by Gil Kaufman 39 mins ago

Usher told fans to be prepared for the ultimate live experience when he takes his UR Experience show on the road later this year. And he’s already hooked us with “Good Kisser” and his Nicki Minaj collabo “She Came To Give It To You.”

Hell, at the 2014 VMAs last month he told us that Drake is also on the album, so we know it’s stacked.

There’s only one problem: as of Monday (September 8) the album, tentatively slated for release later this year, is on ice. The singer told Billboard that he’s “taking my time” with his eighth studio release and that at this point, the “album isn’t scheduled anymore.” A spokesperson for Usher could not be reached for further comment at press time.

“The album isn’t scheduled anymore. I’ve basically taken it back. I’m taking my time with it,” Usher said. “At the end of the day, all of this is just about having fun. You get in the studio [and] go with how you feel.” And while we have to wait to hear it, clearly Ush is prepping something major, as he told the magazine that he’s “having fun” working on songs with everyone from Ed Sheeran to Pharrell, Diplo, Jermaine Dupri, Skrillex and Chris Brown.

As for what has caused the delay – besides the signer’s stint on “The Voice” and his lead in the Sugar Ray Leonard biopic, “Hands of Stone” – Usher said ...

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by Gil Kaufman 11 mins ago

It’s one of the biggest mysteries about Ed Sheeran‘s “Don’t”: who’s the girl in the song who sneaked under his nose and hooked up with another guy… in the same hotel? But maybe more importantly, which dude so utterly broke the bro code?

Ed has been very polite and British about the story behind the X song to date, refusing to name names and saying that he just wrote it to make peace with the situation, which he did with such cutting lines as, “I never intended to be next/ But you didn’t need to take him to bed that’s all/ And I never saw him as a threat/ Until you disappeared with him to have sex of course/ It’s not like we were both on tour/ We were staying on the same f—ing hotel floor.”

On Monday (September 8), during an appearance on Howard Stern’s satellite radio show, Sheeran played a few songs (“Thinking Out Loud” and a killer cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City”), chatted about how he (kind of) introduced Snow Patrol guitarist and mate Johnny McDaid to Courteney Cox, and, oh yeah, he almost revealed who the bro code-breaker was.

“It was a One Direction guy, right,” Stern asked about the origin of “Don’t.”

“The papers says a lot of things,” Sheeran replied. “I have kept my mouth shut about a lot of things. I think if you add any fuel to any fire…” Stern, of course, was not satisfied with that answer and wondered if ...

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by Gil Kaufman 13 mins ago

Summer’s almost over. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have one last, huge blast. And we’re here to tell you how. If you’re on Team Usher and you’re ready to “LIVE FOR NOW,” then you’ve already gotten new music from Ush and behind-the-scenes looks at the making of his VMA performance.

But now Pepsi, MTV and VH1 want to give you a chance to meet the singer and see him perform live. For a chance to win all you have to do is follow @MTV and @VH1 and tell us why you’re Usher’s biggest fan, using the hashtag #UsherNOW on Twitter. The entry period is from now (September 5) until September 21. Be sure to visit Pepsi.MTV.com for more info.

by Gil Kaufman 10 mins ago

We already know Lorde‘s been spending time in the studio working on the follow-up to her smash debut, Pure Heroine.

We also know she’s curating the soundtrack for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1″ and working on a new track for the movie, so… we feel like it’s safe to assume that a post on Thursday could be a peek at her “Hunger” track.

With the cryptic message, “first line,” Lorde gave us a tantalizing taste at what’s next for her.

While we wait, here are a few pics from the studio:

by Gil Kaufman 12 mins ago

It’s kind of amazing that it took this long, but as of last week, the beloved Coachella Valley High School mascot was no more. No, he wasn’t a Native American stereotype, he was, according to the Los Angeles Times, the campus’ “beloved Arab.”

Described as having a “snarling face, a hooked nose, a heavy beard and wearing a headscarf,” the mascot for the school in Southern California’s arid, desert-like interior was inspired in the 1930s by the area’s Middle Eastern ambiance.

Al Jazeera

With date palms dotting the landscape and communities with names such as Mecca and Oasis, the Arab was originally an homage to the once-robust local Arab community, and he was part of school murals for 83 years, painted on the basketball court and featured in half-time shows where belly dancers shimmied around a student in the costume.

Al Jazeera

Last Friday, the school abandoned the mascot after a letter-writing campaign from the Washington, D.C.-based civil rights group the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. The campaign, launched in November, sought to wipe out the mascot because of what the committee said was its enforcing of negative stereotypes that are offensive to Arab Americans.

In fact, according to the group’s research, the Coachella Valley mascot was the only one of its kind on any campus in the nation. So, in a compromise, the belly dancer and the mascot were put in mothballs, but the school will keep keep its team nickname, the Arabs, while ...

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by Gil Kaufman 5 mins ago

We can’t wait to hear more details about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s secret French wedding. Like those embroideries sewn into Angie’s veil that were based on her six kids’ drawings — what were they of?

Thanks to Funny Or Die’s investigation into this urgent matter of national security, now we know. Well, not really, but here are some of our faves:

1. Are You My Mommy?

Funny or Die

2. Where It All Began

Funny or Die

3. That Weird Guy With The Blood

Funny or Die

4. Why, Mommy, Why?

Funny or Die

5. That Other Guy Who Keeps Calling

Funny or Die

6. Even We Think So

Funny or Die

by Gil Kaufman 12 mins ago

Yes, the NFL is really a passer’s league, but when Thursday night prime-time football kicks off on CBS on September 11, it will be a runner’s game thanks to the night’s new theme song. The league has chosen the Jay Z and Rihanna track “Run This Town” as this season’s Thursday Night Football theme.

According to the NFL, “The Thursday Night Football open will be accompanied by the narration of Academy Award-nominated actor Don Cheadle. Cheadle’s narration sets the scene to kick off the NFL week on Thursday nights, highlighting the division rivalry games. And, asking the question, who will ‘Run This Town’?”

The 16-game Thursday Night Football schedule kicks off with division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Baltimore Ravens on September 11 and each week’s open will feature customized narration from Cheadle about that week’s game. The new opening was recently filmed in an airplane hangar and was produced and directed by 28-time Emmy Award-winer Pete Radovich.

“This open combines one of music’s biggest stars with one of the most dynamic actors in Hollywood,” Radovich said. “The energy that both talents provide gives the opening to every Thursday night the big-game, primetime feel it deserves. It is a dream scenario for any director.”

Here’s a couple of times Rih Rih wore football jerseys, because, you know, football!

Zimbio

Daily Mail

by Gil Kaufman 35 mins ago

Iggy Azalea is already planning a re-up. The “Black Widow” rapper announced on Thursday (September 4) that she’ll be re-releasing her debut, The New Classic, with an additional six tracks.

In addition to the dozen songs on the original, including “Fancy,” “New Bitch,” “Change Your Life” and “Don’t Need Ya’ll,” Iggy said she’s working on a new cover for the album this week.

Oh, and she’s got some guests lined up for it as well, like, say Ellie Goulding?

How you like that?

by Gil Kaufman 17 mins ago

Talk about hometown proud. Four days after he was released from the St. Louis Rams, Michael Sam was signed on Wednesday morning (September 3) to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. And for Dallas native Demi Lovato the news could not have been any better.

Lovato was overjoyed that seventh-round pick Sam, 24, the first openly gay player selected in the NFL draft, was getting a second shot after his solid pre-season with a Rams team that, unfortunately for him, was stacked at his defensive line position.

Former NFL great and onetime Cowboy Deion Sanders also applauded the move.

“We just want to give him a chance to come in and help our football team,” coach Jason Garrett said in a press conference. “That’s where our attention is (football). What people say outside the organization is up to them.”

Any other team could pick Sam up off of the Cowboys’ practice squad if they agreed to sign him to their active 53-man roster for a minimum of four weeks. Sam is not expected to play in the Cowboys’ season opener on Sunday.

by Gil Kaufman 16 mins ago

After deleting his account following backlash over a tweet about rape, Cee Lo Green signed back onto the service early Wednesday morning (September 3) with another apology to fans about his “idiotic” comments, which he now describes as “untrue.”

The former “Voice” coach pled no contest on Friday to a felony count of furnishing a controlled substance of MDMA/ecstasy to a woman without her awareness and was sentenced to 360 hours of community service and three years of probation. Shortly after, Green, 39, raised the ire of many Twitter users when he wrote, “If someone is passed out they’re not even WITH you consciously. People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!”

On Tuesday, TBS announced that it would not be bringing back the Goodie Mob member’s reality show, “The Good Life,” for a second season, reportedly due to weak ratings.

Related: More On Rape Culture

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, call the 24-hour National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673), or visit Rainn.org.