Google is hiring.
The Internet giant will be hosting job fairs in a number of major cities for alums of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), starting with Atlanta on Wednesday.
"Over the past few years HBCU graduates have made significant contributions to Google’s success," the company said in a statement. "We are excited to continue our relationship with HBCUs and hire their very best graduates to join our team."
If you're a graduate from 2006 to 2010 and interested, make sure you're at Google's Atlanta offices (10 10th Street NE Suite 600 Atlanta, GA 30309) on March 30 at 7 p.m. Google is targeting non-engineering majors. Attendees will hear from current employees, receive information on open positions and have an opportunity to speak with on-site recruiters. The event is also being billed as a networking event. An RSVP is required.
Not in Atlanta? No worries—there will be another event in Washington, D.C., on April 7.
Before the Jesus pieces, the Grammys and the epic award show antics, Kanye West was just another beatsmith out of Chicago trying to get the little-known Kon Man Productions off the ground. Now, thanks to some spring-cleaning by Hype Men blogger and former Interscope rapper, Jensen Karp, we can all hear some of his earliest production work for the first time.
Karp explains CD’s discovery this way:
“Last week I was stumbling through my garage, searching through old storage bins, when I came across some old beat CDs from my days as a signed Interscope rapper. I was shocked to find that two of them, both given to me in 2001, had the name 'Kanye West' on them. These two beat CDs, now celebrating their 10 year anniversary and I believe the oldest Kanye beats ever released, are here for your enjoyment."
Yeezy’s first big production credit was on Jay-Z's The Dynasty Roc La Familia album in 2000 for the song "This Can't Be Life" ft. Beanie Sigel and Scarface, so if these tracks were actually made in '01, the college dropout would have already graduated from rookie status. Nonetheless, a full beat CD of raw Ye material from that far back doesn't come along very often.
Take a listen to the tracks over at DJ Booth. A fan at the forum KanyeToThe has compiled a list of where some of the beats ended up. It includes artists like Talib Kweli, Shawnna, Mos Def, Chicago's Geda K and others.
And there's more to come: The Hype Men say they will release "Disc 2" of the beats on April 4th.
Despite publicly asking for her label to release her after the disappointing sales of her last two albums, Ciara isn't in a huff over her career’s latest happenings. Speaking with Yahoo! Australia, the singer-dancer said of her next move: “Right now, I am in the process of letting things fall how they are supposed to ... It may sound crazy to you, but I have never really managed to take time for me and to enjoy my life and enjoy the benefits I have been blessed with.”
Still, she does have an idea of her goals for the future—among them transitioning into television, film and, of course, modeling, as the Atlanta-born entertainer is signed to Wilhelmina Models.
Ciara explained: “From my perspective, my goal is to do more than just perform. [It's] to use the platform I have been given to turn it into something more, to do something different.”
The tweet said it all. “Warlock meets his makers-music makers that is @SnoopDogg @robpatterson666 get ready to rock the Sheenius within.”
In a move that many would have predicted, Charlie Sheen broke news of his musical collaboration with Snoop Dogg via Twitter last Friday. Along with his message, he also posted a picture of himself with former-Korn-turned-Filter-guitarist Rob Patterson and Snoop in what appears to be a home studio.
No details about the sound or possible release date were given.
Following his ever-evolving media war with CBS, Warner Bros. and Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, Sheen is also preparing for the April 14 debut of his My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option tour. As recent reports tell, the event is having trouble selling out tickets in New York, Cleveland, San Francisco, Denver and Dallas. According to reports, there are still single seats available on secondary seller StubHub’s Web site.
Sheen will reportedly make $7 million for the 21-day tour.
Hundreds of unauthorized photos of the singer are up for sale.
It may not be long now before Christina Aguilera becomes the latest celebrity to complain about unauthorized leaked pictures.
RadarOnline.com reports that “hundreds of highly intimate photographs have surfaced” featuring the pop star. The site claims the photos were discovered on a digital storage card found in an upscale hotel room where Aguilera and her new boyfriend, Matt Rutler, recently stayed. The collection—now for sale—has been time-stamped from June to November 2010.
The images allegedly contain shots of Aguilera taken from Nicole Richie’s bachelorette party.
There are also pictures capturing Aguilera in various acts of bawdiness—mimicking performing oral sex on an unidentified male holding a sex toy at a separate bachelorette party, mimicking an oral sex act on a chocolate-covered banana at a theme park, and lying in bed with Rutler.
Even more private moments are at risk of being exposed, including shots of Aguilera with her son, Max LironBratman, at what the site says appears to be a goat farm.
In recent months, Aguilera has been battling a wave of bad controversy. She was heavily criticized for flubbing the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during her performance at the Super Bowl, in addition to rumors of alcoholism.
Most recently, Aguilera enjoyed a return to positive press via the announcement that she has accepted a judging position on NBC’s new singing competition, The Voice, alongside Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Cee-Lo Green.
50 Cent and Robert De Niro are teaming up once again for a new film, Freelancers. The plot centers on 50’s character, who joins the police force after his father is murdered in the line of duty.
De Niro will portray “Captain Vic Scarcone,” a rogue cop that 50’s character eventually joins.
The two previously worked on the 2008 film, Righteous Kill. In that movie, also a crime thriller, 50 played the role of drug dealer Marcus "Spider" Jackson. Righteous Kill grossed $40 million in the U.S. and Canada.
50 has previously noted that he wanted to expand his empire through film. Last October, he announced that he had secured $200 million in funding for ten films via a deal with Cheetah Vision Films and Hedge Fund Film Partners.
The first of those films, Set Up, will pit 50 alongside Takers star Paul Walker.
Meanwhile, 50 and De Niro begin shooting Freelancers on April 18 in New Orleans.
Nelly wants to get you and the kids ready for summer.
The rapper has decided to venture into the world of fitness with the release of a new workout video called Celebrity Sweat.
Nelly says Sweat features the St. Louis MC and his celebrity friends doing strength-training exercises. "The premise of the video is structured around my everyday workouts," he told Billboard.com.
Nelly hopes that his fame will help attract kids struggling with weight problems. “It's a real big thing with child obesity, which is being overlooked," he said. "Kids don't get out and exercise like they used to, and that translates into their adulthoods."
Sigh. We wanted to believe that Foxy Brown wasn’t up to her old antics when she insisted that she wasn’t kicked off of Tom Joyner’s annual Fantastic Voyage cruise, especially after she went in on the radio host on Twitter, calling him a liar after the WBLK host said on his morning show that she went overboard. No such luck, though.
New details have emerged about the event that started it all. And surprise, surprise, the reports say Foxy was sent home after she let her claws come out after missing an at-sea manicure appointment (what is it with this woman and her nails!?).
Passengers on the cruise told TMZ that Foxy set up a nail appointment the day after the cruise took off and then went “ballistic” when the salon couldn’t accommodate her … after she showed up three hours late.
According to the bystanders, “security removed her from the salon and sent her back to her room -- where she remained under supervision until Wednesday ... when the ship dropped anchor somewhere in the Cayman Islands ... and authorities kicked her off.” She was reportedly escorted to an airport and flown home.
Foxy might want to start doing her nails at home: in 2004 she faced assault charges for beating up two nail salon employees and then found herself in the same boat in 2007 after allegedly beating up a beauty store employee.
WACKY NICKI MINAJ turned her follicles into foliage for an environmental bash last night.
The rapper sported a bright green and white barnet that echoed the topiary on display at the event in New York.
The Green Auction: A Bid To Save The Earth was held to boost efforts to protect the future of our planet.
And Nicki went to town on making her look relevant to the cause, stopping short of adding a bird's nest and branches for good measure.
Last week the 26-year-old became the latest name linked to the US X Factor judging panel, and boss SIMONCOWELL admitted she's someone you "can't ignore".
With a hairdo like that, he's not wrong.
Nicki returned the praise, admitting meeting the music mogul has left an indelible mark on her life.
She said: "I love Simon very dearly.
"He's such an amazing man. I had the pleasure of meeting him and my life will never be the same, darling. I told him that.
"I was absolutely in love with him prior to meeting him. And now that I've met him, it's like I dream about him every night."
Whether her glowing assessment of Simon will bag her a job on the US X Factor remains to be seen.
Frankly, I think she'd fare better in Ground Force...
RIHANNA really is a Good Girl Gone Bad - she has confessed she likes to be "tied up and spanked".
The 24-year-old singer has opened up about her sexual preferences in the bedroom.
And she said: "I love feeling like I'm somebody's girl. I love to be tied up and spanked."
Raunchy ... Rihanna gets all tied up
But Rihanna - whose rapper ex CHRIS BROWN assaulted her on the night of the Grammys in 2009 - added that she would "prefer to be spontaneous". She said: "Using whips and chains is too planned. You have to stop and look for the whip. I prefer them to use their hands."
The star thinks her desires are linked to her hectic career.
The ex ... Chris Brown driving a Lamborghini in LA
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She explained: "I like to take the reins in my life, but be submissive in the bedroom.
"I can be a little lady and have a male who has responsibility. That's sexy.
"I work hard and take a lot of decisions every day, so I prefer to feel the intimacy of someone like the girl."
The What's My Name singer, born and raised in Barbados, saw her father RONALD FENTY smoking crack when she was nine - and thinks her choices could be influenced by the behaviour she witnessed as a child.
She said: "I think I'm a bit masochistic, and I did not realise until recently.
"I think that's common in people who witnessed abuse in their childhood."
Frazzled ... strain shows on Britney Spears' face in January, left, while she is dazzling in heavily doctored promotional pic
TO the naked eye it seems Britney Spears is back - and on her best flesh-flashing form yet.
The 29-year-old singer has returned to the spotlight with the release of her seventh album Femme Fatale, already hailed as one of the best of her career.
The CD's launch has been supported by sexy new images, raunchy television appearances and the announcement of a huge American summer tour.
Four years after shaving off her hair during her infamous public meltdown, it looks like Britney finally has her head screwed on once again.
She appears to be back where her fans want to see her - on stage, in the charts and in skimpy outfits.
Fragile
But scratch beneath the surface of the tight basques and even tighter PR machine and all is not as it seems on TV. Members of Britney's inner circle are terrified her pristine pop star mask could slip once again at any moment, sources have told The Sun.
They are concerned she will not be able to maintain the act for even a five-minute interview if she strays from their control - let alone a gruelling two-month, 26-date tour.
And their fears have created the most painfully stage-managed promotional tour showbiz has ever seen.
A source close to the star told The Sun: "She's very fragile. Up until a few months ago she was still heavily medicated and popping up to ten pills a day.
"It's like she has to be wheeled from one place to another. She can't be trusted to do anything on her own. Whether she is performing or recording it's the same. Sometimes she's like a zombie. Her mood swings are unreal too. It is four years since she famously cut off all her hair and hit rock bottom.
"But as recently as last year she was still pulling the same stunt - hacking her hair off with scissors when she wanted attention from her staff and loved ones at home."
Britney walked head-on into an airbrushing row with the pictures produced to plug her new album.
The heavily doctored snaps show the star looking slender and sexy.
But the source said: "She has lost a lot of weight for her comeback but then releasing pictures like those take any deserved credit away because they are so far removed from what she really looks like.
"And it's not just the pictures - it's like they are airbrushing her whole life."
The singer's promotional appearances in America this week have been criticised as among the most stage-managed of all time.
American TV host Carson Daly, 37, tweeted that her management had requested he hand over his pre-taped interview so they could edit it.
NBC host Carson, who has known Britney for ten years, wrote: "Even when I interviewed Michael Jackson, it wasn't anything like this... it's really insane."
Central to her comeback plan was Britney performing a short, three-song set on Good Morning America on Tuesday.
Performance ... Britney Spears on chat show to promote album
But she was blasted for obviously miming and barely dancing during the performance in San Francisco.
The Billboard Charts' associate director Keith Caulfield said: "You expect her to dance ferociously because when you're lip syncing, we expect you to dance."
A San Francisco paper blasted her "awkward dance moves" and "dead-eyed stare".
The critic stormed on: "She strutted robotically, her gaze never straying to the audience."
The Good Morning America breakfast show was apparently chosen over other outlets for the big comeback because they let her mime and allowed the appearance to be tightly controlled.
Minders
On the show Britney announced she was going on the road with pop heart-throb Enrique Iglesias, 35. But hours later he pulled out of the tour. Next it was Britney's turn to pull the plug on a planned appearance, on Ellen DeGeneres' popular daytime chat show.
Her team blamed "scheduling conflicts" for the move but rumours swept TV circles that the format of the show was deemed too relaxed for Britney to keep up the facade.
Instead, she took part in a tightly scripted, albeit funny, comedy skit on late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live, where she pretended to be shot into the air in a portable toilet.
Another major element of the album's PR campaign was a role on hit TV show Glee - where again she could hide behind a script. A source on set claimed she was "out of it".
A respected US website reported: "They led her in front of the cameras and she'd sit there like a deer in the headlights until she had to say her lines. When she was finished they'd take her by the hand and lead her away again."
The Glee source also said she was totally reliant on her team of minders in order to function professionally. The control-freakery also made its way over the pond on Wednesday, during an interview on London's Capital FM radio.
Britney's ramblings were cut short when her management told the interviewer to "shut up" in his ear.
One aspect of her comeback to have dodged much of the criticism is the album itself. Despite her voice being heavily autotuned, some pop critics have called it her best yet.
Meltdown ... Britney Spears attacks car with brolly in 2007
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A number of the tracks, filled with stomping beats and lashings of sexual innuendo, will clearly be dancefloor fixtures for years to come.
But how heavily Britney herself was involved in creating the album has also come under scrutiny.
Puppet
Describing the process inside the studio, a former pal revealed: "I was with Britney when she recorded at least three of the tracks on Femme Fatale.
"It appeared she had almost nothing to do with its creation other than vocals.
"She was like a puppet who would be told what to do. She'd go into the sound booth and basically read the lyrics from a sheet.
"But they'd have to stop when she kept getting it wrong."
Also bubbling behind the scenes is a legal row with former bodyguard Fernando Flores, 29.
He has launched a sexual harassment lawsuit against the star, accusing her of pursuing him for sex when he worked for her last year.
The former policeman has even told pals he has filthy nude photographs sent by the singer and the fear is he may release them to support his case.
One source has claimed that instead of a musical comeback, Britney should be concentrating on her health and wellbeing. Her rocky relationship with former manager Jason Trawick, 39, seems to have settled down in recent months.
She has also been praised for behaving more like a responsible mother figure to Sean Preston, five, and Jayden James, four, than ever before.
A source said: "She seems to have lost a lot of her drive - and who can blame her?
"She has been through a hell of a lot and is coming out the other side.
"But rather than the pressures of putting on her pop star mask again, she should do what makes her happiest. And if you ask me, that would be just being herself, being good a mum and eating fried chicken around the pool at home."
Are Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber taking a page from Rihanna's book in the hopes of landing a spot in the Country Music Awards' line-up? Probably not, but both have recently released countrified versions of their hit songs. First, Gaga surprised fans over Twitter on Thursday saying, "Surprise Monsters!: 'Born This Way' (The Country Road Version) will be released tomorrow [Friday]..." The original version of the song was released in February and first performed during the Grammy's...after she hatched from an egg, of course.
Have a listen to the new version here and let us know what you think.
Now a little something for the Beliebers out there: your boy is also dabbling in the genre himself. The 17-year-old heart-throb just released his video for "That Should Be Me," the remix track he recorded with Grammy-winning Rascal Flatts. The song is off his top-selling "Never Say Never - The Remixes" album.
No matter what Mary J. Blige is wearing, you can almost always count on her to add a finishing touch of glamour with a sassy pair of shades. After sharing her longtime love of sunnies last year with the Fall 2010 collection of Melodies by MJB, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has a remix of new styles for Spring/Summer 2011.
The new offerings are inspired by Mary’s vast personal collection of eyewear and feature a variety of colors and styles from simple aviator frames (the Incognito) to oversize stunners (the Paparazzi) at a price range of $165-$225.
Mary described her line as a “culmination of years of defining my unique style and identity.” Block out the sun—and the haters—this warm season by shopping the collection at melodiesbymjb.com.
Proposed legislation intended for future presidential candidates questions citizenship of children born to illegal immigrants in the U.S.
Jarvis Johnson, right, a supporter of immigrants' rights and Arthur Olivas, left, a supporter of Sen Russell Pearce's anti-immigrant bills, at the State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Jack Kurtz)
PHOENIX (AP) — Legislation that would require proof of U.S. birth from presidential candidates is intersecting in Arizona with the question of whether U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants are entitled to automatic citizenship.
The proposed legislation on documentation requirements for candidates asks for information on the citizenship of a candidate's parents. Tea party backers said Wednesday they believe people are only natural-born citizens if their parents are citizens.
"The term 'natural-born' has nothing to do" with location of birth, said Jeff Lichter of the Greater Phoenix Tea Party.
A Senate committee on Wednesday endorsed the bill after deleting the provision on citizenship of a candidate's parents, but it remains in a version approved Tuesday by a House panel.
President Barack Obama's name was hardly mentioned during either committee hearing, but Democratic Rep. Eric Meyer of Paradise Valley said it's apparent the issue "still stems in some way from the last election."
Hawaii officials have certified that Obama was born in that state, but "birthers" have demanded additional proof, asserting that Obama could have been born in his father's home country, Kenya. Obama's mother was an American citizen.
The issue came up across the country Wednesday when Donald Trump, appearing on ABC's "The View," said he wanted the president to "show his birth certificate."
"There's something on that birth certificate that he doesn't like," said Trump, who is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination.
In Arizona, the candidate qualifications bill would authorize the secretary of state to keep a presidential candidate off the state's ballot if the candidate or party doesn't provide required information on the candidate's eligibility.
"Clearly this bill is not an attempt to deal with the current president other than to say that anyone running for president must meet the constitutional requirements," said Rep. Carl Seel, R-Anthem.
Peter Spiro, a Temple University law professor, said there's an emerging thread in legislation on presidential candidates' qualifications "that somebody who is a dual citizen at birth is ineligible for the presidency."
However, Spiro said, "there's no evidence that an individual has to be born to U.S. citizens to be eligible for the presidency."
The notion that a presidential candidate's parents must have been American citizens when the candidate was born troubled Sen. Frank Antenori, chairman of the Senate Government Reform Committee. The Tucson Republican said that would mean his American-born father, an Army veteran and the son of legal immigrants from Italy, couldn't run.
Last week, the state Senate rejected illegal immigration bills that included measures intended to produce a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on who is entitled to U.S. citizenship at birth under the 14th Amendment. Supporters argue that the amendment doesn't apply to the children of illegal immigrants because such families don't owe sole allegiance to the U.S.
"The law of the land is very clear. The question we've been facing ... is whether we want to reset the definition of natural-born citizen," said Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. "I would submit we did (decide) that last week."
Sinema, of Phoenix, said as many as eight prior American presidents wouldn't have been eligible for that office because they had one or more noncitizen parents.
Arizona legislators supporting the legislation said there are valid questions on presidential qualifications dating back to Mexico-born George Romney's 1968 presidential candidacy.
"This is a situation that I think needs to be finally put to bed, finally have the accounting somewhere, and if we start it, it may roll up to the federal level," said Rep. Steve Urie, R-Gilbert.
Previous Arizona bills on proof of presidential candidates' U.S. birth died earlier in the legislation session, but supporters are reviving the issue with broader versions.
They've added a provision to require that all candidates for public offices in Arizona provide an affidavit and "necessary documents to show" that they meet the qualifications.
"It's essential that as candidates running for office that we bring back the integrity to the office and that we show that we qualify to serve in the position that we're running for," said Republican Rep. Judy Burges of Skull Valley.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Returning home to some messy politics, President Barack Obama must contend with a battery of challenges, from a spending standoff that threatens to shut down the government to congressional angst over the U.S.-led war against Libya. Foreign crises rage across Africa and the Middle East, and Americans still want a more quickly improving economy.
The president left behind a wave of goodwill in Latin America as he shored up alliances that the White House said would prove pivotal for years to come. Yet the timing made for political and logistical headaches, as his five-day trip to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador took place just as the U.S. and allies launched a U.N.-sanctioned assault against Moammar Gadhafi's menacing regime.
Now lawmakers are questioning the costs and objective of the military action while voicing growing frustration that Obama didn't consult with Congress more thoroughly before authorizing the U.S. airstrikes. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, encapsulated much GOP sentiment by asking in a tweet, "Is Congress going to assert its constitutional role or be a potted plant?"
No sooner had Obama touched down on U.S. soil late Wednesday afternoon that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, issued him a blistering letter demanding more details about the steps ahead on Libya.
"I and many other members of the House of Representatives are troubled that U.S. military resources were committed to war without clearly defining for the American people, the Congress and our troops what the mission in Libya is and what America's role is in achieving that mission," Boehner said.
The criticism comes just not from the right. Liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has said he intends to offer legislation to block the U.S. from funding military actions in Libya. Moderate Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., an authoritative voice on military issues as a former Navy secretary, said the U.S. strategy lacks clarity and the endpoint is undefined.
Obama, in news conferences from Santiago to San Salvador, has been adamant in saying the main U.S. military role will be limited and front-loaded as allies strive to keep Gadhafi from killing those seeking to oust him. Insisting the U.S. will soon play a supporting role, Obama told Univision, "The exit strategy will be executed this week."
Obama will have more opportunities in the coming days to speak about the fast-changing Libya conflict, if he chooses. No specific address to the nation is planned.
The military challenge comes as the threat of a government shutdown looms again.
Federal operations are churning along on another temporary spending bill, this one expiring April 8. That means Obama has just over two weeks to help broker a deal to keep the government running for the six months left in the fiscal year. House Republicans don't want to budge from the $61 billion in steep cuts they've approved, but that won't fly in the Senate and Obama has threatened to veto it, leaving the path to compromise unclear.
"I can't remember a more action-packed agenda, with two major, urgent items at the top of the list," said Norman Ornstein, who studies Congress and politics at the American Enterprise Institute. "Libya, of course, but with the added twist of harsh criticism of the president's failure to bring in Congress. And the budget battle, which I believe is much more likely than not to lead to a shutdown."
The pressure will be on Obama to intervene in the budget talks.
Also looming is a fight over the federal debt limit, which Democrats cannot increase without some Republican support in both the Senate and House. The administration has warned Congress that failing to raise the debt limit would lead to an unprecedented default on the national debt and wreck the national economic recovery.
The Treasury Department estimates the government will hit the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling sometime between April 15 and May 31. But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has warned that GOP senators would not vote to increase the federal debt limit unless Obama agreed to significant long-term budget savings that could include cost curbs for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Republican leaders also are pounding on Obama's policies at the one-year anniversary of his signature health care law, which also occurred just as he returned home. The law divides the nation just as much as it did a year ago.
The administration and its allies celebrated the anniversary, but it came and went without comment from the president.
Obama is operating in a shrinking window of governing until the politics of his 2012 re-election essentially halt cooperation in Washington.
Obama will try to pick right back up with his domestic agenda of cutting spending but redirecting funding to make the country competitive in the longer term. He spent much of March emphasizing education, and that's about to resume: He will conduct a Univision-sponsored televised town hall about education at a District of Columbia high school on Monday.
Although Libya dominated news coverage during the president's absence, it is a broader revolt in the Arab world that keeps bearing down on him. Support for Yemen's U.S.-backed president is crumbling among political allies. Tensions remain high in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th fleet. The White House now finds itself routinely condemning violent crackdowns on protests.
And there's this: It won't be long before Obama is overseas again.
In two months, he'll be pushing the U.S. agenda on a trip to England, Ireland, Poland and France.
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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
