by Emilee Lindner 25 mins ago

When I dialed artist Phillip Butah in the U.K., we had both just finished watching Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” video — and were kind of shocked at Ed’s secret skill for ballroom dancing.

“It’s actually really good,” Butah said, laughing, surprised that even he — a childhood friend of Sheeran’s — didn’t expect that from him.

Butah and Sheeran know each other from “back in the day,” when Ed’s parents were mentoring Phillip in school, and now the duo are publishing a book together: “Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey.”

The book tells the story of Ed’s beginnings as a singer/songwriter and how he rose to fame; it comes out Thursday (but those of us in the U.S. have to wait until November 18). Butah, whose portrait of Ed graced the cover of the singer’s + album, provided the artwork for this project — nearly 50 images drawn with pencil, pastels, charcoal and graphite.

Running Press

On the cover of “A Visual Journey” is a baggy-pantsed Ed, tattoos running down his arm. A bright, neon-green color soaks the cover of the book, which Butah admits was almost the album art for Sheeran’s sophomore LP, X. Butah’s pencil drawing shows the musician as the simplest version of himself — alone, just like he is onstage at an arena, and just like how he once was playing clubs by himself, trying to make it big.

“It’s just where he is right ...

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by Deepa Lakshmin 1 min ago

Artwork by Kevin Harris

The only thing more expensive than tuition? Textbooks. Well, not really, but you get the point. Every semester, professors tell you to purchase some absurdly expensive book that they swear you’ll need to pass the class — and you listen to them, because you’re a good student and all. And then by the end of the year, you realize you’ve opened that $100 textbook exactly once. Oops.

Stop wasting your money, because we found the only textbooks you need to survive college. We promise these required readings are well worth your hard-earned cash…

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Related: 27 SnapChats That Perfectly Explain College

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Related Video: 12 Lies Every Freshman Tells About College

by Nadeska Alexis 5 mins ago

Steve Aoki has made a sport out of “caking” fans at his shows — and by caking, I mean that he literally covers them from head-to-toe in frosting — so we decided to put his cake decorating skills to the test. And, obviously, we also smashed cakes at the end of this.

Hit the video below to see Steve Aoki draw his tourmate Waka Flocka Flame on his cake, while I did my best artistic/frosting impression of Steve himself. (P.S. I won this cake-decorating contest — if you were wondering).

by Brenna Ehrlich 12 mins ago

Remember that little girl who thought she was going to the water park but, instead, was on her way to see Lorde? Yeah, we thought she had the best day ever at the time, but now that title has been usurped — by… her?

“How?” you might ask, your fists clenched at your sides and veins popping from your forehead. “What could possibly be better than taking in a performance by LORDE?! Oh! she of purple lips and dark, dark dreams?!”

Well, I would say meeting Lorde trumps just seeing Lorde any day — and that’s exactly what 12-year-old Alexis J. got to do. Did you pass out from jealousy yet? We’ll give you a second to procure smelling salts.

“So, they met last night and it was a beautiful thing,” Lorde’s rep posted to Instagram. “This is that little 12-year-old from Atlanta whose parents surprised her with Lorde tickets a few weeks back. What a smart little girl, 12 and already has a book published! ‘Bailey and the Bully’ by Alexis J. It’s moments like this that make it all worthwhile #GIRLPOWER.”

If you recall, Lorde tweeted a video last month in which Alexis learns that her parents bought her tickets to the 17-year-old “Royals” singer’s show. Alexis, hilariously, had believed herself to be on the way to some sort of theme park — and was only slightly disappointed when she learned the truth. Mostly, she was pretty stoked.

Well, it seems the stoke-a-bility factor was upped Monday night. Look at ...

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by Jordana Ossad 17 mins ago

Nicole Polizzi has been keeping her nearly-three-week-old baby girl Giovanna under wraps, but she just shared the first photo of her newborn nugget. We think.

The “Snooki & JWOWW” star posted this sweet snapshot of a petite hand to her Facebook page:

Snooki's Facebook page

“My daughter is growing up SO FAST!” she captioned the pic, then added an exciting update: “Lorenzo’s belly button didn’t fall off for two weeks but Giovanna’s fell off after 5 days…”

Could this be our very first look at Nicole’s mini-me? While the “Jersey” gal doesn’t specify if those tiny fingers grasping at her hand are indeed G’s, we do know for certain that they’re way too tiny to be two-year-old Lorenzo’s. Let the guessing game begin!

by Clint Mize 4 mins ago

Getting horror right is one of the most difficult things to accomplish in the video game medium. So much is based upon player input that sometimes what’s happening on screen falls out of sync with what’s going on in the players mind.

This is partly the reason why the survival horror genre has morphed into a first person “theme park” ride of frights in which the screams come from startling the player with jump scares. Thinking back to the P.T. demo, you’re thrust into the idea that “hey, just maybe these alien things are real” by recreating a believable universe. While, “Alien: Isolation” doesn’t shy away from some of these elements it works best when it envelopes you into its world.

It’s been quite a bit since the xenomorph terror has induced this much fear but it’s earned, not by mashing it into your face suddenly, but through creepy pacing, excellent use of environmental tricks, and loyalty for the movie that began a legacy of horror.

This is what we learned when we weren’t cowering in fear.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

SEGA/20th Century FOX

The story follows 15 years after the incident in the original “Alien,” with you playing the role of Ripley’s daughter, Amanda. She’s currently employed by the same corporate entity as her Mom – Weyland-Yutani – as an engineer when word of her mother’s ship, Nostromo resurfaces. Seeking the flight data of its hazardous voyage, the Company sends a team – along with Amanda – to ...

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by Tess Barker 5 mins ago

In perhaps the most adorable pro sports transaction of all time, five-year-old JP Gibson has signed a one-day scrimmage contract with the Utah Jazz. As per the terms of his contract, the kindergarten student and power forward suited up and hit the bench with his fellow teammates Monday night for their official open scrimmage at the Jazz’s EnergySolutions Arena.

JP was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia two years ago, and his contract was put together by way of the Utah Jazz and the “Anything Can Be” project, which helps kids with cancer realize their dreams. JP has been training for this, his rookie debut, for most of his life. His publicist (mom) told the NBA, “He started insisting on shooting hoops for an hour each night before bedtime when he was just 15 months old.”

Check out this formidable half pint dunking like a pro here:

We’d like to think he threw back a nice cold juice box at the end of this nail biter of a match.

by Quinn Keaney 12 mins ago

If you had to guess, how do you think Kim Kardashian lets her loved ones know how much she cares about them? Does she give them flowers? Or hit up Hallmark for a card that sings “Jam (Turn It Up)?” Maybe an Edible Arrangement or two? Um, no. This is Kim K, and when Kim K wants to show her love, she wears your name in the shape of ridiculously expensive jewelry. Obviously.

The reality star posted a jeweled homage in honor of daughter North West on Instagram in the form of some pretty gold rings, one for each letter of North’s name. Were the rings a way for Kim to make it up to North after maybe leaving her in a hotel (LOL)? Possibly. Are they adorable? Definitely.

Instagram

North isn’t the only one who’s gotten the gilded-name treatment—Kim did the same for hubby Kanye West a few years ago with a pair of “KW” earrings. Ain’t love grand?

Getty Images/Courtesy of @baddiebey's Instagram

Although she’s totally doing a good job of bringing back the trend, she wasn’t the first to test it out—Queen B did it all the way back in 2012 when she got not one, but TWO custom Blue Ivy nameplate necklaces. Would it be weird if we got one, too, Bey? Yeah? Okay, never mind.

Merci Maman

The Duchess of Cambridge is clearly in ...

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by Matthew Scott Donnelly 33 mins ago

Elizabeth Berkley recreating Jesse Spano’s infamous “Saved By the Bell” freakout on Season 17 of “Dancing with the Stars“? Awesome.

Alfonso Ribeiro resurrecting the legendary Carlton Dance from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” on last night’s episode? IN-FRIGGIN’-CREDIBLE.

In a performance that earned him a perfect score, Alfonso brought down the house, but why let the hip swingin’ stop there? In honor of MTV’s #Throwblock, which now airs episodes of “Fresh Prince” from noon to 2 p.m. every weekday, we’re asking the show’s biggest fans to submit their best Carlton Dances to dothecarlton.mtv.com. And if yours catches our eye, it might just be featured on MTV during an upcoming “Fresh Prince” marathon! Plus, if you want to give us an extra nudge, you can use the hashtag #DoTheCarlton on social media and post it for the whole wide world to see.

Related: Seven Life Lessons Learned From ‘The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’

So whether you’re a stickler for the classic or prefer to put a contemporary twist on the move, show us what you’ve got. And catch MTV’s HUUUGE “Fresh Prince” marathon from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Monday, October 13 to see if yours makes the cut!

Pssst… Just in case you need a little inspiration, here are some of the Internet’s current Carlton hits:

The Kiddie Carlton, from Stephen Jones:

The Sliding Carpet Carlton, from @KonaJona:

The Crosswalk Carlton, from @Gwarskatan:

The Calculated Carlton, from Jack Banister:

The A Capella Carlton, from @DanielleBlanks:

The Slow-Mo ...

Oct 7, 2014 | No Comments on These ‘Fresh Prince’ Fans Did ‘The Carlton’ Almost As Well As Alfonso Ribeiro

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