Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

Darren Criss, John Legend, Bridget Kelly & more: History of Voting

With cool animation rooted in a youth pop cultural aesthetic, and by using celebrity narrators ­Grammy Award winning artist John Legend, Glee’s Darren Criss, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and R&B singer, Bridget Kelly – the video speaks directly to millennials’ sense of what is exciting, important and cool. By doing so, the video engages them in a discussion about America’s voting history and inspires them to register to vote.

Teachers across the country are educating their students about the importance of voting & registering them to vote with Rock the Vote’s Democracy Class. Sign up to join them here: http://bit.ly/GMuRoi

Darren Criss will also lead a new campaign to engage American kids in the election process.

The Glee star has partnered with Rock the Vote and the National Education Association to kick off the first ever Democracy Day on March 23rd in Los Angeles. The one class-period program will utilize pop culture, video, discussion and mock election to motivate young people to engage in the election process.

“The voting process can be a bit overwhelming and at times confusing, particularly for first time voters,” Criss explained in a statement. “I’m very excited to be a part of such a comprehensive effort that both educates young people about the importance of their vote.”

Video Credits:
Director: Ian Inaba
Producer: Sara Dosa
Animator: Haik Hoisington

Posted on

President Obama’s statement on Trayvon Martin killing

President Obama spoke today about the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL:

“When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids,” Obama said in the Rose Garden. “I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this. And that everybody pull together.”

“My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “All of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves.”

“Obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through,” Obama said. “All of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how something like this has happened.”

Trayvon Martin, a middle-class black teen with no history of trouble, was shot and killed in Sanford, Fla., a community just north of Orlando. His alleged assailant, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain and criminal justice student, apparently killed him on Feb. 26 as the 17-year-old walked home from a convenience store near his suburban neighborhood to his father’s house a few blocks away.

Before the shooting, Zimmerman, who has a weapons permit, told a police dispatcher there was “a real suspicious guy” who looked “like he was up to no good or on drugs or something” and looked to have “something in his waistband.” Although he was directly told not to follow Martin, Zimmerman chased Martin on foot and eventually shot him. Martin was unarmed, carrying only a bag of Skittles and an iced tea he had just purchased.

Posted on

Geraldo Rivera: “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was”

Seriously? From the video:

BRIAN KILMEADE KILMEADE (co-host): Let’s talk about the Trayvon Martin case and what’s going on in Florida right now.

GERALDO RIVERA: I believe that George Zimmerman, the overzealous neighborhood watch captain should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law and if he is criminally liable, he should be prosecuted. But I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.

JULIET HUDDY (guest-host): What do you mean?

RIVERA: When you, when you see a kid walking — Juliet — when you see a kid walking down the street, particularly a dark skinned kid like my son Cruz, who I constantly yelled at when he was going out wearing a damn hoodie or those pants around his ankles. Take that hood off, people look at you and they — what do they think? What’s the instant identification, what’s the instant association?

At the 2:47 mark Geraldo says “unless it’s raining, or you’re at a track meet – leave the hoodie home.” Has anyone told Geraldo IT WAS RAINING when Trayvon was shot???

Shut up, Geraldo. Shut up.

Posted on

American Idol making folks mad

 

So, to be honest, I haven’t watched American Idol in years. Most times, I forget it’s even on TV still.

But I was cruising around iTunes tonight and saw the songs from the American Idol top 10. Back in the day, I would buy a track by a contestant I liked.  I listened to a few 1:30 samples then started to read some reviews.

Apparently folks are mad – and justly so I would add – that this season, if you want to buy a song by your favorite, you can’t do that. On iTunes right now, if you want the song performed by your favorite from last night, you have to buy all ten songs from last night.

A show that furthers itself by having people vote for their favorite now doesn’t allow fans to buy the track by their favorite that week…?

Sounds like taking the concept of the show and flipping it sideways: “we want you to vote and have a favorite, but to own a performance you have to buy everyone’s track.”

Hmmm…..

Click to enlarge
Posted on

Hardball: Mitt Romney and his Etch-A-Sketch problem

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
It seems like just when Mitt Romney gets a chance to take a breath and think he’s got it all down, he or his campaign makes some unforced error.

The Romney campaign’s Etch-A-Sketch gaffe may eclipse all of Mitt Romney’s other campaign missteps combined.

The real problem with this particular gaffe is the visual – of a toy everyone knows – makes it too easy to play into the scenario of Romney being a flip-flopper: the idea that he can just “shake it up” and start with a clean slate – which we all know is not the reality in politics today.

The Huffington Post’s Howard Fineman and The Boston Globe’s Matt Viser weigh in on why the Etch-A-Sketch comment may outlive any other story about Romney in this election.

Posted on

Joey Lawrence & Mayim Bialik in new Old Navy commercial

Mayim Bialik and Joey Lawrence are both, again, on successful TV series — “The Big Bang Theory” and “Melissa & Joey,” respectively — but they’re not too cool for their roots.

The former stars of ’90s TV series, “Blossom,” have reunited for Old Navy in a new TV spot as their former characters.

They both look great – then and now. Like no time has passed at all. Whoa….

Posted on

Rhode Island: Marriage equality could generate $1.2 million new revenue

The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law says Rhode Island stands to generate nearly $1.2 million in new government revenue over three years if the state allows gay and lesbian couples to marry.

The new revenue would come primarily in the form of additional tax revenue. The study estimates that same-sex weddings would generate $400,000 in new sales tax dollars over three years.

Also, married couples filing their state taxes jointly would pay an estimated $786,000 in new income taxes over the same period.

Rhode Island lawmakers voted last year to permit same-sex couples to form civil unions after gay marriage legislation failed.
(source)

Posted on

Coroner: Whitney Houston had cocaine in her system at time of death

From TMZ: Whitney Houston had cocaine in her system when she died — this according to the L.A. County Coroner.

The L.A. County Coroner has just released the singer’s official cause of death — accidental drowning … but the report also notes heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors to Whitney’s demise.

As previously reported, Whitney was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel last month and several pills were found on the scene — including Xanax, Ibuprofen, and Midol.

Investigators found NO EVIDENCE of cocaine in the hotel room.