm.

After getting thoroughly freaked out on a ghost tour of the city, she described approaching the tour guide and asking for advice on keeping apparitions at bay. The guide’s response: Make an offering.

“I thought she was going to tell me to cut the head off a chicken and put, like, blood or something,” said the actress. But according to the guide, spirits actually prefer to be offered, um, spirits — specifically, tequila served with a side of salt.

“She said, ‘Leave it on your kitchen table, and tell them it’s for them and to leave you alone.’”

Which Emma did — and before you laugh, you should hear how this story ended:

“A couple months went by, and we’re shooting the show, and everyone ...

By Emilie Cruz
Bigger performances. Riskier song choices. Team Adam’s platinum hair. Blake Shelton’s pickup truck full of cow dung. “The Voice” semifinals were in full swing Monday night (May 12), and there was no shortage of surprises and “real deal” performances.

But before the top five singers left it all on the stage, coach Usher and his smooth moves gave a world premiere performance of his latest song, “Good Kisser” that rightfully earned him a standing ovation from his fellow coaches. Coach Levine also deemed the semifinals the perfect time to get back at Shelton for tweeting his phone number, and ordered two truck loads of cow dung to be unloaded onto Shelton’s red pick up truck.

The top five singers hit the stage twice, once performing a song they dedicated to their hometown, and again with a song their coach chose for them. Here’s a closer look at their night:

Kristen Merlin
Team Shakira’s lone singer opened the show with a fiery performance of Miranda Lambert’s “Gun Powder and Lead” that she dedicated to her hometown. Lambert’s husband Shelton gave the country singer approving head bobs as she performed, and Shakira danced along while her artist sang.

Shakira gave her country singer Jewel’s “Foolish Games” for her second performance. Merlin lost herself in the song, and Shelton commended her for it, saying that was the “most connected [he’d] seen [her] with a lyric.” Shakira gave her singer a standing ovation and praised her for giving her and the entire audience chills.

Josh Kaufman
The ...

By Maurice Bobb
Donald Sterling sat down with CNN on Monday (May 12) to apologize for racist comments he made last month, but with his “I’m sorry” came comments that are likely to draw even more criticism.

Late last month, TMZ released audio recordings of the Los Angeles Clippers owner arguing with his then-girlfriend over a photo she took with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Sterling berated her for “associating with black people,” and shortly after she leaked the recordings, Sterling was banned for life from the NBA.

And in his first interview since the incident, Sterling told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the reason he waited so long to apologize was that Johnson called him and told him to remain silent. He later questioned the Dodgers owner’s character and philanthropy.

“What has he done? Can you tell me? Big Magic Johnson, what has he done?” Sterling asked. “Well, what kind of a guy goes to every city, has sex with every girl, then he catches HIV? Is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go into the background. But what does he do for the black people? He doesn’t do anything.”

Cooper reminded Sterling that Magic is charitable, citing his work to provide funds for HIV/AIDS awareness, testing and treatment, but that fell on deaf ears.

“He’s got AIDS,” Sterling said. “Did he help anybody in south LA? He does nothing. It’s all talk.”

While sharing that he ...

By Maurice Bobb

Where is Casey Kasem?

That’s the million-dollar question that reportedly prompted a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to order an investigation into the whereabouts of the former “American Top 40″ host.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the judge made his ruling after an attorney for Kasem’s wife said that he had been removed from L.A., possibly even out of the country, without his children’s knowledge.

As a result of his advanced Parkinson’s disease, Kasem can no longer speak and has been in various treatment facilities, all chosen by his wife Jean. Judge Daniel S. Murphy on Monday (May 12) ordered a court investigator and adult protective services to find out where the ailing 82-year-old broadcasting icon is being treated and report back to the court immediately.

Troy Martin, her attorney, reportedly said the family believes that the long-tenured entertainer was taken to an Indian reservation in Washington state.

Daughter Kerri Kasem was appointed temporary caretaker on Monday after seeking temporary conservatorship, according to THR. Murphy also appointed a doctor to look into Casey Kasem’s care and ordered a court-appointed lawyer to determine his whereabouts as soon as possible.

As a result of the judge’s ruling, Kerri Kasem will now have access to her father’s medical record and other reports previously sealed by court order. Her case is the second one opened by one of Casey Kasem’s children seeking access to their father and input into decisions about his care.

MTV News ...

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By Maurice Bobb

Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker may be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, but it was Seth Rogen and Zac Efron’s new film, “Neighbors,” that swung over the superhero sequel to the top of the box office this weekend.

The Nicholas Stoller-directed comedy about a raucous college fraternity that moves next door to new parents pulled in a hefty $51.1 million, the second-biggest opening weekend ever for a R-rated comedy behind “Ted” ($54 million) that wasn’t a sequel or spin off.

Debuting as the No. 1 movie in America is a huge win for Universal considering “Neighbors” only cost $18 million to produce. The movie even did well overseas under an alternate title, “Bad Neighbors,” raking in $34.5 million.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” fell to second place with $37.2 million, a sharp 59% drop from last weekend. Considering that both films fought for fans from the same age group, it was expected that the webslinger would draw fewer viewers, but the Marvel movie’s decline is still alarmingly higher than other comic book sequels like “Captain America 2″ (-56%), “Thor 2″ (-57%) and “Iron Man 3″ (-58%).

The other big debut was Jon Favreau’s “Chef,” which was only shown on six screens. The cooking comedy, which also stars Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr., earned an impressive $204,201 in limited release.

Rounding out the top three was Nicki Minaj’s “The Other Woman,” which earned $9.25 million in its third weekend, for a grand total of ...

By Maurice Bobb

There’s no telling what Mac Miller gave his mother for Mother’s Day, but his fans got quite the gift Sunday (May 11): a new mixtape, Faces.

The 24-track project features Mac at his best, spitting introspective lyrics about his day to day as a Pittsburgh rapper traversing fame while living on the West Coast. He raps about drug-induced hallucinations, partying and just plain old having a good time.

On the trippy “Friends,” which features longtime pal Schoolboy Q, the Blue Slide Park MC raps in a stream of consciousness, with lines like, “The rap Diablo, free your mind my motto, we gon all be good if Treejay ever hit the lotto” and “But still to fall in love is like an orgasm, cuz you never gonna know if you girl fake it/I’m always faded getting faded in the basement.”

Mac’s Mom recently spoke to Complex , where she gave her point of view on raising a successful rapper, shared how she supports him and enjoys his joy and admitted that she doesn’t always agree with what he says. One can definitely assume, then, that she won’t like what he had to say on the Earl Sweatshirt-assisted “Polo Jeans.”

“Just went through a half ounce of coke, blood pouring all out my nose/Don’t tell my Mama I got a drug problem, I’m f-cking high, we publicized when the sun go down, I come alive,” he raps before giving the floor to his Odd Future cohort.

Other ...

By Maurice Bobb

Mother’s Day is special for every child—young or old—who had a matriarch that sacrificed everything for his or her well-being, because it offers them a chance to show “Mama” how much she is appreciated.

But for Eminem , who has famously bashed the woman that raised him on songs like 2002’s “Cleaning Out My Closet,” this year’s celebration is cathartic because he chose to make amends in the most public way possible, a new music video dedicated to Debbie Mathers for “Headlights ,” which was released Sunday (May 11).

The Spike Lee-directed clip begins with Em sitting in a dark room on a sofa watching his Mom discuss raising him on a daytime talk show. With a pensive look on his face, the blonde-coifed MC watches footage of his videos, awards show appearances, interviews and concerts where he said not-so-great things about Mom.

“But as stubborn as we are, did I take it too far, ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’/ And all them other songs, but regardless I don’t hate you/ ‘Cause ma, you’re still beautiful to me, ’cause you’re my mom,” he raps in tandem with Nate Ruess’ subtle crooning.

There’s visuals, of course, of his native 8-Mile stomping grounds, as well as actual scenes from his groundbreaking “8-Mile” film. The video closes with the MMLP2 watching himself on the 106 & Park sofa declaring his love for his mother.

Happy Mother’s Day indeed, Debbie Mathers, from your supremely talented son, Marshall.

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By Maurice Bobb

Winter’s long gone, but the Snowman is about to heat up the streets for the summer.

A day after dropping the Drumma Boy-produced single “ Me OK,” Jeezy announced that his fifth studio LP will be titled Seen It All.

“I gave you Thug Motivation 101, I gave you The Inspiration, The Recession, I gave you (TM) 103, and I feel like through all that, I been through a lot and I feel like I seen it all,” Jeezy told REVOLT. “That’s why I named my new album Seen It All.”

The “Soul Survivor” MC waxed poetic about his humble beginnings, from “taking his shoes off” to work with DJ Drama to earning platinum plaques and Grammy nominations in his 10-plus-year tenure as one of the most formidable MCs in the game.

“To be 10 years in the game and still be standing here in these mother—-in’ Versace’s, no dirt on your jersey and still doing what you do — you gotta have a lot of wisdom,” he said. “And anybody like Birdman, Jay Z, or Puff Daddy can attest to that. It takes a lot to be strong in this game and still be here and do your thing. That’s why I feel like I’m a young OG; I seen it all.”

The album title is markedly different from his popular Thug Motivation series, but from the sounds of his first solo track Jeezy’s released in months, the Atlanta rapper will still rattle off the signature crack ...