Justin Bieber Is A 'True G,' Big Sean Proclaims

Rapper talks to MTV News about working on Believe ahead of 'Bieber Live' at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV!
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Rob Markman

<P>When Justin Bieber enlisted Big Sean for his Believe track "As Long As You Love Me," the 24-year-old MC didn't clean up his NSFW act. Instead, Sean found a new way to express his more mature lyrics to the Bieber crowd.</P><P>"Bieber's a true G. People may not know that," Big Sean said recently. "Nah, but he is a good dude, man. And I ain't toning down nothing &#8212; I'm diverse, I can write raps to any type of song."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Justin Bieber Is A 'True G,' Big Sean Says" id="vid:792807" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>Sean also revealed to MTV News that on the same day he was recruited to work with the pop star, the rapper got a call from another artist &#8212; one who exists on the polar opposite end of the musical spectrum &#8212; also wanting to work with him.</P><P>"It's crazy! I got a call from Gucci Mane the same day I got a call from Bieber and his people to do two different projects," Big Sean recalled. "It's tight that I can be a person that's so diverse that I can do both of those and it's not reaching. I'm still me ... and I didn't compromise anything for Bieber. You know, I just didn't curse, which is easy. I don't have to curse every day."</P><P>Of course, the Bieber/Sean collaboration is definitely more in Justin territory thanks to a pulsing dance beat, courtesy of producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. The pair go back and forth about that special girl over some fist-pumping beats.</P><P>But Sean is hardly the only rapper who's giving <i>Believe</i> the co-sign: Drake, Ludacris and Nicki Minaj all make cameos on the release, out on Tuesday (June 19). When we spoke to Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, he told us the singer worked hard to make sure the cameos fit perfectly.</P><P>"[Justin] and I are both very competitive, and he'd always look at me and go, 'This is the make-it-or-break-it album, and you got to push me. You got to tell me if I'm not good enough, and I might argue' ... so I really, really pushed him, and we took this album really seriously," Braun said. (Bieber will talk all about the making of the album tonight on "Bieber Live," set to air at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV!)</P><P>"But I also had to give it room to grow," he added. "Sometimes I'd put him in writing sessions for two weeks, and we'd get one song out of it, and it was just because he had to find that place for himself and that music. And as the process went on, he really started hitting his stride. ... And I think everyone has a different favorite, but the one common thread is you don't dislike any songs."</P><P><b>Don't miss "Bieber Live" tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV!</b></p>

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Americans suddenly on a roll in majors

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? In a little more than six months, they shared the stage in a playoff, became fast friends through their faith and then partners in the Presidents Cup.

Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson are linked again in ways they never imagined.

Major champions.

Simpson joined the most important fraternity in golf Sunday at The Olympic Club with a flourish of birdies and a steady diet of pars at the end. The last one came from a delicate chip out of a hole in the rough to 3 feet that wound up being the decisive stroke in the U.S. Open.

On a leaderboard loaded with possibilities, his name did not stand out. Simpson was playing in only his fifth major, and his second U.S. Open. He had missed the cut in his last two tournaments. And he was six shots out of the lead when he walked off the fifth green with his second bogey of the day.

Some four hours later, Simpson sat in the clubhouse with his pregnant wife, Dowd. They tried to take their mind off the finish by watching videos of their young son, James, who stayed behind in North Carolina. She squeezed tight on his hand as they watched Jim Furyk hit into the bunker on the 18th to eliminate his chances, and then Graeme McDowell miss a 25-foot birdie putt that would have forced a playoff.

"If I was honest with you, I believed in myself (that)I could win a major, but maybe not so soon," Simpson said. "And I just gained all the respect for the guys who have won multiple majors because it's so hard to do. The level of pressure is so much greater than a regular event."

"I probably prayed more the last three holes than I ever did in my life," said Simpson, a religion major at Wake Forest.

It was Simpson who called over to Watson, their caddies and their wives to huddle under an umbrella on the green at Royal Melbourne for a quick prayer after they won a match that set the tone in the Presidents Cup.

They are nothing alike. Watson manufactured a swing on a public course in the Florida Panhandle and doesn't have a formal teacher. Simpson grew up at a country club and even played Augusta National when he was a teenager. Watson speaks his mind. Simpson is more reserved.

Watson and Simpson traded text messages the morning of the final round last year in New Orleans. Watson wound up beating him in a playoff, but the relationship took root. When it became clear they would qualify for the Presidents Cup, they asked U.S. captain Fred Couples if they could be partners. They won three of their matches.

Couples was wandering around Olympic and watched it unfold.

Simpson had a 68-68 weekend ? he was the only player in the last nine groups who broke par in the foggy final round ? and finished at 1-over 281 for a one-shot win over McDowell and Michael Thompson, who had a 67 that was almost good enough to return Monday for a playoff.

He went to No. 5 in the world. He went to No. 3 in the Ryder Cup standings.

And he extended a modest streak that indicates a quiet return of American golf. The Americans now have won the last three majors dating to Keegan Bradley's playoff win at the PGA Championship in August. It might not sound like much, but it had been just over five years since Americans won three straight majors (two of those by Tiger Woods), and more than eight years since three different Americans put together a streak that long.

The United States started the year with only six players among the top 15. Now there are nine.

And these majors are coming from unlikely sources.

Bradley became only the second player in nearly 100 years to win on his first try at a major. Watson always had the talent, though his composure was always in question until he made four straight birdies on the back nine at Augusta National. He won his playoff by hooking a wedge some 40 yards out of the trees and onto the green to win with a par.

Simpson won twice last year on the PGA Tour and lost a shot at the money title in the final round of the year. Even so, the 26-year-old had been quiet this year, and didn't have high expectations even as he played the final round.

"I never really wrapped my mind around winning," Simpson said. "This place is so demanding, and so all I was really concerned about was keeping the ball in front of me and making pars. The course is so hard, you don't know if you're going to make three or four bogeys in a row."

He left that to the others.

McDowell made four bogeys on the front nine and had to spend the rest of the day catching up. He holed a clutch birdie on the 17th hole to get within one shot and gave himself a look at birdie on the final hole. Furyk looked strong as ever, even rolling in a 30-foot par putt on the 12th hole, but a snap hook off the tee at the par-5 16th led to bogey, and he made bogey when he needed birdie on the 18th by hitting into the bunker.

While Simpson admired Woods and his 14 majors, inspiration came from Bradley.

"If I see Keegan Bradley win a major ? I respect his game a ton ? but I feel like, 'Keegan Bradley won one, I want to go win one,'" Simpson said. "All these guys that won before me, I thought, 'I want to win a tournament.' They're great players, but I want to do what they're doing."

It seems as though everyone is doing that.

Simpson is the 15th player who has won the last 15 majors, the kind of parity golf hasn't seen since a similar streak 14 years ago that ended with Lee Janzen's win at Olympic Club in 1998.

Simpson didn't have an answer for so many different players winning majors.

"One of my thoughts on the back nine was, 'I don't know how Tiger has won 14 of these things because of the pressure,'" Simpson said. "I couldn't feel my legs most of the back nine. It grew my respect for Tiger all the more. I think the prime of golf was mid-30s. Now it's moving closer to the mid-20s or late 20s. There's so many young guys."

That they are young is not a surprise. Six of the last eight major champions were in their 20s.

The surprise is that more of them are Americans.

Associated Press

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TopBrewer Coffee Faucet Takes Drink Orders From Your iPhone

We don't think it will surprise you to hear that we love coffee. We also tend to love gadgets. So, it should come as no surprise that we really love gadgets that make us coffee, especially when they look this cool.

Aside from its sleek design (all of the working parts live under the counter) and ability to brew four cups of coffee in one minute, what makes this coffee brewer so cool? You can tell it to make coffee with your iPhone or iPad, in addition to its built-in controls. The Scanomat TopBrewer also cleans itself throughout daily use, can switch instantly between hot and cold beverages and will make you dinner and compliment your outfit. (Just kidding about those last two things, but really, would it surprise you?)

We have to agree with Sami from Buzzfeed who said, "If this was an episode of 'MTV Cribs', I'd yell 'THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS, BABY!' right now."

coffee faucet

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Reality TV star Jack Osbourne has MS: report

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Did Microsoft Surface Just Make The MacBook Air And iPad Obsolete? Don?t Be An Idiot. [Opinion]

Did Microsoft Surface Just Make The MacBook Air And iPad Obsolete? Don?t Be An Idiot. [Opinion]Did Microsoft Surface Just Make The MacBook Air And iPad Obsolete? Don?t Be An Idiot. [Opinion]

Maybe you were exploring the nether reaches of a?Venezuelan?jungle yesterday and missed the news that Microsoft announced that they?re making a cool looking tablet called the Microsoft Surface for Windows RT.

Despite some huge holes in the announcement,?some people?like Gizmodo?s Jesus Diaz have gone on to claim that Microsoft?s Surface just made the iPad and MacBook Air obsolete.

We?re actually kind of excited about the Surface and think it looks like an intriguing product, but saying that it?s better than the iPad and MacBook Air at this point is absolutely absurd.

The truth is that the Surface looks like a great piece of tech, but it?s all vapor at this point. There?s no real specs announced. There?s no price announced. There?s no release date announced. And the journalists who were at the event only got to play with the prototypes for mere minutes, and even then, without the Surface?s much hyped keyboard cover attached.

Apple?s been the only major player in the tablet space since the launch of the iPad, and without any strong competition, it?s likely that the iPad will coast along without needing major innovative changes to maintain marketshare. That?s boring. We want a fight?that brings out the best in Apple, and the Surface might be the first tablet to give the iPad some serious competition, but it hasn?t even put on gloves and stepped in the ring yet.

We mean that literally. No one other than Ballmer and his minions know how well this new tablet works.

During last night?s announcement there were two very important pieces of information that Microsoft refused to provide to the public ? pricing and release date. They also didn?t talk about battery life, processor speeds or whether Surface would come with 3G/4G, but pricing and release date are the most important because they allow us to gauge where the Surface for Windows RT and Surface for Windows 8 fit in the spectrum of gadgetry, and how competitive it will be against the iPad or MacBook Air.

Even though Apple announced the original iPhone almost six months early, they still had pricing and a release date.?If Surface doesn?t get released till late November and costs $700, that would make it considerably less attractive than if it launches in August for $450.

The release date of the Surface also determines how much time Apple has to adjust their plans for the next generation iPad. I doubt they?ll put a kickstand on the back of the next iPad, but maybe the success of the Surface could prompt them to move their connector slot so that the device docks in landscape mode and has a Smart Cover keyboard too. It could push them to make some big changes to iOS and OS X to be more competitive with Metro.

The succes of Surface might hinge on proper timing, but if Microsoft just revealed their cards too early and are six months away from launching, then Apple will be able to leap frog them three months after the Surface is released.?Without a ship date and a price, the Surface isn?t a competitor to the iPad, least of all something that could make it obsolete.

Like the iPhone, the iPad, and the MacBook Air, the Surface requires a real world trial before it can be proclaimed better than anything, let alone declared to make other gadgets obsolete.

Even the HP TouchPad has a stronger claim to being an ?iPad killer? at this moment because it?s a gadget that actually?exists?and has been used.?Not a single writer on the web has used the Surface. It?s got a cool kickstand, sweet?Smart Cover?style keyboard, and the most innovate OS in years. But Microsoft didn?t let reporters try those things out at the event and that?s a huge hurdle that has be knocked down before we know how good it is.

Obsolescence is something that is derived from real world, tangible criteria. No one had really played with the iPhone in January 2007, yet pundits piled on top of each other claiming it would be a flop. How can anyone say that Surface is the Alpha and Omega of all tablets and laptops without anyone testing it? You can?t.

Falling in love with a new gadget is easy. It happens to us all the time. But making a mad rush to jump on stage and declare a vaporware product the greatest of all-time isn?t just silly, but makes you look as stupid as the stylus the Surface comes with.

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Nokia?s PureView 808 To Make Its U.S. Debut On Amazon, Complete With $699 Price Tag

8086Nokia US chief Chris Weber recently reaffirmed that Lumia smartphones will eventually get a helping of Nokia's impressive PureView imaging technology, but a new post on the Nokia Conversations blog points to another option for mobile photographers itching for a PureView fix. The company has recently announced that the charmingly chunky Pureview 808 will soon make its U.S. debut on Amazon.com, with pre-orders for the Symbian-powered device set to kick off later this week.

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More remains tied to Green River killer identified

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London Games to be first social media Olympics

FILE This Monday April 16, 2012 file photo provided by LOCOG shows an aerial view of the Olympic Park showing the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, foreground and the Aquatics Center, white building at left. London will be the social media Olympics. For all the history and tradition associated with London, a very modern-day phenomemon will play a prominent role at the upcoming Summer Games. Tweet this: These will be the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less. The London Games will be the most tweeted, micro-blogged, liked and tagged in history, with fans offered a never before seen insider's view of what many are calling the social media Olympics, or the "socialympics." (AP Photo/Anthony Charlton/LOCOG)

FILE This Monday April 16, 2012 file photo provided by LOCOG shows an aerial view of the Olympic Park showing the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, foreground and the Aquatics Center, white building at left. London will be the social media Olympics. For all the history and tradition associated with London, a very modern-day phenomemon will play a prominent role at the upcoming Summer Games. Tweet this: These will be the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less. The London Games will be the most tweeted, micro-blogged, liked and tagged in history, with fans offered a never before seen insider's view of what many are calling the social media Olympics, or the "socialympics." (AP Photo/Anthony Charlton/LOCOG)

LONDON (AP) ? Tweet this: The London Games will be the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less.

The London Games will be the most tweeted, liked and tagged in history, with fans offered a never before seen insider's view of what many are calling the social media Olympics, or the "socialympics."

Hash tags, (at) signs and "like" symbols will be as prevalent as national flags, Olympic pins and medal ceremonies. Some athletes may spend more time on Twitter and Facebook than the playing field.

Mobile phones have become smarter, laptops lighter and tablet devices a must-have for technology lovers ? meaning social-savvy fans, whether watching on television or inside the Olympic stadium itself, will be almost constantly online.

Organizers expect more tweets, Facebook posts, videos and photos to be shared from London than any other sports event in history. The 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver offered just a small glimpse of what's to come.

"Vancouver was just the first snowflake," said Alex Hout, the International Olympic Committee's head of social media. "This is going to be a big snowball."

Twitter is already braced for a surge of traffic. Launched in 2006, it has become a key outlet for sports fans to trade messages during live events.

Users sent 13,684 tweets per second during a Champions League soccer match between Barcelona and Chelsea in April, a record volume of tweets for a sporting event ? busier even than the 2012 Super Bowl. Chances are good that will be one of the records broken in London.

"It could be the 100-meter final or something unexpected," said Lewis Wiltshire, Twitter U.K.'s head of sport.

At the last Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, Twitter had about 6 million users and Facebook 100 million. Today, the figure is 140 million for Twitter and 900 million for Facebook.

"In Sydney (2000) there was hardly any fast Internet, in Athens (2004) there were hardly any smartphones, in Beijing hardly anyone had social networks," said Jackie-Brock Doyle, communications director of London organizing committee LOCOG. "That's all changed. Here, everyone has all that and will be consuming the games in a different way."

Later this month, at trials in Calgary for Canada's Olympic track and field team, athletes will even wear Twitter handles on their bibs ? encouraging fans to send messages of support as they race.

Sponsors have also taken their Olympic campaigns online. Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Visa and BP are among those using Facebook to reach younger consumers. Samsung is even offering to paint the faces of Internet users with their national flag ? virtually, of course.

"They key difference from four years ago is that now almost everyone has a smartphone, which means everyone can participate in real time," said Adam Vincenzini, an expert at Paratus Communications, a London-based PR and social media marketing agency. "You used to have to be sitting at your desk to access various social media platforms. Now you can have your phone or tablet on your lap while you watch, whether that's at the pub or the stadium."

The IOC, with 760,000 Twitter followers and 2.8 million on Facebook, will host live chats from inside the Olympic village with athletes, allowing the public to pose questions using social media accounts. It has already created an online portal, called the Athletes' Hub, which will collate posts from their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Under IOC rules, athletes and accredited personnel are free to post, blog and tweet "provided that it is not for commercial and/or advertising purposes" and does not ambush official Olympic sponsors and broadcasters. Social media posts should be written in a "first-person, diary-type format."

What about spectators using their phones and iPads to take photos and video?

"There is no problem with photo sharing," Hout said. "We encourage it. But monetizing is not allowed."

"People are allowed to film. They're allowed to do that on their phones," he said. "The thing that we ask is that content is not uploaded to public sites."

The reason is to protect the exclusivity of the broadcasters who shell out big money for the rights. NBC, for example, paid more than $1 billion for the U.S. rights to the London Games.

"We encourage the use of social media. We encourage athletes to engage and to connect," Hout said. "There are some rules to follow, there's no question about it. But we don't police the fans, we don't police the athletes. We don't do that. What we do is we engage."

Facebook launched an Olympic page on Monday that groups teams, sports, athletes, broadcasters and in one place. The site has pages dedicated to specific Olympic sports and links to Facebook sites for 60 national teams and 200 athletes, including Michael Phelps, LeBron James and David Beckham.

LOCOG also plans to announce new Olympic tie-ups with Twitter and Google.

But London Olympic organizers have drawn up strict rules for their employees and the 70,000 Olympic volunteers. They have been told not to share their location, any images of scenes in areas that are off limits to the public, or details about athletes, celebrities or dignitaries who they find themselves in contact with.

"We are not stopping people from using social sites," Brock-Doyle said. "We say there are lots of things about your job ? procedures, places you'll be and do ? that remain confidential. There are elements of your job you can't share with wider groups of people."

Athletes, too, will need to navigate the social media world carefully.

Australian swimmers Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk have already been punished after posting photos of themselves on Facebook in which they cradled pump-action shotguns and a pistol in a U.S. gun shop.

The Australian Olympic Committee ordered them to remove the photos immediately. The swimmers have been banned from using social media for a month starting July 15 and will be sent home the day the Olympic swimming program finishes.

The British Olympic Association has offered advice to its own athletes, suggesting that "a few smiley faces and LOL's (online speak for laugh out loud) will make you seem more approachable and encourage more people to talk and ask you questions." What not to do: "Don't get into disputes with your audience."

British swimmer Rebecca Adlington, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a leading medal contender in London, has spoken out about abuse she has received about her physical appearance from some users on social media sites. She has already blocked the worst offenders from being able to contact her, but insists she won't stop using Twitter, where she trades dozens of messages a day with more than 50,000 followers.

"I'm insecure about the way I look and people's comments do hurt me," Adlington said in a message posted on Twitter.

While some athletes prefer to tune out from social media to concentrate on their competition, others embrace the opportunity to interact with their fans.

"Letting people know what I'm eating, how I'm sleeping, what the venues are like ? people want to know what we're going through," U.S. gymnast Jonathan Horton said. "They want to know what it's like going through the experience and what we're up to."

All in 140 characters.

___

Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap

Follow David Stringer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/david_stringer

___

AP Sports Writer Nancy Armour in Chicago contributed.

Associated Press

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NBA Mock Draft 2012: Timberwolves Still Locked Into Terrence Ross, According To Latest DraftExpress Mock

Sticking with the well-established narrative, DraftExpress.com's latest mock draft has the Minnesota Timberwolves drafting University of Washington sophomore Terrence Ross in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Ross, who is listed at 6-6 or 6-7, depending on where you look, averaged 16.7 points last season for the Pac-12 regular-season champion Huskies. He shot 45.7 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from downtown. His 194 three-point attempts were tied for fourth in the Pac-12.

Ross might remind some of Wesley Johnson, who the Wolves took fourth-overall in 2010. As a junior at Syrcause, Johnson average 16.5 points per game, shot 50.1 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from downtown (on 123 attempts).

Johnson has yet to pan out for the Timberwolves -- he averaged just 6.1 points per game last season, down from 9.0 as a rookie -- but maybe the 21-year-old Ross could push him.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

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Dog Wants To Play With Penguin At Aquarium (VIDEO)

For most, it's really easy to get excited about penguins, and this dog is no exception.

In this short video, posted to YouTube on Feb. 5, a dog tries to play with a penguin that's swimming calmly behind aquarium glass.

The dog paws and licks the glass, which is cute, but you've got to wonder what kind of response the penguin might have, were the glass not there. Fortunately, the penguin is protected from the dog's affection -- though it does raise questions about why the dog is in the aquarium in the first place.

Sea World, for example, only allows leashed assistance animals inside the park, while other pets must be kept at an onsite kennel.

Of course, some people object to keeping any animals in aquariums, and those sentiments are only intensified by tragedies such as the deaths of beluga whale calves, or when orcas attack their trainers.

However, as a report on penguins in captivity published in 2007 holds, these marine birds fare extremely well in outdoor exhibits from Los Angeles to Miami, despite being native to Antarctic waters.

Also on HuffPost:

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