Exclusive: Keri Hilson meets MSN Celebrity

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about . When you start sharing the fascinating facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

If you don't have accurate details regarding , then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don't let that happen: keep reading.

A bit of background on our celebrity guest...
Keri Hilson rose to fame when she collaborated with Timbaland on his 2006 album Shock Value - she featured on the song The Way I Are - and has also worked with many other big names including Kanye West, Xzibit, Ne-Yo and Usher.

Not only that, but she's also penned hit songs for artists including Britney Spears, Mary J Blige and The Pussycat Dolls, and she's been nominated for numerous awards, including two Grammys. She's won her fair share of covetable gongs too, including a MOBO and a BET Award.

She released her debut solo album In A Perfect World... in 2009 to great fanfare and her second album, No Boys Allowed has also been a great success, and her songs seem to strike a chord with almost everyone. At MSN, our favourite Keri Hilson track is Knock You Down featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo. (What's yours? Leave a message for us below!)

Not only is she a musical talent to be reckoned with and a hot favourite among other artists (remember when Cher Lloyd famously covered Keri's version of Turn My Swag On on last year's X Factor?) but she's a genuinely kind and interesting person - we can vouch for that after having shared a scone (her first ever!) with her at London's swanky Sanctum Soho Hotel.

Now you can be a confident expert on . OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on .

Rebecca Black Pulls Infamous ‘Friday’ Video From YouTube

When most people think of , what comes to mind is usually basic information that's not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there's a lot more to than just the basics.

Most of this information comes straight from the pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.

It’s Thursday, Thursday, and Rebecca Black’s memetastic “Friday” video is no longer available on YouTube, due to a copyright claim filed by Rebecca Black apparently. It’s not clear what exactly happened to the video, which at its pre-takedown height had amassed 167,370,534 views off of the ARK Music Factory account.

Earlier this week it seemed like the video had been set up as a $2.99 YouTube Rental by ARK, and then not so much. Is this latest drama due to an attempt by ARK to capitalize on the young star’s Internet fame? I have no idea.

When asked if Rebecca Black herself had asked for the takedown, a YouTube spokesperson gave us the following statement,”YouTube takes copyright infringement very seriously. When we receive a complaint alleging that a video infringes another person or company’s copyrights, we remove that video. Users who believe that a video was removed in error can appeal the copyright takedown.”

It’s been down for less than an hour and part of me actually misses the godforsaken thing. Guess you don’t know what you got until it’s gone.

You can't predict when knowing something extra about will come in handy. If you learned anything new about &keyword% in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.

Post Market Earning Scan: RIMM, CFI, JRJC

The following article covers a topic that has recently moved to center stage--at least it seems that way. If you've been thinking you need to know more about it, here's your opportunity.

Think about what you've read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about ? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

Analysts had forecasted earnings of $1.32 per share on revenue of $5.15 billion for the company. Shares gained 0.45 percent or 16 cents to close at $35.47.
Culp Inc. (NYSE: CFI), a leading manufacturer and distributor of textile fabrics to the furniture and upholstery industries, registered net income of $6 million, or 45 cents per diluted share in its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter, compared with net income of $5.4 million, or 41 cents per share a year earlier. Analysts had forecasted earnings of 25 cents per share for the company. Net sales during the quarter were $60.4 million, up 5.5 percent from the corresponding quarter. Shares added 3.36 percent or 25 cents to trade at $7.68.
China Finance Online CO. Ltd. (Nasdaq: JRJC), China’s online financial information and services company, reported net income of $1.4 million, or 6 cents per diluted share in its fiscal first-quarter, compared with a net income of $0.14 million, or 1 cent per diluted share a year earlier. Analysts had estimated earnings of 6 cents per share for the company. Shares were down 6.57 percent or 26 cents to trade at $3.70 in the after-hours trading.

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Bulls are NBA title favorites

Thanks to spectacular performances by their respective Ds -- Chicago's defense and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki -- both teams with home advantage are off to a 1-0 start in this year's NBA conference finals. Home teams in this position have gone on to win the series 85 percent of the time, an impressively high number that seems to set us down the path toward a Chicago Bulls-Dallas Mavericks NBA finals matchup in 2011.

However, a smart fan would be wise not to jump to conclusions this year, as each of these two Conference finals series is more closely matched than usual. The top three ranked teams in the data-driven TeamRankings. com predictive ratings are now Chicago, Miami Heat and Dallas, respectively, with the Oklahoma City Thunder ranked sixth. Chicago stands only a tenth of a point higher than Miami, though, meaning it's essentially a two-way tie for best team in the league. What's interesting, though, is that none of these teams is a juggernaut from a historical perspective.

In fact, Chicago's league-leading power rating is the second-worst rating for a No. 1-ranked team in the last seven years; the 2011 Bulls even rate as a whopping 1. 6 points worse than the 2008 Boston Celtics. If Derrick Rose and company jumped in a hot tub time machine and traveled back in time to compete for an NBA championship, throughout most of recent history, they would not be the favorites to win.

Josh Turner Surprises Scotty McCreery During Hometown Concert

This article explains a few things about , and if you're interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don't know.

I trust that what you've read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

An emotional day became unforgettable for Scotty McCreery on Saturday, May 14. The 17 year old kept his cool while fans screamed, cried and even proposed marriage during a media tour and promotional stops at local Garner, N.C. businesses. Taste of Country was there as the love shown by friends and family began to peel away the layers of his usually steady demeanor. The afternoon reached a fever pitch when McCreery’s hero Josh Turner walked out singing his hit song ‘Your Man.’

McCreery had just begun his “theme song” when Turner strutted out and picked up the next verse. “Oh my goodness!” McCreery shouted while waving off his band. It was the only time all afternoon he struggled to find the perfect thing to say.

“All these people are here for you,” Turner told McCreery. “I had heard you never sang this song with a band before and were a little bit nervous, so I decided I would bring a few of my guys in.” The duo picked up the song from the start, and traded verses and praise before going into Turner’s first radio hit, ‘Long Black Train.’

The high school junior showed incredible stage presence for someone who’s experience is limited at best. He was charismatic and funny, worked both sides of the audience, and even remembered to wave to the special fans in the first few rows. He hammed it up a little with Josh Turner, but never came off cornier than one would want. Amongst the songs he recreated for his fans was ‘Gone,’ ‘Letters From Home,’ and ‘The River,’ all tracks that were essential to his success thus far in the competition.

Hours earlier, during the parade leading up to the concert at Lake Benson park, fans watched as their native son buried his head in his hands and came up with rosy cheeks and watery eyes. Organizers expected 30,000 people despite the threat of storms. Fortunately, the only thing that got wet before McCreery finished was his sleeves, as he dabbed his teary eyes. Expect that scene to make the cut during this Wednesday’s episode of ‘American Idol.”

Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on .

May 21: End of the World, or End of Harold Camping's Credibility?

Camping also predicted the end of the world in September 1994, so while he has experience at this, his track record is not good. These messages always managed to circulate in the past, but I didn't even know about the 1994 prediction until yesterday. Thank goodness for the Internet and social networking. I can now find out about these things much more quickly. Seriously, though, this leads me to a few observations and questions about these predictions. Like the Washington Post's Jason Boyett, I worry about impressionable children who are exposed to this message and don't know to question what they hear from adults. It's tough enough being a kid without having to worry about the end of the world too. Don't get me wrong, I believe in God, I believe that Christ is our savior, I believe God does indeed work in mysterious ways, and I believe God has a master plan. What I don't believe is that The Bible is like a puzzle book that gives you all the clues to the end of time. Being trained as a civil engineer, I'm sure Camping is a very smart man. I don't believe he is smart enough to see into the mind of God. Which leads me to the point that Camping or anyone else predicting the end of the world will immediately lead me to question their credibility and character. The cynical side of me comes out and thinks this is all about fleecing the vulnerable and gullible out of their money. Whether it's a donation for a quicker trip to heaven or funding the advertising for the end of the world "message, " such as the unemployed woman from Colorado who used her part of her savings to advertise the end on a bus stop bench, it all sounds like a scam to take advantage of someone who trusts your judgment.

Atheists throw 'Rapture party' to raise charitable funds

I was tickled to hear about the Seattle atheist’s May 21 “Rapture party” [“Atheists counter prediction with ‘Rapture party, ’” NWTuesday, May 17]. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the group whose mission is in part to “encourage the public to look for credible evidence rather than superstition, dogma and the supernatural. ” But this isn’t just an event to poke fun at religious extremism, it is also a charitable fundraiser.

This is much more productive than picketing and foisting one group’s ideology onto another. This is a good reminder that “godless heathens” may indeed have souls, or at least great compassion. If the Rapture comes, the funds generated at the party will go toward “Rapture relief. ” If no one is raptured, the funds will be donated to Camp Quest, a summer camp that instructs children in critical thinking and fosters an interest in science.

This fundraiser should serve as a reminder that the kind of aggressive evangelism displayed by groups like Family Radio and Westboro Baptist Church (which really just seems like hate groups with tax-exempt statuses) are not productive. People of all creeds can find commonality under the banners of charity and volunteerism. Let’s help each other solve the problems of the here and now; the hereafter can wait.