-- Orders for U.S.-made durable goods gained more than forecast in July, suggesting business spending remained a bright spot before this month's rise in the price of credit to companies and consumers.
Gains in manufacturing, spurred by dwindling inventories and increased exports, drove demand to the highest level since September. The increase signals the economy was still expanding at the onset of the August financial-market rout that spurred the Federal Reserve to cut its discount rate and warn that ``risks to growth have increased appreciably.''
Orders for products meant to last several years climbed 5.9 percent after a revised 1.9 percent gain the prior month, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. Excluding transportation equipment such as airplanes, they rose 3.7 percent, the most in almost two years.
``Even though there could be some reduction in that momentum in August, we're starting from a stronger point rather than a weak point,'' said Brian Bethune, an economist at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. ``I don't think it affects the path we are on in terms of we're moving into a period where growth is still going to be relatively slow.''
Global Insight's forecast of a 6 percent increase in orders was the closest to the reported figure among 73 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.
Treasury notes were little changed as traders awaited a separate Commerce Department report forecast to show sales of new homes fell to the lowest level in seven years in July.
Exceeding Estimates
Economists had anticipated durable-goods orders would rise 1.0 percent, the median forecast in the survey, after a previously reported 1.3 percent rise in June. Forecasts for the increase ranged from 0.3 percent to 6 percent.
Excluding bookings for transportation equipment, orders were forecast to gain 0.6 percent, according to the survey median, after a previously reported 1.0 percent decrease.
Orders for commercial aircraft jumped 12.6 percent in July after rising 37.1 percent a month earlier. Demand for autos rose 9.8 percent, the biggest increase since January 2003, after declining 0.7 percent the prior month.
Boeing Co. registered 149 orders in July, up from 132 in June, according to company statistics released earlier this month. It shipped 33 planes, compared with 39 a month earlier.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. on July 25 said its quarterly profit and sales exceeded analysts' estimates and the planemaker raised its earnings forecast for the year on record orders.
Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a proxy for future business investment, rose 2.2 percent after decreasing 0.1 percent in June. Shipments of those items, used in calculating gross domestic product, rose 0.5 percent after declining 0.8 percent.
Unfilled orders for such goods rose 1.5 percent.
Strength in Manufacturing
Other reports signal manufacturing continues to grow. Manufacturing expanded for the six months through July, rising at the fastest pace in June in 14 months, according to the Tempe, Arizona-based Institute for Supply Management.
Inventories of all durable goods rose 0.1 percent, after no change in June.
The gain in ex-transportation orders was led by rising demand for communications gear, machinery and primary metals. Defense equipment orders also rose.
Demand excluding military gear rose 4.9 percent in July after rising 2.3 percent in June.
Capital Spending
Frank MacInnis, chief executive officer of Norwalk, Connecticut-based EMCOR Group Inc., a leading installer of electrical and mechanical building systems, said capital spending remained on a steady trajectory, even in the face of the credit-market turmoil.
``It looks like corporate spending plans remain unimpaired for the time being,'' MacInnis said in a telephone interview. ``That speaks to the overall health of both the domestic economy and the remarkable strength of the world economy.''
Manufacturers continue to ramp up output after working off excess inventories built up late last year. Growth in industrial production, fueled by rising exports and increased business spending, is likely to outpace overall growth in the economy that may average about 2.5 percent in the second half, according to forecasts.
Stepped-up production of equipment and software, a gauge of business investment, contributed 0.2 percentage point to growth in the second quarter after being flat in the first quarter and dragging on growth in the second half of 2006.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Jay-Z, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Diddy, T.I., Ciara, Swizz Beatz Make Hip-Hop History At NYC Show
There were close to 20,000 people at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, and it's pretty much a given that none of them believe what they saw. Just imagine how much they've been calling, texting and MySpacing since the show. Heck, you might not even believe this when you read it, but as wrestling legend Kurt Angle would say, "It's true. It's damn true."
T.I. orchestrated a mammoth hip-hop moment, a piece of history in the form of an onstage party featuring the cream of the crop in hip-hop: T.I., Jay-Z, Diddy, Swizz Beatz, Ciara, Kanye West and 50 Cent. They were all onstage performing and partying together ... as in, everybody was onstage at the same time.
(Peep snaps of the heavyweights onstage together at the unforgettable show.)
The show started like just another Screamfest '07 tour stop (see "T.I., Ciara To Headline Latest Scream Tour"). Headliners Ciara and T.I. intermingled their sets much like Jay-Z and R. Kelly did on the Best of Both Worlds tour a few years back (see "Jay-Z, R. Kelly Part Ways as Best Of Both Worlds Tour Collapses"). Ciara came out first, did half her show and left. Then it was T.I.'s turn to do half his show, which led into both ATL natives performing their respective part twos. Those second halves would bring the crowd into the stratosphere and give MSG one of its memorable spectacles ever.
During the second half of Ciara's set, 50 Cent slowly rose up and onto the stage, where he and his rumored girlfriend performed "Can't Leave Him Alone." Although Fif isn't on the Scream bill, he might as well be: He's popped up with "surprise" appearances on the tour several times, including earlier this week in Hampton, Virginia. 50 was immediately greeted, well, like the man who runs New York. The crowd got stupid. After their duet, Ciara asked 50 if he would perform one of his songs, and if you think there was any way he wasn't going to rock in his hometown, you're just plain foolish.
"I Get Money" was ... well, remember the first episode of "Lost," when the plane was ripped apart and just about everyone and everything went flying? It was that. 50 brought out some of his wolves: Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, you get the picture. But it was big, it was loud, the energy level was as high as a satellite. It was that big MSG moment that a superstar who claims he runs the city — in that very song no less — was supposed to bring. It was almost a show-stealer.
But T.I.'s round two was utterly remarkable — and is one for the history books. The crowd had already showered him with love as he shot from the throne hits like "Top Back," "24's," "Why You Wanna," "Rubber Band Man" and "Bring Em Out" — a great show in its own right. But what he did to end his set was one of the few things missing from his career: a coronation at one the most famous venues in the world. He'd done shows at Madison Square Garden before, but never his show.
Wyclef Jean broke T.I..'s halftime silence by playing the national anthem on guitar. 'Clef later ran into the crowd during "My Swag." Then Tip started another cut from his album, "Watch What You Say." After the first verse, a banner of Jay-Z's hands throwing up the dynasty sign rolled down the back of the stage.
Jay-Z then began to stroll down a long runway, to the main stage, in the middle of the Garden. The crowd must not have believed its eyes, because there was no reaction at first. Once Jay started to rap his lines — "Rap music is something ain't it? The way these pictures is painted/ You swear these n----s is dangerous, the gangsta sh-- they be saying" — the audience went wild.
After "Watch What You Say," Jay let everyone know the Roc was in the building — and when Tip's DJ for the show, Drama, dropped the beat, the point was driven home. As Kanye West's "Can't Tell Me Nothing" started to play, 'Ye himself walked slowly from the runway to the main stage. main stage. Moments earlier though, 50 ran to the stage from another part of the venue — seemingly unplanned, because Jay and T.I. both looked a little surprised. According to a source close to the event, 50 and Diddy had been seen joking with T.I. in his dressing room earlier in the night, but Fif coming onstage with Tip and company was not part of the program. It turned out to be some welcomed improvising, though.
There were no incidents and no signs of rivalries — as Kanye rapped, 50 ran around the stage like he was doing a victory lap, stopping along the way to bump shoulders and say what's up to Tip, 'Ye and Jay. Before Kanye could even make it to the main stage though, Diddy sprinted from the back, running past West and onto the runway to the big stage. Although the audience was rocking to West, the spectacle of seeing everybody together onstage — especially the two guys who have been hyping their September 11 in-store showdown (see "Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent For Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other' " and "50 Cent Explains Last Week's Blowup, Says 'I Will Be #1 On September 11' ") — on one stage at the same time took precedence. They were all smiling and dancing and genuinely enjoying the camaraderie. 50 even threw up the Roc-A-Fella diamond sign with his hands for a couple of seconds.
"Laaaaa, la, la, la, wait till I get my money right," Kanye continued, as he stood next to 50, Diddy and Jay-Z.
Jay-Z then did one of his classics, "Encore," and the show ended with everyone in the Garden unanimously cheering and making the Roc sign. Some fans were saying that the cheers in the Garden sounded louder than when close to 60,000 at Giants Stadium did the same thing a few years ago during Summer Jam.
With everyone still hanging out onstage, Swizz Beatz and Ciara eventually made it to the stage as well, with Swizz doing one of the biggest records in rap right now, "Money in the Bank."
T.I. and Ciara ended their triumphant New York visit with renditions of his "What You Know?" and "Big Things Poppin'." CiCi proclaimed herself "Queen of the South," and rightly so.
Hungry for more hip-hop coverage? Sink your teeth into our "Hottest MCs in the Game" feature.
Seen a great show? MTV News wants your photos, videos and reports from all the latest concerts for our new You R Here community. Check out the site to read, rate and comment on reviews from around the globe. We'll put the best stuff on our You R Here blog, and even in on-air news!
You Tell Us
T.I. orchestrated a mammoth hip-hop moment, a piece of history in the form of an onstage party featuring the cream of the crop in hip-hop: T.I., Jay-Z, Diddy, Swizz Beatz, Ciara, Kanye West and 50 Cent. They were all onstage performing and partying together ... as in, everybody was onstage at the same time.
(Peep snaps of the heavyweights onstage together at the unforgettable show.)
The show started like just another Screamfest '07 tour stop (see "T.I., Ciara To Headline Latest Scream Tour"). Headliners Ciara and T.I. intermingled their sets much like Jay-Z and R. Kelly did on the Best of Both Worlds tour a few years back (see "Jay-Z, R. Kelly Part Ways as Best Of Both Worlds Tour Collapses"). Ciara came out first, did half her show and left. Then it was T.I.'s turn to do half his show, which led into both ATL natives performing their respective part twos. Those second halves would bring the crowd into the stratosphere and give MSG one of its memorable spectacles ever.
During the second half of Ciara's set, 50 Cent slowly rose up and onto the stage, where he and his rumored girlfriend performed "Can't Leave Him Alone." Although Fif isn't on the Scream bill, he might as well be: He's popped up with "surprise" appearances on the tour several times, including earlier this week in Hampton, Virginia. 50 was immediately greeted, well, like the man who runs New York. The crowd got stupid. After their duet, Ciara asked 50 if he would perform one of his songs, and if you think there was any way he wasn't going to rock in his hometown, you're just plain foolish.
"I Get Money" was ... well, remember the first episode of "Lost," when the plane was ripped apart and just about everyone and everything went flying? It was that. 50 brought out some of his wolves: Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, you get the picture. But it was big, it was loud, the energy level was as high as a satellite. It was that big MSG moment that a superstar who claims he runs the city — in that very song no less — was supposed to bring. It was almost a show-stealer.
But T.I.'s round two was utterly remarkable — and is one for the history books. The crowd had already showered him with love as he shot from the throne hits like "Top Back," "24's," "Why You Wanna," "Rubber Band Man" and "Bring Em Out" — a great show in its own right. But what he did to end his set was one of the few things missing from his career: a coronation at one the most famous venues in the world. He'd done shows at Madison Square Garden before, but never his show.
Wyclef Jean broke T.I..'s halftime silence by playing the national anthem on guitar. 'Clef later ran into the crowd during "My Swag." Then Tip started another cut from his album, "Watch What You Say." After the first verse, a banner of Jay-Z's hands throwing up the dynasty sign rolled down the back of the stage.
Jay-Z then began to stroll down a long runway, to the main stage, in the middle of the Garden. The crowd must not have believed its eyes, because there was no reaction at first. Once Jay started to rap his lines — "Rap music is something ain't it? The way these pictures is painted/ You swear these n----s is dangerous, the gangsta sh-- they be saying" — the audience went wild.
After "Watch What You Say," Jay let everyone know the Roc was in the building — and when Tip's DJ for the show, Drama, dropped the beat, the point was driven home. As Kanye West's "Can't Tell Me Nothing" started to play, 'Ye himself walked slowly from the runway to the main stage. main stage. Moments earlier though, 50 ran to the stage from another part of the venue — seemingly unplanned, because Jay and T.I. both looked a little surprised. According to a source close to the event, 50 and Diddy had been seen joking with T.I. in his dressing room earlier in the night, but Fif coming onstage with Tip and company was not part of the program. It turned out to be some welcomed improvising, though.
There were no incidents and no signs of rivalries — as Kanye rapped, 50 ran around the stage like he was doing a victory lap, stopping along the way to bump shoulders and say what's up to Tip, 'Ye and Jay. Before Kanye could even make it to the main stage though, Diddy sprinted from the back, running past West and onto the runway to the big stage. Although the audience was rocking to West, the spectacle of seeing everybody together onstage — especially the two guys who have been hyping their September 11 in-store showdown (see "Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent For Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other' " and "50 Cent Explains Last Week's Blowup, Says 'I Will Be #1 On September 11' ") — on one stage at the same time took precedence. They were all smiling and dancing and genuinely enjoying the camaraderie. 50 even threw up the Roc-A-Fella diamond sign with his hands for a couple of seconds.
"Laaaaa, la, la, la, wait till I get my money right," Kanye continued, as he stood next to 50, Diddy and Jay-Z.
Jay-Z then did one of his classics, "Encore," and the show ended with everyone in the Garden unanimously cheering and making the Roc sign. Some fans were saying that the cheers in the Garden sounded louder than when close to 60,000 at Giants Stadium did the same thing a few years ago during Summer Jam.
With everyone still hanging out onstage, Swizz Beatz and Ciara eventually made it to the stage as well, with Swizz doing one of the biggest records in rap right now, "Money in the Bank."
T.I. and Ciara ended their triumphant New York visit with renditions of his "What You Know?" and "Big Things Poppin'." CiCi proclaimed herself "Queen of the South," and rightly so.
Hungry for more hip-hop coverage? Sink your teeth into our "Hottest MCs in the Game" feature.
Seen a great show? MTV News wants your photos, videos and reports from all the latest concerts for our new You R Here community. Check out the site to read, rate and comment on reviews from around the globe. We'll put the best stuff on our You R Here blog, and even in on-air news!
You Tell Us
Lindsay Lohan Reaches Plea Deal, Will Serve One Day In Jail; 'I Relapsed,' Actress Says
My life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs,' Lohan says in statement.
Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday (August 23) on misdemeanor DUI and drug charges that will find her spending one day in jail, serving 10 days of community service and completing a drug-treatment program, according to The Associated Press. She will not stand trial.
Through her lawyer, Lohan pleaded no contest to two counts of driving under the influence, two counts of being under the influence of a controlled substance (cocaine), and reckless driving (see "Lindsay Lohan Arrested Again For DUI; Reportedly Checks Back Into Rehab"). All the charges are misdemeanors — a lucky break for the actress, as felony charges could have landed her in jail for more than a year.
Lohan was placed on 36 months probation and will be required to complete an 18-month alcohol-education program and pay hundreds of dollars in fines. She must also finish a three-day county coroner program that will require her to visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.
"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan wrote in a statement released to MTV News. "Recently, I relapsed and did things for which I am ashamed. I broke the law, and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to charges in my case.
"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself," the statement continues. "I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have. I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life. Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."
Lohan's cocaine charges stem from a small packet of cocaine police discovered in her jeans when she was arrested on July 24 in Santa Monica, California. According to prosecutors, the amount of cocaine found tested below the .05 grams required to qualify for a felony filing. After a May 26 crash — in which Lohan is alleged to have lost control of her Mercedes and crashed into a tree on Sunset Boulevard at 5:26 a.m. — tests on a substance found in Lohan's purse came up as .04 grams of cocaine powder, according to a press release on the charges from the DA's office.
During her second arrest — for allegedly chasing another car driven by the mother of a former assistant — officers found a container on Lohan that tested positive for .02 grams of cocaine, according to the DA office press release (see "Lindsay Lohan Proclaims Innocence, Says Drugs Were 'Not Mine': Report").
Lohan is currently at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Sundance, Utah, where she has been ordered to stay indefinitely.
Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday (August 23) on misdemeanor DUI and drug charges that will find her spending one day in jail, serving 10 days of community service and completing a drug-treatment program, according to The Associated Press. She will not stand trial.
Through her lawyer, Lohan pleaded no contest to two counts of driving under the influence, two counts of being under the influence of a controlled substance (cocaine), and reckless driving (see "Lindsay Lohan Arrested Again For DUI; Reportedly Checks Back Into Rehab"). All the charges are misdemeanors — a lucky break for the actress, as felony charges could have landed her in jail for more than a year.
Lohan was placed on 36 months probation and will be required to complete an 18-month alcohol-education program and pay hundreds of dollars in fines. She must also finish a three-day county coroner program that will require her to visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.
"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan wrote in a statement released to MTV News. "Recently, I relapsed and did things for which I am ashamed. I broke the law, and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to charges in my case.
"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself," the statement continues. "I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have. I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life. Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."
Lohan's cocaine charges stem from a small packet of cocaine police discovered in her jeans when she was arrested on July 24 in Santa Monica, California. According to prosecutors, the amount of cocaine found tested below the .05 grams required to qualify for a felony filing. After a May 26 crash — in which Lohan is alleged to have lost control of her Mercedes and crashed into a tree on Sunset Boulevard at 5:26 a.m. — tests on a substance found in Lohan's purse came up as .04 grams of cocaine powder, according to a press release on the charges from the DA's office.
During her second arrest — for allegedly chasing another car driven by the mother of a former assistant — officers found a container on Lohan that tested positive for .02 grams of cocaine, according to the DA office press release (see "Lindsay Lohan Proclaims Innocence, Says Drugs Were 'Not Mine': Report").
Lohan is currently at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Sundance, Utah, where she has been ordered to stay indefinitely.
Summit Amid Trade Clouds
Given the free-market leanings of the heads of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, North American summit meetings August 20-21 in Montebello, Quebec, were broadly billed as an opportunity to expand economic links. But the two-day talks were also dogged by new domestic doubts over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), especially in the United States, as well as concerns over immigration and border security (WSJ).
The meetings opened amid anti-globalization protests (CTV), with activists expressing concerns over environmental matters like climate change and fresh water supplies. Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced to U.S. President George W. Bush that Canada will withdraw its 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by February 2009 unless Harper has a parliamentary “endorsement” (Toronto Star) to maintain a troop presence there. In a joint statement concluding the talks, the leaders reported progress on public health initiatives and energy cooperation, among other projects.
Bush entered the meetings with ambitious goals of his own. He praised NAFTA (Bloomberg), pushing for provisions relating to border controls and energy to try to improve the bloc’s competitiveness with respect to China and India. In bilateral talks with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Bush worked to hammer out the details of a potentially sweeping aid package intended to help Mexico clamp down on its narcotics trade.
Besides his Afghanistan statements, Canada’s Harper also focused his attention on asserting his country’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, though Canadian news sources said Harper and Bush “agreed to disagree” on the Arctic dispute. Canada and Mexico also broached bilateral concerns, with Harper signaling he hopes to hold private meetings (Globe & Mail) with Calderon to work on a plan that could bring more Mexican workers to Canada.
Despite general agreement among the summit's leaders on the benefits of trade liberalization, the meetings did not produce any significant breakthroughs on trade. Bush, Calderon, and Harper—all of whom face legislatures dominated by opposition parties—have to cope with varying degrees of domestic opposition to trade expansion.
Opposition to trade liberalization runs particularly deep in the United States, with congressional Democrats increasingly wary of trade agreements, and specifically NAFTA. This Backgrounder looks at the impact of the Democratic-majority Congress on foreign policy, noting that Democrats have shown “little enthusiasm” for expanding existing trade deals or forming new ones. This attitude became more apparent in 2007 as Congress refused to renew President Bush’s trade promotion authority, effectively halting U.S. efforts to secure a multilateral trade deal through the Doha round of trade negotiations.
With influential labor union leaders eager to roll back NAFTA, North American trade has also emerged as a top issue in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections. In a rebuff to President Bush, every major Democratic candidate has expressed interest in either amending or heavily scrutinizing NAFTA (Bloomberg). A recent Foreign Affairs article notes a shift toward protectionist sentiment in the United States generally, and particularly among Democrats. The New York Times says the issue is emerging as “Democrats’ third rail.” This CFR.org Issue Tracker takes stock of the candidates’ policies toward trade.
The meetings opened amid anti-globalization protests (CTV), with activists expressing concerns over environmental matters like climate change and fresh water supplies. Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced to U.S. President George W. Bush that Canada will withdraw its 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by February 2009 unless Harper has a parliamentary “endorsement” (Toronto Star) to maintain a troop presence there. In a joint statement concluding the talks, the leaders reported progress on public health initiatives and energy cooperation, among other projects.
Bush entered the meetings with ambitious goals of his own. He praised NAFTA (Bloomberg), pushing for provisions relating to border controls and energy to try to improve the bloc’s competitiveness with respect to China and India. In bilateral talks with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Bush worked to hammer out the details of a potentially sweeping aid package intended to help Mexico clamp down on its narcotics trade.
Besides his Afghanistan statements, Canada’s Harper also focused his attention on asserting his country’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, though Canadian news sources said Harper and Bush “agreed to disagree” on the Arctic dispute. Canada and Mexico also broached bilateral concerns, with Harper signaling he hopes to hold private meetings (Globe & Mail) with Calderon to work on a plan that could bring more Mexican workers to Canada.
Despite general agreement among the summit's leaders on the benefits of trade liberalization, the meetings did not produce any significant breakthroughs on trade. Bush, Calderon, and Harper—all of whom face legislatures dominated by opposition parties—have to cope with varying degrees of domestic opposition to trade expansion.
Opposition to trade liberalization runs particularly deep in the United States, with congressional Democrats increasingly wary of trade agreements, and specifically NAFTA. This Backgrounder looks at the impact of the Democratic-majority Congress on foreign policy, noting that Democrats have shown “little enthusiasm” for expanding existing trade deals or forming new ones. This attitude became more apparent in 2007 as Congress refused to renew President Bush’s trade promotion authority, effectively halting U.S. efforts to secure a multilateral trade deal through the Doha round of trade negotiations.
With influential labor union leaders eager to roll back NAFTA, North American trade has also emerged as a top issue in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections. In a rebuff to President Bush, every major Democratic candidate has expressed interest in either amending or heavily scrutinizing NAFTA (Bloomberg). A recent Foreign Affairs article notes a shift toward protectionist sentiment in the United States generally, and particularly among Democrats. The New York Times says the issue is emerging as “Democrats’ third rail.” This CFR.org Issue Tracker takes stock of the candidates’ policies toward trade.
T.I., Akon, Snoop, Pimp C Get Behind Nelly's Brass Knuckles
Nelly has set a tentative release date of October 16 for his first album in three years, Brass Knuckles.
Earlier this year, producer Jermaine Dupri — who said Nells is "the only person I go in the studio with and party all night" — said Nelly was looking to get Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and even Bruce Springsteen on the LP.
While those names aren't confirmed, T.I., Akon, Snoop Dogg, UGK's Pimp C, Babyface and Derrty Entertainment artist Avery Storm have all jumped on the mic.
In addition to Dupri, Pharrell Williams and Bryan-Michael Cox are among the project's producers.
The first single, "Wadsyaname," just hit the streets and follows Nelly's tradition of allowing his Midwestern accent and slang to spill into his lyrics and spelling: He's saying, "What's your name?" to a lady he's approaching.
"Shawty, shawty, shawty, what your name is?" he asks on the chorus. "Shawty, shawty, shawty what's your sign?"
In the song's lyrics, Nelly doesn't have the best intentions, but he doesn't mean any harm either.
"I'm trying to stay respectful and polite/ You could tell me to go to hell if you like/ I ain't the one to be paying to do the do/ Before it's over you going to say, 'I should be paying you.' "
"Wadsyaname" was produced by Neff-U. Another track slotted for the album, "Cut It Out," featuring Pimp C and the Youngbloodz's Sean P., has hit the streets unofficially.
Earlier this year, producer Jermaine Dupri — who said Nells is "the only person I go in the studio with and party all night" — said Nelly was looking to get Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and even Bruce Springsteen on the LP.
While those names aren't confirmed, T.I., Akon, Snoop Dogg, UGK's Pimp C, Babyface and Derrty Entertainment artist Avery Storm have all jumped on the mic.
In addition to Dupri, Pharrell Williams and Bryan-Michael Cox are among the project's producers.
The first single, "Wadsyaname," just hit the streets and follows Nelly's tradition of allowing his Midwestern accent and slang to spill into his lyrics and spelling: He's saying, "What's your name?" to a lady he's approaching.
"Shawty, shawty, shawty, what your name is?" he asks on the chorus. "Shawty, shawty, shawty what's your sign?"
In the song's lyrics, Nelly doesn't have the best intentions, but he doesn't mean any harm either.
"I'm trying to stay respectful and polite/ You could tell me to go to hell if you like/ I ain't the one to be paying to do the do/ Before it's over you going to say, 'I should be paying you.' "
"Wadsyaname" was produced by Neff-U. Another track slotted for the album, "Cut It Out," featuring Pimp C and the Youngbloodz's Sean P., has hit the streets unofficially.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
HOLLYWOOD TO A REAL WAR
Is Hollywood too timid for the war on terror?
Thanks to political correctness, you don't see much about the greatest conflict of our time on the big screen.
I RECENTLY attended "FBI 101," a G-man seminar for Hollywood writers. I do this kind of thing a lot: law enforcement seminars, ride-alongs, citizen academies and the like. It's a simple deal. The writers get information and research contacts; the lawdogs get a fighting chance at being portrayed realistically and maybe, on occasion, even sympathetically.
Now, in my case, the federales were preaching to the converted. Any agency with a record of battling gangsters, communists and dirty pols can show up as good guys in my work anytime. And never mind just their record. Since 9/11 — chastened by blunders from within and above — the FBI has reinvented itself as a thin gray line against Islamic terrorism. Pulling 16-hour days, volunteering for repeated tours of duty at FBI outposts in the Middle East, constantly aware that their failures will be remembered when their successes are forgotten, the G-people are clearly heroes.
But if they're hoping that their seminar will win them props from filmmakers in general — a picture or two celebrating their courageous work in the war on terror — I suspect they are going to be disappointed. In the history of our time as told by the movies, the war on terror largely does not exist.
Which is passing strange, you know. Because the war on terror is the history of our time. The outcome of our battle against the demographic, political and military upsurge of a hateful theology and its oppressive political vision will determine the fate of freedom in this century.
Television — more populist, hungrier for content and less dependent on foreign audiences — reflects this fact with shows such as "24" and "The Unit." But at the movies, all we're getting is home-front angst and the occasional "Syriana," in which "moderate" Islam is thwarted by evil American interests. But the notion that this war is about our moral failings is comfort fantasy, pure and simple. It soothes us with the false idea that, if we but mend ourselves, the scary people will leave us alone.
The real world is both darker than that and lighted brighter in places by surprising fires of nobility. It's darker because our enemies were not created by the peccadilloes of free people and will not melt away before a moral perfection that we, in any case, can never achieve. It's brighter because there are heroes like the FBI, the military and the cop on the corner who will give up everything, even their lives, to stop these madmen.
That kind of rousing story seems tailor-made for films. So why aren't they telling it? It's not just about left and right, blue and red; it really isn't. You don't have to like President Bush or support our efforts in Iraq to understand the threat of conspirators plotting to kill your children in the name of jihad.
In all fairness, moviemakers have a legitimately baffling problem with the nature of the war itself. In order to honestly dramatize the simple truth about this existential struggle, you have to depict right-minded Americans — some of whom may be white and male and Christian — hunting down and killing dark-skinned villains of a false and wicked creed. That's what's happening, on a good day anyway, so that's what you'd have to show.
Moviemakers are reluctant to do that because, even though it's the truth, on screen it might appear bigoted and jingoistic. You can call that political correctness or multiculturalism gone mad — and sure, there's a lot of that going around. But despite what you might have heard, there are sensible, patriotic people in the movie business too. And even they, I suspect, falter before the prospect of presenting such a scenario.
We cherish the religious tolerance of our society, after all. Plus, we're less than a lifetime away from Jim Crow and, decent people that we are, we're rightly humbled by the moral failures of our past. We've become uncomfortable to the point of paralysis when reality draws the limits of tolerance and survival demands pride in our traditions and ferocity in their defense. We can show homegrown terrorists in, say, "Déjà Vu" or real-life ones, as in "United 93," but we can't bring ourselves to fictionalize the larger idea: Islamo-fascism is an evil and American liberty a good.
Which is a shame. It's a shame for so powerful an art form to become irrelevant because we can't find a way to dramatize the central event of our time. It's a shame that we live under the tireless protection of lawmen and warriors and don't pay tribute to them. And purely in artistic terms, it's a shame that so many great stories are just waiting to be told and we're not telling them.
But thanks, anyway, to the men and women of the FBI, for the seminar and, oh yeah, for trying to keep me alive and free. You truly have my gratitude. Just don't expect to see it at the movies.
Thanks to political correctness, you don't see much about the greatest conflict of our time on the big screen.
I RECENTLY attended "FBI 101," a G-man seminar for Hollywood writers. I do this kind of thing a lot: law enforcement seminars, ride-alongs, citizen academies and the like. It's a simple deal. The writers get information and research contacts; the lawdogs get a fighting chance at being portrayed realistically and maybe, on occasion, even sympathetically.
Now, in my case, the federales were preaching to the converted. Any agency with a record of battling gangsters, communists and dirty pols can show up as good guys in my work anytime. And never mind just their record. Since 9/11 — chastened by blunders from within and above — the FBI has reinvented itself as a thin gray line against Islamic terrorism. Pulling 16-hour days, volunteering for repeated tours of duty at FBI outposts in the Middle East, constantly aware that their failures will be remembered when their successes are forgotten, the G-people are clearly heroes.
But if they're hoping that their seminar will win them props from filmmakers in general — a picture or two celebrating their courageous work in the war on terror — I suspect they are going to be disappointed. In the history of our time as told by the movies, the war on terror largely does not exist.
Which is passing strange, you know. Because the war on terror is the history of our time. The outcome of our battle against the demographic, political and military upsurge of a hateful theology and its oppressive political vision will determine the fate of freedom in this century.
Television — more populist, hungrier for content and less dependent on foreign audiences — reflects this fact with shows such as "24" and "The Unit." But at the movies, all we're getting is home-front angst and the occasional "Syriana," in which "moderate" Islam is thwarted by evil American interests. But the notion that this war is about our moral failings is comfort fantasy, pure and simple. It soothes us with the false idea that, if we but mend ourselves, the scary people will leave us alone.
The real world is both darker than that and lighted brighter in places by surprising fires of nobility. It's darker because our enemies were not created by the peccadilloes of free people and will not melt away before a moral perfection that we, in any case, can never achieve. It's brighter because there are heroes like the FBI, the military and the cop on the corner who will give up everything, even their lives, to stop these madmen.
That kind of rousing story seems tailor-made for films. So why aren't they telling it? It's not just about left and right, blue and red; it really isn't. You don't have to like President Bush or support our efforts in Iraq to understand the threat of conspirators plotting to kill your children in the name of jihad.
In all fairness, moviemakers have a legitimately baffling problem with the nature of the war itself. In order to honestly dramatize the simple truth about this existential struggle, you have to depict right-minded Americans — some of whom may be white and male and Christian — hunting down and killing dark-skinned villains of a false and wicked creed. That's what's happening, on a good day anyway, so that's what you'd have to show.
Moviemakers are reluctant to do that because, even though it's the truth, on screen it might appear bigoted and jingoistic. You can call that political correctness or multiculturalism gone mad — and sure, there's a lot of that going around. But despite what you might have heard, there are sensible, patriotic people in the movie business too. And even they, I suspect, falter before the prospect of presenting such a scenario.
We cherish the religious tolerance of our society, after all. Plus, we're less than a lifetime away from Jim Crow and, decent people that we are, we're rightly humbled by the moral failures of our past. We've become uncomfortable to the point of paralysis when reality draws the limits of tolerance and survival demands pride in our traditions and ferocity in their defense. We can show homegrown terrorists in, say, "Déjà Vu" or real-life ones, as in "United 93," but we can't bring ourselves to fictionalize the larger idea: Islamo-fascism is an evil and American liberty a good.
Which is a shame. It's a shame for so powerful an art form to become irrelevant because we can't find a way to dramatize the central event of our time. It's a shame that we live under the tireless protection of lawmen and warriors and don't pay tribute to them. And purely in artistic terms, it's a shame that so many great stories are just waiting to be told and we're not telling them.
But thanks, anyway, to the men and women of the FBI, for the seminar and, oh yeah, for trying to keep me alive and free. You truly have my gratitude. Just don't expect to see it at the movies.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
LOVE VILLAINS
Admit it, fans: We love the villain
Barry BondsLet’s get it out there once and for all: Baseball fans love Barry Bonds.
No? Well what the hell am I supposed to think when they vote him into the All Star Game, despite the constant barrage of hate that the general population normally spews at him?
Bonds is by far the most hated athlete in all of sports, yet he’s elected – by the fans – to what’s supposed to reward the best players from the first half of the season. What gives?
I've been racking my brain trying to figure this out, and I've concluded that most fans fall into one of these three categories regarding Bonds' selection into the All Star Game and him in general.
1. You’re a conspiracy theorist who believes Major League Baseball rigged the voting so Bonds could play at his home park in San Francisco. It’s about marketing the game and therefore the all mighty dollar.
2. You actually like Bonds or the Giants, truly think he never took anything to enhance his already pretty dominant game or believe he was the best player on his team in the first half.
3. You simply hate him, but can’t get enough of all the drama and therefore love to see him in the national spotlight at all times.
If you fit into the first category, fine, whatever helps you sleep at night. It is interesting how Bonds got thousands of votes in 37 seconds in order to leapfrog the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano, but something tells me Major League Baseball stayed out of this one.
Think about it, Bud the slug Selig isn’t well liked and at times this year he’s tried to paint a public picture that he disapproves of Bonds. He even went so far as to say that he may not attend any games in which Bonds could potentially break the record, so why allow the league to put him in the All Star Game? Seems counterproductive to me, but it’s still a possibility when you think of how much money Bonds could bring to the league while playing at his home park.
Moving on, though, if you fit into the second category, then you’ve got nothing to explain. You’re naïve if you think for one second he didn’t juice, but it’s understandable to vote Bonds in if you’re a fan of his or just backing him because he plays for your favorite team.
Onto the third category, which is the one I truly believe 75 percent of sports fans fit into. You need the monster and deep down love the idea that you get to bitch about how he shouldn’t have made the game because he cheated, he’s an ass, or the pure fact that he wasn’t even the best Giant throughout the first half (that honor goes to Bengie Molina, by the way, seeing as how he can actually play defense and was way more clutch at the plate than Bonds).
Sure, you love to stand around the water cooler with your friends, on top of your soapbox proclaiming how he cheated the game, Hank Aaron and the fans. You boo him vehemently when he comes to your baseball city and post on Internet message boards how he’s the scum of the earth.
But all the while, you’re punching “B. Bonds” on the All-Star ballot, snapping countless pictures of him at the ball yard and digging up everything you can on the web.
We love to hate guys like Bonds, just like we love to hate the Spurs and Patriots for winning all the time and the Yankees for, well, being the Yankees.
We can’t stand that a guy like Bonds cheated in his profession while we struggle just to make ends meet in ours.
We can’t stand that franchises like the Spurs and Patriots are considered dynasties because, “the Celtics and Cowboys back in my day – now those were dynasties!”
We can’t stand that the Yankees can buy or trade for any player and therefore have an unfair advantage over the Devil Rays, Pirates and Nationals.
Why on earth, then, do the Yankees sell out at every stadium across America if they’re hated? People want to see them go down in flames, because it’s the American way that David can beat Goliath in sports, and that the poor or middle class can rise up against the wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way, of course, but most people wont’ admit to those feelings.
The truth of the matter is that we as sports fans need Bonds, the Spurs, the Patriots and the Bronx Bombers. They breed controversy in their own special way and with that, it gives us a reason to call into a sports radio show, constantly debate on the Internet or tune in to the 24-hour television networks to complain about how these villains make our blood boil.
Barry Bonds is the perfect villain in every sense of the word. There are countless MLB players who have cheated, yet only one is hated to all extremes. Is Sammy Sosa hated these days? Hell no; in fact, didn’t we just celebrate his 600th home run? How about Mark McGwire? Does his name always come up when venom is being spat at Bonds? No, because we only need one bad guy in order to stoke the flames until the next one comes along.
Alex RodriguezFunny thing is, who’s the next villain in baseball? Once Bonds retires, who else is there to hate? Albert Pujols? Ryan Howard? The Yankees will always – unless a cap is implemented, of course – be the villain team that everyone hates. But they still don’t match Bonds in a lot of ways because while they can win championships, they can’t touch the individual records that sports fans cherish as much as the player who sets them does.
That’s why sports fans better hope Alex Rodriguez stays a Yankee (and married to his wacko wife for, that matter). He doesn’t have the same aura about him as a Derek Jeter, rarely says the right thing and is great enough to make records fall. In other words, he’s the perfect villain to supplant Bonds once he finally retires.
I think subconsciously, fans voted Bonds an All-Star because they know his time is almost up. Fairly soon there won’t be the constant swirl of controversy every time he steps to the plate or hits a ball 475 feet into the upper deck. No more ESPN cut-ins of his at bats, Pedro Gomez special reports, “Bonds on Bonds,” or special treatment from Giants’ owner Peter McGowan. Fans will shout from the rooftops how much they hate the aforementioned “Bondsisms”, but they also need to admit how important the guy is in the scope of sports. He – much like the Patriots, Spurs and Yankees – gives us reason to say, “He’s not that good, and let me tell you why….”
The villain’s reign of terror is coming to an end and all of a sudden, there’s a growing void in the game. Why else would the starting lineup for next week’s All Star Game list “B. Bonds” in left field?
Barry BondsLet’s get it out there once and for all: Baseball fans love Barry Bonds.
No? Well what the hell am I supposed to think when they vote him into the All Star Game, despite the constant barrage of hate that the general population normally spews at him?
Bonds is by far the most hated athlete in all of sports, yet he’s elected – by the fans – to what’s supposed to reward the best players from the first half of the season. What gives?
I've been racking my brain trying to figure this out, and I've concluded that most fans fall into one of these three categories regarding Bonds' selection into the All Star Game and him in general.
1. You’re a conspiracy theorist who believes Major League Baseball rigged the voting so Bonds could play at his home park in San Francisco. It’s about marketing the game and therefore the all mighty dollar.
2. You actually like Bonds or the Giants, truly think he never took anything to enhance his already pretty dominant game or believe he was the best player on his team in the first half.
3. You simply hate him, but can’t get enough of all the drama and therefore love to see him in the national spotlight at all times.
If you fit into the first category, fine, whatever helps you sleep at night. It is interesting how Bonds got thousands of votes in 37 seconds in order to leapfrog the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano, but something tells me Major League Baseball stayed out of this one.
Think about it, Bud the slug Selig isn’t well liked and at times this year he’s tried to paint a public picture that he disapproves of Bonds. He even went so far as to say that he may not attend any games in which Bonds could potentially break the record, so why allow the league to put him in the All Star Game? Seems counterproductive to me, but it’s still a possibility when you think of how much money Bonds could bring to the league while playing at his home park.
Moving on, though, if you fit into the second category, then you’ve got nothing to explain. You’re naïve if you think for one second he didn’t juice, but it’s understandable to vote Bonds in if you’re a fan of his or just backing him because he plays for your favorite team.
Onto the third category, which is the one I truly believe 75 percent of sports fans fit into. You need the monster and deep down love the idea that you get to bitch about how he shouldn’t have made the game because he cheated, he’s an ass, or the pure fact that he wasn’t even the best Giant throughout the first half (that honor goes to Bengie Molina, by the way, seeing as how he can actually play defense and was way more clutch at the plate than Bonds).
Sure, you love to stand around the water cooler with your friends, on top of your soapbox proclaiming how he cheated the game, Hank Aaron and the fans. You boo him vehemently when he comes to your baseball city and post on Internet message boards how he’s the scum of the earth.
But all the while, you’re punching “B. Bonds” on the All-Star ballot, snapping countless pictures of him at the ball yard and digging up everything you can on the web.
We love to hate guys like Bonds, just like we love to hate the Spurs and Patriots for winning all the time and the Yankees for, well, being the Yankees.
We can’t stand that a guy like Bonds cheated in his profession while we struggle just to make ends meet in ours.
We can’t stand that franchises like the Spurs and Patriots are considered dynasties because, “the Celtics and Cowboys back in my day – now those were dynasties!”
We can’t stand that the Yankees can buy or trade for any player and therefore have an unfair advantage over the Devil Rays, Pirates and Nationals.
Why on earth, then, do the Yankees sell out at every stadium across America if they’re hated? People want to see them go down in flames, because it’s the American way that David can beat Goliath in sports, and that the poor or middle class can rise up against the wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this way, of course, but most people wont’ admit to those feelings.
The truth of the matter is that we as sports fans need Bonds, the Spurs, the Patriots and the Bronx Bombers. They breed controversy in their own special way and with that, it gives us a reason to call into a sports radio show, constantly debate on the Internet or tune in to the 24-hour television networks to complain about how these villains make our blood boil.
Barry Bonds is the perfect villain in every sense of the word. There are countless MLB players who have cheated, yet only one is hated to all extremes. Is Sammy Sosa hated these days? Hell no; in fact, didn’t we just celebrate his 600th home run? How about Mark McGwire? Does his name always come up when venom is being spat at Bonds? No, because we only need one bad guy in order to stoke the flames until the next one comes along.
Alex RodriguezFunny thing is, who’s the next villain in baseball? Once Bonds retires, who else is there to hate? Albert Pujols? Ryan Howard? The Yankees will always – unless a cap is implemented, of course – be the villain team that everyone hates. But they still don’t match Bonds in a lot of ways because while they can win championships, they can’t touch the individual records that sports fans cherish as much as the player who sets them does.
That’s why sports fans better hope Alex Rodriguez stays a Yankee (and married to his wacko wife for, that matter). He doesn’t have the same aura about him as a Derek Jeter, rarely says the right thing and is great enough to make records fall. In other words, he’s the perfect villain to supplant Bonds once he finally retires.
I think subconsciously, fans voted Bonds an All-Star because they know his time is almost up. Fairly soon there won’t be the constant swirl of controversy every time he steps to the plate or hits a ball 475 feet into the upper deck. No more ESPN cut-ins of his at bats, Pedro Gomez special reports, “Bonds on Bonds,” or special treatment from Giants’ owner Peter McGowan. Fans will shout from the rooftops how much they hate the aforementioned “Bondsisms”, but they also need to admit how important the guy is in the scope of sports. He – much like the Patriots, Spurs and Yankees – gives us reason to say, “He’s not that good, and let me tell you why….”
The villain’s reign of terror is coming to an end and all of a sudden, there’s a growing void in the game. Why else would the starting lineup for next week’s All Star Game list “B. Bonds” in left field?
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