Luxury bag company, Louis Vuitton, has signed up a trio of astronauts for its latest high-profile campaign, promoting the 'Icare' travel bag, worth a cool $1,467.34.

Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride and Jim Lovell star in a series of press adverts, shot by celebrity photographer, Annie Liebovitz, that are set to be released in July.

It see the three spacemen sitting on the bonnet of a battered truck gazing to the moon and stars in the nighttime sky.

In an accompanying video - to be hosted at louisvuittonjourneys.com - the astronauts sit in the California desert talking about how space changed their lives.

Aldrin walked on the moon in 1969 as a member of the Apollo 11 mission and the new campaign marks the 40th anniversary of that historic occasion.

Created by Ogilvy&Mather, Vuitton's head of communications, Antoine Arnault, said the work is intended to be "an homage to these great travellers."

According to reports the models each donated a "significant" portion of their fee to Al Gore's Climate Project.

The bag featured in the ads is the 'Icare' travel bag, named after named Icarus, the hero of Greek mythology who died falling when he flew too close to the sun and the wax holding his man made feathered wings melted.

When he saw the bag, Arnault was inspired and reportedly said, "what a nice symbol and coincidence! We are representing these people who went closer to the sun than anybody."

Conspicuously absent from the ad however is Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who first walked on the moon. A well-known recluse, it's claimed the astronaut didn't return calls to his home in Cincinnati.

The new space journeys advert follows on from recent campaigns that have starred Mikhail Gorbachev, Catherine Deneuve, Keith Richards, Scarlett Johansson and Madonna.

We all expect a bit of fluff from cable news considering they have 24 hours a day to fill and there are only so many events to be "rocked" by, but when we hit a point at which CNN is spending Obama's 100th day in office "assessing his swagga" something is amiss.

T.J. Holmes sat down with four men who were never identified by name or title (as if we weren't supposed to care about who they were, just that they were black) to talk about Obama's "swagga." They were sweet and did the best they could with such a ridiculous topic, but anchor Kyra Phillips was way over the top. She asked for the theme song to "Shaft" to be played, she talked about Obama's "flava" and she insisted on getting a fist bump at the end. Here are her choicest moments...

From complex.com

If there's one thing Fat Joe believes in, it's consistency. Which is why you may often hear him and his brother-from-another DJ Khaled constantly boast "We Make Hit Recorddss." That being said, it's about that time of year when Joey Crack is ready to drop another album, this time a sequel to a sequel titled J.O.S.E. 2.

Around the time Joey held his listening session in NYC for the album, we got the TS head-honcho on the phone to speak on a number of topics. Yup, we've been sitting on it, and now we've decided it's time you hear his thoughts on his now-pushed-back album, DJ Khaled the executive, 50's first album (and why he refuses to call it a classic) and how he feels about Big Pun's wife Liza Rios criticizing him for not keeping Pun's memory alive. It's coca, bitch.
[ed note: again this was before Joey blacked out on the "Mafia Music" remix, or we would've obviously asked him about it]

Interview by Joe La Puma

Complex: To get the clichĂŠ questions out of the way, how excited are you about this album?

Fat Joe: Big, man. The reason why it's called J.O.S.E. 2 is because my biggest album was J.O.S.E. and the music I make, it's just so big. You know I got so much hits on this album. Big songs, man. Big street jams. It feels big, man. I'm waiting for the homerun. I'm really, really proud of the work.

Complex: What track on the album won't be released as a single but is your personal favorite?

Fat Joe: This one song called "Congratulations." It's going to be a summer banger. It's just about how everybody who wants to be famous has to be careful what you wish for. Look at Chris Brown and Rihanna. They're trying to get their life together. They got paparazzi and everybody all on them now, so it's like you got to be careful with what you wish for. I mean, unfortunately there's domestic violence going around in this country, and around the world every single day. Some couples get a chance to work it out. Get back together. Now they in the cameras. Everybody wants to be famous. You have to be ready to deal with consequences. I also have another song called "HO" which is that New York Hip-Hop hardcore, crazy shit.

Complex: So even though he's been making back-to-back hits, some people in New York don't like Ron Browz using auto-tune. As someone who worked with him, what's your take on his haters?

Fat Joe: I don't know why they feel like that, because he's making good music. In New York, they love it. "Pop Champagne" it wasn't just New York, it was a big song. We have to move with the times, man. That happens to be what's hot, and he happens to be hot doing it. So I can't be mad at nobody doing it.

Complex: You make consistent hits every year, but some people criticize that they're off the strength of other people like Lil Wayne. How do you respond to that?

Fat Joe: I love it. I'd rather have them criticize me for working with other big artists than me not being relevant, and having a hit. And I write songs and I write hit hooks myself. "Lean Back," "Make It Rain"-I wrote those hooks. Like this song I did with Akon, I found the hook with this writer and then we told Akon to sing it. So I really A&R my projects.

Complex: So you wrote the hook that Wayne spits in "Make It Rain"?

Fat Joe: Absolutely. It was me on there first. It was just too South for me to be on there. So it made sense that I'm cool with Wayne to get him on the hook.

Complex: Interesting... Now, you're close with DJ Khaled, and he was recently appointed president of Def Jam South. How prepared do you think he is for a job like that?

Fat Joe: No one has ever seen an executive like DJ Khaled. Everybody in the music business who's an executive has been polished for the job. Khaled comes with the energy that hasn't been seen in this game, ever, from the day that fucking Lyor Cohen and Russell Simmons opened Def Jam! He's going to put out nothing but hits. And I expect him to be one of the biggest executives in couple of years, the hip-hop game has ever seen. I guarantee he's going to be an executive of a lifetime. Remember I told you.

Complex: When Khaled was on Rap City a few years ago, and the host put a bunch of albums on a table and asked Khaled to say whether they were classic. He didn't put Get Rich or Die Trying in the classic pile. Putting aside your personal issues with 50, do you think that album was a classic?

Fat Joe: I refuse to comment on that. Because ask him if he thinks any of my songs were phenomenal hits or whatever. I can't comment on a person who won't comment on me in a positive light. So I wouldn't be true to a comment if I answer that question.

Complex: How do you feel about the Rick/50 situation going on right now?

Fat Joe: Well, you know, Rick's a big boy, man. He can handle it himself. And he obviously went after 50. And they got beef and they're going to handle their beef. Whether it's music or whatever the case may be. That's them. I don't know what to tell you.

Complex: Did it surprise you that Rick actually started it?

Fat Joe: Well, 50's been taking shots for a while. So I guess it's almost a response, to be honest with you. We make hot music. Whoever makes big records is a winner to me. Not the person with the mumbo jumbo, or the biggest diss record, or whatever the case may be. In the end of the day, whoever is most successful, whoever puts out a big record, wins the battle.

Complex: Fair enough. Switching subjects, Showbiz released a DITC album called The Movement last year, but you weren't on it. Are you still a member of the crew?

Fat Joe: Absolutely. But I didn't even realize that happened, to tell you the truth. I never heard it. Who's on it? Maybe it was a remake or something like that. But yeah, that's a different time in hip-hop. That's the motivating time. That was the time where everybody supports each other. Digging In The Crates never disrespected each other. We always motivated each other and helped each other. That's a whole new category with this new school bullshit. With loyalty and shit like that. With Digging In The Crates and myself, it's all about the music.

Complex: Recently, a couple of well-respected hip-hop bloggers were getting into the age-old debate of who was better, Pun or B.I.G. Where do you stand on that argument?

Fat Joe: Pun was a great artist, but Biggie was a great artist. I can't tell you who is better. That's like the same as saying he's better than Biggie. I can't say that man. They both brought strong energy to the hip-hop game. And they're both extremely talented, and charismatic as well. Funny thing they had in common was they were both funny, and they were both witty. Had a lot of charisma.

Complex: Speaking of Pun. His wife has said in interviews that you're not keeping his memory alive. How hurtful was that to you, and how did you take that?

Fat Joe: I don't care. I don't care what she says to me. Not keeping Pun's memory alive? If I don't keep Pun's memory alive, who does? You know everything I do, I represent Big Pun. If I won an award, I represent Big Pun. I'm the only one who says Big Pun is the best rapper on earth. If I don't rep Big Pun, then who reps Big Pun?

Complex: Understandable. On a lighter note, you're big into sneakers, and word is that you're a Jordan-head. How do you feel about the new fusions that have been dropping?

Fat Joe: Yeah, I like the new Jordan Air Force Ones. Those shits are crazy.

Complex: When was the last time you actually bought Jordan's from a store?

Fat Joe: Maybe two days ago.

Complex: Oh, really?

Fat Joe: Yeah, I buy sneakers everyday. It's my fucking addiction. I don't really need them, but it's fucking addictive. I'm like a little kid that has a basketball and don't want nobody else to play with it. "It's mine, it's mine, and it's mine!" When it comes to sneakers.

Complex: What single pair of Jordan's do you own most multiple pairs of?

Fat Joe: I would say the IIIs. I have like 5 or 6 pairs.

Complex: Cool man, thanks for taking the time, good luck on the album.

Fat Joe: Thanks man, I appreciate it. Keep a tight ass, buddy.

Complex: [Blank Stare, hangs up]

This looks like a version of T.I's papertrail album but cool cover. Let me know what you think.

1. Dj E-V - Intro
2. Daps&Pounds (DJ E-V Exclusive)
3. I Poke Her Face (ft Kanye West&Common)
4. Sky Might Fall (Prod By Kanye West) (Early Version)
5. Look Up In Da Stars (Feat. Wale) (Prod. by Breez)
6. Skit - Jerry Maguire from Cleveland
7. Rollin (Remix) (Feat. Jackie Chain)
8. She came along (feat. Sharam)
9. Super Boo
10. Welcome 2 the World (feat. Kevin Rudolf)
11. Ho' Is Short For Honey (feat. 88-Keys)
12. Skit - Foggy Glasses
13. Buggin Out 2009 (ft. Consequence)
14. Sky High (Prod. By The Kickdrums)
15. 09 Freestyle
16. Switchin Lanes
17. Higher Up
18. Takeover Freestyle
19. Can I Be
20. Ask About Me ft. Chip Tha Ripper (Prod By Rami Beatz)

01. The Carter Meets The Cartel 2 (Intro)
02. Drake&Lil Wayne - Uptown (Ft. Bun B )
03. Lil Wayne - One Arm
04. Drake - Houstatlantavegas
05. Lil Wayne - I Feel Me
06. Weezy Speaks (Voicemail Interlude)
07. Lil Wayne - Maybach Music 2 (Ft. T-Pain)
08. Drake - I'm Still Fly
09. Lil Wayne - Im From The South
10. Drake and Lil Wayne - Stunt Hard
11. Lil Wayne - Look @ Me (Prod. by PC of The Olympicks) (Got Now Rmx)
12. Jae Millz - Wasnt Born (Prod. By The Runners)
13. Drake - Congratulations
14. Lil Wayne - Yes (Ft. Pharrell)
15. Lil Wayne&Drake - Unstoppable (Got Now Rmx)
16. Lil Wayne & Drake - Every Girl
17. Drake - Overdose On Life
18. Lil Wayne - Damage Is Done
19. Drake & Lil Wayne - I Want This Forever
20. Drake - Friends With Money
21. Lil Wayne - Lets Talk Money (R.I.P. Pimp C)
22. Lil Wayne - What The 380 Said
23. Drake & Lil Wayne - Successful (Ft. Trey Songz)
24. Lil Wayne - Im Not Human
24. Lil Wayne - 1st Place Winner (Ft. Swizz Beatz)
25. Drake and Lil' Wayne - Ransom
26. Drake - Say Whats Real
27. Drake - Get Like Me
28. Lil Wayne - By Myself
29. Drake - Swagger Like Us
30. Lil Wayne - T-Wayne (Ft. T-Pain)
31. Drake - Pop Rose
32. Lil Wayne - Conglomerate
33. Drake & Lil' Wayne - Ignant sh*t
34. Lil Wayne - Workin On Her Visa
35. Drake - Give Ya (Ft. Trey Songz)
36. Drake - Get Over It
37. Drake & Lil Wayne - Brand New (Rmx)
38. Lil Wayne - Miami Vice (Ft. Curren$y)

From Huffingtonpost.com:

As 5:00 p.m. rolls around my interior clock starts chiming. I'll have an ice-cold, bone-dry martini, thank you. Jalapeno olives and a twist. If the occasion calls for it (temperatures in the twenties, a hot political debate on the tube) I may substitute two fingers of Kentucky sour mash. Four-twenty? Doesn't resonate. But with April 20 approaching and Waldos of the world gearing up to celebrate their favorite day of the year, it's not a bad time to consider, yet again, the pluses and minuses of alcohol vs. cannabis.

First, a disclaimer: I am a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, but I don't officially represent the organization in this forum. That said, I can't very well check my affiliation, or beliefs, at the keyboard when I sit down to blog for HuffPost. We at LEAP are current and former cops and other criminal justice practitioners who have witnessed firsthand the futility and manifold injustices of the drug war. Our professional experiences have led us to conclude that the more dangerous an illicit substance--from crack to krank--the greater the justification for its legalization, regulation, and control. It is the prohibition of drugs that leads inexorably to high rates of death, disease, crime, and addiction.

Back to booze vs. pot. How do the effects of these two drugs stack up against specific health and public safety factors?

Alcohol-related traffic accidents claim approximately 14,000 lives each year, down significantly from 20 or 30 years ago (attributed to improved education and enforcement). Figures for THC-related traffic fatalities are elusive, especially since alcohol is almost always present in the blood as well, and since the numbers of "marijuana-only" traffic fatalities are so small. But evidence from studies, including laboratory simulations, feeds the stereotype that those under the influence of canniboids tend to (1) be more aware of their impaired psychomotor skills, and (2) drive well below the speed limit. Those under the influence of alcohol are much more likely to be clueless or defiant about their condition, and to speed up and drive recklessly.

Hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur annually. There has never been a single recorded marijuana OD fatality.

According to the American Public Health Association, excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of death in this country. APHA pegs the negative economic impact of extreme drinking at $150 billion a year.

There have been no documented cases of lung cancer in a marijuana-only smoker, nor has pot been scientifically linked to any type of cancer. (Don't trust an advocate's take on this? Try the fair and balanced coverage over at Fox.) Alcohol abuse contributes to a multitude of long-term negative health consequences, notably cirrhosis of the liver and a variety of cancers.

While a small quantity, taken daily, is being touted for its salutary health effects, alcohol is one of the worst drugs one can take for pain management, marijuana one of the best.

Alcohol contributes to acts of violence; marijuana reduces aggression. In approximately three million cases of reported violent crimes last year, the offender had been drinking. This is particularly true in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, and date rape. Marijuana use, in and of itself, is absent from both crime reports and the scientific literature. There is simply no link to be made.

Over the past four years I've asked police officers throughout the U.S. (and in Canada) two questions. When's the last time you had to fight someone under the influence of marijuana? (I'm talking marijuana only, not pot plus a six-pack or a fifth of tequila.) My colleagues pause, they reflect. Their eyes widen as they realize that in their five or fifteen or thirty years on the job they have never had to fight a marijuana user. I then ask: When's the last time you had to fight a drunk? They look at their watches.

All of which begs the question. If one of these two drugs is implicated in dire health effects, high mortality rates, and physical violence--and the other is not--what are we to make of our nation's marijuana laws? Or alcohol laws, for that matter.

Anybody out there want to launch a campaign for the re-prohibition of alcohol? Didn't think so. The answer, of course, is responsible drinking. Marijuana smokers, for their part, have already shown (apart from that little matter known as the law) greater responsibility in their choice of drugs than those of us who choose alcohol.

I know it's late but i just saw this last night. I hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

R&B vocalist John Legend has restored my faith in straight male artists and their artistic choices, after a week of bad examples. His music video for new single "Everybody Knows" is a sweet ballad about giving love another chance, and features several couples in different situations - from an elderly husband and wife who are out of touch, to a publicly debating duo who don't mind that they are stopping in the middle of the street to finish their argument.

AfterEllen.com reader Joanna let us know that a lesbian couple is featured amongst the rest, about half-way through the video. They are together in the back of a cab, appearing to be happy together, resting in each other's arms before one gives the other an affectionate kiss on the forehead.

It doesn't hurt that the song is pretty irresistible and John Legend is so right: Everybody knows that nobody really knows / How to make it work/ Or how to ease the hurt." It's the same - gay, straight, hot lesbian couple in a cab

Shoutout to one of my best friends Kisha B.

John Legend - Everybody Knows / NEW
by PeteRock

From: www.kanyeuniversecity.com SOUTH PARK MURDERED ME LAST NIGHT AND IT'S PRETTY FUNNY. IT HURTS MY FEELINGS BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM SOUTH PARK! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY EGO THOUGH. HAVING THE CRAZY EGO IS PLAYED OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF "I TOLD YOU SO!!!" IT'S COOL TO TALK SHIT WHEN YOU'RE RAPPING BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE. WHEN YOU MEET LITTLE WAYNE IN PERSON HE'S THE NICEST GUY FOR EXAMPLE. I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM. I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING IS NOT THAT SERIOUS. AS LONG AS PEOPLE THINK I ACT LIKE A BITCH THIS TYPE OF SHIT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I'M NOT ACTUALLY A HUGE DOUCHE BUT I'M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. I'M SURE THE WRITERS AT SOUTH PARK ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DRAW MY CREW. THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY ALSO!! I'M SURE THERE'S GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THIS... THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW IT'S ME!