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Mumford & Sons combined the band's folky sound with our favorite comedians to create a music video of massively entertaining proportions.

The professional white funnymen Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Ed Helms and Wil Forte stand in for the band, wearing suspenders and fake beards, hauling their instruments down a dusty lane, playing in a row boat, crying, tasting each other’s tears, and eventually smashing their instruments and at least one of the filament bulbs lighting the barn they’re in.

Because you can’t make a parody these days without taking it over the top, Sudeikis and Forte also share an open-mouthed kiss.

I was more tickled by the smoke coming off Bateman’s hands during his banjo solo. Although the kiss seems less rote when you think of it as underlining the song’s vague references to a young man’s romantic confusion

In the video, Jason Bateman, Will Forte, Ed Helms and Jason Sudeikis are transported to a dusty barn where they star as members of the band. Adorned with earth-toned clothing, hipster facial hair and instruments from the prairie house, the troupe of actors are almost unrecognizable at first. But after the closeup shots and sultry staring into each others' eyes, it's totally obvious the video is not the Mumford & Sons we all know.

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LeBron James has his chalk toss ... Metallica's got their band huddle ... we're pretty sure Justin Bieber kisses a photo of himself -- but the greatest pre-show ritual of all time definitely belongs to pro surfer babe Anastasia Ashley.

The video was shot over the weekend at the Supergirl Pro in Oceanside, CA -- and while Ashley didn't even come close to winning the competition, she definitely won our hearts.

We've all fallen in love with AnastasiAshley this week. She pours beer, she surfs (well), she's not afraid to wear thongs on beaches not located in Brazil. She's a dream girl.

Anastasia has now added a twerking routine to her repertoire. She's the new Michelle Jenneke! This is amazing.

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After days of alarms and embassy lockdowns, the United States and Britain on Tuesday stepped up security precautions in Yemen, with Washington ordering “nonemergency” government personnel to leave and the Foreign Office in London saying it has withdrawn its diplomatic staff in the capital of Sana “due to increased security concerns.”

In the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, where the threat of attack is considered greatest, the UK, France and Germany have also shut their embassies.

The British embassy has emptied completely, with all remaining British staff leaving the country on Tuesday, while the US air force flew out American personnel.

 The measures came a day after officials in Washington said the United States had intercepted electronic communications in which the head of Al Qaeda ordered the leader of the group’s affiliate in Yemen to carry out an attack as early as this past Sunday.

Consequently the Obama administration decided last week to close nearly two dozen diplomatic missions and issue a worldwide travel alert.

The British and American warnings were issued several hours after Yemeni military officials said that at least four men, suspected of being Al Qaeda members, were killed in what was described as an American drone strike in the eastern Marib region of Yemen early on Tuesday.

AQAP has form. In August 2009, its master bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri, a Saudi national, built an explosive device so hard to detect it was either packed flat next to the wearer's groin or perhaps even concealed inside his body.

He then sent his brother Abdullah, a willing volunteer, as a human bomb to blow up the Saudi prince in charge of counter-terrorism. He very nearly succeeded.

Pretending he wanted to give himself up, Abdullah al-Asiri fooled Saudi security into letting him get right next to Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef before the device was detonated, possibly remotely by mobile phone.

The blast blew the bomber in half, but with most of the explosive force directed downwards, the prince had a miraculous escape with only a damaged hand. AQAP boasted that it would try again and it did.

In December 2009, Ibrahim al-Asiri devised another device to put on a volunteer, this time a young Nigerian called Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

He was able to fly all the way from Europe to Detroit with a viable explosive device hidden in his underpants, a massive failure of intelligence and security.

 The security alert spread to some of the United States’ allies in Europe. Britain and France closed their embassies in Yemen and said Monday that they had extended the shutdown until at least Thursday. Washington also announced that its embassy would stay shut until after the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, also expected on Thursday in most places. The German mission in Yemen was closed Monday, while Norway shut its embassies in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

In recent years, the Al Qaeda affiliate in poverty-stricken Yemen has plotted a number of potentially spectacular attacks including an attempt to blow up a trans-Atlantic jet over Detroit on Dec. 25, 2009, using explosives sewn into an attacker’s underwear. Months earlier, an attacker with a bomb surgically implanted in his body tried to kill the Saudi intelligence chief.

American officials have identified the bomb-builder in both cases as Ibrahim al-Asiri, an Al Qeada leader in Yemen whom the Obama administration has been trying to kill as part of a campaign using armed drones. But it was not clear if the reported attack on Tuesday was part of that same operation.

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To most, Shawn Burr will be remembered as a hard-working two-way forward and fan favorite with the Detroit Red Wings.

Here, where Burr resided since 2000, he was a charitable man who was a big presence in the community and used his standing and affable personality to help others.

“He told me that his legacy would be, ‘I was an average or a little better than average skater — definitely not a Hall of Famer,’” said Dave Goetze of Clyde, a close personal friend of Burr’s and the vice president and business manager of the Shawn Burr Foundation. “He said, ‘My legacy is giving back.’

“He said his greatest successes were his daughter Madison, his daughter Maison and his wife Amanda. And giving back.”

Burr, a Sarnia native who had been battling leukemia since early 2011, died Monday after falling in his St. Clair home and suffering head trauma. He was 47. He played 16 seasons in the NHL, accumulating 181 goals and 259 assists in 878 career games. His first 11 seasons in the NHL were spent with the Red Wings.

He certainly gave plenty to the area, as his foundation helped raise more than $1.5 million for local charities, Goetze said. Its original aim, after being set up on Burr’s 34th birthday — July 1, 2000 — was to benefit local youth-based charities. Since he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, the foundation’s focus shifted to supporting blood cancer research.

Whenever Burr arrived in the Red Wings dressing room, he drew a crowd, be it fellow players or reporters. He was always in good humour and never stopped talking. His teammates loved his jokes and reporters loved his one-liners about hockey.

“He always had that quick wit,” Yzerman said. “Something funny was always the first thing out of his mouth. He was an upbeat guy with a smile on his face.”

Terry Crisp, who was Burr’s coach during his first of two tours with the Lightning, told the Tampa Bay Times he was the best trash-talker he ever heard.

“I used to stand behind Shawn Burr on the bench with a pen and paper in my hand and write down the barbs he'd throw at the other players,” Crisp said. “He had to be one of the best trash-talkers I have ever, ever encountered in my career, and I heard some good ones, believe me.”

Burr, who was a native of Sarnia, Ont., made himself valuable to his teams with his checking and hitting, powered by a relentless work ethic. And he finished his 16 NHL seasons in 2000 with a respectable 440 points in 878 regular-season games.

After his NHL career was over, Burr moved back to the Detroit area where he worked for a brokerage firm. He also became active with the Red Wings alumni team and he raised more than $1.5-million (U.S.) for charities in the St. Clair area through his foundation.

"He was a funny guy, a nonstop talker, always had a trick to play," former teammate Chris Osgood told The Free Press. "My first game as a rookie, he put my name upside down on my jersey. He was the guy in the ’90s who kept everybody else relaxed. He did the dirty work for the team on the ice and then kept the guys relaxed in the dressing room."

Burr leaves his wife Amanda and daughters Madison and Maison.

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Usher's son Usher Raymond V is in the ICU at an Atlanta hospital after a serious accident in a residential pool Monday, TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ, the accident occurred yesterday just after 2 PM in Atlanta. We're told Usher was not there at the time.

Here's what we know ... The child was playing in the pool with his aunt and saw a toy in the drain.  He dove down to get the toy and his arm got stuck in the drain.  The aunt immediately dove in to rescue him but couldn't get his hand out.  The maid then dove in and tried but was also unsuccessful.

The maid screamed for help.  Two audio-visual contractors working in the house came out, dove in and freed the boy.  One of them administered CPR immediately and rushed to the hospital.  The boy was "conscious, alert and breathing.  People connected with Usher tell us he rode with his son to the hospital in the ambulance, but according to the police report, Usher met his son there.

5-year-old Usher Raymond V is the oldest of Usher's two sons with ex-wife Tameka

 Usher's 5-year-old son nearly drowned in a backyard pool in Atlanta on Monday — setting off what could be an ugly custody battle after the boy’s mom apparently blamed the Grammy-Award winner for the accident.

The R&B singer was not at the home where the terrifying incident occurred, a report said.

But Usher’s ex-wife, the boy’s mother, seems to be holding the entertainer responsible anyway.

Tameka Foster — who lost another child by a different father in a Jet Ski accident — filed legal documents Tuesday to try to gain custody of little Usher Raymond 5th, citing a dangerous environment, TMZ said.

The drama began Monday when the boy ended up at the bottom of a pool behind a home in downtown Atlanta and became stuck in a drain, police said. He was trying to retrieve a toy, TMZ reported.

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Tony Stewart broke his right leg in a sprint car wreck on Monday night at Southern Iowa Speedway. He will miss this weekend's race at Watkins Glen at the very least – road-course specialist Max Papis will fill in – and this almost certainly kills his chances of winning another Sprint Cup championship.

According to Stewart-Haas Racing, a replacement driver for Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International has not yet been determined. Stewart is 11th in the standings, and with one victory this season, leads the race for the first Wild Card in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

UPDATE: Stewart will undergo a second surgery. According to Stewart Haas Racing, the first surgery "served as a preliminary procedure to stabilize and clean the Grade 2 injury." Stewart remains hospitalized for observation.

"It looked like he got into a lapped car," race winner Brian Brown told The Des Moines Register. "When I got close, he was flipping cage down. I didn't really have time to watch and see what was going on."

Although former NASCAR driver Jason Leffler was killed earlier this year in a sprint-car crash in New Jersey, Stewart maintains close ties to his short-track roots by scheduling roughly 70 sprint car events per year. Friday at Pocono Raceway, Stewart brushed off the Ohsweken accident as routine.

“You guys (in the media) need to watch more sprint car videos and stuff. It’s starting to get annoying this week about that. That was just an average sprint car wreck. When they wreck, they get upside down like that. That was not a big deal,” he said. “… I guarantee you, there were 15, 20 guys across the country who flipped just like that this weekend. We’re just fine. If it’s bad, we’ll let you guys know.”

Stewart of course cancelled a Tuesday testing session at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the team announced Tuesday that Papis will replace him at Watkins Glen. The team did not reveal how long Stewart will be out.

"I told someone to go get my phone or else I was going to get up and get it myself," Stewart wrote on his Facebook page. "Finally got reconnected to the world and just want to say thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. My team will remain strong and I will be back."

This would be the first Cup race without Stewart since 1998, a string of 521 consecutive starts.

Stewart is currently 11th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and with a win does hold one of the wild-card spots. However, missing significant time will likely drop him below fellow one-win drivers Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr., who are 10th and 19th points behind Stewart, respectively.
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Jazz musician George Duke died Monday in Los Angeles at age 67.

Duke's career spanned five decades and he always straddled the line between disparate genres, collaborating with artists such as Miles Davis, Barry Manilow, Frank Zappa, George Clinton and some of Brazil's top musicians.

A pioneer in the funk and R&B genres, he had been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to his label Concord Music Group, which confirmed his death.

"The outpouring of love and support that we have received from my father's friends, fans and the entire music community has been overwhelming," said his son, Rashid Duke, in a statement. "Thank you all for your concern, prayers and support."

Born in San Rafael, Calif., Duke aspired to a music career from an early age, after his mother took him to a Duke Ellington concert.

, He told Scott Simon that he could not recall how many albums he'd put out.

"I'm kinda like [John] McCain in that way: He doesn't know how many houses he's got; I don't know how many albums I've got," Duke joked.

Duke was 67. His record label said he died after a battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

A little more than a year ago, Duke's wife died of cancer. Duke was devastated and could not make music for months. But, earlier this month, Duke released "DreamWeaver," which the AP's tied up Duke's eclectic career in a lush tribute to his wife.

"Duke expresses his love for his late wife on the tender, piano-driven ballad 'Missing You,' a romantic vocal duet with Rachelle Ferrell," Gans wrote. "The album ends by turning the cowboy ballad 'Happy Trails' — Dale Evans' closing theme to 'The Roy Rogers Show' — into a soulful, heartfelt farewell to his wife, made even more poignant by the sudden death of guitarist Jef Lee Johnson shortly after he recorded the fadeout guitar solo."

Over the course of his four-decade-plus career, the Grammy Award-winning keyboardist put out more than 40 albums and collaborated with artists such as Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Jill Scott and Michael Jackson. His music was also sampled by Kanye West, Daft Punk and Common.

"It's a wonderful thing that has happened under the banner of jazz," Duke told USA TODAY of his career longevity. "In R&B and rock, when you are over a certain age, they say goodbye to you. But in jazz, you just kind of level off and continue to gain respect, so long as you keep your integrity."

Duke's final album, DreamWeaver, was released July 16 and made its debut at No. 1 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. It was his first new music since the death of his wife, Corine, last year.

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Kim Granatell Trashes Teresa Giudice: "She Needs a Reality Check"
While some Real Housewives stars are keeping their mouths shut regarding Teresa and Joe Giudice's fraud scandal, Kim Granatell apparently has no problem sharing her opinion. The Bravo guest star, who makes occasional appearances on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, slammed the couple in an Aug. 2 interview with Patch.

"Flashing all that cash, I tried to tell people from day one they were criminals," Granatell said.
"She needs a reality check," she added about Teresa. "Where are her feelings of remorse for ruining people's lives and businesses? A normal person with feelings for others would feel terrible and do everything to make things right."

On July 29, Teresa, 41, and Joe, 43, were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud. After appearing in court on July 30 in Newark, N.J., they were released on $500,000 bond. Their next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14, and, if convicted, they could face up to 50 years in prison.
The reality stars are parents to daughters Gia, 13, Gabriella, 10, Milania, 7, and Audriana, 3. Granatell said told Patch that she'd only feel sorry for their girls "if they have to stay with Teresa and Joe."
In a recent interview with Us Weekly, Granatell also said that the local community feels sorry for the Giudices' children. "My reaction to that is, okay, one or two counts? Okay, I can feel sorry for the kids," she explained. "But 39?! You didn't know what you were doing? You didn't think of the consequences? Come on! Come on!"
"It really didn't surprise me because it was just time and it was about when it was going to happen," Granatell told Us of the couples' charges. "I knew it was going to happen, it was just when was it going to happen."

Teresa's fellow Real Housewives of New Jersey star and "frenemy," Jacqueline Laurita, came to her defense on Twitter over Granatell's recent comments. Laurita tweeted on July 31, "Hey Kim Granatell, I haven't seen you in 2 years, U have been MIA, until now. U r very vocal. I know you never cared for T & J but . . . " She then posted a photo of Proverbs 24:17, which states, "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice."

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During Monday night’s finale of the ABC reality show The Bachelorette, the producers revealed that a contestant on the show, Juan Pablo Galavis, would become the next star of the companion series, The Bachelor.

This is relevant to the sporting world, however tangentially, because Galavis was an accomplished professional soccer player, spending several years playing in the Venezuelan first division for Caracas FC, Deportivo Italia and Monagas Sport Club. He was also a successful college player in the states, and is the all-time assists leader at Roberts Wesleyan College.

Juan Pablo's new position as the Bachelor shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as we exclusively reported that the secy single father was the frontrunner for the gig. "The ladies seem to love him, and he's really good-looking and personable," a source told E! News at the time.
The 32-year-old Venezuelan is a professional football (read: soccer!) player who retired in 2009 so that he could stay in Miami with his daughter, who is now four years-old. Desiree sent Juan Pablo home in episode six, despite their strong physical connection.

Sources told us Des' now-fiance Chris Siegfried, runner-up Drew Kenney and Brooks Forester, who shocked viewers by bowing out of the competition, were also in consideration for the gig.
Two former Bachelorettes predicted that Juan Pablo would be Sean Lowe's successor: Emily Maynard told us, "I really like Juan Pablo. He is the cutest thing," while Ali Fedotowsky shared, "He's like suave but not in a cheesy kind of way. [It's] in a really down to earth [and] cute endearing kind of way."
While most seasons of "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette" indicate an obvious choice for the next season, Desiree's journey shook that mold. The former "Bachelor" contestant was a surprising pick for Season 9 of "The Bachelorette" since the gig usually goes to the runner-up. But she was such a fan favorite that she won the role. And in her season of "The Bachelorette," frontrunner Brooks broke Desiree's heart in the penultimate episode, then Desiree sent Drew home, realizing she didn't have true feelings for him. Of course, it could've been either one of them or Jef Holm, who was engaged to "Bachelorette" Emily Maynard last year.

"Bachelorette" host Chris Harrison told ABC News it was unlikely that Brooks would be the next "Bachelor." "He obviously has trouble committing and although he was sincere in coming on the show, he definitely has trouble expressing himself and letting himself be vulnerable when push comes to shove," Harrison said. "The reason the last two seasons have been so good is that Sean [Lowe] and Des did that really well. I don't know if Brooks has it in him to be so open."


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As Manziel's future college eligibility remains in question in the aftermath of a report that the Texas A&M quarterback accepted money for signing memorabilia, USA TODAY Sports backtracks through the defending Heisman winner's wild offseason.

January: Following A&M's Cotton Bowl win over Oklahoma, he visited the Winstar Casino in Oklahoma for some late-night gambling. He tweeted a photo, which went viral on the web, with friends flashing money. In response to backlash from the photo, Manziel tweeted, "Nothing illegal about being 18+ in a casino and winning money...KEEP HATING!" The night after winning big, he was spotted by TMZ popping bottles of champagne in a Dallas-area club.

 During a July 26 interview for my story on Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel that ran in last week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Manziel briefly mentioned the Alabama autograph incident that made headlines Monday. At the time, the story was one in a series of anecdotes about dealing with the autograph hounds, both amateur and professional, that Manziel had met during his sudden rise to fame in 2012. As Manziel and Aggies receiver Ryan Swope settled into their room at a Hilton in Birmingham, Ala., the day before Texas A&M faced Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Manziel said, an autograph broker with a stack of items wedged his way into the room as Manziel entered.

It was certainly interesting, but it wasn't even the most outrageous story Manziel told on the subject. That one was about a man who dressed in military fatigues who accosted Manziel and his family in a Dallas airport and asked Manziel to sign some Texas A&M helmet decals for troops deployed overseas. Later, the Manziels found that the decals had been affixed to helmets and sold on eBay. That anecdote made the magazine story. The Alabama one didn't.

But the Alabama anecdote gained additional context Monday when the broker claimed to ESPN that after Manziel signed for free, Manziel's friend and personal assistant Nathan Fitch later told the broker that another session would require a fee. Monday, ESPN posted a photo provided by the broker from the Birmingham encounter. ESPN's Joe Schad also reported Monday that the broker declined six phone calls from the NCAA. Sunday, ESPN reported that the NCAA is investigating an accusation that Manziel was paid to sign autographs for a different broker in January in south Florida. Manziel has not responded to requests for comment since ESPN first reported the investigation on Sunday. Fitch also has not responded to requests for comment.

MANDEL: Autograph scandal will follow Manziel regardless of NCAA's findings

But Manziel talked about his meeting with the autograph broker in Alabama during our July 26 interview. Manziel said it happened shortly after the team arrived at its hotel on Nov. 9, as he and teammate Swope were getting settled into their room.

"Alabama game, a guy walks into my hotel room with me," Manziel said. "I opened the door. I had a big bag on my shoulder. I opened the door real wide -- he kind of sticks his foot in the door. He kind of comes in with me. 'Hey man, will you sign this bag of stuff?' Swope is in the bathroom. He walks in and sees me mid-signing this guy's stuff."

I asked Manziel if Swope chased off the broker.

"Swope was like, 'Hey, man. What are you doing in here?'" Manziel said. "He said 'Oh, he said he would sign some stuff for me.' I'm like, 'I mean, I didn't really say I would sign it for you. But I'll do it for you. Get the hell out and it won't be too big of a deal.'"

Manziel offered the anecdote after he discussed his surprise that so many people wanted his autograph and talked about his naiveté, at that time last year, about the autograph and memorabilia industry. At that point in the interview, Manziel moved on immediately to another anecdote about another professional autograph seeker following him home from Texas A&M's football complex later in November as well as two separate anecdotes about professional autograph hunters -- including the man in fatigues -- accosting him as he traveled to an awards show in Orlando, Fla.
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Alex Rodriguez told a news meeting Monday the past seven months had been a “nightmare, probably the worst time of my life” but refused to go into specifics about his suspension by Major League Baseball for the remainder of the current season and all of next year for using performance-enhancing drugs,.
He also said he had to stand up for himself because "if I don't defend myself, no one else will."
 The former superstar was suspended today for 211 games, which would mean, if he loses his appeal, he would not be allowed to play the rest of this year and all of next year, a blow for a declining and increasingly injured player.

Rodriguez, 38, was the only player today to contest his suspension, although the 12 other players received milder disciplines of 50 games.
Although there is $100 million at risk in Rodriguez's punishment, he has already earned $187 million since signing with the Yankees, according to an analysis of data on Spotrac, plus tens of millions more with the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners.
Despite the obvious wealth, he battled the league to return to the field tonight against the Chicago White Sox, even though he can expect boos for every time he swings and misses. The New York Post's front page showed a picture of Rodriquez's face today with the headline "Just Go."
In his first at bat Monday night, Rodriguez was roundly booed by Chicago White Sox fans before hitting a bloop single.

If Rodriguez challenges the suspension, his appeal would be heard by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz.
Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson was excited Rodriguez could play during an appeal.
"I want him back with us. This is arguably one of the best hitters of all time," he said. "Having him in the lineup is obviously going to be very positive for us."

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