Calling it the "Obama Effect," Common claims the Commander-in-Chief has helped guide rappers away from bombastic consumerism and "gangsta talk," which we thought went out the window ages ago.

I also don't find as much gangsta talk. You see the whole chain-shining-and-rim era is gone. That's like super-played out. Just to have that, I think, is part of the Obama effect.

This hypothesis, of course, supports Common's previous claims to CNN that Obama's election would bring a more positive attitude to the genre. So it's all very convenient, although it seems to us that the crippled economy and a pervasive exhaustion for ostentatious displays had more to do with this trend than Obama himself. But, still, let's all sing his praises, anyway!

By the way, Common was speaking at an arts event sponsored by Hennessy, a drink that was emblematic of the attitudes Common claims are fading away.

Underused actors Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies did good! Their film City Island, which received the audience award at the Tribeca film festival, has found a North American distributor, with the similarly named Anchor Bay ("Have you been to City Island in Anchor Bay? It's beautiful! Julianna Margulies has a house there.") So go run out to your local arthouse in the next few months and see this comedy about familial secrets and lies. Or wait for it on Netflix or whatever like everyone else is doing and go see G.I. Joe instead. No judgments here. [Variety]

Oh for Pete's sake... Katherine Heigl, the outspoken and demanding star of Grey's Anatomy, was supposed to maybe sorta die in last month's season finale episode. But now apparently she's coming back. But will she be a ghost? A fever dream that Meredith has while trying to come up with snappy, poignant ways to narrate the end of her week? Who the hell knows. Sigh. Her friend George is still dead though, cause he got hit by a bus. [THR]

Ace director Mike Mitchell (Sky High, Surviving Christmas) has been tapped to helm Once Upon a Time. The Wicked or Enchanted or whatever else wannabe is about Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty—all married to the Charming Brothers like it was Real Housewives of New Jersey or something—setting out on an adventure when they're husbands go missing. In movie life? That adventure involves slaying beasts and foiling witches. In real life? That adventure involves working two jobs and trying to get your kids to finish high school. See why we need the movies?? [Variety]

Diminutive Oscar-winner Linda Hunt will spend a year or so living dangerously as a regular on that NCIS: LA spin-off about people using the alphabet. She'll play one of those tough but lovable administrators that crime show watchers just love to love. [THR]

Common, who was downright terrible in the downright awful Terminator Salvation thing that came out one time this summer, has landed a lead role opposite Queen Latifah. The movie is called Just Wright and is about a sports doctor who falls in love with a professional basketball player. Sounds pretty dull. One could even say common. [Variety]

Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Elijah Wood, and that bad vampire from Twilight have all signed on for The Experiment, a psychological creeper based on the German original, called Das Experiment (see the difference there?). With a cast of weirdos like that, it's destined to be a total creepfest. Someone get Shelley Duvall outta retirement to play a spooky nurse or the love interest or something. [Variety]

We sat down and broke apart every little detail from the new trailer that we think is worth pointing out, including Kyle Reese's mannerisms, details on the love life between John Connor and his wife... and who may be still standing at the end. Plenty of screencaps, and spoilers, below.

Up top you've got the one and only John Connor, ladies and gentlemen: he lands his helicopter on the Terminator then shoots it in the head, just to be sure, multi-tasking is tricky, and what is that head piece? Hello Stargate.

Baby Kyle Reese is played by the adorable Anton Yelchin — and it appears he already has the Michael Biehn toothy smile down pat.

In the future, everyone drives jeeps or trucks that look like they belong in the Road Warrior, and all is as it should be.

Amazing zooming moto-terminators with what looks like a couple of side arms and the terminator red-eye problem. Check out the harvester in the background — bring it!

Looks like the humans have been forced to live underground again, with Common.

Holy hell, those are some awesome Terminators. What's with the doohickies above their heads? Can they fly? They can fly, can't they? I mean, we know that the big ones can fly, but personal flying Terminators would be amazingtastic. UPDATE: All right, maybe it is a factory.

One muddy man, who I'm assuming is Sam Worthington's character Marcus after he escaped the evil Terminator labs, I mean Bale is big, but I don't know if he's that big.

Look at all the face scars on tied-up Marcus, John Connor doesn't trust him... nor should he!

Speaking of the evil Terminator labs, it looks like the humans are getting crushed in a giant trash compactor.

With Spikes!

Check this out: someone who is presumably naked just beat the hell out of a Terminator, and is about to use the arm gun to bust his naked ass out, I'm assuming this is all part of Marcus' great escape. Update: tsunamitomi made a good point that this could also be a portal or a time travel, so feasts your minds on that.

The freeing of the humans. This is a little Oz "Brand New Day" for me.

Connor snuggles a little too close to a Terminator face.

Lovers running! Moon Bloodgood playing Blair Williams runs with her alleged lover Marcus, but why is she smiling? Bad acting, or does she know something we don't?

Wheelies! If there is a god, this is Bale.

Ack, Connor is hurt. Quick, Common and Marcus — carry him to his wife before something bad happens.

Oh crap something bad happened, slo mo screaming is never a good sign. But I will say, Bryce Dallas Howard is looking like one hot Mrs. Connor.

Oh, and SHE'S PREGNANT. What?

What is this place? A secret lab for turning people into robots, possibly? Hey, it's been suggested. And who's that guy? Are there still humans working for the Terminators?

Hydro bot wrasslin'.

Please tell me who this is. Is it John or is it Marcus? Because one of them is clearly dead, by the looks of it.

More Harvester action.

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M&V: I saw the video for "Universal Mind Control," and I almost missed the Zune that appeared in the first five seconds.

Common: The video, or any visual, is very important to me, and for me to be open to showing a product in my video means a lot, because it's a representation of me. With anything I associate myself with, I think, "Is it gonna help or bring me down?" The Zune is something that I've been confident about associating myself with, because I think it's got a fly presentation to it. It is truly about music lovers, for me.

God, the entire interview is just that ridiculous. I remember when Common said this:

I might've failed to mention that the shit was creative
But once the man got you well he altered the native
Told her if she got an energetic gimmick
That she could make money, and she did it like a dummy
Now I see her in commercials, shes universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle
Now she be in the burbs lickin rock and dressin hip
And on some dumb shit, when she comes to the city...

But ima take her back hopin that the shit stop
Cause who Im talkin bout yall is hip-hop

Lyrics by Lincoln Spotlight Winner Jael Gadsen, Copywritten 2008

Song Title: Your Season

Verse 1

Have you ever heard a voice in your head?
It's the voice of your heart telling you
"That you have a higher purpose,
Don't let your life be worthless,
Come on you deserve this!"

Some say that your dreams can't come true
They laugh and they call you a fool
And then you get discouraged
And try to find excuses of why you can't do this!

Oh! You gotta reach for your dreams and you'll see!
That everything you need is within your reach!
Your purpose will take you where you need to be!
Listen to your heart and believe.

Verse 2

You decide to give your dreams a try
Deep inside you know it feels right
Then you start to make some headway!
Then all of a sudden road blocks
Keep landing in your pathway!

People talking, money short and, time is wasting, keep the pace man
Cause you gotta be head strong, keep on pushing on
Cause you're a fighter!
Keep reaching higher!

Oh! You gotta reach for your dreams and you'll see!
That everything you need is within your reach!
Your purpose will take you where you need to be!
Listen to your heart and believe.

Keep reaching higher and higher
Don't ignore your desires
You feel this way for a reason
Soon it'll be your SEASON!

Oh-oh-oh!
Listen to your Heart! Oh Oh oh! Within your reach! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

Oh you! Keep reaching higher and higher. Oh you! Keep reaching Higher!
h-i-g-h-e-r.

A riveting memoir, Hiding In Hip Hop, uncovers a hidden and well-known unspoken secret. Deep within the confines of Hip-Hop is a prominent gay sub-culture. A world that industry insiders are keenly aware of, but choose to ignore. From the testosterone of men striving to be on top and in control, to the "by any means necessary" bravado in an industry that thrives on power, homosexuality is a reality at nearly every level of Hip-Hop.

What's really surprising is that hip hop has managed to keep the identities of its gay people officially secret for this long. Rap has been big business and big money for a long time, but unlike in Hollywood—where gossip hounds have essentially uncovered the gay celebrities, who are then allowed to go about their business—the rap industry still feels that being openly gay could jeopardize an artist's career for good. Tom Cruise hasn't lost work because of the gay rumors surrounding him; Jay-Z surely would. It's a barrier that everyone remains afraid to cross. A rapper who started out as openly gay could theoretically make a career in hip hop, but it would not be a mainstream one. Even today, fostering the twin images of sex lord and crime lord are the most reliable way that MCs propel themselves into superstardom. Though this is changing (see Kanye), it's a long way from changed.

So when Hiding In Hip Hop comes out on May 13—assuming that it does out some identifiable figures in hip hop, and that it is reliable—the fallout will be fascinating to watch. I would expect immediate denials, and private reprisals from anyone named. But the real gay rappers, whoever they are, would be wise to stand up and be counted for the first time. They would go down in history for something much bigger than mediocre album sales. And the marketing opportunities would be enough to relaunch a flagging career, albeit in a slightly more bohemian arena.

If Del tha Funkee Homosapien came out as gay, no one would care. If a hardcore rapper like, say, Fat Joe came out, people would be surprised. But if one of the usual suspects like Kanye or Puffy came out, they would be positioned to use their already-deep resources to continue their careers as trailblazers. So a bit of advice to whoever may be named in the book (assuming it's true): Don't be the mad rapper. When you're dead and gone, one small step you took towards toning down the homophobia in hip hop would be worth much more than your music. And if you are Puffy, your music always sucked anyways. So go for it!

(And if anyone happens to get their hands on the book before May 13, email us.)

Inside, brand name hip hop DJs spun 90s classics, and signature Smirnoff cocktails were served. Once the show started, it became clear that Smirnoff had paid a great deal of money for the famous MCs to shout out Smirnoff as many times as possible. The mic was even adorned with a huge, shiny Smirnoff logo that made Q-Tip look like he was wearing a four-finger ring.

Common freestyled, and shouted out Smirnoff. Sway, the MTV host, gave a convoluted disquisition explaining how KRS convinced him that working for MTV was not selling out. Then KRS, one of the most respected MCs of all time, did a set, interspersed with more long explanations about how Smirnoff had an integral connection to hip hop culture, and how the night was a cultural, not corporate, event. KRS is a great rapper, but his politics are straight out of an empty Smirnoff bottle. He eventually ran into the crowd and freestyled, which was very cool.

At the end of the night, they handed out free bottles of water, rather than Smirnoff. Smirnoff is poison.

• Jonathan Rhys Meyers gets a little bit less hot every time he's arrested for being drunk in an airport, doesn't he. [TMZ]
  
• Rapper Common "likes him some [tennis player] Serena [Williams]." [Page Six]
  
• Kanye West got all in touch with his emotions while performing a song about his dead mom. [Us Weekly]