Kanye West addresses anti-Semitic accusations

(Photo by Alo Ceballos/FilmMagic)

Kanye West has defended himself against allegations of anti-Semitism following a recent radio rant, insisting his controversial comments were
meant as a compliment.
While discussing President Barack Obama during an interview on radio station Power 105 last month, the outspoken rapper compared the financial advantages of the Jewish and Arab nations against black people, stating, “Black people don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people. Black people don’t have the same connections as oil people.”
However, the comment sparked fury among several Jewish leaders with Abraham H. Foxman, Anti-Defamation League Director, stating, “This is
classic anti-Semitism. There it goes again, the age-old canard that Jews are all-powerful and control the levers of power in government. As a celebrity
with a wide following, Kanye West should know better.”
West has since revisited his comments to address the accusation, and he insists his words have been misunderstood.
He tells the Chicago B96 radio station, “I thought that I was giving a compliment, but if anything, it came off more ignorant. When I said this
comment about Jews having money and blacks not having money, I think that it was kind of like an ignorant compliment. I think it was an ignorant
compliment.”
He adds, “I don’t know how being told you have money is like an insult, that would be like if (somebody) complimented black guys and said, ‘All
black guys got big penises.’ You don’t want to be the black guy that raises your hand, like, ‘No! That’s not true. I got proof.’ I thought by saying
everybody had money that would be a compliment. It was an ignorant compliment. Maybe I would like to take that statement away.”

Residents, Fans Fight Over Paul Walker Street Name

Group is lobbying to change name of street where Walker died.

Fans of Paul Walker are lobbying to change the name of the street where he died in a fiery car crash as a tribute to the late actor, but residents are fighting against it.

TMZ reports that thousands have signed an online petition asking the City of Santa Clarita to rename the street "Walker Rodas Memorial Parkway" (Rodas is the last name of Walker's friend, Roger Rodas, who also died in the crash). But residents of the town refuse, claiming that Walker did nothing for the community.

But despite the growing fan support for the tribute, city councilman TimBen Boydston says that no such move can be made without the approval of the community. So doesn't look like we'll be cruising on the Walker Rodas Memorial Parkway anytime soon.

Sex, scandals and Jennifer Aniston… or just another spam email

December 24 - 11am James Henderson Jennifer Aniston outshone Rihanna and Miley Cyrus in the eye of spammers during October and November this year, with hackers even declaring celebrities dead in a bid to extract data.
According to a Bitdefender study, Hollywood star Aniston is mentioned in 19 percent of spam messages that include celebrity names, followed by Rihanna with 16 percent and Selena Gomez at 13 percent.

Loredana Botezatu, E-Threat Analyst, Bitdefender, believes it is common practice for scammers to use trending celebrity names as bait to push fake surveys and deals in junk e-mails.
“In some spam messages, scammers associate Aniston’s name with sexual content and a simple click on the link will grab users’ bank account credentials via a banker Trojan downloaded on their systems,” Botezatu says.
“Rihanna, on the other hand, is mentioned in e-mails that lead to webpages with pornographic content and online shops selling accessories.
“The problem with these e-shops is that they are so low-profile that chances are, no purchased item will ever reach the users’ doorstep.”
Other celebrities such as Selena Gomez are used in spam e-mails to advertise plastic surgery and free online concerts that lead to phishing websites that grab the identification data of gullible users. Justin Bieber’s name is associated with indecent messages hinting at sex, nudity and scandals.
Miley Cyrus, Scarlet Johansson, and Marilyn Monroe, Katy Perry, Beyonce Knowles, Sandra Bullock and Eminem are other glam names are used in scam campaigns.
“Attention-grabbing headlines are often a successful strategy to draw users into surveys to seek private data and maintain the profitable business of scam and spam,” Botezatu adds.
“The scams go so far that sometimes, celebrities are declared dead and allegedly photographed beaten or involved in hideous sex scandals.
“The messages promise scandalous pictures or videos only to make users open attachments and click links to infect their devices with malware, expose them to inappropriate content or steal sensitive into right under people’s noses.”
Apart from celebrities, the Bitdefender analysis revealed movies also make a good spam lure for curious users. Gravity is the top choice, followed by 12 Years a Slave, Insidious and The Avengers.
“The proper thing to do when an e-mail promising scandal reaches your inbox, is to delete it,” Botezatu adds.
“Don’t act on your curiosity with unsolicited e-mails. They never bring good news.”

Will Arnett dating Hollywood producer

Comedian Will Arnett has reportedly embarked on a new romance after quietly splitting from celebrity chef Katie Lee earlier this year.
The star confirmed his romance with Billy Joel’s former wife in August, but he reportedly called it quits with her soon afterwards.
However, it seems Arnett will not be spending the festive season alone after sparking speculation of a new romance with Hollywood producer Erin
David, who he accompanied to Jennifer Aniston’s holiday bash earlier this month.
A source tells Usmagazine.com, “Will and Katie Lee fizzled. He lives in L.A., she lives in NYC.
“(David) produced one of the shows or a film he was in… Will brought her to Jen and Justin (Theroux)’s holiday party.”
The comedian was previously married to actress Amy Poehler, but the couple split last year.

Kelly Rowland Confirms Engagement And It Happened Over Skype

The singer reveals boyfriend/manager Tim Witherspoon proposed while she was in Bulgaria.

 
Kelly Rowland has finally confirmed the rumors that she's engaged to her manager Tim Witherspoon! In an interview for The Queen Latifah Show set to air Wednesday, the singer revealed that the couple got engaged over Skype while she was in Bulgaria.

"It was so late, I remember we were both just kinda like, honestly, just staring at each other," Rowland said. "And he asked me, and it was just that simple to say yes. I was like, 'I got my best friend to ride through life with.' He really is my best friend."

Fans first got a hint that Rowland might be heading down the aisle when she was spotted wearing a rock on her ring finger last month. Since then she's dodged the big question, but we're happy to finally hear her 'fess up! It's no secret that the X Factor judge has been wanting to get married (though she says she's still too selfish to be a mom just yet) and we're looking forward to seeing her prepare for her impending nuptials to Witherspoon.

Why celebrities are important to brand success

Celebrity endorsements are a billion dollar industry, but with so much at stake, how do you know you're making the right choice? Sarah Ewing looks at all the factors and how the emerging trend of celebrity equity partnerships is the future.
Why has there been such a huge growth in celebrity partnerships in the past 10 years? You can't escape the power of the celebrity, from advertising, social media, reality TV and magazines and newspapers. In fact, American researchers have found that at least 25% of all television advertisements now feature celebrities. We're devouring information about the lives of celebrities at a runaway pace, whether it's to admire them or revile them. Yet, while celebrities have been endorsing products since the 1940s, headline-hitting deals and photo opportunities are now a daily occurrence in our media.
"The UK, along with North America, is one of the world's most enigmatic celebrity cultures," says Ciaran Coyle, president, Europe & Asia Pacific, at global brand agency Beanstalk. "With publications such as Grazia, *Hello* and Heat feeding the appetite for celebrity gossip and news, consumers are becoming more eager to buy into the lifestyles of the celebrities they admire, and endorsements and partnerships offer ways for brands to leverage this."
Reality TV has been a byproduct of our celebrity obsession and has helped fuel it: "With the increase in reality TV, celebrities were created from everyday people," says Sophie Morris, director of Millharbour Marketing. "This creates an increased level of engagement for fans, because they were once like them."
"The growth has been fuelled by the development of new mediums such as social media platforms Twitter and Instagram, which allow celebrities to talk and share with an engaged audience," says Emily Keogh, MD of food and drink agency Palm. "Not only can they do this in their own voice directly, but the instant nature of these platforms allow food and drink brands to generate immediate results, impacting sales or consumer engagement."
Many consumers, whether it's conscious or not, strive to emulate the celebrity's lifestyle, so they purchase products associated with them. So if you consume the same products the A-list hunk or actress does, then you're led to believe that you will also emulate their other desirable traits. Even if you don't want to copy them per se, you're still more likely to buy the products in a subconscious attempt to attract desirable people into your life. This claim is backed up by a 2012 Taiwanese study that found consumers were quicker to recall a product a celebrity is involved with, whether they're a fan or not. And if you were a fan, you're more likely to place value on the product the celebrity is endorsing.
So, what are the key points of a successful celebrity branding campaign? Here are the building blocks ...

• Foundation: A clear vision of your key target markets. While you may have a dream target market, you have to be realistic about who the actual purchasers are and how best to attract them.
• Building Block No 1: Build on existing celebrity fans who are already engaged with your product and are genuinely passionate about it, such as Alexandra Burke with immune-boosting flavoured spring water Mune and her I'm in tune with Mune campaign.
• Building Block No 2: The fit between the brand and therefore the credibility of the match. "Consumers are getting more savvy about how celebrities are used to promote products," says Emily Keogh. "Brands need to get more clever about how they use celebrities so that it's as natural and believable as possible."
• Building Block No 3: Timing. This hinges on the continuing popularity of the celebrity, said Tony Nunan, MD of Visuality, an integrated research and design agency.
• Building Block No 4: Make the celebrity part of your brand. "Drink endorsements can be tricky," says Morris. "Don't just deliver crates of your product to them. Ensure they understand the company history and ethos and make sure your contract states they must be seen drinking your brand."

Campaigns that have hit the jackpot

• Professor Green and Relentless. "Professor Green fits well with Relentless' brand positioning as an energy drink targeted at young, predominantly urban drinkers," says Rebecca Grant, consumer MD at Cohn & Wolfe. "The association with live music and nightlife also enables Relentless to expand the brand's appeal, enabling it to compete as a non-alcoholic alternative."
• P Diddy and Ciroc. When Ciroc Vodka signed rapper P Diddy in 2007, they not only made him head of marketing, it also gave him a 50% stake," says Morris. "He is now invested in the success of the brand, so he has more motivation to not only endorse, but to protect and promote the brand."
• Johnny Vegas and PG Tips. This is an enduring partnership that has lasted more than 10 years. "He's the perfect match," says Tony Nunan. "Vegas is daft as a character and this allows the character to become a hero; someone that everyone knows and loves."

The leap from celebrity endorsements to equity partnerships

While there seems to be no sign of the growth of celebrity endorsements and campaigns slowing, in the past five years there's been an emerging trend of celebrity equity partnerships, in which a celebrity takes a stake in the brand.
"Equity partnerships are intelligent models for brands that don't just want a short-term fix, but want to invest in people who will really support and grow their company," says Emily Keogh. "It gives them the time to really dedicate themselves to the brand and to create an extra revenue stream for themselves."
"With the growing number of celebrity endorsement deals, brands are increasingly feeling the need to go one step further," says Tony Nunan. "What better way could there be of proving a genuine partnership than working with a celebrity who believes in the brand so much that they are willing to obtain a share in the company?"
One of the biggest celebrity windfalls in equity partnerships was 50 Cent's stroke of genius to invest in Glaceau Vitaminwater back in 2004. The health-conscious star was a genuine fan of the brand before being approached. In return for 10% of the company, he would become one of their brand messiahs. When Coca-Cola bought the brand less than three years later, 50 Cent walked away with $100m.
James Rubin, 50 Cent's agent, reveals: "When an artist collaborates with a high-profile brand, it only pushes them further into the mainstream and creates more awareness about the artist. These days there are so many different avenues besides music to help artists expand their personal brand, especially if the timing is perfect, and the synergy created is priceless. It's definitely become a lot more important in the past few years for artists to acknowledge these alternative revenue streams. It's important that the artist and the brand have the same creative vision if the partnership is to be successful."

How it worked for Mune's Derek Sanders and Alexandra Burke

The owner, Derek Sanders: "My partner Lucie and I were initially inspired by a home remedy to develop a product range to naturally support immune defence when our first child started pre-school in 2008. Mune is centred on healthy, nourishing choices and a natural preventative approach to health. From the outset, we realised the importance of celebrity branding and have always been interested to work with someone who was health-aware and whose approach to natural health was aligned with Mune.
"From the first time we met Alexandra earlier this summer and explained our vision to create the Im-mune-ity Community, we instinctively knew that we'd found a great partner. Both parties are committed to an integrated strategy to achieve mutually beneficial success.
"I think equity partnerships are a better method than simply using a celebrity to front a media campaign. That approach is quite shallow and the majority of people see through it. The biggest lesson I learnt in the negotiation process was patience. The key is finding a partner truly aligned with your brand, and that both the artist and their management are fully onboard."
The celebrity manager Jojo Brim says: "In today's music industry, brands have become important because they extend the opportunities for someone like Alexandra to have an additional media push and additional income streams, as well as give fans an insight into the celebrity's lifestyle. Also, cause-driven and aspirational marketing has skyrocketed in recent years. The success all boils down to having the same vision – without that, it simply won't work.
"Mune approached us earlier this year because they knew Alexandra likes to work out and staying healthy is very important to her. The more I learned about them, the more I was totally convinced we were a good match. It was the perfect timing for Alexandra with her new album, New Rules, coming out, so there'd be a synergistic effect between the promotional activity for that and Mune. It's all about creating a win-win."

How Your Favorite Celebrities Celebrate Christmas

WENN / Food Network / Everett Collection
Every family has its holiday traditions, and celebrities are no different. But since they're richer, more famous, and more prone to ridiculous and over-the-top behavior than the rest of us are, their traditions are probably a lot more exciting. After all, who wouldn't want to spend the afternoon gossiping over eggnog with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler or see what elaborate Christmas presents Jay Z and Beyonce have bought for Blue Ivy? It's got to be better than watching your own relatives hit the carton too hard after they've opened whatever last minute gifts your aunt picked up at the airport on her way in.
But what would it really be like to spend the holidays with your favorite celebrity? Would there be tons of glamorous parties? Probably. How about expensive gifts? You bet. And what about the hot cocoa? Even the rich and famous aren't immune to its warm, chocolatey goodness. In order to help you get through the holidays this year, we've come up with what we think some of the biggest celebrities are doing for Christmas this year, along with the perfect gift to earn yourself a spot on their Christmas card list.
Justin Bieber
Holiday traditions: Bieber probably throws a massive party every year, although his "Christmas" party doesn't tend to differ too much from any of the numerous other parties he throws throughout the year. However, in an attempt to be festive, he would wear an all-white ensemble that he would accent with red sunglasses and sneakers, and he would recruit someone to make a dubstep remix of his Christmas album, which he would play as the party's soundtrack. At some point in the night, he would probably have a bit too much to drink, and then he would drunk-dial Selena Gomez and leave her a voicemail of him singing "All I Want For Christmas Is You". Then, he would return home to his family for the actual holiday, where he would drink cocoa and watch Elf with his baby brother and sister in his pajamas, while his mother wraps the presents he brought home for everyone. At the end of the night, Bieber would make sure that there was plenty of milk and cookies left out for Santa; he would claim it was to preserve the illusion for his siblings, but let's be real. Bieber totally still believes in Santa.
What he would give you: Sunglasses and sneakers.
What he would get: Bieber probably wants some fancy chains or designer clothes, but we see the Biebs getting some footie pajamas this Christmas. Cool, grown-up footie pajamas, but footie pajamas nonetheless.
George Clooney
Holiday traditions: Clooney, being the sophisticated gentleman that he is, likely hosts a black tie affair at his home every year. Everything would be tastefully accented in gold, waiters would mill about with champagne and finger food, and all of the Academy voters who have been invited would have their every need catered to. After all of Clooney's A-List guests have finished their awards-season campaigning, Anne Hathaway — who has spent most of the evening hovering around the piano, waiting for someone to ask her to perform — would lead the guests in a sing along that would last about five songs too long. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon would get drunk, and spend much of the evening loudly declaring how much they love everyone at the party, before deciding to wrestle each other and knock over one of Clooney's impeccably decorated trees in the process. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would spend the whole party cornering innocent bystanders and forcing them to look through photos of their kids, and Leonardo DiCaprio would spend much of the night trying (and failing) to steal one of Clooney's Oscars.
What he would give you: Clooney would make a donation to a charity in your name, but he would make a really big deal out of it.
What he would get: He would say that, really, he doesn't want anything, because he already has so much, and he's running out of space for all of his exotic cars.
Lebron James
Holiday traditions: As a professional basketball player, James spends a lot of time on the road, so for Christmas, he would just want to spend some time with his family and friends. He would spend a lot of time making his guests admire his Championship rings and the exact replicas he had made into tree ornaments so that he can decorate his Christmas tree with victory. Then, James and his teammates Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh would settle in with their kids to bond and play some board games. Unfortunately, with three NBA players, everything would get too competitive, and the kids would wander off to play video games while James, Wade, and Bosh get into a screaming match over Candyland, until one of them flips the game board in a rage. Then, after they calmed down, they would prank call Carmelo Anthony in order to tease him about the Knicks' current season. Finally, they would all settle down for a massive Christmas feast, after which James would wear the paper crown from his Christmas cracker for far too long, and insist that everyone call him "King James."
What he would give you: Miami Heat jerseys for the whole family.
What he would get: A festive sweatband to help hide his receding hairline all through the holidays.
Taylor Swift
Holiday traditions: Nobody does Christmas better than Taylor Swift; after all, she grew up on a Christmas tree farm. She would invite over a few friends for a Christmas tree decorating party, where the dress code would be either "ugly holiday sweater" or "blinding amounts of sparkle." From there, she would lead her guests in Christmas-themed arts and crafts, building elaborate gingerbread houses that replicated the most iconic scenes in Love, Actually, and serve up cookies so intricately decorated they would make Martha Stewart weep. Then, after a quick wardrobe change, she would lead everyone in some Christmas carols before everyone indulged in some homemade hot cocoa and then participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange. Finally, Swift would cap off the most idyllic Christmas get-together ever with a double feature of It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas. Just be careful who you get caught under the mistletoe with, or you might end up as the inspiration for a song on her next album.
What she would give you: Homemade jam or a scarf she knitted herself.
What she would get: Cat ballet flats, red lipstick and lots and lots of glitter.
Kanye West
Holiday traditions: Though West might prefer not to take part in the annual Kardashian Family Khristmas Kard, he would send out one of his own that featured himself, Kim and baby North recreating the Nativity scene, and as one would expect, it would play Christmas songs that he re-wrote and recorded especially for this purpose. Then, outfitted in coordinating custom Givenchy outfits, the Kardashian-Wests would pay a quick visit to the rest of the Kardashians, where they would drop off unbelievably expensive presents tastefully wrapped in a color scheme of black and silver. Then, before they opened their own gifts at home, they would make sure to celebrate Yeezus, who, as we all know, is the real reason for the season. Finally, they would have over their good friends and the First Family of hip hop, Jay Z, Beyonce and Blue Ivy, and they would all enjoy a Christmas dinner catered by the finest vegan restaurants in the country before the men retired to the den to smoke cigars, drink some congac and congratulate each other on how beautiful their significant others are.
What he would give you: A box set of all of his albums.
What he would get: Kanye West would settle for nothing less than his own country.