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Tag: Happy

  • Pharrell Williams: Lawyer Tells YouTube to Remove Songs

    Pharrell Williams: Lawyer Tells YouTube to Remove Songs

    Pharrell Williams is just one musician whose music videos are on YouTube illegally, at least according to music-business attorney Irving Azof. He founded the new legal group Global Music Rights, and has told YouTube that it does not have performance rights to thousands of songs by about 40 of his clients, including the Eagles, Chris Cornel, John Lennon, and Pharrell Williams. Global Music Rights is suing YouTube for a billion dollars.

    At the same time this suit is in full force, Google is planning to launch Music Key–their own subscription music service to compete with Spotify and Pandora. They are claiming they do have the rights to these music videos, prompting huge concerns about a music-industry showdown. Copyright holders insist that it’s Google’s responsibility to get a license while Google claims that the responsibility is on rights-holders instead to say what they specifically want removed and when.

    The threat of a lawsuit against YouTube comes in the middle of a broader debate about the rights of musicians in this era of digital access to songs.

    YouTube has enacted anti-piracy measures since the video site’s early days a decade ago, however some things haven’t changed much at all.

    Will musicians like Pharrell Williams actually be able to remove their content from YouTube? Even if his lawyer loses the lawsuit, will The Voice judge still be ‘Happy?’

    Do you think YouTube has committed copyright infringement by allowing music videos from people like Pharrell Williams on its site?

  • Robin Roberts: The Things That Make Her ‘Happy’

    Robin Roberts is just one of the Good Morning America personalities to dance on TV to Pharell Williams’s hit song Happy. In a recent interview with a Memphis, Tennessee publication, she talked about the things that truly make her happy.

    One of those things is her long time girlfriend Amber Laign. The two have been together in a ‘closeted’ relationship for about 9 years. The two recently walked the red carpet together at the GLSEN Respect Awards. Despite their PDA, however, the couple has no plans to marry.

    “Amber and i are extremely happy and we’ve been together almost 9 years now. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Roberts said during an earlier interview.

    Being one of the co-anchors on Good Morning America makes Robin happy, too.

    “You know what a thrill that is to look in the camera and say “Good Morning America?” To wake people up and to say we want to do whatever we can to inform you first and foremost but then help you have a good day?” she asks.

    The question is indeed a rhetorical one, especially for those who have experienced Robin Roberts sharing her happiness on live TV. The breast cancer survivor and woman who recently defeated a rare blood disorder after receiving a bone marrow transplant from her sister exudes happy. She decided to live her life in the moment and sets a fine example for others in doing so, too. After all, how do any of us know that we have any more than this very moment in time?

    She recently shared some of the fun she and her GMA cohorts have during commercial breaks via a photo and message on Twitter.

    Can you feel Robin Roberts and her happy when you watch her on GMA? It’s practically contagious these days, isn’t it? Hopefully she will inspire others to live as she does.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Iran ‘Happy’ Video Lands Six Young People In Jail

    Six young Iranians were jailed for appearing in a video of Pharrell’s song “Happy.” Reports say that the Iranians have been freed on $100,000 bail, but the director of the video still remains in prison.

    According to reports, they were arrested for participating in an “obscene video clip that offended the public morals and was released in cyberspace.”

    The brother of the videographer said that police went to the homes of the Iranians, and searched their cellphones, computers, and cameras.

    Pharrell heard about the news and denounced the arrests. “It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness,” he said on Twitter.

    Hossein Sajedinia, Tehran Police Chief, was the one who ordered the arrests of the participants. Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, seems to think otherwise. On his Twitter account, he said, “#Happiness is our people’s right. We shouldn’t be too hard on behaviors caused by joy.”

    In a speech that President Rouhani gave last weekend, he said that the internet is an opportunity to get voices heard. He also said that citizens have a right to connect to the internet.

    Aside from Pharrell and President Rouhani, support also came from Twitter users around the world. They used #FreeHappyIranians to respond to the arrests.

    With these arrests, it is evident that the president is not the only one making decisions in Iran. The National Iranian American Council condemned the authorities who were responsible for the arrest. In a statement, the council said, “There are forces within Iran’s government who want to keep the Iranian people isolated from the world.”

    Here’s the video that got them arrested

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘McScary’: Twitter Users Not Happy About New McDonald’s Mascot

    ‘McScary’: Twitter Users Not Happy About New McDonald’s Mascot

    McDonald’s will be introducing their new Happy Meal ambassador on Friday. The new mascot is said to bring “fun and excitement” to children, but comments on social media say otherwise. Users on Twitter said that the new mascot is scary and is bound to make children have nightmares.

    The new mascot is in the shape of a red happy meal box, with a large mouth and two big eyes. Soon after images of the mascot were released, #McScary was born.

    One user said, “’Happy’ looks more McCreepy/McPervey than McScary.” Another user said, “It’s the meal that eats you.”

    In a statement from McDonald’s, they said that the new mascot “will encourage kids to enjoy fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and wholesome beverages such as water or juice.”

    Happy will be formally introduced nationwide on Friday. Lisa McComb, the spokeswoman for McDonald’s, responded to comments on Twitter by saying that Happy has been “loved and well-received by children and families in Latin America and Europe” since 2009.

    She also said that users are free to express their opinions on social media, but their opinions do not represent “the broader view.”

    The McDonald’s annual shareholders meeting will be held on Thursday. The fast food chain has been criticized for providing high-calorie food, which many see as bad for the health. For the past years, the U.S. food industry has been facing pressure from the government to think about the food choices they offer, and come up with a solution to address the growing obesity epidemic.

    McDonald’s has been doing their part by adding healthier food choices on their Mighty Kids Meal and Happy Meal. In 2012, they began offering a kid-size fry and apple slices for kiddie meals. In July, they will also be introducing Go-GURT to children’s meals, which is a low-fat strawberry yogurt.

    Image via YouTube

  • McScary: McDonald’s New Mascot Scares The Internet

    McScary: McDonald’s New Mascot Scares The Internet

    McScary, or Happy as McDonald’s knows him, is the new Happy Meal mascot hitting North America. The smiling anthropomorphized Happy Meal has been a staple of McDonald’s marketing in France since 2009, but he’s just now making it to the U.S. The thing is – North Americans find him to be a little terrifying.

    On Monday, McDonald’s announced via Twitter that it was bringing Happy the serial killer Happy Meal to North America to encourage kids to eat healthy. Happy was unveiled alongside the announcement that McDonald’s would start offering Go-Gurt as a side in Happy Meals starting July 4.

    As you might imagine, Happy didn’t receive a warm reception. There were many profanity laden responses to the original tweet with people wondering “what the hell” Happy was. Some even decided to “improve” the recently unveiled mascot to bring out its true nature:

    Now, McDonald’s is no stranger to botched social media campaigns. In 2012, the restaurant asked for consumers’ #McDStories, but only got stories of disgusting food and impoverished employees in return. It tried something similar a few months later to promote the Shamrock Shake and got a similar response.

    After those two incidents, you would think McDonald’s would finally learn, and it did. Over on McDonald’s Twitter account, it’s obvious the company is just rolling with the response Happy has received thus far:

    While it’s good to see McDonald’s finally learn how the Internet works, response to Happy is still divided:

    Despite how you may feel about Happy, he’s not going anywhere. We can only hope our TV ads are as terrifying (and hilarious) as they are in France:

    Image via McDonald’s/Twitter

  • McDonald’s Creepy Ass New Mascot Unveiled on Twitter

    McDonald’s Creepy Ass New Mascot Unveiled on Twitter

    Despite the fresh, new, hipster look that Ronald McDonald unveiled last month–he’s still a creepy-ass clown. There’s really no getting around that. Has there every been a time when Ronald McDonald didn’t give off a probable-sex-dungeon vibe?

    Well, move over Ronald. Happy’s here to take most of the attention away. McDonald’s recently unveiled their new Happy Meals mascot Happy, and it’s one of the more terrifying things a fast food chain has ever come up with, just behind KFC’s Double Down and Burger King’s commercials about The King watching you sleep.

    And now, a smattering of replies from astonished Twitter users…

    What the fuck is that creature?

    THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT

    Why is he in pain?

    Oh FUCK no…

    What the fuck…

    I didn’t want to sleep tonight, that’s cool

    Hey McDonald’s, is that Gary Busey?

    Goodbye…

    Yikes. That ain’t good.

    According to McDonald’s, that creature is the new “ambassador for balanced and wholesome eating.” Officialy hitting Happy Meals everywhere on May 23rd, whatever the hell that thing is “will encourage kids to enjoy fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and wholesome beverages such as water or juice.”

    Here’s the craziest thing about this: Happy has been around for half a decade. It’s been used in France since 2009, and spread across Europe and Latin America over the past few years. They’re just now introducing that thing in the States, meaning it has to have been at least remotely successful in other parts of the world.

    The social media backlash to McDonald’s newest mascot is fierce, but I’m sure they can handle it. I mean, we’re talking about the company who had to get past the #McDStories and #Shamrocking fiascos.

    Image via McDonald’s, Twitter

  • Cee Lo Green Originally Recorded ‘Happy,’ Pharrell Williams Shares The Details

    Cee Lo Green originally recorded Pharrell Williams’ hit single “Happy.” Sound surprising? Well, its actually not.

    It happens more times than not. One singer may write and/or record a cover version only to have it placed and released by another artist. However, what is surprising is that Green and his executive production team actually turned the song down!

    According to Press Association, Williams recently shared details about the ever-popular, Academy Award-nominated record. On Tuesday, April 29, Williams spoke about the record during an interview on Sirius XM with Howard Stern.

    When Stern asked if Williams had ever considered placing the song with another artist, he opened up about the history of the famous record. Williams revealed that it was intended for Cee Lo Green.

    “[Cee Lo Green] wanted to do it… and he did do it,” said Williams, who also penned and produced Robin Thicke’s 2013 hit single, “Blurred Lines”. “But… how do I say this diplomatically? The powers that be, at the time, did not see it fit for him,” he said of Green’s decision not to take the song.

    “He wanted to do it. Some folks on his team just felt that the priority should be on [his] album at the time, so they elected not to do that song,” the Grammy Award-winning producer added. “He was one of the most gracious people about it when [Happy] came out he congratulated me. It’s not his fault – he was totally down with it. He sounded amazing on it, he burns my version!”

    Its quite easy to see why Williams had chosen that particular song as a suitable record for Green. Back in 2006, Green released a popular record entitled “Smiley Faces” with famed producer, Danger Mouse. The song, which is quite similar to “Happy,” was released as the second single on Gnarls Barkley’s debut album, St. Elsewhere. The highly lauded, platinum-selling album received five Grammy nominations.

    The song’s eclectic, “mockumentary-style” music video brought the record to life. The video, which was based in the 1920s and 30s insinuated that Gnarls Barkley had been around since the beginning of time, serving as pioneers of sound and music. The “Smiley Faces” video went on to win the 2007 MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing.

    Image via Cee Lo Green, Facebook

  • Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” Ushers in International Day of Happiness

    It appears that people all over the world are feeling a stream of joy lately-uploading funny dancing videos to YouTube and posting lighthearted tweets with hashtags #gethappy or #HappyInternationalDayofHappiness.

    So, who is to blame for all this happy fever going around?

    Well, of course music artist Pharrell Williams and his Despicable Me 2 theme song, “Happy.”

    Ever since the song has hit airplay, thousands of people across the globe have been catching on to the upbeat, funky tune.

    Williams and the United Nations Foundation recently teamed up to make March 20 the International Day of Happiness, “celebrating the happiness and well-being of individuals and communities everywhere.”

    He has encouraged fans to donate to the organization and upload their version of the song to his 24Hoursof Happiness website.

    Tons of parody videos and music covers of Williams’ song are now taking the World Wide Web by storm, showcasing a lot of happiness both in the U.S. and internationally.

    Check out Tokyo’s version of being #happy:

    Tahiti shows off their beautiful weather along with some happiness:

    A cover by the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences singing “Happy” goes viral:

    Even our furry friends know how to be happy. Check out this rendition of the song:

    “Happy” has made such a major impact that a Virginia Pilot columnist suggested the song be adopted as the anthem for Williams’ home state of Virginia, which doesn’t have a state song.

    (And may I just add…I’m from Virginia Beach, Va., so the answer for me would be HELLZ YEA!)

    Additionally, “Happy” has held top spot on Billboard charts for four consecutive weeks now. It also ranks No. 1 in over 80 countries and is the leading song on the R&B charts.

    Nothing is quite like the original! Very entertaining and you can’t help but to feel HAPPY:

    In a February interview with the Los Angeles Times, Williams mentioned how humble he was to know that his song received such great feedback since it’s “bigger” than anything he has ever done.

    Even Chris Meledandri of Illumination Entertainment, which made the Despicable Me films for Universal Pictures, said that the tune is contagious by nature.

    “When you look at the history of songs written for films, the ones that [have] broken out to have a meaningful life beyond the film are very rare,” he said. “There’s an infectious quality to ‘Happy’ that just resonates.”

    To see some of Williams’ favorite “Happy” videos for International Day of Happiness, watch it here.

    Image via YouTube

  • Pharrell Williams Sees First #1 Hit With “Happy”

    It’s been a great start to 2014 for Pharrell Williams. The famous singer/producer was recently in the headlines for his infamous Grammy’s hat, which he’s now auctioning off for charity. His song “Happy,” which he recorded for the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, just hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart and this Sunday he’ll perform the nominated “Best Song” at the Oscars.

    Currently Pharrell is busy at rehearsals for the big night, alongside nominees Idina Menzel (for Frozen’s “Let It Go”), Karen O, (for Her‘s “The Moon Song”), and U2 (for Mandela‘s “Ordinary Love”). When asked what it’s like to perform at the Oscars, Pharrell responded, “all I care about is the fun.”

    Pharrell’s “Happy” knocked Katy Perry from her four-week seat at No. 1 with “Dark Horse.” Although it’s his first solo No. 1, Pharrell’s been on the Billboard charts since 2002’s “Pass the Courvoisier Part II.” He first saw No. 1 with Snoop Dogg in 2004’s “Beautiful” and again last summer in the mega-hit “Blurred Lines.” But this song marks his success as a completely solo artist, which is something Pharrell’s been wanting for decades. He credits his popular “Get Lucky” collaboration with Daft Punk for kickstarting his career again.

    “My first album was a dreadful experience…I thought my days as an artist were over. But then Daft Punk and last year happened and it just blew me away and now I’m in an appreciative place and it means more,” Pharrell says. “Working with Daft Punk has been a huge part of the journey to where I am today… I was appreciative when I did it and I’m still appreciative of the chance I was given.”

    This all coincides with Pharrell’s new album release, G I R L, which is out March 3rd and available to stream on iTunes now. The album is reflective of the hit single’s positivity and good vibes. The New York Times calls Pharrell one of the most “transformative music figures of the last year” and says the album is “overwhelmingly positive, cheery in mood and instrumentation, as if Mr. Williams knows something the rest of us do not.” You can watch this “Happy” singer Sunday night on the Oscars on ABC.

    Image via Official Facebook Page

  • Pharrell to Perform “Happy” at Oscars

    Pharrell is just everywhere these days. The Renaissance man will be on our televisions yet again performing at the 2014 Acadamy Awards.

    The musician will be performing his upbeat pop song, “Happy.”

    The tune might sound familiar because it was featured in the Despicable Me sequel that came out last year.

    The track is also nominated for Best Original Song along with U2’s “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Karen O’s “The Moon Song” from Her, and “Let It Go” from the Disney’s Frozen.

    Pharrell is no stranger to cleaning up at award shows, recently taking home wins for Producer of the Year-Non Classical, along with Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Record of the Year and Album of the Year for his work with Daft Punk on their album Random Access Memories.

    See Pharrell perform with Daft Punk at the Grammys.

    Recently Pharrell was in a little hot water with fellow-musician Franz Ferdinand over “borrowing” a riff.

    Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos posted to twitter saying that Pharrell borrowed a riff from the band’s hit “Take Me Out” for Paloma Faith’s “Can’t Rely on You” that Pharrell not only appeared on but produced.

    It seems the two have worked out their little spat but don’t be surprised when you see Pharrell making headlines again. It’ll happen soon.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Pharrell Williams Nabs Oscar Nomination

    If you thought multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams had a big year in 2013, just brace yourself. It looks as though 2014 will only elevate his career even more.

    Williams, who was a fixture on the Billboard charts last year with hits like Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” has added  yet another accolade to his list.

    The N.E.R.D. rapper has received his first Oscar nomination for his work hit record “Happy,” which appeared on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack album.

    According to ABC News, when Williams was asked about his reaction to the nomination, he was literally rendered speechless.

    “Uh, I’m speechless,” he said in an interview on Thursday, Jan. 16. “Man, I am over the moon.” He was then asked what he was doing when he received the news of the esteemed nomination. But, once again he was still at a loss for words. “Man, I’m sorry, I don’t know,” he said.

    Although he couldn’t recount what he was actually doing at the time he received the news, he did note “Happy” as ‘one of his best works.’ He shared that the most gratifying aspect of the record was that he made it with his eyes closed.

    (image)

    Williams, also known as Skateboard P., has been quoted for “hearing colors” which sets the tone of his music, so his declaration of the “eyes wide shut” creation is yet façade of his eclectic musicianship. The Lap Dance rapper also recounted that the song was actually recorded a total of nine times before reaching a level of perfection that was satisfactory to his standards.

    (image)

    “It’s some of my best work and that’s because in the process I made it with my eyes closed,” he said. “That’s not a reflection of any sort of superiority in any way, shape or form. I didn’t do a lot of looking around to try and figure it out. I just closed my eyes and made it by feeling it and I think that’s why I am most proud of it.”

    However, the Oscar nomination isn’t the only form of recognition he’s received for his blow-out year in music. Williams is a driving force for the 2014 Grammy Awards. He has seven Grammy nominations in five different categories including ‘Record of the Year’, ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Producer of the Year’.

     Image(s) via Wikimedia Commons | Pharrell Williams – Happy  Facebook | Pharrell Williams (1) (2)