wade's blog

torsdag 1 september 2011

Pet Tags

Man, I'm so irritated.

I just received four pets tags that I ordered for Bev and Mary Margaret (two for Brooklyn and two for LA) and they're all messed up. Not only did they leave off the "Margaret" on Mary Margaret's tags, but the text isn't centered correctly and runs off the right side on all four of them. (The last letter of the address is cut in half.) The tags themselves are also ugly. The edges aren't smoothed out... they look like someone just cut them from a piece of sheet metal and called it a day.

So anyway, I got them this morning on my way to Starbucks (yesterday's mail), so while I was there, I started drafting a strongly-worded letter in my head, like what I was going to say to these people when I sent them back.

And then I saw it.

In tiny print on the bottom of the invoice it said, "Our handicapped employees appreciate your order."

So now I can't send them back. If I did I'd be a total asshole.

I'm just going to order new ones from someplace else. Any recommendations?

Bridget Moynahan Britney Spears Brittany Daniel Brittany Lee Brittany Murphy

Britney Spears And Jo Calderone: A VMA Romance?

Lady Gaga's male alter ego even got fresh with Brit after her VMA tribute.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by James Montgomery

Britney Spears and Lady Gaga as Jo Calderone backstage at the 2011 VMAs
Photo: Getty Images

On Sunday night at the 2011 Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga's alter ego Jo Calderone met the princess of pop herself, Britney Spears. Gaga, in full drag as Calderone, and Spears had a bit of a VMA romance, sharing kind words -- and even swapping spit.

"It was interesting, her character," Spears later told MTV News about the encounter, even dishing how the kiss between the two took place. "We got onstage and we felt it out."

Spears, of course, has already kissed a famous pop star on the VMA stage, when she and Madonna locked lips back in 2003. And it's that kind of free spirit that Calderone noted in his speech about the singer. "She taught us all how to be fearless, and the industry wouldn't be the same without her," Calderone said when he not only kicked off the tribute to the star, but also later presented her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

Click here to see Beyonce's baby bump, the kiss between Britney and Lady Gaga and more.

After a troupe of dancers, who performed dance routines to everything from " ... Baby One More Time" and "Crazy" to "Toxic" and "Do Somethin'," left the stage, Calderone and Spears came face to face, and lips to lips. Although Spears seemed fine with the initial kiss, when he tried to make a few more advances, Spears rebuffed him with a big smile on her face.

He took it like a gentleman, adding, "I don't want Gaga to get pissed."

So was Gaga completely Calderone the whole time? "She's in full character," Spears later added. "Yes, definitely."

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards have wrapped, but the real action is just getting started! Stick with MTV News for winners, fashion pics, video and behind-the-scenes stories about everything that went down. Visit VMA.MTV.com for the latest.

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Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman

Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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VMAs Backstage: Five Things You Didn't See

Find out what happened backstage at the 2011 MTV VMAs.
By Kara Warner, with additional reporting by Matt Elias and Jim Cantiello

Beyoncé
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

For all the unforgettable moments that occurred onstage during the VMAs on Sunday night, there were just as many equally amazing happenings that went down behind-the-scenes. Thanks to our VIP connections, MTV News had access to everything that happened before, after and during the live broadcast. Therefore, in no particular order, we are proud to present five moments you didn't get to see:

Gaga's Gentlemanly Behavior Leaves Celebs Starstruck
As is her M.O., Lady Gaga's presence at the VMAs was a highlight in and of itself, and every celeb who encountered her had a wide-eyed story to tell of his/her encounter. Particularly Foo Fighter Dave Grohl's first introduction to Gaga as her alter ego Jo Calderone.

"I got to meet her for the first time tonight [as Jo Calderone]," Grohl said of meeting Gaga when he went to say hello to Queen guitarist Brian May, who performed with her during the show. "I was like, 'Brian May, what's up!' and she was right next to him and I said, 'Hi, I'm Dave,' and she goes 'I know who the f--- you are!' Yeah, it was rad."

We spotted Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and more hanging out backstage!

Another Gaga-centric highlight occurred during one of the commercial breaks, when Gaga as the confident ladies' man Jo Calderone (or Gago, as Twitter users tagged him last night) took a cigarette from behind his ear, lit it and smoothly passed it to Adele.

'Jersey Shore' Stars Make Friends Everywhere They Go
As part of the MTV family, the stars of "Jersey Shore" have become welcome additions to any and all of our awards shows. We witnessed the ladies of Seaside Heights — JWoww, Snooki and Deena — palling around with new BFF, none other than "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens. Later on we spotted them crossing paths with Jared Leto, which produced the following exchange: JWoww to Jared Leto: "Wow. I'm a huge fan! 'The Kill' is my favorite!" Leto: "Thank you so much!" Snooki, once they had passed the 30 Seconds to Mars frontman: "Aah?" To which Jenni replied, "That was Jared Leto. Don't you know who Jared Leto is?!"

Tyler, The Creator's Accidental Stage Dive Sends Him Into Unlikely Arms
Immediately following their win for Best New Artist, the many members of Odd Future and their assorted entourage were trying to shuffle off the circular stage, when suddenly there was a loud noise and everyone in the audience in the right section gasped. It was clear from the commotion that a member from Future had fallen off the stage. When the dust finally settled, we saw two unexpected heroes holding frontman Tyler, the Creator up: Kanye West and Kid Cudi.

Go behind-the-scenes with Wiz Khalifa, Kreayshawn and more at the VMA Pre-Show!

"It was really hard, but [the tears] came out when I fell offstage into Kanye's arms," Tyler half-joked as he processed the emotions surrounding his win and his almost fall.

Jay Z And Beyoncé Celebrate Baby News
Arguably the newsiest moment of the evening occurred when Beyoncé announced that she was pregnant, with a not-so-subtle rubbing of her belly at the end of her performance. Immediately following the big moment, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were enveloped backstage by ecstatic well-wishers including Kanye West, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. One of the sweeter of those moments was when Jay stepped outside Beyoncé's dressing room, to allow her some time with her female friends to gush and squeal over the news. The proud and sweet smile on his face when he did so made for our favorite VMA warm fuzzy moment.

BONUS: VMA Recap With MTV News' Jim Cantiello MTV News correspondent Jim Cantiello does many things well, but his 60-second recaps of important events in pop culture are a must-watch. Check out Cantiello's super-speedy recap that includes analysis of Gaga as Calderone, what gets a hard-to-impress Justin Bieber to applaud VMA performers and Beyoncé's big announcement.

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Daryl Hannah Arrested at Protest in Washington, D.C.

Daryl Hannah is perhaps best known as the mermaid from Splash or one-eyed kung-fu fighter Elle Driver in the Kill Bill movies -- but she is also known for her passionate environmental activism. Hannah is so passionate about the environment, in fact, that she was among the 100 people arrested on Tuesday for participating in a sit-in in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., protesting the expansion of a pipeline carrying oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. (Watch footage of her arrest below.)

"I do believe we are in a time of crisis for so many things," Hannah, 50, told People, after paying a fine and being released. "And in times of crisis, you have to get engaged in the process. You have to walk your talk. Being arrested is something you never hope for. You don't want to get arrested. But you know it's a risk you take."

Hannah also pointed out that "civil disobedience is a long-heralded American tradition" -- and she clearly believes strongly in that tradition. She's been arrested twice before for participating in environmental protests: once for climbing a tree in a community garden in Los Angeles to protest the fact that it was being demolished to make room for a warehouse, and the other time for protesting coal mining in West Virginia.

The protest on Tuesday was a small one as protests go, only 100 people, but Hannah believes they represent the will of the American public. "The majority of people who got arrested with me were moms, grandmothers and school teachers," said Hannah. "Like me, they are standing up against this big corporation and saying, 'No.'"

The expansion of the pipeline, which now ends in Oklahoma, is expected to be approved by the State Department by the end of the year. If it does go through, the expansion would make the pipeline 1,600 miles long -- one of the biggest in the country, according to CNN.

"Tar sands are the worst environmental atrocity," Hannah said of the dangers of the expansion. "This pipeline would extend over the nation's largest freshwater aquafiers that 20 million people depend on for water. A third of the nation's irrigation water comes from there. What's going to happen when that pipeline leaks? We can't take that risk."

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