Browsing Category: "Music"
Wed, Mar 04 2009 07:47 PST
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Last group of 12, which also includes Von Lee Smith and Scott MacIntyre, will vie for three spots in the finals.
By Gil Kaufman
"American Idol" contestant Lil Rounds
Photo: FOX
Viewers will get their final chance on Tuesday (March 3) to pick the "American Idol" top 12 before judges round out the top contenders during the wild-card round on Thursday.
This final audience-approved batch is a mix of hot contenders, virtual unknowns and singers whose backstories have so far outstripped their promise or proven singing chops. Leading the list of virtual locks is Memphis, Tennessee, customer-service representative and married mother of three Lil Rounds, 23, who immediately blew the judges away with her soulful rendition of Steve Wonder's "All I Do" in Kansas City.
With her dramatic swoop of tinted bangs and humble-yet-sassy attitude — not to mention a booming voice from a petite body — Rounds, who has already inspired several fan sites, is almost guaranteed a place in the top 12, thanks to what judge Randy Jackson described as her Fantasia-meets-Mary J. style.
Also in the mix is falsetto wonder Von Lee Smith, 22, who placed second on Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star" at age 13 and was spotted by Rosie O'Donnell on YouTube in 2007 — singing late, lamented jokeman Nick "Normund Gentle" Mitchell's signature "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls" — which landed him an invitation to sing on "The View."
Utah's Taylor Vaifanua, 16, often compared to season-six winner Jordin Sparks, also has a shot and, like an increasing number of "Idol" contestants these days, has already released a CD. As a bonus, she also appeared on a Utah-rific reality show as a member of the made-for-TV girl group, 4 Real.
Another contestant who has gotten plenty of TV time and some love from the judges is the show's first blind contender, Scott MacIntyre. The 23-year-old Fulbright Scholar and Rhodes Scholar finalist graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University at 19, teaches salsa, swing and ballroom dancing, has appeared on a number of Christian TV shows such as the "Crystal Cathedral Hour of Power" and released, yes, his own CD. Make that CDs, like, five of them.
Speaking of people with some previous experience, Napa Valley, California's Kristen McNamara, 23, like former contestant Brent Keith, once appeared on the "Nashville Star" reality show. But what K-Mac really plans to do is "change the world through my music and drive to help those in need."
Some of the other top 36 finishers have gotten screen time, but aren't necessarily hot contenders. Spunky dyslexic Texas blonde Kendall Beard, 24, has been trying to get a music career going in Hollywood since graduating from the University of Texas several years ago. And, according to the Lufkin Daily News, she might already have an in with one of the biggest pop stars in the world: Britney Spears. The paper reported that Beard's dad is college buddies with Britney's pop, Jamie Spears.
And then there are a few others who've gotten some face time, but who shouldn't start prepping for their close-ups just yet, including über-nerd Alex Wagner-Trugman, 19. While his high school band did have a killer name, the Killer Boots, his Facebook page says it all. Then there's Felicia Barton, who wasn't originally in the top 36, but got a lifeline when Joanna Pacitti was disqualified. The 27-year-old Virginia Beach, Virginia, singer has hustle for sure, as evidenced by this boardwalk singing-booth video. But not as much as "adopt-a-grandfriend" founder Arianna Afsar, the 16-year-old do-gooder who has sung the national anthem for the San Diego Padres four times and won $25,000 from the Miss America Outstanding Teen competition.
And then there's this year's crying boy, Nathaniel Marshall. The emo-tastic 19-year-old man-diva whose mother was incarcerated and who has tried out for "Idol" three times and has many talents, among them freestyling sassypants tunes about popping blisters, wearing headbands and performing Blaine Larsen covers in front of overstuffed bookcases, but he's best known for his drama-queen tendencies and super-tight pants.
Rounding out the list is 26-year-old Bowie, Maryland, native Ju'Not Joyner, who made it through the first round last season before being dumped. Joyner, who traded a promising basketball career for singing when he blew out his knee, has written more than 100 songs, some of which are pretty promising. And then there's funky bilingual Puerto Rico native Jorge Nuñez, who made it by singing Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in Spanish and "What a Wonderful World" in English during his audition, but who has been way off the radar since.
The winners, who will be announced on Wednesday night, will join semifinalists Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace and Michael Sarver. On Thursday, the revamped wild-card round will bring back 12 booted contestants vying for the final three spots in the top 12 as determined by the judges' votes.
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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Design team DSquared2 say they want Brit's costumes to be 'provoking and indecent.'
By Jocelyn Vena
Britney Spears
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
Britney Spears has tapped Canadian design team DSquared2 to give her the perfect look when she starts her Circus tour on Tuesday (March 3) in New Orleans.
(MTV News will be in New Orleans for the tour's opening Tuesday night — check back for a full report!)
The twin brothers who make up DSquared2, Dean and Dan Caten, told Women's Wear Daily that they thought up fresh looks for Spears and her dancers by reimagining clown, trapeze artist and juggler costumes and making them sexier and more provocative for the pop star.
"We are enormous fans of Britney, and have been waiting for the perfect moment to collaborate with her," the Caten brothers told the magazine. "It's going to be wild."
Spears, who knows a thing or two about looking sexy onstage, will show off her wild side this time around, according to the Catens.
"We wanted to create something much more provoking and indecent ... something animalistic and primal" the duo said about the look for the show, reports Vogue.co.uk. "We are confident that this tour partnership, an autobiographical tribute for one who has always been in the spotlight: scrutinized, watched, imitated, photographed, criticized and loved, will be an enormous success."
In the past, the design duo have worked with Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Usher, Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake.
On Monday, Spears revealed her set list for the show, featuring songs from throughout her career, including fan favorites like "Slave," "Toxic" and a "... Baby One More Time" remix. Also, Britney may have been inspired by "Slumdog Millionaire" fever (just like her tourmate, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger), because it looks like she's also doing a Bollywood take on her Madonna duet, "Me Against the Music."
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'My Swag,' featuring Jim Jones, shows the 'hood side of D-Town.
By Shaheem Reid
Big Chief
Photo: Make Millions
DALLAS — It's not all about dancing in Dallas. Though regional D-Town Boogie hits such as the "The Stanky Legg" and the "Ricky Bobby" are blowing up slowly but surely, the city has a whole other side: the streets.
They don't dance or boogie, but artists such as Big Tuck and Tum Tum have stories from the 'hood that show a harsher reality. The hottest dude in the streets of the D, though, comes from West Dallas. Fittingly, his name is Big Chief.
"I got the swagga like no other man. Real talk, man," the slick-talking, confident Texan said, sitting on his custom, candy-painted Bentley coupe in the parking lot of Big T Bazaar. Like New York has flea markets and Cali has swap meets, Dallas has their bazaars — places to shop and stunt with your hot whips.
"Versace. Double L. Louis [Vuitton]," he bragged. "Customize everything, baby. Eat greedy or don't eat at all. I'm a 'hood cat, so that's where you find me at."
Although Chief isn't signed to a label yet, he's been able to create his own core following by releasing over a dozen mixtapes and constantly performing at local shows.
"I mean, that's how I was raised, man," Chief said. "You gotta see it, man. It's some real gutta things going down here in the dynamite D. I'm gonna show you, man. It's real talk, man."
While Chief is in talks to secure a recording contract, he continues to make records independently. Now he has a humdinger on his hands called "My Swag," which features Jim Jones. Just a few weeks old, the record is looking like it will bubble over nationally if given the proper push.
"Yeah, man, I got Jimmy on the thing," said Chief, who is also planning to work with fellow Dallas natives, two-time Grammy-winning team Play N Skillz. "We doing our thing. I felt like [Jones] was the only other cat to complement my swag coming out of the South, so I reached up top and I grabbed him."
Even though his music is much different from young locals such as the GS Boyz, B-Hamp and Lil' Will, the Chief says he's elated to see everyone from his hometown coming up together, no matter the subgenre of rap music they do.
"We're the number four, number five market in America," Chief said. "Man, we consume everything, so it's only right that we give them something to buy."
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The singer admits that her messiness 'is the most difficult thing' for her neat hubby.
By Jocelyn Vena
Beyoncé
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images
Beyoncé may seem like she has it all together, and if you want to keep that image of her then the singer suggests you don't stop by her house anytime soon.
"I'm a little messy. Whenever I'm out in public, I have to be put together. When I get home, I rebel against it and I don't want to take care of anything. I drop it," she said in the new issue of Ebony, according to Examiner.com. "I'm relaxed. I don't have any shoes on. No makeup. My purse is in the kitchen."
She also shared that her messiness is the one quirk that really drives hubby Jay-Z crazy. "I think that is [the] most difficult thing for him. He's very, very organized," she said. "I'm extremely organized when I'm working, and I work so much that when I get home, I don't want to think about anything."
Although the two may have very different philosophies on the art of being tidy, they manage to agree on the fact that they should keep their business out of their personal lives. "He was very successful before I met him, and I was very successful before I met him. So we have so much respect for each other, and respect for each other artistically," Beyoncé said. "We are very close friends, and I believe he is the ultimate artist and he has the same feelings for me."
In addition to getting B to open up about her marriage to Jay-Z, Ebony also got first lady Michelle Obama to weigh in on the singer, who sang "At Last" for the first dance at President Obama's inauguration in January.
"Beyoncé is an incredible young woman," she told the magazine, according to Celebuzz.com. "Barack and I have met her on a few occasions, and it was a great honor to hear her sing 'At Last' so beautifully at the inauguration. She is so talented and so real, and we just love her."
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Plus, Bow Wow wants to be the best rapper of '09.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes
50 Cent
Photo: MTV News
Artist: Bow Wow
Representing: Ohio
Mixtape: Half Man Half Dog Vol. 2
411: Bow Wow says he's going to be the best rapper of 2009. All eyes are on him.
"I just used my YouTube for the full potential," he said about releasing a myriad of freestyles virally last year before he released his first mixtape Half Man Half Dog. "Every time I do freestyle, and put 'em up, I get over 300,000 views just by being in my house. If my fans want it, I'mma give it to them. I do it as a hobby. I'm a mixtape fanatic."
With his album New Jack City II due at the end of March, Bow just dropped a single called "You Can Get It All," a radio-friendly joint aimed at the ladies. We all know the young homie can do that — it's a hallmark of his career. But we will be surprised to hear him on the next mixtape Half Man Half Dog 2, as the almost 22-year-old makes a full-blown declaration of adulthood — and he's potent with the lines.
"Bow is keeping it hip-hop," DJ Infamous said about some of Bow's beat selection to freestyle over, such as the LOX's "Money, Power & Respect" and Jay-Z's "22 Two's." "Besides just being on the hottest records in the South right now, he's keeping it hip-hop. That's what we're bringing to the table. He's a veteran in the game but we're the young cats keeping it alive for the streets."
Bow says that making a mixtape is just an outlet to show his other skill set.
"For me, it was something that had just really been embedded in me," Bow explained. "A lot of people don't know that I was discovered by Snoop and [Dr.] Dre. Snoop was such an influence on me. It's always been in my blood to rap. When I got with [Jermaine Dupri], JD cleaned me up a little bit and did the right thing. That's the reason why I'm here right now. But it's always been in me to rap.
"I use the mixtape thing for fun," he added. "I hit Infamous up and said, 'Let's do something special for the people, a show-and-prove, show-and-tell type of thing that I can really do this.' It's no different from an NBA dude — when you see an NBA player go to [New York's] Rucker [Park street-ball court]. They bring a different game to the park. They don't bring the regular NBA game. It's two games I can play. I can hit you with the radio songs to sell records or I can do something else."
Joints To Check For
» "Underrated." "It was just me speaking the honest-to-God's truth," he said, referring to a line where he scoffs about people doubting he pens his own lyrics: "He don't write his sh-- that's what they all say/ But they don't say nothing when Eminem writes for Dre." "I do feel like I'm underrated. People put the rappers that don't sell records on the same pedestal as somebody who might have sold 30 million records. You can't do that; it don't add up.
"A lot of people kinda overlook my accomplishments. I'm the youngest artist to ever go #1. I headlined seven arena tours. People overlook that. How can you not give me that credit? But you'll look at somebody who has one album, might have come out and sold 30,000 records, but he has the #1 rap single. But you think he's better than me? No way. The stats don't lie. You can't compare that. It's not equivalent. I get criticized so much. 'Who wrote this? He can't be writing this. That was too nice.' Y'all get on me so much but there are so many other rappers who don't write their raps but y'all like 'em. I write all my stuff. I'm just speaking for myself on how I feel."
» "On Fire." "That's one of Infamous' favorites," LB Dub said. "Drumma Boy did the beat. It was weird how I approached the record. The beat was so hard, I said, 'I'm gonna find somebody talking about fire or how not to put out a fire.' That's why you hear it on the hook. I'm just talking, but I got samples talking about fire. It's about just attacking it. A real gritty, grimy record, doing what it is I do."
» "Ambition" "I redid the 'Ambitionz As a Ridah' joint," Lamborghini Moss declared. "I did it first just as video over my YouTube [channel]. When I did it, I said, 'I'm gonna put it on the mixtape.' It's a straight verse, me writing and having fun with it. It's one of the hardest beats ever made. Shout out to Daz, who made it. And the rest is history."
Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week
» Joe Budden - Padded Room
» Superstar Jay - I Am Mixtapes Part 16 (hosted by Tony Yayo)
» Masspike Mile - The Pursuit of Happiness
» Gucci Mane - King
» DJ Benzi and Dope Couture - The Jetsetters
» Memphis
Bleek - Feed the Streets
'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar
» Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "The Game Ain't Ready"
» Gucci Mane - "Stoopid"
» The LOX - "I Get it In" freestyle
» Capone-N-Norega (featuring Mobb Deep) - "Wobble Wobble"
» Chamillionaire (featuring the Game and Ludacris) - "Creepin' Solo" remix
» Omarion (featuring Lil Wayne) - "Comfort"
The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground
We give equal time here at Mixtape Monday. Last week, Rick Ross confidently said he should sell more records than 50 Cent. This week, we let the creator of Pimpin' Curly respond.
"I thought that was the funniest thing he could come up with," 50 said, laughing off Ross' prediction of 12 million records sold for Deeper Than Rap.
"Why is there a Rick Ross and 50 Cent [beef]?" he asked. "It was just bad timing. It was publicity for his part why he jumped out there, but bad timing and no plan. He's gonna get mauled. People are gonna look at it like, 'Wow, that was like a Mike Tyson one-minute-and-thirty-second knockout. You didn't make it past your second week's sales.' "
The G-Unit ringleader insisted that their battle is going to damage Ross' career.
"When people get more publicity than they usually get — from an artist's standpoint — and it has nothing to do with their music, what usually happens is you make the public totally aware of you," the Queens native explained. "Which is good until the release date, and you see no one has bought your record. The public is totally aware you're trash and your material's not generating any interest. That's when you do the damage to yourself, because you don't want more publicity than your actual music is commanding."
Fif also had jokes about a Ross vlog where the Boss said he was way more fashionable than the G-Unit.
"He says things like he's really stylish," 50 scoffed. "Gucci, they have a European cut that even I can't get into a lot of times — so I'm sure there isn't anything in the whole store he can fit in outside of a scarf or maybe a hat.
"It never gets worse than this," 50 added. "You get a guy that was a correctional officer come out and base his entire career on writing material from a drug dealer's perspective. When he loses this [battle], he can't even go back to his day job because the correctional officers are upset that you wanted to portray that message. He's gonna work at the pizza shop when I'm done with him."
For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.
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Pop star will perform a mix of old and new songs during jaunt, which kicks off Tuesday.
By Jocelyn Vena
Britney Spears
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
With only a day until Britney Spears takes the stage as the ringleader of her Circus tour, the singer is giving fans a sneak peak of what they can expect from the stage show. (MTV News will be there for the tour's opening in New Orleans — check back for a full report!)
On Britney's Web site, the singer posted a set list of songs she'll be singing, which includes a mix of tracks from throughout her career — check it out here! The concert will take place in a three-ring-circus set design. In the first act, titled "Circus," the show will kick off with the previously reported Perez Hilton video, followed by the songs "Circus" and "Piece of Me."
In the "House of Fun (Anything Goes)" segment of the show, Britney will perform "Boys," new single "If U Seek Amy" and more. Next up, Britney takes her fans to the "Freakshow/Peepshow," followed by the "Electro Circ." For those sections, Britney has a slew of fan favorites lined up, including "Slave," "Toxic," a " ... Baby One More Time" remix — and, intriguingly, what is apparently a Bollywood take on her collaboration with Madonna, "Me Against the Music."
It's already been revealed that Spears will hit the road with the Pussycat Dolls, as well as illusionist and former "Saved by the Bell" actor Ed Alonzo. In a clip on Britney's site, fans can get a sneak peek of Britney's rehearsals for the tour. Britney seems to be back to her old form: dancing in cages, scantily clad and wearing sparkles.
Also, Britney has been named the new model for Candie's. Dressed in a bra and panties, a leopard-print crop top and a plaid dress, Britney mugs for the camera for Candie's. "We're so glad to be doing this with you," a Candie's spokeswoman says in the video.
The tour kicks off Tuesday in New Orleans, near where Britney grew up in Louisiana. "I am so excited for her, and I wish I could be there," Britney's aunt, Linda Ann Brandon-Kjos, told People. "All the family is there and supporting her. I'm sure that she is going to be just fine. I think it is going to be something really special."
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'We're in this just to have fun and we wind up winning,' says surprised bandmember Wayne Coyne.
By Jem Aswad
Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne
Photo: Charley Gallay/ Getty Images
When you think of the creators of a state's official song, veteran psychedelic rockers the Flaming Lips — who over the past 25 years have released songs with titles like "Jesus Shootin' Heroin" and "Talkin' 'Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues," as well as their biggest hit, "She Don't Use Jelly" — are probably not the first artists to come to mind.
And yet, the band's 2002 track "Do You Realize??" has been named the official rock song of their home state of Oklahoma, beating out such songs written or recorded by Oklahomans as "Heartbreak Hotel" and "After Midnight."
"We have an official state folk song and a state country song. With as many outstanding rock artists as we have in Oklahoma, it was time to recognize this music as well," said State Senator Mike Schulz, according to The Associated Press.
More than 21,000 votes were cast online for a list of 10 songs selected by a panel of experts, according to the AP. The winner was announced Monday in the Oklahoma Senate.
"I never gave it that much thought," band leader Wayne Coyne told the AP, adding that it was an honor to have been nominated, "and everything else is just extra. We're in this just to have fun and we wind up winning."
"Do You Realize??" — which was featured in a Land Rover commercial — was written by bandmembers Coyne, Steven Drozd and Michael Ivins, along with longtime producer Dave Fridmann, and hails from the band's 2002 album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The song's lyrics, which do not mention Oklahoma, have a melancholy but ultimately uplifting theme ("Do you realize ... that you have the most beautiful face ... we're floating in space ... that happiness makes you cry ... that everyone you know someday will die?"). The band's latest release was the soundtrack to its long-percolating film, "Christmas on Mars."
In 2008, the Legislature adopted a resolution outlining the voting process, according to the AP. The Oklahoma Historical Society conducted a competition to select the official state rock song and Oklahomans nominated 454 songs. A panel then narrowed the list to 10, and the people of the state cast their ballots. Out of the 21,061 votes cast, 10,738, or nearly 51 percent, picked "Do You Realize??"
Other finalists were "Let's Have a Party," recorded by Oklahoman Wanda Jackson; "Walk, Don't Run," recorded by the Ventures; "Home Sweet Oklahoma," written and recorded by Oklahoman Leon Russell; "Oklahoma," by the Call; and "Move Along," by the All-American Rejects.
The "official state rock song" is not a terribly common category: According to several online sources, the only others states to have them are Ohio (the McCoys' 1960s hit "Hang on Sloopy") and Washington (Richard Berry's "Louie Louie").
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Megan Hauserman files lawsuit claiming battery, negligence, emotional distress
By Gil Kaufman
Sharon Osbourne
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images
It was the smack heard round the world, and now Sharon Osbourne is getting sued for it. Megan Hauserman — the contestant from VH1's "Rock of Love Charm School" who was the victim of an alleged beatdown at the hands of show host Osbourne back in December during a reunion special for the series — filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Monday. She's charging Osbourne with battery, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to an Associated Press report.
The scuffle, which was caught by the VH1 cameras, is visible on the VH1 site, which teases it as an "insane fight between Sharon and Megan." In it, Osbourne insults Hauserman (who attended the reunion in a bikini and whose behavior led co-host Riki Rachtman to ask if she was drunk), and Hauserman returns the favor by referring to Ozzy Osbourne as a "brain-dead rock star."
Osbourne is seen in the clip dumping a red drink on the former Playboy Cyber Girl's head, then a scuffle ensues and the two women are surrounded by a group of security and staff people, obscuring what Hauserman has claimed was an attack that allegedly included Osbourne grabbing and pulling her hair and scratching her.
Hauserman, who first made reality-TV news by winning "Beauty and the Geek" in 2007, is requesting a jury trial and seeking punitive damages for the incident. The Los Angeles Police Department investigated the incident as a potential battery, but no charges have been filed to date. Hauserman's attorney, Warren J. Binder, told the AP, "It's pretty hard to deny what happened on the video."
A spokesperson for Osbourne could not be reached for comment at press time.
Teen queen also reveals that she and Demi Lovato love to TP houses.
By Jocelyn Vena
Miley Cyrus
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus caused controvery this week when photos emerged of her running down the street in a low-cut shirt that revealed some skin and her bikini top, next to her shirtless boyfriend Justin Gaston. But the 16-year-old pop star said she doesn't get why everyone was making such a big deal about the pics.
"I don't get the big whoop, but whatever," she said Monday on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS FM radio show. "I guess it's just, I'm not allowed to jog any more. I don't get why people are allowed to take pictures and make them something they're not, but I guess that's just how their job works and how they'll make the most money. What they don't know is that I had an 8-year-old little sister traveling behind me, which all she wanted that day was to have a car wash."
Cyrus further explained that she was showing so much skin because she was wearing her mom's baggy T-shirt, which slipped down revealing the bikini top that she wore while washing boyfriend Justin Gaston's "really hideous truck." "So, 'Oh, my goodness, Miley Cyrus wears a two-piece!' " she said. "Kill me! I'm wearing a two-piece, along with an 8-year-old."
Miley also shared with Seacrest that she's got a favorite pastime other than washing cars: toilet-papering her neighbors' houses with a friend, who happens to be fellow Disney star Demi Lovato. "We were really bored, 'cause we were watching the life story of the Kardashians. ... And then we got really bored and watched the life story of Mario Lopez," she joked about the impetus behind pulling the prank on a house that happened to belong to one of Seacrest's friends. She said she and Lovato thought one of their friends lived there.
"We walked to my house and got rolls of toilet paper. So, we took it all, and we started rolling and we got ketchup, mustard," she said, elaborating on their impromptu decorations. "Your friend came and said 'hi' to us and said we were doing a good job."
And when these rebellious teens get caught by less-accommodating victims, what does she do to avoid getting in trouble? "We sprint and [hide] under cars."
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