Talib Kweli Likens Strong Arm Steady's Arms & Hammers To Dr. Dre Classic

'This is the best album coming out of the West Coast, in my opinion, since The Chronic,' Kweli tells Mixtape Daily.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Talib Kweli
Photo: MTV News

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables

Indie LP: Arms & Hammers

Headliner: Strong Arm Steady

Key Cameos: Talib Kweli, KRS-One, Marsha Ambrosius, Too Short and Kurupt

Essential Info: While everyone is waiting on whether Detox will or won't drop April 20, Brooklyn rapper-turned-CEO Talib Kweli has another suggestion for heads looking to fill their Cali rap fix: Strong Arm Steady's Arms & Hammers.

"I'mma go ahead and say this is the best album coming out of the West Coast, in my opinion, since The Chronic," Kweli told Mixtape Daily. "And people might be mad at me for that, because I'm not the West Coast, so I'm apologizing in advance if they think I don't know what I'm talking about. But I wouldn't say that if I truly didn't mean that."

The Blacksmith Records boss inked the three-man act to his label a few years ago, but he said he's not biased when it comes to their forthcoming project, due February 22. He pointed to the veteran collective's range as an example of their talents.

"They're not easily qualified or put in a box," he said. "Are they gangsta rap? People see Mitchy Slick doing his gangsta-rap thing. Are they underground rap people? They did the Stoney Jackson album with Madlib. People don't know their history."

For the set, they recruited producers like DJ Khalil, Nottz and Jellyroll, and the album features collaborations with KRS-One, among others.

According to Kweli, though, the three solo artists came together this time to make a project that was truly the sum of their talents.

"They're powerful artists in their own right, and they came together to make this great album," Kweli said.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657010/talib-kweli-likens-strong-arm-steadys-arms-amp-hammers-dr-dre-classic.jhtml

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SAG Awards 2011 Winners List

'The King's Speech,' 'The Fighter' and 'Boardwalk Empire' rack up trophies.
By Mawuse Ziegbe


Colin Firth poses with his two Screen Actors Guild awards
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out Sunday night (January 30), and awards-season favorites "The King's Speech" and "The Fighter" continued to nab hardware. The ceremony, which only focuses on acting achievements, was dominated by "Speech" and "The Fighter," which won two awards each. On the television side, HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" ran the night, also garnering two trophies. While Golden Globe and Critics' Choice winner Natalie Portman continued to collect statuettes for her "Black Swan" role, other hits like "The Social Network" and "Glee" were shut out.

Check out the full list:

Theatrical Motion Pictures
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
"The King's Speech"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"

Primetime Television
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"Boardwalk Empire"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"Modern Family"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Betty White, "Hot In Cleveland"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin"

SAG Honors for Stunt Ensembles
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
"Inception"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
"True Blood"

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656926/sag-awards-2011-winners-list.jhtml

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'Skins' Stars Preview 'Chris' Episode

Monday's show will explore another side to the resident party boy.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Adam Murphy


Jesse Carere (Chris)
Photo: MTV

We've gotten to know Tony. We've gotten to know Tea. And this week, fans will get up close and personal with Chris on "Skins."

While Chris appears to be just a party boy who seeks out every opportunity for a good time, there might be more to him than meets the eye.

"I do like Chris — I love Stanley, I think he's really relatable, and Tony and Tea are really cool — but there's something about Chris for me. He's just the best," Sofia Black D'Elia gushed to MTV News. "He's such a heartbreaking character. You just feel for him so much, because he never stops smiling, and out of every character on the show, he has the most reason to not smile."

Without giving too much away, a sequence of events on Monday's (January 28) episode should show fans that Chris isn't some one-dimensional character. "He just can't not be happy," Black D'Elia said. "He just loves life. He'll do anything to get the most out of it. As long as he's having an incredible time, he's OK. He has so much heart, and Jesse [Carere] does such an unbelievable job in that role."

"Chris is just a lot of fun," added James Newman, who plays Tony. "Chris is one of those characters that doesn't really change too much. I think a lot of stuff will happen to him, and you'll see him react, but at the end of the day, Chris is Chris, and that's kind of the beauty of him. He's always going to have fun."

Who is your favorite "Skins" character so far? Let us know in the comments!

Don't miss "Skins," airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656908/skins-stars-preview-chris-episode.jhtml

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FanHouse TV: 'D-League,' Episode 11

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After a stellar performance at the D-League National Tryout, FanHouse's own Jordan Schultz was one of ten (out of 200) callbacks to the Idaho Stampede tryout in Boise. With the competition stiffened, find out how the former all-state and college shooting guard handled the pressures, one step closer to realizing the D-League dream.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/01/29/fanhouse-tv-d-league-episode-11/

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Injury Bug Cooling Miami Heat

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MIAMI -- Maybe it was Dan Gilbert's angry letter putting a hex on the Miami Heat and LeBron after the Decision. Maybe it was LeBron James' fateful tweet about karma directed at Gilbert weeks ago. Or, maybe it's just the fact that the Heat are simply going through a rough patch where an assortment of players, including their top three stars, have suffered a rash of minor and not-so-minor setbacks over the course of a long NBA season.

Even LeBron, one of the more durable players in the league who only missed 16 games due to injury in his entire career prior to joining Miami, hasn't been able to dodge the bad luck that began in the preseason with Dwyane Wade injured minutes into their first game together and continuing throughout the regular season with the losses of Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem.

"The injury bug has struck our team," LeBron officially announced after their comeback win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. "I think everyone is playing with some injuries. You hate for it to happen. Everyone is trying to figure it out but at the same time, health is number one. We have to be healthy."

That meant Wade being a last-minute scratch from the game after putting on a shooting clinic in New York the night before. The results of a precautionary MRI on his wrist came back negative the next day but his status for Sunday's game on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder remains very much in the air, as is the status of Chris Bosh, though he surprisingly traveled with the team. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't have much time to worry about his inactive players against the Pistons because his guys out on the floor were busy collecting injuries of their own.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/01/30/injury-bug-cooling-heat/

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Britney Spears Tweets First Look At 'Hold It Against Me' Video

Spears posted photo of herself surrounded by microphones after video shoot wrapped on Sunday.
By Jocelyn Vena


Britney Spears on the set of "Hold It Against Me"
Photo: Britney Spears

What will Britney Spears look like in the video for her smash hit "Hold It Against Me"? Well, the singer gave fans a sneak peek over the weekend when she tweeted a photo of herself on set.

In the lo-res pic, Spears is shown from the shoulders up, standing with her back to the camera and her face turned toward it. The singer is in a red outfit and surrounded by a wreath of microphones.

On Saturday, she tweeted, "Day 1 of the HIAM shoot with [director] Jonas Akerlund. Such an incredible experience. I think this will be one of the best videos I have ever done." On Sunday, the same day the photo was taken she wrote, "Day 2 is a wrap! #HIAM video coming soon...."

Choreographer Brian Friedman also kept fans updated on the video shoot via Twitter throughout the weekend. "Good luck 2 @britneyspears and all of my incredible dancers," he wrote on Saturday. "You all have surpassed my expectations and I am so thankful for ur hard work!"

And on Sunday, he continued the praise, tweeting, "What a fabulous day on set of HIAM! @britneyspears killed it! She danced her ass off! Great work 2 my dancers too... Y'all slayed!"

Meanwhile, fansite Breatheheavy.com reportedly obtained a call sheet for the video, which revealed that the video was shot at Paramount Studios. The sheet also indicates that sometime Lady Gaga stylist B Akerlund designed the costumes for the video and that "Project Runway" hairstylist Philip Carreon worked on the shoot.

What do you think this new photo suggests about Britney's new video? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656493/britney-spears-tweets-first-look-at-hold-it-against-me-video.jhtml

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