Tennis champ Serena Williams is on a winning streak. Coming off a 2012 Olympic gold win in London
in August, today Williams will square off against current world champ
Victoria Azarenka at the US Open at Flushing Meadows after beating
Italian Sara Errani, reports The Huffington Post.
On
Friday, Williams effortlessly beat out Azarenka clocking a serve at
over 80 mph. She enters todays finals with confidence and grace.
"I
don't have anything to lose. I feel like I'm going up against the most
consistent and the best player this year, being Victoria Azarenka,"
Serena said after her semifinal win. "I feel like I don't have anything
to lose, and it will be a good challenge for me."
The marijuana smoke-filled opening of Reincarnated, the
documentary chronicling the personal and spiritual evolution of rapper
and one-time gangbanger Snoop Dogg to reggae artist and Rasta Snoop Lion
quickly cuts to shots of a bonfire and singing.
The context isn’t revealed until near the end of the film, which screened Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival.
As Snoop’s journey to find out the source, struggle and meaning
behind the peaceable Rastafari ideological movement unfolds, the fire
scene reappears as part of a holy groundation ceremony at the Nyabinghi
Centre in Jamaica. It’s a significant moment: Snoop, who is given the
name "Berhane" (which means light) during the baptism, has been embraced
by true Rastas. "I feel love right now," says Snoop, beaming.
In the film, Snoop's daughter Cori B says her father comes home
happier, smiling and singing Jamaican music. His forthcoming album, Reincarnated,
made in Jamaica with executive producer Diplo and various producers and
co-writers, is expletive-and-negativity free, something he could
perform at an invitation to the White House. That wasn’t always, or ever, the case before.
The making of the reggae recording in Jamaica is the main reason
Snoopadelic Films teamed with Vice Films for this documentary, directed
by Andy Capper, but the context that led them to this surprising place
in Snoop’s 40-year-old life is provided throughout the film. They hammer
home the fact that Snoop grew up in Long Beach, CA, surrounded by
violence, and the idea that this peace and love vibe was not in the
cards, at least not musically.
"That was my first calling, out of the gangbanging and into the rap,"
Snoop says of that early stage of his life, which was reflected in his
violent and misogynist lyrics.
Reincarnated reminds its audience of everything Snoop – born Calvin Broadus, Jr., and known earlier in his career as Snoop Doggy Dogg – has
been through: acquitted of a murder charge; a record deal with Suge
Knight’s Death Row; losing his friend 2Pac to an unsolved murder; the
recent death of his best mate, rapper Nate Dogg, who died of a stroke
last March.
"That’s what forced me to find a new path," Snoop says in the film, referring to Nate’s passing. A significant portion of Reincarnated is dedicated to the funeral service and procession.
But as he heads to LAX, bound for for Jamaica, Snoop plans to leave
America for a month and "come back a whole new man." And he does.
The new path is shown gradually as Snoop and his entourage – as well
as his family, wife Shante Broadus, and Cori B – head out on little
adventures and fact-finding missions about the Rastafari movement and
culture. From picking fresh herb deep in the Blue Mountain Range
and visiting Trenchtown, the birthplace of the late Bob Marley, Peter
Tosh and Bunny Wailer – who now, at 65, shares his wisdom with the rapper and and calls him "Snoop Lion" – to partaking in many "reasoning" ceremonies, where Rastas hang out and smoke cannabis, Snoop’s reincarnation unfolds. And
in the end, he finally realizes a mission Nation of Islam leader Louis
Farrakhan gave him 11 years ago: "To be an advocate for peace," Snoop
Lion says.
For all you Kindle Fire lovers, prepare for a nice update to your tech gear.
Amazon has officially released information on the updated Kindle Fire HD, boasting 44 percent more power than previous models.
Here's what you get with the new Kindle Fire HD:
—1280x800 HD display with polarizing filter and anti-glare technology for rich color and deep contrast from any viewing angle
—Exclusive Dolby audio and dual-driver stereo speakers for immersive, virtual surround sound
—World's first tablet with dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi for 40% faster downloads and streaming (compared to iPad 3)
—High performance 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor with Imagination PowerVR 3D graphics core for fast and fluid performance
—Over 22 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, audiobooks,
and popular apps and games such as Facebook, Netflix, Twitter, HBO GO,
Pandora, and Angry Birds Space
—Integrated support for Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! and more, as well as Exchange calendar, contacts, and email
—Free Skype video calls with front-facing HD camera
—Free unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content
—Includes special offers and sponsored screensavers. Learn more
—Kindle FreeTime - a personalized tablet experience just for kids. Set
daily screen limits, and give access to appropriate content for each
child. Free on every Kindle Fire HD. Coming next month
Shipping starts on September 14th, with pre-orders being accepted now at Amazon.com
The Cash Money/Young Money contingent took home three of the top
awards at BMI's 2012 Urban Music Awards. Drake and Lil Wayne shared
honors as urban songwriters of the year, while Nicki Minaj's smash
hit "Super Bass" was named urban song of the year.
The ceremony, which took place Friday evening (Sept. 7) at the
Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, Calif., also honored EMI Music
Publishing as publisher of the year and Andrew "Pop" Wansel as urban
producer of the year. The awards ceremony was hosted by BMI
president/CEO Del Bryant and VP of writer/publisher
relations/Atlanta Catherine Brewton.
The
evening's highlight: a salute to BMI Icon honoree Mariah Carey.
Recognized for her "indelible influence ongenerations of music
makers," Carey was feted in a tribute that featured producer
Jermaine Dupri and included performances singers Karen Clark Sheard
(who sang "Anytime You Need a Friend"), Joe ("We Belong Together"),
Eric Benét ("One Sweet Day") and Fantasia ("Hero").
Both Drake and Lil Wayne tied with songwriter credits each on
seven songs that rank among the year's most-performed tunes. Among
the credits helping Drake claim his second consecutive songwriter of
the year are the hits "Aston Martin Music," "Headlines," "Moment 4
Life" and "What's My Name?" Lil Wayne's credits include several
co-writes with Drake (including "She Will") plus "6 Foot 7 Foot,"
"How to Love," "Look at Me Now" and "Motivation."
Sharing song of the year kudos with Minaj were the song's other
co-writers, Ester Dean and Daniel "Kane Beatz" Johnson. And
songwriter/producer Wansel was saluted for his work on hit songs by
an array of acts, including Trey Songz, Drake, Minaj, Kelly Rowland
and Britney Spears. EMI earned top publisher thanks to 17 songs,
including "All of the Lights," "Aston Martin Music" and "Ni**as in
Paris."
Paul McCartney became an officer of France's Legion of Honour on Saturday, the Guardian reports.
In a private ceremony at the Élysée Palace in Paris, French president
Francois Hollande presented the former Beatle with the award in
appreciation for his contribution to music.
"It is such an honor to be awarded this," McCartney said. Hollande
joked that he preferred the Beatles to the Rolling Stones, and McCartney
over bandmate John Lennon.
While the Legion of Honor, France's highest public decoration, is
usually reserved for French nationals who have served the country in a
military or civil capacity, several other international entertainers,
including Liza Minnelli, Lenny Kravitz, Laurence Olivier and Miles Davis
have received the award.
The Liverpool-born singer and songwriter is no stranger to elite
national honors. As a member of the Beatles, McCartney was presented
with a Member of the British Empire medal in 1965; In 1997, he received a
knighthood from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
Spotify is preparing a "completely overhauled browser-based version
of its streaming music service" that will either complement or
replace its desktop application, according to a report in TechCrunch.
The new product is the reason why the company hasn't updated
its desktop application with many new features, apart from Spotify
Apps. According tot he report, the redesign will have enhanced
discovery features, including the ability to follow the listening
habits and playlists of influencers as well as friends. Currently on
Spotify, that process is hanlded mostly by third-party sites.
The report also says that a lower subscription price for
Spotify's mobile app is in the works as well. The company currently
offers three tiers: free on desktop, ad-free on desktop for $4.99
per month, and ad-free on desktop and mobile with offline listening
capabilities for $9.99 per month.
A browser would come at a key time for Spotify, which has grown quickly but has lost money,
as well as ongoing competition from other services. The TechCrunch
report comes just a couple of days after news broke that Apple is in negotiations with rights holders for an Internet radio service similar to Pandora.
A web app would open up Spotify's service to many more users and facilitate the process for its current audience.
Mariah Carey was presented with the Icon Award at Friday night's BMI Urban Music Awards.
According to the Huffington Post,
the guest of honor arrived an hour late to the Saban Theatre in Beverly
Hills but singers like Fantasia Barrino, Joe and Eric Benet still
serenaded her with her own hits such as "One Sweet Day" and "Hero." Hit
producer Jermaine Dupri also performed a tribute to his long-time
collaborator.
The 42-year-old vet vocalist was presented with the music-rights organization's
Icon Award by BMI chief Del Bryant for her outstanding songwriting that
has produced 18 No. 1 singles and more than 200 million albums sold.
"I'm so humbled by this moment because a lot of people still don't know I
write my own songs," Carey said.
Bryant also congratulated the "unparalleled music superstar" for her panel spot on American Idol.
"Who knows more about musical artistry and song selection than Mariah
Carey?" Bryant asked before poking fun at ex-judge Randy Jackson who was
also in attendance. "Sorry, Randy, didn't see you there."
Other honorees included Nicki Minaj who nabbed most played song of
the year for "Superbass." Def Jam President Joie "Joey I.E." Manda
accepted the award on behalf of Nicki and the song's writer Ester Dean.
The rapstress' YMCMB mates Drake and Lil Wayne also tied for songwriters
of the year. None of the Young Money clan were present.
