The prince and the frog (Sin Chew Jit Poh)
Najib seems to be more profound in his thinking than Muhyiddin. Instead of squarely rejecting the candy from PAS’ Hadi Awang, he accepts it in delight, and appears to be more than ready to engage in the “unity government” game with Hadi.

“Ugly” Salamander Among New Species Found in Ecuador (National Geographic)
A bug-eyed salamander and a colorful poison frog are among 12 species possibly new to science recently found in the mountains of Ecuador. Video.

Auditions ahead for ‘Damn Yankees’ (Hudson Sun)
The Arts Alliance, which serves Hudson, Marlborough and other communities, offers these programs.

Heavy reliance on gov’t won’t help NDP’s future - Editorial (add your comment) (The Sudbury Star)
It is difficult not to admire new Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath’s devotion to her party’s roots, but it’s hard to see how she’s going to break the cycle that has left it teetering on the edge of official party status in every election since it was turfed from power in 1995.[...]

Boredoms, Deerhoof, No Age, Caribou Plan Special ATP NY Performances (Pitchfork)
Looks like we’re in for another memorable weekend in the Catskills when All Tomorrow’s Parties New York 2009 hits Monticello, New York September 11-13.

Humor: T-Swizzle (Taylor Swift) ft. T-Pain: Thug Story (Music Video) (Baller Status)
T-Pain and T-Swizzle (her rap alter-ego) poke fun at her good-girl image with a video/rhyme where she raps about being gangster and thuggin’. Used for the opening of the 2009 CMT Music Awards.

Meet the amphibian only its mother could love (New Scientist)
A bug-eyed salamander that looks like ET and a see-through frog are among the weirder species discovered by biologists in a far-flung corner of Ecuador

CALIFORNIAN: Arts & Entertainment Calendar for June 18-24, 2009 (The Californian)
The Californian CALENDAR Press releases for arts and entertainment events and programs should be typed, double-spaced, with basic information about the event, performance dates and times, location, ticket prices and a public telephone number. Send notices two to three weeks before the event to Preview, 28765 Single Oak Drive, Suite 100, Temecula CA 92590 or via e-mail to …

The prince and the frog (Malaysia Today)
If Hadi insists to go his way, he will risk sending PAS into disintegration, which means the Terengganu faction will lose its dominance.By TAY TIAN YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin…

Taylor Swift Raps With T-Pain (MTV UK)
Taylor Swift teamed up with T-Pain last night at the Country Music Television Awards to RAP with him! The singer took two awards at the ceremony and also performed classic Pour Some Sugar On Me…

Ex-outfielder Mel Hall convicted of child sex crime (Sports Illustrated)
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Former major league outfielder Mel Hall was found guilty Tuesday of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he coached on an elite basketball team a decade ago.

Taylor Swift’s Thug Story — video (Moldova.org)
Taylor Swift and rapper T-Pain got together for a rap collaboration called “Thug Story” (poking fun at her hit song “Love Story”). See the video below! The 19-year-old country cutie won big at this year’s 2009 CMT- Music Awards ceremony - scoring herself two CMT buckles (the awards) for Female Video of the Year and Video of the Year. Taylor quickly tweeted after the event, saying, “THANK YOU!!!! …

Taylor Swift raps with T-Pain at CMT Awards (MuchMusic)
Taylor Swift kicked off last night’s CMT Music Awards with an unlikely collaboration. The singer, who clearly doesn’t take herself too seriously, teamed up with T-Pain for an autotuned rap called “Thug Story.”

//Video: Taylor Swift Lives Out Her “Thug Story” Dream With T-Pain// (Neon Limelight)
Dreams really do come true when you’re Taylor Swift. In the intro for the CMT Music Awards, Taylor has a list of what might seem like unattainable dreams including starring in the already released Star Trek movie and playing in the NFL. But her dream of being in a rap video with the auto-tune king [...]

Former Indians outfielder Mel Hall faces at least 22 years for conviction of raping underage girls (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)
UPDATED: 7:38 p.m. Fort Worth Star-Telegram/APMel Hall faces a minimum of 22 years in prison after his rape conviction Wednesday.FORT WORTH, Texas — Former major league outfielder Mel Hall was sentenced to 45 years in prison Wednesday after being convicted…

Taylor Swift and T-Pain’s “Thug Life” Rap Video Takes Off on Its Own (cmt.com)
The Taylor Swift and T-Pain collaboration on the comedy rap video of “Thug Story” on the CMT Music Awards show Tuesday night (June 16) is turning into an event on its own.

Enter T-Swizzy; Taylor Swift and T-Pain Tell a ‘Thug Story’ at CMT Awards (Dose)
Taylor Swift and T-Pain opened the CMT Awards with a joke rap called “Thug Story.”

Soundbites (Tucson Weekly)
by Stephen Seigel NO LONGER SIMPLY A SIDE When he’s not playing in his best-known band, Wolf Parade, performing as a part-time member of Frog Eyes, Canadian Spencer Krug is putting out albums and touring with his other-other band, Sunset Rubdown. This coming week, the band will release its fourth album, Dragonslayer, on Jagjaguwar. Krug’s quavering, reedy voice will be instantly recognizable to …