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Jess Smith

Jess Smith is a journalist who's passion for writing spans all the way to when she was only 7-years-old and was making up news stories for her neighbors. Fast forward to age 22 and she has written for many publications including the EDM based, Elektro Magazine.

Miley Cyrus twerking saga continues at 2013 VMAs

Miley Cyrus takes over VMAs with raunchy performance

Miley Cyrus is really trying to gain her spot on the Twerk Team. After performing at last night’s MTV VMA’s. Miley Cyrus has reached the top of the blogs with her latest booty shaking antics. This year’s MTV Video Music Awards were packed with surprises featuring the triumphant return of every mid 20- year-old’s childhood memory of boy band, N’SYNC. Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Drake also had memorable performances plus a much awaited appearance by Daft Punk who premiered a clip for their music video “Lose Yourself to Dance” with collaborator and friends Pharrel and Nile Rodgers.

Alas, even after all of that interesting fanfare of the night, nothing compares to how Miley Cyrus stole the show, but not really in a good way. After hearing that she would be performing at the VMA’s, I knew that some twerking would be involved and maybe some other raunchy dance moves, but I had no idea that a feeling of embarrassment would creep into my stomach while watching this performance.

Complete with her tongue hanging out half of the performance like a dehydrated pooch, Miley came out in a plush onesie and proceeded to awkwardly try to do what I think were suppose to be sexy dance moves. Soon her single “We Can’t Stop” began and things got even more uncomfortable when she began to spank a very large bottomed woman multiple times. The fact that her vocals were extremely pitchy and unbearable, were neither here nor there, because things got even odder when Robin Thicke came out dressed like a fancy Beetlejuice and Miley Cyrus stripped down to a nude colored panty set.

Miley Cyrus then tried to assault an innocent foam finger and bent over and grinded on Robin Thicke. Audience reactions from Rihanna and Will Smith’s family were golden, and the instant Twitter reactions were even more hilarious. Comedian Bill Maher tweeted out “Haven’t been in a strip club in a while, but glad to see nothing has changed.” Actor James Van Der Beek was disturbed by the foam finger. “Things I learned watching the #VMAs2013: There’s nothing you can do with a foam finger that you can’t air on MTV.”

Producer Mike WiLL Made It, who is responsible for Miley’s first twerk anthem, Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance” went by a radio station this past week to play a snippet of Miley’s rap debut on “23” which also features Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa. In the song the hook features Miley saying “I’m in the club, high off purp with some shades on/ Tatted up, miniskirt with my J’s on.”

The VMA performance was just the beginning of Miley’s newfound attitude and something tells me we are only going to see more of this to come. Check out the video and let us know what you think! http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/942064/we-cant-stop-blurred-lines-give-it-2-u-medley.jhtml#id=1712596

Lee Thompson Young, the famous Jett Jackson actor, found dead at 29

Actor Lee Thompson Young was found with self-inflicted gunshot wound

Lee Thompson Young, the man who is a memory in many people’s childhood, was found dead Tuesday, August 19 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The 29-year-old actor was most notable for his role in The Famous Jett Jackson, which aired on the Disney channel from 1998 to 2011.

The discovery was made Tuesday when Lee Thompson Young didn’t make it to the set of the current drama he appears on called Rizzoli & Isles, and his landlord decided to check up on him. Officers pronounced him dead when they arrived on the scene on the 5000 block of Tujunga Avenue in North Hollywood, California.

Shortly after, Lee Thompson Young’s manager released a statement expressing his condolences. “It is with great sadness that I announce that Lee Thompson Young tragically took his own life this morning.”

Lee’s passion for acting began at age 10 when he played Dr. Martin Luther King in a play called “A Night of Stars and Dreams”. After moving to New York to pursue his dreams, Lee Thompson Young hired an agent and ultimately tried out for the part in The Famous Jett Jackson, which got picked up by Disney. Young went on in to make a multitude of screen appearances including, Akeelah and the Bee,Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Hills Have Eyes 2 and more recently his reoccurring role on the TNT drama Rizzoli & Isles as Detective Barry Frost.

Production on Rizzoli & Isles has actually been shut down due to this tragic situation and they are trying to figure out whether or not they want to go further or go on hiatus while Lee Thompson Young’s fellow coworkers cope with his unexpected death.

Although no one saw this horrible result coming, sources close to Lee Thompson Young note signs of depression that were recently becoming more apparent. Young was also a devoted member of ancient Yorùbá religious practices, with Yorùbá referring to the West African Tribe, which is made up of multiple faiths.

Many people will miss Lee Thompson Young, but he will forever be remembered for his hard work as an actor.“Lee was more than just a brilliant actor; he was a wonderful and gentle soul who will be truly missed. We ask that you please respect the privacy of his family and friends at this very difficult time,” said his agent.

PS4 makes the last move against Xbox One as it announces its launch date

PS4 announces November 19 North American release date at Gamescom 2013

PS4 will officially be infiltrating the lives of gamers everywhere when it is released in North America on November 19 and Europe on November 25. Sony gave the big news at Gamescom 2013 in Cologne, Germany, where they announced the launch date as well as the official price of the upcoming console, which will sit at $399 in the US, €399 in Europe and £349 in the UK.

Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment wants to put the gamer first when thinking about the semantics that are involved with releasing the PS4. “Our goals for the PS4 are clear, ambitious and unwavering,” he said at Gamescom. “We set out to build the most powerful gaming platform with a deeply held, consistent focus on you, the gamer…I’m delighted to say that PlayStation 4 will be launching in 32 countries this holiday season.”

The PS4 will have a 500 GB hard drive, 8 GB of RAM and a built in Blu Ray/DVD player. Owners of the PS4 can also look forward to a brand new DualShock 4 controller that will come with a touchpad, a headphone jack and a built in speaker.

At the Gamescom conference, Twitch Broadcasting announced that they would be joining together with the PS4 for a streaming service that would allow gamers to directly upload their gameplay, just by simply pressing a share button.

It looks like PS4 will be the better choice for gamers who want to save cash, opposed to Sony’s opponents Microsoft, who will be releasing their console for the price of $499, but it will include a Kinect bundle. In addition to a steeper price, the Xbox One will also require users to have an internet connection and will also block used games/ Microsoft did not release a specific launch date for their console, but it is thought that the console will also be released in November, probably a few days before the PS4 launch date to directly compete with the competition.

Sony announced last night that they have had over one million preorders worldwide, so it is likely when the PS4 is released it will sell out before a blink of an eye. “The response we have received is nothing short of incredible,” gushed House about the large numbers coming in.

In addition to the launch date announcement, Sony also cut the price of the current PS3 with the 12 GB model being cut to $199 and the PlayStation Vita will also be $199 with a significantly lower price for memory cards.

Sony has made it’s move, now it is Microsoft’s turn to see who will dominate this upcoming holiday season.

Jared Remy brutally murders girlfriend after slipping through flawed justice system

Jared Remy, son of Red Sox broadcaster, charged with the murder of his girlfriend

Jared Remy slipped through the cracks of the justice system, which ultimately cost his girlfriend her life. Jared W. Remy, son of legendary Boston Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy, was arrested for beating his 27-year-old girlfriend, Jennifer Martel last Tuesday. After allegedly beating her face against a mirror, Jared Remy was taken to jail, but then was released with no bail.

The next day Remy returned to the house he shared with his girlfriend and their 4-year- old daughter, where the destructive couple proceeded to engage in a heated altercation that turned violent and went all through their house before Jared Remy ended up pinning Jennifer to the patio and repeatedly stabbed her to death.

Jared’s ruthlessness became even more apparent as he committed this crime in clear view of the neighbors, one of whom tried to stop the murder. A resident of the apartment building and a witness to the crime, Ben Ray, tried to stop Jared Remy, but was forced back when Remy turned the knife on him. “It’s not an easy thing to watch; it’s not an easy thing to try and stop,” Ray said. “I did what I could to stop it. And it wasn’t enough.”

The police arrived after multiple calls to 911 were placed with their guns drawn. “A well built male emerged from the porch area with his hands up in the air and covered in blood,” police said. “The male was not wearing a shirt and his socks were saturated with blood…I recognized the male that emerged as Jared Remy, as he was recently arrested for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.”

Unlike a lot of crimes where the criminal seems to have no past patterns of being a monster, this is not the case with Remy. Jared Remy has had 15 criminal cases spanning from 1998 to 2011, with one of those cases being a domestic violence case that occurred on a previous girlfriend in 2005. According to reports, on November 7 in 2005 Jared Remy had grabbed the girlfriend by the hair, threw her to the ground, and hit and kicked her in the stomach. Remy had been held in the Middlesex Jail for at least 81 days before the sentence was null and void and he was placed on probation.

Patty Martel, Jennifer Martel’s mother believes that if prosecutor put him away during the mirror incident, her daughter would still be alive. “They failed. She would be alive today if they had put him away,” she said.

A friend of Jennifer Martel and a neighbor says she noticed many signs of this impending tragedy. “He would rage off on the smallest thing.” Hill said. “She wanted to leave and was trying to do what was best for the daughter.”

On Friday, prosecutors announced Jared Remy was charged with murder. Jared’s famous father, Jerry Remy announced his grief for Jennifer Martel via his Twitter account after the judgment. “Words cannot describe my wife and my’s grief. Son or not, I am at a loss for words articulating my disgust and remorse over this senseless and tragic act.”

Jennifer Martel and Jared Remy’s 4-year-old daughter who was present during the attack, is now safe and in the custody of welfare officials.

Area 51 no longer a myth as CIA confirms its existence

The C.I.A finally acknowledges Area 51 but does not acknowledge aliens

Area 51 has become synonymous with alien invasions, fake moon landings and a slew of other conspiracies that have been circulating the United States’ mysterious government for decades. Now, the CIA has released declassified documents where the government acknowledges the existence of Area 51 for the first time.

Just as theorists have said for years, Area 51 is located in the Mojave Desert, which is located approximately 100 miles north of Las Vegas. However, the CIA hasn’t mentioned Area 51 being an extra terrestrial safe house. Instead, the CIA has said that Area 51 had been a testing ground for the U-2 spy plane during the Cold War.

The U-2 spy plane flew at altitudes of more than 70,000 feet, which was nearly three times higher than the average airplane during the 1950’s. “High-altitude testing of the U-2 soon led to an unexpected side effect- a tremendous increase in reports of unidentified flying objects,” explained the CIA report.

This confirmation of Area 51 was revealed in a document called “The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and Oxcart Programs,” after repeated requests from George Washington University to release this information prompted the CIA to disclose this information. National Security Archive Senior, Jeffrey Richelson, asked for this information back in 2005 and just received it a few weeks ago.

“It marks an end of official secrecy about the facts of Area 51,” Richelson explained to the Las Vegas Sun. “It opens up the possibility that future accounts of this and other aerial projects will be less redacted, more fully explained in terms of their presence in Area 51.”

Notably absent from the report, was the mention of the infamous Roswell occurrence, when on July 7, 1947, a large object that was in the sky crashed onto a ranch by Roswell, New Mexico. Alien corpses were said to be brought back to Area 51, as well as the remnants of the UFO. This sparked the conspiracy that ultimately led to videos of alien autopsies and pictures of alien corpses to infiltrate the media for years after this incident.

Although there are no mentions of alien testing or crashed UFOs the document still contains many redactions, which can still fuel the fire for theorists and alien enthusiasts alike to form their own opinion about what other events have happened at the no longer mythical Area 51.

Hyperloop speeds into the future with Elon Musk’s 800 mph train design

SpaceX founder Elon Musk reveals plan for an 800 mph hyper speed train

Hyperloop will be the fifth mode of transportation, according to South African-American entrepreneur and inventor, Elon Musk. Where Hyperloop was just an idea a year ago, it seems this “hyper speed” train is starting to be planned out, with an “Alpha” design being released two days ago on August 12.

Hyperloop is proposed to be an above-ground train system that will travel between San Francisco and LA in around 35 minutes. The train will roughly reach speeds of 800 miles an hour, which is slightly less than the speed of sound. This would make the Hyperloop nearly twice as fast as the world’s fastest train, which resides in Shanghai, China and is dubbed the Shanghai Maglev Train.

Musk believes that this brand new innovative transportation system is best for cities that are 1000 miles a part and have a hefty amount of traffic. He believes this new mode of transportation will eliminate the annoyances of normal air travel, including check-in times, take off times, and landings that generally take up a vast amount of time and energy.

In a PDF on Elon Musk’s SpaceX website that explains what the Hyperloop will be about, he mentions the problems with the current rail, air and road modes of transportation as being expensive, slow, or not environmentally sound. Musk says the Hyperloop will be not only inexpensive, but it will be extremely fast, environmentally friendly, and “ready when the passenger is ready to travel.”

Making the futuristic dream of the cartoon The Jetson’s come alive, the Hyperloop will enclose it’s passengers inside aluminum pods that will be inside of steel tubes. The pods will be made of Musk’s very own SpaceX material called inconel, which will withstand large amounts of pressure and heat.

“The interior of the capsule is specifically designed with passenger safety in mind. The seats conform well to the body to maintain comfort during the high speed accelerations during travel,” explains Musk. He adds “Beautiful landscape will be displayed in the cabin and each passenger will have access to their own personal entertainment system.”

The total cost of the Hyperloop passenger capsule is estimated to be no more than $245,000. Musk estimates the total cost of Hyperloop will be $6 billion for the passenger-only model and $10 billion for the model that will also be able to transport vehicles. This will be roughly four times less than the proposed high speed rail system that California is set to start constructing that will feature trains that go 200 mph and will cost a cool $70 billion.

Musk says he doesn’t plan to build the Hyperloop himself, but has released the design to private investors who he hopes to continue with the project.

Kendrick Lamar spits fiery verse on “Control” and ignites a hip hop firestorm

Kendrick Lamar calls out fellow rappers in a verse from Big Sean’s “Control”

Kendrick Lamar has created the biggest discussion in hip hop to happen in a while with his verse on Big Sean’s brand new single “Control”. Hailing from Compton, the artist has injected a shot of adrenaline into the rap community with some fighting words, calling out a slew of his fellow rap peers by name and claiming the throne as the lyrical giant in hip hop right now.

Kendrick Lamar boasts an arrogance reserved for Kanye West on the track, but also calls for a new age in hip hop, where talent and lyrical content should be top priority, rather than hot beats and a catchy hook.

 “I’m important like the pope, I’m a Muslim on pork/ I’m Makaveli’s offspring, I’m the king of New York.”

Kendrick Lamar really made his point loud and clear when he went down the names of the people who need to step up their game if they want to compete with him.

“I’m usually homeboys with the same n***** I’m rhymin’ with/ But this is hip hop and them n***** should know what time it is/ And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big Krit, Wale, Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller/ I got love for you all but I’m trying to murder you n*****/ Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you n*****.”

Hip hop hasn’t seen such a fiery voracity for competition since a couple decades back, and the instance response from rappers is proof of this. Kendrick Lamar ignited a twitter firestorm, prompting Lupe Fiasco, Missy Elliot, Fabolous, Joe Budden, Diddy, Russel Simmons, B.O.B, and virtually every popular rapper in the business to respond.

Native Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco was less than impressed with Kendrick Lamar’s verse tweeting out “Y’all know y’all easily impressed. Bar so low you need a shovel to get at it.” Meanwhile, people like hip hop mogul Russel Simmons tweeted out nothing but praise for Kendrick Lamar. “Gotta say this again…this Kendrick Lamar verse on #Control is an instant classic…”

Rapper J. Cole who was mentioned by name in the track tried to give some insight on Lamar’s words, “Kendrick  Lamar’s the truth. But y’all gotta read between the lines. He didn’t diss anybody he mentioned, he dissed everybody he didn’t.”

Fellow Compton rapper Tyga got inspired to return to the passion he once had for music due to Kendrick’s call for competition and tweeted “That Kendrick verse was crazy! I gotta get back on my own sh-t. Ain’ gon’ lie, I made so much $ I lost sum inspiration for music. #inspired right now.”

One thing is for sure, if hip hop had died Kendrick Lamar just gave it some shock therapy to try to bring it back to life, which is exactly what the music industry needs right now. “Control” will be out on Big Sean’s Hall of Fame on August 27.

Fall TV shows will be taking over the airwaves as the summer season ends

TV Guide releases the list of brand new TV shows coming this fall

Fall TV shows are almost here! We are at that time where the two points of the school year and the summer connect. Where the summer season ends, the school year begins and so does the procrastination. When papers should be written, episodes of Breaking Bad are being watched. TVGuide has released their list of brand new fall TV shows, and these are our top picks for the season.                                       

About a Boy (NBC): Based on the novel and movie starring Hugh Grant, the single camera comedy will star David Walton as Will Freemen, who is the carefree bachelor with “man-child” tendencies, who life gets turned upside down when single mom Fiona, and her 11 year old son move next door to him.

Bad Teacher (CBS): Derived from the Cameron Diaz movie, where an attractive freshly divorced woman with a vulgar vocabulary played by Sara Rodier becomes a teacher to find her next spouse.

Dads (Fox): Seth McFarlane, the creator of Family Guy came up with this fresh comedy about two business men who have their world turned upside down when their fathers move back in with them. This show will feature Seth Green and Giovani Ribisi.

Lucky 7 (ABC)- An upcoming drama series, Lucky 7 follows the lives of seven gas station employees in Queens, New York, who finally win the lottery after playing every week.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (ABC): Based on the Marvel comic association, agent Phil Coulsen played by Clark Gregg puts together a team of S.H.I.E.L.D agents to handle new cases.

Murder Police (Fox): This animated series will put a comedic version of the cop show genre, where detective Manual Sanchez, voiced by Jason Ruiz, and his band of degenerates.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC): Once Upon A Time will follow Lewis Carroll’s classic with different twists to the story, where the story will jump between modern day wonderland and a pre-curse wonderland. Actress Sophie Lowe will star as Alice.

Sleepy Hollow (Fox): This series will be a modern day retelling of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ where Ichabod Crane, played by Tom Mison, dies while on a mission for General George Washington in 1790 and wakes up in Sleepy Hollow during the year 2040, where he must team up with the town’s sheriff to battle good and evil.

We Are Men (CBS): Actor Chris Smith plays Carter, a man who’s fiancée recently left him at the altar. Carter moves into an apartment complex where he meets three divorced men who gives him advice on life.

Hannah Anderson returned safe after kidnapper is killed by FBI during her rescue

James DiMaggio is shot and killed in Idaho after tips lead FBI to his camping site

Hannah Anderson has been found safe after the six-day search for the California teen came to an end on Saturday when the FBI located the 16-year-old girl and shot and killed her 40-year-old kidnapper James Lee DiMaggio at his campsite by Idaho’s River of No Return.

The FBI became aware of the apparent location of Hannah Anderson when horseback riders, when husband and wife Christa and Mark John, spotted the two riding toward Morehead Lake. the couple didn’t realize exactly who they had seen until they turned on the news Thursday night and saw the Amber Alert for Hannah. After confirming with another couple who also had seen the Hannah Anderson and James DiMaggio, Mark John called the Idaho State Police.

After receiving the tip, the FBI retreated to the area and found DiMaggio’s Nissan Versa just off of the road and covered in brush. After an extensive search, two crews spotted Anderson and DiMaggio at a campsite, right by where Mark and Christa John had seen them two days earlier. FBI hostage teams then hiked to the area and surrounded the campsite where they made sure that Hannah Anderson was far enough away before firing shots at DiMaggio, killing him. Hannah was then transported via helicopter to a nearby hospital, where she awaited to be reunited with her father on Sunday.  

The discovery comes bittersweet for Brett Anderson who lost his wife, Christina Anderson, who was found dead from apparent blunt force trauma in DiMaggio’s burning home in San Diego County. The body of Hannah’s 8-year-old brother, Ethan was also found in the home, with DiMaggio being the suspect in both murders.

Although Hannah’s father did not spot any red flags, Hannah’s grandparents Ralph and Sarah Britt, noticed a growing obsession between DiMaggio and the 16-year-old girl. “He seemed to enjoy being with Hannah and her friends…more and more,” said Ralph Britt.

One of Hannah’s friends, Marissa Chavez, witnessed even more disturbing behavior from DiMaggio. She told CNN that she had been in a car with Hannah and DiMaggio a few months ago when the 40-year-old told the teen that he had a crush on her. He also told her that if he was her age that he would date Hannah. Hannah was uncomfortable at this point, but didn’t alert her parents for fear of severing their close relationship with DiMaggio, whom the kid’s referred to as “Uncle Jim”.

A few months later on August 3, Hannah Anderson went missing after cheerleading practice. Brett Anderson is still trying to come to grips with the horror that his close friend has been accused of. “I can’t fathom what happened in Jim’s head. He obviously lost it,” said Anderson.

Usher caught in custody battle again after son nearly drowns

Usher’s ex-wife, Tameka Foster, files for custody after a pool accident on monday

Usher, the R&B sensation, suffered a near tragedy this past Monday when his five-year-old son, Usher Raymond V nearly drowned in a pool at his Atlanta residence after diving down near the drain to free a toy that had gotten stuck. Reportedly, the boy’s aunt and a housekeeper attempted to pull his hand loose from the drain. After no success, two contractors who were putting sound equipment pulled his son loose, and one of the men, Eugene Stachurski, revived him from his unconscious state.

TMZ released an audio recording of the 911 call where Rena Oden, Usher’s sister, can be heard frantically asking for help. She can be heard saying “I need an ambulance. My nephew was in the pool.” She adds, “I tried to get him…they got him right now out there with CPR.”

Usher’s son is now in an Atlanta hospital in ICU said to be in a stable condition, but unfortunately, the drama still continues, as Tameka Foster, Usher’s ex-wife and the mother of Usher Raymond V is now seeking custody, stating the child was in a dangerous environment. In 2009, Usher and Tameka divorced, which quickly escalated to a custody battle where Usher won sole custody of the children, while Tameka was awarded limited custody.  This tragedy comes two years after the unfortunate death of Tameka’s son 11 year old Kile Glover, who died in a Jet Ski accident.

When she spoke to CNN on Tuesday, Tameka Foster said, “My son is okay, but I have no further comment at this time.”