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Big Time Rush Declare Themselves ‘Best Boy Band Of All Time’
But, Battle of the Boy Bands competitors also show love for ‘NSYNC.
By John Mitchell
Big Time Rush
Photo: MTV News
The competition continues to heat up in MTV News’ Battle of the Boy Bands. Some huge favorites are falling behind as some unexpected fans come out of the woodwork to vote for their favorite groups.
At this point in the competition, Big Time Rush are well ahead of ’90s R&B hitmakers All For One in their showdown, but anything can happen right up until voting closes today (April 26) at noon. So, the boys are here to tell you why you should vote for them and keep them in the race for the boy-band crown.
Highest Chart Achievement
The band, which was created for its namesake Nickelodeon show, enjoyed its strongest sales week ever when its November 2011 album, Elevate, debuted with over 70,000 in sales. However, their debut, 2010′s BTR, while selling fewer copies (67,000) in its opening frame, actually enjoyed a higher chart position, debuting at an astounding #3 to Elevate‘s #12.
Standout Video
For sheer Backstreet nostalgia alone, it’s got to be “Worldwide.” The clip features the guys — Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson — in all-white outfits, crooning their hearts out ballad-style, while hanging out in an airline terminal. The homage to the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” is undeniable — and we mean that as the highest of compliments.
Defining Tune
Well, that depends who you ask. “Boyfriend,” the band’s first official single sent to U.S. radio, remains their strongest-performing track on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #72. However, the band and its fans certainly have a connection with “Music Sounds Better With U,” which was co-written by the band and Ryan Tedder — yes, that Ryan Tedder, a hitmaker in his own right with OneRepublic, who is currently one of the hottest songwriters in the world after his work with Beyoncé and Adele, among many others, earned much acclaim and major sales. The song inspired the name of their 2012 “Better With U” tour.
Debut Album
The aforementioned BTR, which went gold here in the U.S.
Biggest Competition
While they are up against All 4 One in round one of the competition, they aren’t really the band’s biggest threat in the overall competition. Interestingly, that position is held by some close friends of the band — fellow teen dreams One Direction. Big Time Rush and One Direction toured together earlier this year, right before 1D broke out big time.
So, why should you vote for Big Time Rush? Well, the boys themselves came up with a pretty good reason: “I know the other boy bands are really awesome, but seriously, Big Time Rush is the best boy band of all time,” Henderson declared.
Pena added, “Not to mention that we have the best fans. So, all you Rushers out there, we love you.”
The boys themselves had little trouble zeroing in on their own personal favorite boy band. After name-checking their fandom of several boy bands, from 98 Degrees and the Backstreet Boys to Hanson, the guys went with their gut and said the answer was easy: ‘NSYNC.
Voting in round one of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands is now open and runs until noon ET today (April 26). Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!
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PayNearMe Takes Cash Payments System Mobile
PayNearMe, an alternative payments product that provides a compelling way for the ‘unbanked’ to use cash payments for online goods, is debuting its first mobile integration today. As you may know, the term “unbanked” refers to consumers who don?t have traditional bank accounts or cannot qualify for credit cards. PayNearMe allows people who don’t have or don’t want to use credit or debit cards to purchase products, pay for bills and more with cash at thousands of 7-Eleven stores in the continental U.S. Here’s how PayNearMe works. With participating partners, e-commerce or merchant sites, consumers can use the PayNearMe option to pay for purchases or debts owed. You simply place your order with PayNearMe and print out the given receipt. You then take that receipt into a 7-Eleven and they scan it and you pay in cash. Once you pay, your order with the retailer or merchant will be fulfilled.
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Breaking Dawn Sex Pillow: On Sale!
Remember when Edward and Bella had sex in Breaking Dawn? The act broke furniture, resulted in numerous spewed feathers and tore a pillow in half?
That pillow is now on sale at eBay!
No, really. This destroyed piece of bedding can be yours for the low, low price of $2,999.999. That’s a bargain, isn’t it? To rest your head forever on the item that helped consummate Edward’s love for Bella?
Chime in now: How much would you shell out for this pillow?
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Video: House Leader Cantor Unveils the Jobs Act
“Small businesses are the jobs engine of this country”, says House leader, Rep. Eric Cantor, (R-VA), discussing a new plan designed to jumpstart the U.S. economy and spur growth for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
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Birds cultivate decorative plants to attract mates
ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2012) ? An international team of scientists has uncovered the first evidence of a non-human species cultivating plants for use other than as food. Instead, bowerbirds propagate fruits used as decorations in their sexual displays. The researchers discovered male bowerbirds had unusually high numbers of fruit-bearing plants growing around their bowers, and used these fruits in order to attract females.
Published April 24, in Current Biology the research was carried out by the Universities of Exeter (UK), Postdam (Germany), Deakin and Queensland (Australia).
This is the first time a species other than humans has been found to cultivate non-food plants. However, the scientists do not believe the bowerbirds are intentionally cultivating the plants: it is more likely that they are growing around their bowers as a result of the birds gathering fruits for display.
Native to Australia and Papua New Guinea, bowerbirds are well known for their unique courtship behaviour, which involves males building ornate bowers. Males gather brightly-coloured objects to decorate their bowers, in order to attract females.
The research team observed bowerbirds in Taunton National Park, Central Queensland. They found higher numbers of Solanum ellipticum, or potato bush, plants around bowers than in other locations. These plants have bright purple flowers and green fruit. Their research showed that the birds were not selecting locations with a high number of the plants, but rather that they were growing plants around their bowers.
Bowers with many fruit on them are especially attractive to choosy females. Males collect the fruits, but when the fruits shrivel, they discard them nearby. This results in seeds germinating in the ground around the bower. Bowerbirds clear the area around their bower of grass and weeds, making ideal conditions for new plants to germinate. Male bowerbirds can maintain a bower in the same location for up to ten years, so will benefit from establishing plants that may survive for several years.
The researchers found that, like farmers selecting for fatter pigs or larger seeds, the bird’s behaviour may lead to a change in the appearance of fruits. The fruits from plants close to the bowers were slightly greener in colour than those found on other plants. The researchers tested the males’ choices and found they preferred this colour to that of the other fruit.
Lead researcher Dr Joah Madden said: “Until now, humans have been the only species known to cultivate plants for uses other than food. We grow plants for all kinds of things — from drugs, to clothing, to props that we use in our sexual displays such as roses — but it seems we are not unique in this respect.
“We do not believe bowerbirds are intentionally growing these plants, but this accumulation of preferred objects close to a site of habitation is arguably the way any cultivation begins. It will be very interesting to see how this mutually-beneficial relationship between bowerbirds and these plants develops.”
This study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Exeter.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Joah R. Madden, Caroline Dingle, Jess Isden, Janka Sparfeld, Anne W. Goldizen, John A. Endler. Male spotted bowerbirds propagate fruit for use in their sexual display. Current Biology, 2012; 22 (8): R264 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.02.057
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Battle Of The Boy Bands: Voting Begins Now!
One Direction, Backstreet Boys, the Beatles among 32 crews competing for coveted title; round-one voting closes on Thursday at noon ET.
By Christina Garibaldi
One Direction
Photo: Getty Images
MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands is officially under way! On Monday (April 23), we opened first-round voting in our interactive bracket competition, where 32 bands, spanning all generations, will face off.
The fans determine who’ll continue, who gets eliminated and, eventually who earns the title of Greatest Boy Band of All Time. So start voting now to make sure your favorite group advances to round two and beyond. And the bands aren’t just going to stand by while you vote — they’re already campaigning for your support as the the Wanted did in their hilarious video. Voting in round one closes on Thursday at noon ET. The tourney is sure to heat up before the winner is announced on May 7.
All right, it’s time to reveal our list of the 32 competing boy bands. Read on as we break down a few key matchups in the first round of competition and sound off on our list on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB!
Midwest
Backstreet Boys vs. Westlife: This will likely be an interesting first-round matchup since these two bands have one thing in particular on their side: longevity. Both groups have been around since the late 1990s, and while Westlife called it quits in 2011, the Backstreet Boys are still going strong, currently on a European tour with fellow boy-banders and tournament finalists, New Kids on the Block. Of course, BSB had worldwide success. Their 1999 album, Millennium, sold more 1 million copies in its first week. And Westlife, originally signed by Simon Cowell, had a hit song in the U.S, “Swear It Again,” and ruled the U.K. charts with 14 #1 singles. Here’s a fun fact: Westlife’s first big break came in 1998 when they opened for the Backstreet Boys at a concert in Dublin.
Additional Matchups:
O-Town vs. the Jackson 5
New Kids on the Block vs. Take That
East
‘NSYNC vs. 5ive: Yes, both of these groups consisted of five members, but they actually have more in common than that. In 1998, 5ive embarked on a U.S tour with ‘NSYNC, but soon after, left the tour due to exhaustion. Interestingly, both bands notably decided to call it quits at the peak time of their success. In 2001, 5ive had just released their third album when the lead single, “Let’s Dance,” became their third #1 in the U.K. They soon announced they were calling it a day. Similarly, in 2002, after ‘NSYNC’s second album, No Strings Attached became the best-selling album of the decade, the group released Celebrity, which gave the group three #1 singles. After a tour in support of their third album, they decided to go on a permanent break.
Additional Matchups:
LFO vs. 112
Jonas Brothers vs. Menudo
West
The Wanted vs. Color Me Badd: It’s not only old versus new in this matchup, it’s pop versus R&B. British boy band the Wanted have had much success overseas and recently found fame Stateside with their hit single “Glad You Came.” The group’s first U.S. EP hits stores on Tuesday and they just released their next track, “Chasing the Sun.” But don’t count out Color Me Badd: Much like The Wanted, this group had success early on in their career. From 1991 to 1992, the group had five hit singles off their debut album, including the smash hit “I Wanna Sex You Up.”
Additional Matchups:
The Monkees vs. 2gether
Boyz II Men vs. Jodeci
South
One Direction vs. Day 26: This could be an exciting matchup since the two bands were assembled by two of the most influential minds in music: Simon Cowell and Diddy. British boy band One Direction got their start on the U.K. version of the “X Factor” and quickly took off from there. In March, their debut album, Up All Night, debuted at #1, the first time a U.K. group did so with a debut album . Day 26 also got their start on a television show, MTV’s “Making the Band 4.” In 2008, one year after their formation, the group released their self-titled album on Diddy’s Bad Boy records; it debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart.
Additional Matchups:
IM5 vs. B2K
NKOTBSB vs. New Edition
Another Bad Creation vs. Mindless Behavior
Voting is under way in round one of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands and closes at noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan ballots, so if your favorite band made the cut, keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits daily for boy-band video takeovers. And don’t forget to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates!
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Google’s 1Q lobbying bill more than triples to $5M
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Google‘s U.S. lobbying bill more than tripled to $5 million during the first three months of the year amid increased government scrutiny of the Internet search leader’s business and privacy practices.
The first-quarter expenses for political persuasion are by far the highest that Google Inc. has rung up for any three-month period since the company opened a lobbying office in Washington seven years ago. At the same time last year, Google spent $1.48 million trying to make its points with U.S. lawmakers and regulators.
The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., disclosed the figures in documents filed late Friday with the U.S. Senate secretary’s office.
The total for the most recent quarter is more than the combined lobbying bills among four of Google‘s biggest rivals. Microsoft Corp., Apple Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Facebook Inc. spent a combined $3.6 million in the first quarter.
Microsoft, one of the technology industry’s biggest spenders for years, had been spending more on lobbying than Google until the second quarter of last year.
Google‘s lobbying expenses have been rising steadily against a backdrop of government inquiries triggered by complaints from some of its rivals and privacy watchdog groups.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general in at least six states are looking into allegations that Google has abused its dominance of the lucrative Internet search market to stifle competition and muscle its way into other markets.
Google‘s privacy practices came under fire in February after a Stanford University graduate student released research showing the company has had been bypassing the security settings in Apple’s Safari browser for iPhones and iPads to track Web surfers’ online activities. Google called the intrusion an inadvertent mistake, but the FTC is now examining whether the maneuver violated a settlement reached last year that prohibits Google from engaging in deceptive practices.
To help make its case with lawmakers and federal policymakers, Google last summer hired a dozen lobbing firms to supplement the team that it already employed in its Washington office. That expansion has driven up the company’s lobbying budget.
Earlier this year, Google brought in even more political clout earlier this year by hiring a former congresswoman, Susan Molinari, to oversee its lobbying efforts.
Molinari, a Republican who represented New York in Congress for seven years during the 1990s, formerly worked for a firm that lobbied on behalf of Microsoft, among other companies.
Google’s first-quarter lobbying agenda covered a wide range of Internet-focused issues, including advertising, privacy and completion, according to the company’s disclosures. Other lobbying topics included copyrights, patents, renewable energy, immigration and international tax reform.
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