by Gil Kaufman 6 mins ago

For months we’ve been hearing about the deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa that has killed more than 3,000 and infected thousands more in Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Senegal. But this week the dangerous hemorrhagic fever became headline news on American shores when the first confirmed Ebola case in the United States was disclosed, setting off a panic about the the extremely infectious disease.

So the question many are asking now is: Should we be worried about catching Ebola? Will I get it if the person next to me in class, or on the subway sneezes or coughs on me? Can I pick it up from a doorknob or a handshake? Don’t panic: MTV News separates fact from fiction.

What Is Ebola And Where Did It Start?

Getty Images News

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a disease caused by five different viruses that was first identified in Africa in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was named after the Ebola River in Africa and the exact origin and natural host are unknown, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There are five known strains, four of which cause sicken humans and a fifth, the Reston virus, that has sickened animals, but does not appear to be dangerous to man.

How Is The Ebola Virus Transmitted?

AFP/Pascal Guyot

Though Ebola is very infectious (a very small amount can cause illness), it is Read More →

by Gil Kaufman 33 mins ago

Tracy Morgan’s injuries from a devastating six-car accident in June are so serious that the comedian may never be able to perform live again. Morgan, who is suing Walmart over the accident that landed him in critical condition, is in the midst of intensive therapy and lawyer Benedict Morelli told the New York Post that it’s unclear when, or if, the 45-year-old star will take the stage again.

“The jury’s still out,” Morelli reportedly told the paper. “The doctors don’t know the answer. I don’t know the answer.” Morelli said Morgan’s daily routine includes speech, cognitive and physical therapy.

Morgan is suing Walmart over the accident, in which the comedian and three others were injured — and friend and fellow comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair was killed — claiming that the retail giant should have known their driver Kevin Roper was “fatigued” when he caused the pile-up. On Monday, Walmart responded, claiming, in part, that Morgan’s injuries “were caused, in whole or in part, by plaintiffs’ failure to properly wear an appropriate available seatbelt restraint device.”

The Walmart comment elicited a scathing response from Morgan, who released a statement on Monday excoriating the company for attempting to shift the blame. “I can’t believe Walmart is blaming me for an accident that they caused,” he said.

by Gil Kaufman 34 mins ago

Police investigating the disappearance of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham believe they may have found a DNA link between the suspect in that case and the 2009 murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.

According to CNN, investigators said they have found a “forensic link” between the two cases, but have not yet elaborated on what that is and how it might tie Graham suspect Jesse Matthew to the cases.

Harrington, 20, went missing after attending a Metallica concert in Charlottesville in October 2009 and her remains were found several months later after an intensive search of the area by police and volunteers and the offer a $50,000 reward from the band for information about her whereabouts.

Police never made an arrest in the Harrington case and no cause of death was revealed. After Graham, 18, went missing on September 13 police began searching the area and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to her safe return. Investigators believe that Matthew, 32 — who has been charged with abduction and intent to defile — was the last person seen with Graham.

Washington Post

Graham was reported missing a day after surveillance video showed her walking past a service station in the downtown Charlottesville area, with friends reporting that she’d sent several late-night texts saying she was lost after leaving an on-campus party. Witnesses last reported seeing her with Matthew at a local bar.

Before Matthew’s ...

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by Gil Kaufman 1 min ago

There’s a revolution going on in Hong Kong right now, and it’s being led by more than 13,000 students and young people who are demanding democratic reforms for the island nation chafing under the strong-armed leadership of mainland China.

And, as with so many recent democratic uprisings across the Middle East and Europe, this protest movement has a social media-ready set of iconic images/leaders that has helped spread the word across the planet at lightning speed. So, what is the deal with the ‘Umbrella Revolution?’

Broken Promises
After the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to develop its own government and democratically elect leaders by 2017. But then the Chinese government began to backpedal in July, saying that candidates for election in HK would have to be approved by a Chinese central committee, setting off protests in the streets.

Taking It To The Streets

Getty Images News/Anthony Kwan

A trio of activists formed a group modeled after the U.S. Occupy movement called Occupy Central last year, encouraging fellow HK citizens to engage in peaceful civil disobedience to send a message to Chinese leaders. University students heeded their call again last Wednesday, filling the streets of downtown for a protest that was joined by Occupy Central members on Friday. The students also wrote a manifesto decrying Beijing’s “colonial” actions against their country ...

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by Gil Kaufman 6 mins ago

If you’re a huge Weezer fan, it’s felt like the band has kind of been on another planet for the past few records. But with their upcoming, back-to-basics Everything Will Be Alright In The End album, due out next Tuesday, singer Rivers Cuomo and the crew revisit the glory days of their early sound and kind of apologize for losing their way on first single, “Back To The Shack.”

So it makes sense that when the time came to film the video for “Shack” they decided to leave Earth’s gravitational pull and blast off to another heavenly body. Check out their moon rocking in this Warren Fu-directed slice of video magic.

by Gil Kaufman 20 mins ago

Security was super, super tight at last weekend’s George Clooney/Amal Alamuddin wedding. Like, no personal phones at the ceremony and photos could only be taken on Clooney-provided phones that were traceable.

Related: Check Out The Pics Of The A-List Wedding Arrivals

Luckily for us, though, the happy couple made a deal with Hello! magazine and People to publish the first official wedding picture and, well, of course it’s perfect. In the spreads that will hit both magazines this week, readers will get a peek inside the star-packed ceremony at the Aman Canal Grande Hotel, Alamuddin’s custom French lace Oscar de la Renta dress and Clooney’s custom Giorgio Armani black tuxedo, complete with cufflinks from his new wife with “George” inscribed in Arabic.

People Magazine

According to People, the couple exchanged traditional vows, platinum bands and a lengthy kiss during the 30-minute September 27 ceremony in Venice, attended by 100 family and friends. “George and Amal radiated love all night,” Alamuddin’s mother Baria told the magazine. “The wedding was so unbelievably special, it was legendary. These three days – the friends, the families, the atmosphere, everything – will stay with me all the rest of my life.”

Hello! Magazine

With famous friends include Matt Damon and U2′s Bono on hand, the couple danced to Cole Porter’s “Why Shouldn’t I” for their first dance at the reception.

by Gil Kaufman 8 mins ago

If this is Adam Levine‘s wedding present to new wife Behati Prinsloo … well, weird.

The Maroon 5 singer co-stars with his beloved in the seriously twisted, David Fincher-like video for “Animals,” where both spend lots of screen time wearing either just lingerie (for her) or a fine sheen of cow blood (for him). The haunting song — which recently got a remix featuring a guest verse from J. Cole — blends Levine’s signature falsetto with haunting lyrics like, “Baby, I’m preying on you tonight/ Hunt you down eat you alive/ Just like animals … Maybe you think that you can hide/ I can smell your scent from miles/ Just like animals.”

Levine plays a butcher/stalker obsessed with Prinsloo in the new clip directed by legendary music video auteur Samuel Bayer (Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around … Comes Around”). Clearly, the singer’s experience in this summer’s big-screen musical “Begin Again” gave him the acting chops he needed to tap into exactly what it feels like to curl his body around Prinsloo in bed and stand naked with her under a shower of blood.

Ah, love…

by Gil Kaufman 25 mins ago

Britney Spears is letting it ride. After kicking off her Britney: Piece of Me residency in Las Vegas last year, the singer has decided to keep the show right where it is at Planet Hollywood for at least another two years.

Spears, who reportedly pulled down $30 million over the initial 24-month run, confirmed the news during a weekend appearance on “Good Morning Britain” over the weekend. “The last time we chatted here on ‘Good Morning Britain’ to you, you just started that tenure,” host Richard Arnold said. “It’s been extended for another two years.”

“Yes, yes … yeah, I’m very excited,” Spears said, confirming that she’ll be working the stage in Vegas through 2017. Asked how she keeps up her stamina for the three weekly gigs, Spears said she has plenty of time to go back home and rejuvenate. “It’s a nice balance,” she said.

As for how she keeps her energy up when not chasing around her two skateboard-loving sons, Brit explained, “I love swimming. I swim all the time. I love going to the spas. I love cooking. I love studying with my boys and doing just normal things and stuff like that.”

Looking back now at her days of traditional touring, Spears said she wonders how she ever managed it the old-fashioned way. “How did I even do it? Going to a different city every day,” she said. “Being based in Vegas and having one show that you just keep going back to and the consistency ...

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by Gil Kaufman 12 mins ago

The wait is over, and it was totally worth it. After teasing the first single from their upcoming album, Four, One Direction finally dropped “Steal My Girl” on Monday (September 29). The full-song reveal shows that 1D are still in a very ’80s mood, thanks to a massive chorus that seems custom-made for stadium sing-alongs.

In fact, the majestic opening piano chords sound hauntingly like Journey’s 1983 road anthem “Faithfully,” before the gigantic drums kick in alongside lyrics about the ultimate teenage love. “She’s been my queen since we were 16/We want the same things, we dream the same dreams, alright, alright,” the story goes. “Her mom calls me love, her dad calls me son.” Alright? Alright?

Check it out on iHeartRadio.

And then the chorus comes crashing through like a giant pop hammer: “Everybody want to steal my girl/ Everybody want to take her heart away/ Couple billion in the whole wide world/ Find another one ’cause she belongs to me” they sing in perfect harmony before the “na na na na”s swell.

Though the song was slated for official release on Monday, it leaked on Sunday and Directioners were, of course, losing their minds instantly. (And pointing their fingers at Liam for possibly leaking it, since he was going on and on about how he couldn’t sleep.)

And, they were probably scrambling to figure out just who this girl is who makes everyone’s jaws drop when she walks in the room with ...

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by Gil Kaufman 28 mins ago

It’s been eight years since Fergie released her last solo album, The Dutchess, but clearly she’s been logging some serious miles in the meantime. On her first solo single in six years, “L.A. Love (La La),” which dropped at midnight on Monday (September 29), The Black Eyed Peas singer takes her fans on a trip around the world, thanks to a slinky, booming beat provided by DJ Mustard.

“Every city, every state, every country you know/ All around the globe/ Every city, every state, every country you know/ This is how it goes,” she raps on the tune with a slightly harder tone than we’re used to from the “Fergalicious” singer. “L.A. got the people saying (la la la la la)/ Moscow saying (la la la la la)/ España (la la la la la)/ Kingston saying (la la la la la)/ San Diego saying (la la la la la)/ Chi town saying (la la la la la)/ Germany under saying (la la la la la)/ La Puente saying (la la la la la)/ Ibiza.”

Exhausting! The song is the first taste of Ferg’s upcoming second solo album, which is slated for release next year.