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Tag: Rolling Stone

  • UK Government Planning Full Media Assault on End-to-End Encryption

    UK Government Planning Full Media Assault on End-to-End Encryption

    The UK government has hired a high-powered ad agency for a full-fledged assault on end-to-end encryption (E2EE).

    The UK government has long been opposed to E2EE. Despite the importance of E2EE in virtually every aspect of digital life, critics criticize it for making it harder to catch criminals. Politicians in the US, the UK, and other countries often call for encryption backdoors to be created, seemingly oblivious to the mathematical impossibility of simultaneously having strong encryption that protects government officials, journalists, civil rights activists, and everyday users, while also providing authorities with a backdoor.

    According to Rolling Stone, the UK’s latest effort involves an appeal to the public, portraying E2EE as an impediment to protecting children online and preventing child exploitation. This particular argument is one of the most commonly used, since everyone agrees with the importance of protecting children.

    Unfortunately, using the ‘protect the children’ argument often results in actions that undermine the safety of the very children it purports to protect. As a result, industry experts are calling the UK’s proposal “scaremongering.”

    “The Home Office’s scaremongering campaign is as disingenuous as it is dangerous,” said Robin Wilton, director of Internet Trust at the Internet Society, told Rolling Stone. “Without strong encryption, children are more vulnerable online than ever. Encryption protects personal safety and national security … what the government is proposing puts everyone at risk.”

    It seems the Home Office’s immediate target is WhatsApp, and its plans to extend E2EE. Should it succeed in its plans, however, it’s a safe bet E2EE in all its uses, and any platform that uses it, will be the next target.

  • Kate Del Castillo: Sean Penn Lied About The ‘Rolling Stone’ Interview

    Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress who arranged the covert meeting between Sinaloa drug lord El Chapo and award-winning actor Sean Penn, is mad about Penn’s Rolling Stone article as she reportedly had no idea the actor was planning to publish his meeting with the fugitive.

    Del Castillo was said to have set up the meeting between Penn and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, believing they were about to discuss a movie about the drug lord’s life. However, Penn surprised the Mexican star when he told her that they came to do an interview with her, multiple sources close to the Mexican actress said.

    El Chapo’s lawyer’s allegedly contacted the actress because the drug kingpin wanted to discuss a possible movie project about his life. Kate del Castillo invited two film directors and one of them allegedly contacted Penn to join them. Del Castillo thought Penn could help so she agreed to include the actor and let him meet the fugitive.

    Prior to the meeting, Rolling Stone reportedly gave Penn and the two other filmmakers a letter that made their assignment official. This gave the three men immunity from any legal consequences as they were acting as journalists. However, the letter excluded del Castillo.

    Del Castillo said she felt betrayed by Penn and that she was put in danger because of the surprise interview.

    Sources close to Sean Penn claimed that del Castillo knew about the interview and the actor had allegedly informed her about his plans before they met the sought-after drug lord.

    The article about El Chapo was published the day after the Mexican drug leader was recaptured by the authorities. Their meeting with the Sinaloa cartel leader was essential in tracking the kingpin’s whereabouts.

    Meanwhile, the Mexican government stated that it has no plans to investigate Sean Penn, Kate del Castillo, and the two filmmakers, but would be probing into the circumstances of the secret meeting.

  • Kim Kardashian Has Officially Killed Music, According To Sinead O’Connor

    Kim Kardashian Has Officially Killed Music, According To Sinead O’Connor

    Kim Kardashian is everywhere these days, and at least one star isn’t content to keep her thoughts about it to herself.

    Musician Sinead O’Connor took to Facebook earlier this week to vent her frustrations regarding Kardashian’s appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone this month, busting out the “C”-word and holding nothing back.

    “What is this c–t (“I don’t smile much because it causes wrinkles”) doing on the cover of Rolling Stone? Music has officially died. Who knew it would be Rolling Stone that murdered it? Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh can no longer be expected to take all the blame. Bob Dylan must be fucking horrified,” O’Connor wrote.

    Kim hasn’t responded publicly, choosing instead to fill her Twitter page with selfies and pictures of her and little North West. Kardashian, who is expecting her second child with Kanye West, is likely too busy documenting her pregnancy to bother with Sinead. The couple have reportedly hired the crew who shot their wedding to create a time-lapse video of her as she progresses throughout the months.

    “Kim and Kanye have become obsessed with the time-lapse pregnancy videos that are so popular online and wants one of her own. Kim has reached out to the same crew who filmed her wedding. She’s offered them a pretty penny to shoot with her on one day a week for the rest of her pregnancy. Kim and Kanye will fly the crew to wherever they are in the world for the shoot,” a source told The Mirror.

    The source also said that the video isn’t something Kardashian fans will ever see, but instead will be something private that the couple can look back on when the child is older.

    Rolling Stone hasn’t responded to O’Connor’s comments, either.

  • Sinead O’Connor Unhappy About Kim Kardashian ‘Rolling Stone’ Cover, Blasts Publication

    Sinead O’Connor thinks Rolling Stone magazine has gone too far this time. The publication features a photo of Kim Kardashian on its most recent cover, and O’Connor is beyond disgusted.

    In a Facebook rant, Sinead O’Connor claims that music has died and Rolling Stone murdered it–all because of the very sexy Kim Kardashian shot. The post is no longer available on her Facebook page, but Billboard managed to capture it before it disappeared.

    “What is this c–t doing on the cover of Rolling Stone?” Sinead O’Connor wrote on Tuesday. “Music has officially died. Who knew it would be Rolling Stone that murdered it? Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh can no longer be expected to take all the blame. Bob Dylan must be f-cking horrified.”

    Sinead O’Connor might have cause to complain if Kim Kardashian was the first non-musical celebrity to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. That is definitely not the case, however.

    This also isn’t the first time O’Connor has been outspoken about celebrities. Back in 2013, she wrote to Miley Cyrus regarding her ‘Wrecking Ball’ music video.

    “I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way ‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos,” Sinead O’Connor wrote at the time. “It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping.”

    It is interesting to note that there have been many comparisons drawn between Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 music video ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ and Miley Cyrus’s ‘Wrecking Ball.’

    Maybe Sinead O’Connor was jealous of Miley Cyrus? Is she now jealous of Kim Kardashian?

    Perhaps Sinead O’Connor simply has nothing better to do than complain.

  • Rob Kardashian Angry, Insulted by Sister Kim Kardashian West’s Comments During ‘Rolling Stone’ Interview

    Rob Kardashian and his sister Kim Kardashian West have had their issues in the past, but recently have gotten along much better–that is until Kim talked about her brother during her recent cover story for Rolling Stone magazine. It was during that interview that she caused things to go from better to much worse with the insensitive wagging of her tongue.

    “Rob and Kim had been cool again and were getting along,” a source told Us Weekly. “Now he’s furious at her again for her comments to Rolling Stone. He was been bitching her out on her phone. He’s mad–pissed as hell.”

    What did Kim say to get Rob Kardashian all worked up?

    It seems Rolling Stone asked her about her younger brother–specifically where he has been since sometime back in 2013.

    “It’s not that mysterious, what’s happening with Rob,” she said. “He has gained weight. He feels uncomfortable being on the show, and that’s OK.”

    “Do I think he smokes weed, drinks beer, hangs out and plays video games with his friends all day long? Yes,” she continued.

    Then she was asked if hookers and meth might be Rob Kardashian’s real problem.

    This is when Kim Kardashian should have stuffed a sock in her mouth.

    “No no,” she told them. “Or he’d be skinny.”

    “Rob has blocked Kim on his phone,” the source tells Us. “He doesn’t want to hear what she has to say. He says there’s no excuse she could possibly have for saying that. He will not forgive her.”

    It wasn’t so long ago that Rob Kardashian was mad at Kim for being “two-faced” about his weight and depression issues. He even posted a photo of Gone Girl actress Rosamund Pike to his Instagram page, and compared Kim Kardashian to her character–who was a psychopathic murderer.

    Should Kim Kardashian be prepared for a new derogatory post from Rob? He only recently deleted the Gone Girl reference from his Instagram account.

    Who might Rob Kardashian choose this time to depict his sister?

    Do you agree that Kim’s comments about her brother were a bit insensitive? Is there much thought at all when the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star opens her mouth?

  • Sabrina Rubin Erdely Apologizes For False University Of Virginia Rape Story

    After months of silence, Rolling Stone writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely finally breaks her silence over her discredited article with an apology.

    Erdely’s report A Rape on Campus appeared in  the Rolling Stone and was about a woman’s alleged brutal sexual assault on the University of Virginia campus. According to the author, a woman identified only as “Jackie” claims she was repeatedly assaulted when she went to a party hosted by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

    The story spread quickly on the campus and around the US, prompting protests about the way the college allegedly botched the handling of Jackie’s claims. It also set off intense discussions on sexual violence on campuses and forced the university to suspend all social functions.

    However, Erdely’s work was quickly discredited by journalists who saw certain discrepancies and mistakes in the report and prompted Rolling Stone to request for an investigation.

    A three-person team from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism conducted the investigation and concluded that the story is a “journalistic failure that was avoidable,” citing Erdely and her editor’s failure to corroborate Jackie’s claims as a prime example.

    Rolling Stone has already retracted the story and will publish Columbia University’s analysis as a way of explaining to its readers how the story came about. The magazine’s Managing Editor Will Dana and Erdely have also issued apologies in conjunction with the report.

    Erdely described reading the Columbia report as “a brutal and humbling experience.”

    “I want to offer my deepest apologies: to Rolling Stone’s readers, to my Rolling Stone editors and colleagues, to the U.V.A. community, and to any victims of sexual assault who may feel fearful as a result of my article,” she added.

    While Erdely sounds properly contrite in her statement, the author didn’t include the Phi Psi fraternity in her apology, an action that has some sectors understandably angry.

    “It’s completely tarnished our reputation,” Phi Psi U-VA chapter president Stephen Scipione claims. He added that the fraternity is now looking into what legal options are available to them.

  • Rose McGowan Says Being ‘Tired of Being Sexualized’ Led Her to Directing

    Rose McGowan says she turned to directing after she grew of “tired of being sexualized,” noting a photo shoot for Rolling Stone in 2007 as the impetus for a change of heart about her career.

    The Charmed alum said in an interview with Flatt magazine that she reached a point where she’d had enough of being used as a sex object.

    “There was a moment, I was on the cover of Rolling Stone, with a fake tan and gun belt around me and breasts, they gave me some big bouffant hair and glossy lips, and I just was like, I’ve had it, I have just had it,” said McGowan.

    After her revelation, McGowan said she “checked out” for a while, taking time to just enjoy herself and determine what she wanted in her career. She decided to pursue directing.

    “It was not that I wasn’t meant to be an actress, it was just that I was meant to be in film, and I just was literally cast in the wrong role in life,” she said.

    “I’m an artist, but I never felt like I was an artist as an actor,” she said. “Not because of how I was treated, because that’s not how artists are treated, or should be treated, or people should be treated.”

    The 41-year-old actress, and now director, said it’s a good time for a woman in the the traditionally male-dominated director’s world.

    “I think it’s a great time for women filmmakers,” said McGowan. “Women are being afforded greater roles in their destiny, or roles in art, or roles as directors, but why should women be “afforded” anything? I shouldn’t just be allowed to have something – it is my right. It is my right to create as much as it’s another human being’s right, and I think that comes first. Somebody asked if I thought a man would have made Dawn, and I don’t know if they could have. I don’t know if it would have occurred to them.”

    McGowan shared her directorial debut of the short film Dawn at the premiere at the Grand Hotel in Los Angeles.

  • Courtney Love, Marilyn Mason, Billy Corgan: Friends?

    Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, and Billy Corgan have long been involved in a bizarre ‘hate triangle of alternative rock,’ but it appears as though some fences may have been mended. A photo the Hole singer posted on Instagram shows the three sitting side by side, posing for the shot.

    On Friday night, Marilyn Manson reportedly joined the Smashing Pumpkins onstage at the band’s London concert. He sang alongside Billy Corgan during ‘Ava Adore.’

    Courtney Love captioned the following Instagram shot in a way that truly leads fans to believe that the three are friends–at least on some level anyway.

    “See all hatchets buried and true love never dies in the heart @billy #billybaby @marilynmanson you’re awesome baby xc,” she wrote.

    Throughout the past 15 years, Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, and Billy Corgan have publicly dissed one another in the media. Love and Corgan, who dated before Love married Kurt Cobain, ‘had a war of words stemming from Love using a pair of Corgan-penned tracks on her 2010 album Nobody’s Daughter without permission,’ according to Rolling Stone.

    “I have no interest in supporting her in any way, shape or form. You can’t throw enough things down the abyss with a person like that,” Corgan told the publication at the time. He also attacked Love’s parenting skills and advised her to go “live off your husband’s money.”

    If fences are truly mended between Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, and Billy Corgan, what does this mean for their musical futures? Do you think the next step in this hatchet-burying might result in some sort of collaboration? Or is that asking way too much way too soon?

    After all, there’s no guarantee with these three that the proverbial fence won’t break again.

  • Bright Eyes Accuser Recants Rape Allegation

    A woman who claimed that Bright Eyes singer Conor Oberst raped her a decade ago when she was a teenager revealed that she fabricated the entire story.

    Joan Faircloth of Durham, North Carolina first posted an essay entitled It Happened to Me: I Dated a Famous Rock Star & All I Got Was Punched in the Face to the women’s lifestyle website XOJane last December. Faircloth wrote that Oberst “took advantage of my teenage crush on him” after she was introduced to him at a concert when she was 16 and he was in his twenties. Faircloth related that “Conor took a lot from me including my virginity, my dignity and self esteem.” Faircloth went on to submit statements saying that Oberst’s attorneys offered her “hush money” to stop writing about the rape.

    Oberst filed a defamation lawsuit against Faircloth in February, asserting that the rape accusation was “republished by countless media outlets around the world, thus further perpetuating the untrue depiction of Oberst as a rapist. … To add insult to injury, certain media outlets published stories in which Faircloth’s defamatory false statements were characterized as true, and in which Oberst’s fans were actually encouraged to stop supporting his musical career.” A judge issued a default judgement in Oberst’s favor in early July. Court records reveal that Faircloth never responded to the lawsuit, which called her a pathological liar, and requested $1 million in damages.

    Faircloth sent a notarized letter to Oberst’s attorney Monday explaining that “the statements I made and repeated online and elsewhere over the past six months accusing Conor Oberst of raping me are 100% false. I made up those lies about him to get attention while I was going through a difficult period in my life and trying to cope with my son’s illness.”

    Faircloth added, “I publicly retract my statements about Conor Oberst, and sincerely apologize to him, his family, and his fans for writing such awful things about him. I realize that my actions were wrong and could undermine the claims of actual sexual assault victims and for that I also apologize. I’m truly sorry for all the pain that I caused.”

    Oberst’s fans took to Twitter:

    Oberst, 34, has yet to respond to the revelation.

    The singer-songwriter, who Rolling Stone describes as “a pain-strumming poet of emo,” formed Bright Eyes in 1995 in Omaha, Nebraska. The band first achieved wide success in 2002 upon the release of the album Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground.

    Here Oberst channels the dream journal of a sullen, yet verbose high school sophomore on “A Perfect Sonnet,” from the 1999 album Every Day And Every Night:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Axl Rose Not World’s Greatest Singer

    Axl Rose Not World’s Greatest Singer

    A recent Concert Hotels infographic concerning the vocal ranges of popular singers confused some into reading that Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has been deemed the greatest vocalist of all time. What the chart, entitled “The Vocal Ranges of the World’s Greatest Singers,” conveyed was that Axl does indeed have a large vocal range, but does not declare him as the finest singer.

    The singers on the chart can be sorted by vocal range, highest notes and lowest notes, and Rose is followed by Mariah Carey and Prince in the range department. Mariah Carey, Christina Aquilera and Prince beat out Rose in the highest notes field, though Rose can hit the lowest notes, ahead of Barry White and David Bowie.

    Several news outlets, including USA Today, initially misread the chart, and assumed Axl Rose had been deemed God of all pop singers.

    Axl Rose is a high genius, and once customized his own pair of Converse hi-top sneakers:

    Concert Hotels sourced a Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” while compiling their chart, which includes Kurt Cobain, Eminem (?), Roy Orbison and Miley Cyrus –

    “To create this piece, we took the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time as compiled by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008. To this list, we added some of today’s top singers including the nominees for top male and female artist at the Billboard Music Awards 2014. We cross-referenced the resulting list with vocal range data curated by The Range Place. We included all of the singers on the list for whom the data was readily available.”

    While Rose has indeed been deemed one of the greatest singers, outraged readers took to Twitter to vent their dismay over the assumption that Axl is the all-around king:

    Vintage Axl, doing his thing:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Constitution Tattoo Mars Rolling Stone Cover

    Stick-on tattoo? For Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s sake, let’s hope so.

    The “Veep” star is featured on the cover of next month’s Rolling Stone magazine with the title “First Lady of Comedy” under Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s name. The photograph depicts a nude Louis-Dreyfus with the U.S. Constitution etched on her across her back, signed by John Hancock.

    The only problem? John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution.

    Louis-Dreyfus took to Twitter to explain the mess-up:

    The Mike in question is Mike McClintock, a fictional “Veep” character played by Matt Walsh, who serves as communications director to Louis-Dreyfus’ Vice President Selina Meyer in the HBO comedy series.

    The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia mocked the mess-up by tweeting a photo of the magazine cover surrounded by statues of the Founding Fathers such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in Signers’ Hall with the words, “Thanks for the shout-out but no Hancock here”:

    Rolling Stone spokeswoman Melissa Bruno told The Associated Press that the Declaration of the Independence is on the other side of Louis-Dreyfus’ body, but they couldn’t fit in the signatures.

    Twitter reaction has been fast and mocking:

    “I’m a perfectionist in my work,” Louis-Dreyfus notes in the magazine’s cover story. “I think I might drive people nuts. I don’t ask them, because I don’t need that (expletive) on top of how I’m feeling.”

    Image via Facebook

  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus Nude on ‘Rolling Stone’ Cover

    Julia Louis-Dreyfus graces the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone–in the nude. The Veep star’s cover shot and the third season of the show make headlines at about the same time–the new season aired Sunday and the magazine hits news stands Friday.

    Inside the pages of Rolling Stone, Louis-Dreyfus dishes on Seinfeld as well as the upcoming season of Veep. She says she gets to curse a lot in season three, and that seems to please the actress to no end.

    “Once, when we were trying to come up with the particular perfect, horrible, swear-y thing to say in Veep, I said, ‘You do realize that if we were 12, we would get in big trouble for this conversation,’” Louis-Drefus told the magazine. “That was not part of the curriculum in high school, and the fact that it is now a part of the curriculum of my life is a pleasure, which is the understatement of the universe.”

    Julia also mentions that she landed the role on Seinfeld as Elaine Benes partly due to her ‘disposition.’ And she talked about sexism in Hollywood.

    “There is sexism — I’m not denying its existence,” she says. “But I’m saying that I will deny its effort against me. I just pay it no nevermind and say, ‘Get out of my way.’”

    On the magazine cover, Julia Louis-Dreyfus sports nothing but a copy of the U.S. Constitution on her bare back.

    Prior to this post she shared one indicating her expectation of landing some new Twitter followers.

    Do note the reference to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in her tweet with her use of the ‘drunken stupor’ excuse.

    Will you be picking up a copy of Rolling Stone this Friday with Julia Louis-Dreyfus–nude–on the cover? Given the number of Seinfeld and Veep fans she has–the news stands could sell out quickly.

    Image via YouTube

  • Constitution Tattoo Flub Gets Response From Julia Louis-Dreyfus

    The new Rolling Stone issue featuring a naked Julia Louis-Dreyfus has people buzzing – for the wrong reasons. While Louis-Dreyfus looks stunning on the cover, but people are paying more attention to the US constitution tattooed on her back. Below the constitution is the signature of Founding Father John Hancock – who never signed the constitution.

    In fact, it was the Declaration of Independence that the Second Continental Congress president signed.

    The misplaced attribution was noticed right away. John Hancock’s autograph is so famous that his name has become synonymous with the term ‘signature.’ Netizens turned to social media to question the obvious blunder.

    One user commented that John Hancock did not sign the constitution. Another asked how Rolling Stone could miss something this important.

    The National Constitution Center, located in Philadelphia, also commented on the cover flub, by tweeting a picture of the cover next to other Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. A text said “Thanks for the shoutout,” before noting that Hancock is not included.

    According to a representative of the magazine, it was not a mistake, but was done only because the Declaration of Independence couldn’t fit in the image. Publicity director of Wenner Media, Melissa Bruno, said that the Declaration of Independence is on the other side, but the signatures couldn’t all fit. Louis-Dreyfus also responded on Twitter to criticism, saying it was another Mike f***-up, referring to the character Mike McLintock, the director of communications for the HBO comedy series Veep. She also called him a “dummy,” with the hashtag Veep and crackexcuse.

     

    The TV star’s cover focuses on her career as “The First Lady of Comedy.” After her successful role as Elaine Benes in Seinfeld, she is back as Selina Meyer, vice president of the United States in Veep. The series has been met with critical acclaim and won a number of awards.

    The Rolling Stone issue will hit newsstands on April 11.

    Image via YouTube

  • Rick Ross: Rap Star Gets Advice Column In Rolling Stone

    Rick Ross, the Miami rap star known for hits like Hustlin’ and Push It, is getting an advice column in music magazine Rolling Stone. The magazine has recently announced its open call for questions from readers.

    The advice column, titled “Ask a Boss with Rick Ross” aims to answer questions about “life, work, or school.” According to Rolling Stone, readers will now have the chance to know how the rap star will react to tough situations.

    Rick Ross is the founder of record label Maybach Music Group, and was named by MTV as the “hottest MC in the game.”

    His first album Port of Miami debuted in 2006 at the top of the US Billboard 200 album chart, and Rolling Stone called it the summer’s biggest rap record. His second album Trilla also debuted at the top spot of the Billboard 200.

    His latest album Masterminds features Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Diddy, OG Ron C and other big names in rap. The album was produced by famed record producer Scott Storch and mixed by Diddy.

    He released a video of his lead single The Devil is a Lie on Thursday. The song was done in collaboration with Jay-Z, but the rapper’s verse was not included in the video.

    According to Ross, The Devil is a Lie is a song that the streets need. He said that although the song is going in a different direction, he is still “pushing the envelope”, and that the song will speak for itself. XXL called it the “most massive beat” of the year.

    To send your questions to the rap star’s advice column, you may email Rick Ross at askaboss@rollingstone, with “Ask A Boss” as the email subject. The magazine encourages you to put your name, city, and state in your message. Rolling Stone will publish the best questions in an upcoming issue.

    Rick Ross: “Devil Is A Lie” (explicit)

    Image via YouTube

  • Drake Upset About Getting Bumped For Rolling Stone Cover

    Canadian recording artist and rapper Drake says he is “disgusted” at Rolling Stone magazine for replacing him on the March issue cover at the last minute. Rolling Stone ran the print with Philip Seymour Hoffman on the front cover instead.

    The magazine decided to pay homage to the award-winning actor, Hoffman, after his sudden death following a reported heroin overdose on February 2 in his Manhattan office apartment. The March issue features highlights of the late actor’s life and achievements that he had throughout his 46 years of life.

    Rolling Stone’s spokesperson, Melissa Bruno, stated on a phone interview with CBC News that the magazine does not comment on their decisions for cover images.

    Twitter users also commented and accused the rapper for being childish about him being replaced on the cover. The harsh comments towards Drake were also defended by some of his fans saying that the press always twists conversations and that they still love him.

    The cover is not the only issue Drake has with the magazine. On his Twitter page, he ranted about an interview the magazine conducted, and said that he never made any ill comments on Kanye West’s album Yeezus, and was misquoted by the magazine. Drake allegedly said that some of West’s raps were questionable. On one of his tweets, Drake also said the press is evil. He has later deleted the tweets regarding the interview and the cover.

    Drake never outright denied saying those things about Kanye West. He just stated that he never made those comments during the interview portion. The comments were probably said off-the-record, but the magazine included it on print.

    On his last tweet, Drake says that he just wants people to listen to his music so he can accurately get his message across. He also says that he is done doing magazine interviews.

    Drake: Worst Behavior

    Image via YouTube

  • Michael J. Fox Dissed by The E! Channel

    Michael J. Fox Dissed by The E! Channel

    When one thinks of the term “fun fact,” he or she probably associates it with some sort of lighthearted truth, like Leonardo DiCaprio first starring in the show “Growing Pains” before making it big, or finding out that Woody Allen’s first film was “What’s New Pussycat?” in 1965. But for some reason the E! channel decided to take a very serious disease and make it a fun fact during the live streaming of its red carpet broadcast.

    During the show, a grey box appeared on the screen with the words “Fun Fact” in bold white letters and in the box it said “Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991,” which of course caused an immediate backlash from viewers. Fortunately for E! the snafu came during the live streaming of the event and not on live television.

    But it wasn’t too long after the error that E! sent out an apology, and said that it recognized its crucial mistake. “We regret the insensitive classification of Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis during our E online live stream,” said the network. “We understand the serious nature of the disease and sincerely apologize.”

    In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Fox said that if he had the opportunity to be cured, he wouldn’t take it because Parkinson’s taught him so much. “If I walked into a room with God or Buddha or Bill Gates or Sergey Brin or whoever could figure out a way to fix it for me, I don’t think I’d do it,” he said.

    “The bottom line of this whole f–king thing is that it’s better. My life is better than it was, because I have access to these truths and access to these moments where I give myself a break and just go, ‘F–k it.”

    In addition, Fox said that people shouldn’t feel sorry for him at all, because he’s coping with the disease just fine. “People look at me and have fear and sadness in their eyes, which they think they’re seeing reflected back at them,” he said. “They wouldn’t see what I’m really feeling, which is, I’m okay! But people are afraid. They’ll realize that this is just my life, the stuff I was given to deal with.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Naya Rivera Rolling Stone Cover: See The Sexy Pic

    Naya Rivera, an actress who has come to be known primarily through her work in Glee, has made her presence known even more mainstream for those who read Rolling Stone. She is on the cover of the December issue, and posing a sexy pose as she makes the Latin Hot List of 2013.

    The actress and singer displayed her body for everyone to see in a black body suit that showed off her long, bare legs. She was photographed for the magazine by the famed photographer Terry Richardson. The issue hits the stands on November 8th, showing Rivera completely out of character from where audiences are used to seeing her in Glee.

    In addition to being an actress on Glee, Rivera is also a singer and is currently working on her debut album. She recently got engaged to her boyfriend Big Sean in October, only six months after going public with their relationship.

    The 26-year-old actress makes the Latin hot list as someone who is half-Puerto Rican, quarter African American, and quarter German. The issue features her talking about her budding musical career and what drove her to become a singer. In the magazine, she explains “It took a long time to figure out where I wanted to go musically.” She released her first single off of the album over the summer, titled “Sorry” with Big Sean.

    As Naya Rivera discusses during the issue, she insisted that Columbia records release the single over the summer instead of waiting for the album to be done because it is a summer song, and she wanted it on the air before the end of the summer.

    She also hilariously met her husband-to-be over twitter, exchanging messages for a while before they officially met and had a dinner together. Big Sean jokes to E News when saying “We definitely need to do like a commercial for Match.com or something like that.We’re like social networkers.”

    Naya Rivera, the young beauty who plays the lesbian cheerleader Santana Lopez on Glee, has branched out and shown off her long legs to fans in the new cover issue of Rolling Stone.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLDwKH7ZUUE

    Image via Youtube

  • Rock Legend Lou Reed Dies at Age 71

    Rock Legend Lou Reed Dies at Age 71

    Rock legend, Lou Reed, died Sunday morning, according to a report by Rolling Stone. The cause of his death has not yet been released, but it is known that the 71-year-old had a liver transplant back in May.

    Reed was one of the founders for “The Velvet Underground” in the late 60s. Their album, “The Velvet Underground & Nico”, has been called on of the “most influential rock albums of all time”. Reed was a famous song writer with his most popular songs being “Rock & Roll,” “Sweet Jane” and “Walk on the Wild Side”.

    Lewis (Lou) Allan Reed was born on March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York. At an early age, by listening to doo-wop and early rock and roll singers from the 1950s, he quickly developed a love for music. After college, in 1964, he hooked up with guitarist, Sterling Morrison, and drummer, Maureen Tucker, to form “Velvet Underground”. The group lasted until 1970, when they released their final album, “Loaded”.

    Reed later went solo and released his first solo album, “Transformer” in 1972. His song, “Walk on the Wild Side” from that album made it to number 16 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list.

    The “Violet Underground” was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. However, Reed had not yet made it in on his solo endeavors. According to Rolling Stone, Reed “brought a whole new lyrical honesty to rock & roll poetry and glam, punk and alternative rock are all unthinkable without his revelatory example”.

    Reed’s later work included his album “The Raven”, released in 2005, “Hudson River Win Meditations”, released in 2007, and a collaboration with Metallica on the album “Lulu” released in2011. Reed described all of his albums as chapters of a book of his life.

    “All through this, I’ve always thought that if you thought of all of it as a book then you have the Great American Novel, every record as a chapter,” he told Rolling Stone in 1987. “They’re all in chronological order. You take the whole thing, stack it and listen to it in order, there’s my Great American Novel.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Miley Cyrus Gets Naked For Rolling Stone

    Miley Cyrus Gets Naked For Rolling Stone

    Miley Cyrus got real with Rolling Stone for their October issue, talking about the twerking incident that landed her in a lot of hot water but didn’t do much to damage Robin Thicke’s reputation. She also stripped down for the cover.

    Cyrus–whose image has gotten a very raunchy makeover in recent months–appears nude and in a pool, beaded with water and looking out at us from mascara-ringed eyes, her tongue hanging out in typical Miley fashion. Gone are the days when she was a Disney Channel princess; now, she’s the girl with a Reputation.

    “No one is talking about the man behind the ass. It was a lot of ‘Miley twerks on Robin Thicke,’ but never, ‘Robin Thicke grinds up on Miley.’ They’re only talking about the one that bent over,” she says in the interview. “So obviously there’s a double standard.”

    The 20-year old–who recently split from longtime beau Liam Hemsworth–has been on a bit of a wild streak lately to say the least, performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Vegas in a racy outfit that malfunctioned, showing her nipple; she also sang “Wrecking Ball” with tears streaming down her face. She does admit in the interview that the whole “twerking” thing has gotten way out of hand, however.

    “People are like, ‘Miley thinks she’s a black girl, but she’s got the flattest ass ever,’” she says. “I’m like, ‘I’m 108 pounds! I know!’ Now people expect me to come out and twerk with my tongue out all the time. I’ll probably never do that s–t again.”

    Image: Rolling Stone

  • Aaron Hernandez Was Using Drugs, Became Paranoid

    The Aaron Hernandez saga has been a dark and troubling episode in the NFL offseason, and it doesn’t show any signs of getting better anytime soon.

    A new report by Rolling Stone claims that Hernandez had been surrounding himself with a bad crowd since his high school days and only managed to barely escape trouble in his time at the University of Florida. The report cites the loss of his father to a medical error as a source for much of the anguish and discontent that lead him into the series of poor decisions that led to his arrest for murder.

    The most troubling news from the report, however, is that Hernandez had began using drugs. Friends claim he began using PCP regularly. They also say he became paranoid due to the drug use and began carrying a gun constantly. A family friend even went so far as to say that “He’s been twisted on dust now for more than a year, which is when all of this crazy s— started.”

    The article also goes in depth regarding the Hernandez family, which includes a number of celebrated athletes and big names in their home town of Bristol, Connecticut. Hernandez is set to be arraigned on September 6th, the next step in this sad episode in NFL history in which a kid with superstar talent made the wrong decisions.

    [Image via Boston Globe on YouTube]

  • Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Rolling Stone Issue Does Gangbusters Sales. Because Controversy Sells. Duh.

    Any press is good press, right? Especially when the press is talking about the press itself.

    Two weeks ago, Rolling Stone magazine decided to put a giant image of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover. Not a photo of Tsarnaev in handcuffs, or bloodied in the back of that boat. Nope, Rolling Stone decided to put a big dreamy-looking photo of the terror suspect on the cover – one that made him look more like Jim Morrison than a terrorist.

    And that was the point, at least according to Rolling Stone.

    “The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone’s long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day. The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens,” they said in a statement.

    Basically, the whole point of the article was to look into how this sort of thing happens. How this seemingly normal kid (by all accounts) could turn into a monster. Because he looks like a rock star.

    Explanation or not, Rolling Stone knew that the cover would spark outrage. And it did. Twitter was a mess for a few days. Various chains like Walgreens and CVS boycotted the issue. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote a strongly-worded letter to Rolling Stone about their “obvious marketing strategy.”

    The police photographer who took the photos of Tsarnaev as he was being apprehended even lashed out at the cover, calling it “an insult to any person who has every worn a uniform of any color or any police organization or military branch.”

    The point is – people were mad. Very mad.

    But people still bought it.

    According to Magazine Information Network (via AdAge), the Tsarnaev issue sold 102% over average of the per-issue sales for the past year. Among 1,420 retailers, 13,232 copies were sold from July 19th to July 29th – that’s more tha double Rolling Stone’s average sales from 2012.

    Not only did the “boycott” not work in dampening sales, but the controversy actually increased sales – by a huge margin. When you take into account the fact that retail sales only account for a few percent of Rolling Stone’s total circulation, you can see that people went to the stores for this issue specifically.

    Rolling Stone knew what they were doing. And anyone that thought this issue would sell less was delusional. Sex sells. Violence Sells. Scandal sells. Controversy sells.