Steel Building Advisor

On Friday, November 3, 2006, I left school particularly quickly to meet my uncle at a movie theater nearby. My Uncle Mike was always the cool uncle, who knew good movies, so he had made a point of seeing “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” the day it came out. You can probably see why he was the cool uncle.

In the weeks leading up to that day, Sacha Baron Cohen’s first theatrical release was heralded as a wide variety of things, including “sexist,” “offensive” and “the funniest movie of all time.” Mostly unfamiliar with Borat’s previous appearances on “Da Ali G Show,” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got was a new type of comedy that I’m still not sure I was ready for.

When “Borat” first came out, intrepid Kazakhstani journalist Borat Sagdiyev was more than an accent and the collection of catchphrases, like “Var niiccee!” and “How mauch?” that worked their way into frat boy-friendly pop culture references. Borat was shocking and dangerous in a way that most formulaic studio comedies wouldn’t dare to be. Baron Cohen put himself in situation where he realistically could get hurt, but his dedication to the bit instead transitioned each encounter into classic comedy.

Baron Cohen’s new film in theaters this week, “The Dictator,” takes a head-on approach to criticizing both America and the foreign dictatorships it struggles against, but even without a main character seemingly ripped out of the front pages, “Borat” managed to comment on significant issues like the country’s attitudes towards foreigners, racism and homophobia in a hysterically subversive way. Most of the laughs in “Borat” live and die with the audience’s tolerance of awkward situations and the decimation of unspoken social agreements.

Though “Borat” hasn’t necessarily aged well in the collective cultural memory?many now consider it a comedic fad along the lines of “Napoleon Dynamite”?but separated from that current standing, Baron Cohen’s first major release remains his finest with his brand of brutally honest comedy still as biting as ever.

Call them “cult classics.” “Guilty pleasures.” “Comfort movies.” We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. These are some of ours. Tell us about your Sick Day Stash picks in the comments or on Twitter!

Tags borat, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sick Day Stash, the dictator

Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich Amber Heard Amber Valletta America Ferrera Amerie

Diggy’s “Two Up” party isn’t over. On Friday, Young Mr. Simmons celebrated the premiere of his “Two Up” video with MTV’s RapFix blog, and the teenage MC was so excited that he sat with MTV News and broke down each scene in the Clifton Bell-directed clip.

The vid begins with Diggy standing alone, playing air piano in time with the track’s opening keys. The action may seem insignificant, but it’s actually a key component to the song. “That was what really drew me to the track when I first heard the beat,” he said. “It was just those piano keys that I love.”

As the beat begins to take shape, so does the video, and a bouncer begins to let Diggy’s specially invited guests into the party. Of course the crowd is compromised mostly of females. “There were so many girls at the shoot that we were like, ‘We have to get some dudes in the mix,’ ” Diggy said, laughing at the non-dilemma.

“They were like New York, young kids, you know how they get,” the MC said of the video’s extras. “It was good energy and we didn’t even have to tell them to get hyped at no point in the video. I was feeding off of their energy when I was in front of them during those shots. It was just easy.”

It wasn’t just the crowd that excited Diggy: The fashion-forward MC was also hyped at his on-camera wardrobe, though some of his favorite items didn’t even make the cut. In one scene Simmons sports a turquoise jacket with two mini-Jesus pieces around his neck. On his feet he wears a special pair of black and gold Air Jordan #6s that were released back in 2006 and now go for as much as $850 online. “I’m kinda mad that you didn’t get that in the shot,” Diggy said of his coveted footwear.

Another key scene, in which a silhouetted Diggs dances across the screen, was actually inspired by another rap great. For the “Two Up” video, Simmons borrowed from Kanye West’s 2007 clip for “Homecoming.” “That whole silhouette idea is something that we drew inspiration from but made it a little different with the color, because that video is black and white,” he explained. “I like how it came out overall for real. It’s just a good feeling.”

What do you think of Diggy’s “Two Up” video? Tell us in the comments!

Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich

What was clearly intended as a jokey tweet lamenting the rigorous diet and exercise routine she is currently undertaking to prepare for her 110-date Born This Way Ball has put Lady Gaga in the crosshairs of some angry fans and eating-disorder organizations. On Tuesday, the pop star tweeted, “Just killed back to back spin classes. Eating a salad dreaming of a cheeseburger #PopSingersDontEat #IWasBornThisWay.” Some fans thought the tweet wasn’t exactly keeping with the pop star’s “You’re perfect the way you are” message and that her choice of the “#PopStarsDontEat” hashtag could be misinterpreted as encouraging eating disorders because she posits herself as a role model to her fans.

The National Eating Disorder Association even weighed in, hitting its own Twitter account to write, “Huh? This is the same person who recently implored girls to stop dieting?”

MTV Buzzworthy has an Open Letter To Lady Gaga While it seems clear that Gaga was joking ? who hasn’t dove into a salad wishing it was something else? ? the comment does appear out of character for the star, who has spoken publicly about her own struggles with an eating disorder as a teen. Using that particular hashtag might have been a poor choice, but it’s safe to say Lady Gaga wasn’t knowingly making light of eating disorders ? and, otherwise, wasn’t she mostly just encouraging exercise and healthy eating? Gaga tweets often about all sort of less-than-healthful habits, from drinking (“after 12 margaritas my phone was confiscated”) to, well, other things (“princess xena of xanaxland has lil secrets in her inbox”). Why she is being scrutinized for making an observation about something we already know ? that celebrities engage in intense fitness regimens to meet the unrealistic expectations placed on their appearance ? is kind of a mystery. But, you know, totally appropriate and necessary reason for outrage, everyone. Sound off on Gaga’s #PopSingersDontEat tweet in the comments below!

Jessica Simpson Zooey Deschanel Aaliyah Abbie Cornish Adriana Lima Adrianne Curry Adrianne Palicki

Alfonso Cuaron is doing some crazy stuff in his upcoming film, “Gravity.” In fact, it seems like it’s so out of this world (literally) that Warner Bros has opted to push the movie’s release date back until 2013.

Originally “Gravity” was expected to hit theaters in November, just in time for awards season, but the effects-heavy film was recently test screened for some audiences to mixed reviews. Many commented that the CGI was “far from being done,” which might have spurred the current delay.

That leaves “Gravity” without an official release date, though at least now “Gangster Squad” has been slated in for September 7. After a great first trailer, the Ruben Fleischer-directed period drama has garnered some serious buzz.

“Gravity” stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, though the movie is said to largely follow Bullock by herself in space. She plays a medical engineer named Dr. Ryan Stone who is out on her first shuttle mission with Clooney’s veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky. They participate in a routine spacewalk, but disaster causes their shuttle to be destroyed and the two of them are left stranded in the middle of space tied to nothing but one another.

When MTV News caught up with Guillermo del Toro last August, he said he was blown away by what Cuaron is planning.

“I’m amazed at Alfonso the past few movies because he’s completely transformed himself. ['Gravity' is] incredibly well-calculated. Very human, if you know the story,” he said. “[They're] absolutely pushing a new boundary in filmmaking, completely mindblowing. And the way they’re making that movie will, I think, forever change certain types of productions.”

Are you disappointed “Gravity” has been pushed back? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Tags alfonso cuaron, george clooney, Gravity, sandra bullock

FSU Cowgirls Gabrielle Union Garcelle Beauvais Genelle Frenoy Georgianna Robertson Georgina Grenville Gina Carano

Lady Gaga was one of the big winners on Saturday night at the 23rd annual GLAAD Media Awards, taking home the prize for Outstanding Music Artist for her Born This Way? album. The show honors various branches of the media that represent the LGBT community.

The show was hosted by “Glee” stars Cory Monteith and Naya Rivera and included guest spots from Dakota Fanning, “Jersey Shore” nice guy Vinny Guadagnino,? talk show host Wendy Williams, “Top Chef” star Padma Lakshmi and Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir.

Broadway veteran Bernadette Peters and TV star John Stamos presented the Vito Russo Award to Craig Zadan and Neil Meron for their work on the NBC musical series “Smash.” The Russo award is presented annually to openly LGBT media professionals who have made a difference in promoting equality. In accepting the award, Meron said the pair, who were also behind the Oscar-winning movie musical “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” have spent a long time trying to “fight, persuade and manipulate” Hollywood into including LGB characters in their work.

Also on hand was openly gay 17-year-old high school student Katy Butler, who received a special award from Weinstein Company co-chairman Harvey Weinstein for her work in launching a Change.org campaign last month to argue for a PG-13 rating for the upcoming documentary, “Bully.”

Other winners included: “Dancing With the Stars” (Outstanding Reality Program), for including the story line of transgender dancer Chaz Bono last season, the HBO film “Cinema Verite” (Outstanding TV Movie or Mini Series), a film focused on the life of a black lesbian teenager, “Pariah” (Outstanding Film — Limited Release), “Battle Against Bullying” from ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (Outstanding TV Journalism Segment) and the “Batwoman” comic book by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman (Outstanding Comic Book).

More awards will be handed out on April 21 in Los Angeles and June 2 in San Francisco.

Ashley Olsen Ashley Scott Ashley Tappin Ashley Tisdale Asia Argento Aubrey ODay Audrina Patridge

The Grand Champ is back. On Tuesday (May 15), DMX returned to rap’s arena with his free The Weigh In EP as an online download. It’s been six years since the Dog dropped his last album, Year of the Dog … Again, and today the Yonkers, New York, rap great is happy that the focus is back on his music and not the legal drama that has plagued his career.

“It’s a good thing. I wish it was always like that but you can’t really worry about what people think, what they say. I just gotta do me,” DMX told MTV News over the phone on Tuesday. “The focus is on taking the music seriously, as a job, and less trouble.”

When DMX first emerged in 1998, he took the rap game by storm with a pair of groundbreaking and multi-platinum albums, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. Through the years, however, X has been making headlines for his mounting legal trouble and jail stints. It’s actually an issue he addresses on “Last Hope,” one of the EP’s stand-out tracks. “Damn I’m goin’ through it again/ After tellin’ everybody I wouldn’t do it again,” he spits with his unmistakable gruff.

Just as its title suggests, The Weigh In is merely a set-up for the main event. X will drop his new studio album, Undisputed, this fall. “Everywhere I go people are like, ‘When’s the album droppin? When’s the album droppin’?’ So I was just like, lemme hit ‘em with something, let them know, give them a little appetizer of what it’s gonna be like,” he said of The Weigh In. “Not the same songs, because I’m sitting on like three albums right now, but ya know, just what it’s gonna be like.”

As if X wasn’t enough incentive for fans to download, the Dog also called in a few favors from Snoop Dogg and Tyrese, who both appear on the EP. “It was incredible. I just happened to call Snoop, while I was in the studio, he answered the phone, I sent him the joint, the next day I had it back,” he recalled. “I appreciate the fact that the love is still there. I look forward to working with more artists. I normally don’t work with too many artists, but these have always been friends of mines.”

What do you think of DMX’s The Weigh In EP? Let us know in the comments.

Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich

Marvel fans are well aware after the end credits of every one of the comic company’s movies will be a small scene alluding to the next film. Following “The Avengers” fans were introduced to Thanos, one of Marvel Universe’s most important villains. Well, guess what? According to “Prometheus” writer Damon Lindelof, “Battleship” followed suit.

YAHTZEE! We’re just kidding with you, but wouldn’t that be fun? We’re kind of hoping it happens now. “Battleship” director Peter Berg needs to pull an “Avengers”-style re-shoot and add it to the end credits. Or actually, change Yahtzee to Candy Land and we’re on board.

With “Battleship” releasing in theaters this Friday the big question is: Who will say the board games’ classic tagline? Zach Braff weighed in on his preference writing, “I hope Rihanna’s the one who gets to say ‘You sunk my battleship.’”

MTV News recently caught up with the singer who said she was “intimidated” by her role in the action film. “I was walking into this as an amateur ? a complete amateur. I didn’t know anything,” she said. ” I was a wreck, just like, scared to sh–.” Maybe she was nervous because she had to carry the film’s most anticipated line?

Personally, Liam Neeson gets our vote for the phrase. As Admiral Shane he’s in a high place of naval power, plus he has the booming voice to project the line amidst a raging alien war.

Will you see “Battleship” this weekend? Who do you think says, “You sunk my battleship”? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!

Tags damon lindelof, Zach Braff

Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich Amber Heard Amber Valletta America Ferrera

Following her Grammy triumph? in February, May 20 could be another big night for Adele, as the British siren is a finalist in 18 award categories at the Billboard Music Awards. According to Billboard, Adele is leading in categories including Top Artist, Top Female Artist and Top Billboard 200 Artist. Her breakthrough hit, “Rolling in the Deep,” is a contender in seven different categories.

Adele has plenty of female companionship, as Rihanna and Lady Gaga are also finalists in a number of categories, with 13 for RiRi and 10 for Lady Gaga. Lil Wayne is also up for 10 categories, while party rockers LMFAO are finalists in 17. The awards are based on Billboard‘s chart rankings, and combine data from album sales and downloads, track downloads, radio airplay and touring in addition to streaming and social interactions with fans on Facebook, Twitter, Vevo, YouTube, Spotify and other popular online music services. The show will take place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand and be broadcast live on ABC on May 20.

Among the leading categories: Top Artist: Adele, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, Rihanna. Top New Artist: Bad Meets Evil, Big Sean, Foster the People, Scotty McCreery and Wiz Khalifa. Top Male Artist: Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Drake, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars. Top Female Artist: Adele, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and Rihanna. Top Duo/Group: Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Lady Antebellum, LMFAO and Maroon 5. Top Billboard 200 Album: Adele 21, Michael BubléChristmas, Drake Take Care, Lady Gaga Born This Way and Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV. Top Pop Album: Adele 19, Adele 21, Michael Bublé Christmas, Lady Gaga Born This Way and Justin Bieber Under the Mistletoe. Top R&B Album: Beyoncé 4, Mary J. Blige My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1), Chris Brown F.A.M.E., Jennifer Hudson I Remember Me and Rihanna Talk That Talk. Top Rap Album: Bad Meets Evil Hell: The Sequel, Drake Take Care, Jay-Z & Kanye West Watch the Throne, Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV and LMFAO Sorry for Party Rocking. Top Rap Artist: Drake, Lil Wayne, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj and Wiz Khalifa. Top Rock Artist: The Black Keys, Coldplay, Foster the People, Foo Fighters and Mumford & Sons. Top Hot 100 Song: Adele “Rolling in the Deep,” LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem,” Maroon 5 Feat. Christina Aguilera “Moves Like Jagger,” Katy Perry Feat. Kanye West “E.T.” and Pitbull Feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer “Give Me Everything.”

Ashanti Ashlee Simpson Ashley Greene Ashley Olsen Ashley Scott Ashley Tappin Ashley Tisdale

The Wanted may be “Chasing the Sun” on the charts with their recently released U.S. debut EP, but the British boy banders aren’t taking any breaks. Hot on the heels of the release, they are back in the studio, hard at work on their next proper release, a follow-up to 2011′s Battleground.

“Well, you know, it’s going to be a new leaf for us because we’ve compiled all our three years of stuff into the EP, so now it’s a new, fresh start for us,” Jay McGuiness explained to MTV News. “The singles we started writing and recording, so far, we’re excited about. But it’s still gonna be parties for the Wanted. I think it’s gonna be a few surprises too.”

Those surprises could come in the form of some cameos on the in-the-works record. Siva Kaneswaran added, “[It] could be collabs or it could be rapping. There’s not gonna be any rapping; I’m just kidding. But it is surprising for ourselves, too, because we are just going to try and be daring and try and step it up a bit, so hopefully the fans will like it.”

While rapping won’t make the final cut, the guys have teased that they’d love to get Justin Bieber or Chris Brown on board for the album. “We talked about it, and we have a song that we think he’d sound great on,” McGuiness teased about working with Bieber.

“We’ve talked to Chris Brown as well, which would be really good,” Kaneswaran revealed. “We talked to Chris actually at ‘The Voice,’ and he said he was down as well.”

“We have got a song we think would be perfect,” Max George added.

The bottom line is, the guys said, is they want to make good music that defies their boy-band label. “We went out there and we’re like, ‘You know what? I think we can change people’s perspectives of the ’90s boy bands,’ ” Parker explained. “And that was our aim: just to make good music.”

Whom should the Wanted feature on their next album? Leave your comment below!

Ana Hickmann Ana Ivanovi Ana Paula Lemes Ananda Lewis Angela Marcello Angelina Jolie Anna Faris

As expected, Justin Bieber’s new single “Boyfriend” has made an impressive debut. After dropping last Monday, the song has sold 520,000 downloads in its first week.

The number is particularly meaningful since it places him at #2 in all-time first-week singles sales. Flo Rida’s track “Right Round,” featuring a then up-and-coming Ke$ha, has the Biebs beat, according to Hits Daily Double. Flo’s track sits at #1 with 636,000 units moved. Other big sellers include the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” with 465,000 in downloads (#3), and Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” selling 447,000 (#4).

Not only are fans gobbling up the single, but his real-life girlfriend, Selena Gomez, has given the song two thumbs up. “Is it my ring tone? No. I didn’t even know you could make it a ring tone,” Gomez told E! News. “It is a great song.”

Bieber is hardly resting on his laurels. The teen star is back in the studio working on Believe. He explained on Twitter that the album, for which “Boyfriend” is the lead single, will go there. “Here making music addressing the past and the rumors, clearing it all up in the music. Im putting it all out there on this album. #BELIEVE,” he tweeted.

He also tweeted out silly videos of himself acting goofy on mock-up sets of the “Boyfriend” video, which he shot last week. In one, he stands in front of a green screen of icy land and in another he stands in front of a green screen of a fireplace.

Of course, Bieber already shared that there really will be fire and ice in the video. “The concept of this video, I mean it’s not like a steady concept,” he explained to MTV News on the Cali-based set in between shots. “It’s not like ‘Justin follows this girl to this spot.’ No, it’s a bunch of amazing scenes: Like a fire scene, we have an ice scene.

“It’s kind of like bouncing back and forth,” he said. “And then there’s scenes of me and just a bunch of girl dancers, and just some great shots, great artistic shots, great shots of me smiling. It’s fun.”

Jennifer Gareis Jennifer Garner Jennifer Gimenez Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Morrison Jennifer ODell Jennifer Scholle