Chris Harris may have driven the new Ford Fiesta ST, but he says that he will wait until he gets behind the wheel of one of its main rivals, the paddle-shifting Renault Clio RS, both on the road and the track, before passing final judgment on the Blue Oval’s hot hatch.

However, he begins the comparison in his latest video review of the former, and asks several questions, important to those in the market for such a vehicle.

We would suggest making it a three-way test, with the addition of the Peugeot 208 GTi, which we tried out and found capable and fun to drive, plus it beats the Ford and matches the Renault on power.

Regarding the hot Fiesta, Chris Harris applauds Ford for having spent the extra money you pay over a standard variant, most of which went into making the car perform and not necessarily look better. The 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine is praised, as is the slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox that is absent on the French car.

We won’t give any more away, though, so scroll down and check out the full video review below, courtesy of Drive.

By Andrei Nedelea

Carscoops

Thursday’s pricing announcement for the Chevrolet Spark EV likely piqued some interest on the West Coast, but chances are few others gave it much attention. GM will sell the all-electric hatchback only in California and Oregon; the automaker has announced no plans to sell it elsewhere, spokesman Kevin Kelly told us.

Where can EV fans find their cars? We tallied up the states.

No surprise: Californians get the biggest slice of the EV pie. Thank the state’s zero-emissions vehicle mandate, which requires automakers to sell a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles, explained Ed Kim, AutoPacific’s vice president of industry analysis. Nearby Washington state has adopted California’s emissions requirements but not the ZEV quota, and states such as Oregon and a number along the East Coast have adopted both.

The emissions requirement should eventually align with the federal government’s 2025 corporate average fuel economy requirements. But it still means “a plug-in car sold in Oregon counts towards California’s required ZEV volume for the automaker that makes that vehicle,” Kim wrote in an email. “It’s not a natural consumer market for such vehicles, but rather a market legislated into existence.”

Good news: EV fans who live in states without ZEV requirements still have a few plug-in cars to choose from. The Chevrolet Volt went on sale nationwide in June 2011; the Nissan Leaf hit all 50 states nine months later. Ford launched the Focus Electric in California, New Jersey and New York, but it announced in February the car would be available nationwide by spring. Alongside the Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi, Ford’s plug-ins are now available in 49 states, spokeswoman Amanda Zusman told us. “West Virginia is the last state, and we have a dealer in that state that is nearly certified,” Zusman wrote in an email.

Mitsubishi says the i-MiEV is available at its EV certified dealers nationwide. We found i-MiEV-certified dealers in all but seven states:  Alaska, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Wyoming.

Although Tesla only has stores in just over a dozen states, the California automaker will sell you its Model S online. Are shoppers actually going that route? Well, one executive told Slate.com this month that North Carolina — where there are zero Tesla stores — has registered dozens of sales.

After introducing the Prius Plug-In across just 14 states, Toyota said the car would be available nationwide by 2013. As of now, however, spokesman Greg Thome told us the automaker still limits availability to the original 14 states.

The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive is on sale in California and Oregon, plus a slew of East Coast states — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Smart says to expect nationwide availability by autumn.

The Honda Fit EV is on sale now in California, Connecticut, Oregon, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. East Coasters won’t get a shot at the Chevrolet Spark EV, which goes on sale in June for Oregon and California.

Cut Oregon out of the picture for the Fiat 500e, which goes on sale in June for California residents. The same goes for the Toyota RAV4 EV, which has been on sale since summer 2012. At least you can buy either of those; Scion reserves the iQ EV for car-sharing and fleet programs.

Finally, the Fisker Karma is still available, and Cars.com listings show several dozen cars across a wide range of states. But that would mean taking a gamble on a near-defunct automaker.

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Little Known Black History Fact: Kelly Rowland calls her fans Rowland Stones. There’s a GIF for that.

The buzz around the wig crypt this morning is that Kelandria has rescheduled selected dates on her upcoming summer tour with The-Dream to work around her new gig as a judge on ‘The X-Factor’ so she can get to these dollars.

Idolator reports, “While five shows will still proceed as planned, a number of stops have been rescheduled: Kansas City, Missouri; Boston, Massachusetts; Jackson, Mississippi; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Cincinnati, Ohio. If you live in one of those cities, Kelly Rowland does not love you as much as she loves the rest of her Rowland Stones.”

“Although the tour had to be rescheduled because of X Factor, I’m looking forward to bringing you guys a bigger and better show,” Kizzy said in a statement to the Rowland Stones.

Teddy Ruxpin to make solo appearances in support of his new album, ‘IV Play.’

You can sweep up the confetti from the celebration parade now, Nixon Knowles.

Crunk + Disorderly

PARK RIDGE, N.J., May 23, 2013 – Sony’s new interface unit allows 2K RAW and 4K RAW recording directly from the NEX-FS700 camcorder, giving professional users a significant jump in performance, a broader choice of creative tools and unprecedented production flexibility. The NEX-IFR5 interface unit connects the NEX-FS700 to Sony’s new AXS-R5 RAW recording system, creating a powerful combination that takes full advantage of the camcorder’s 4K imager.

“The FS700 is already accepted worldwide as a high-performance production tool for everything from documentaries to commercials to features,” said Peter Crithary, marketing manager for large sensor technology, Sony Electronics. “Now, highly affordable recording of 2K and 4K RAW images and high frame rate capture adds another dimension to the camcorder’s capabilities. FS700 RAW recording preserves more of the original camera signal, producing stunning image quality and enabling maximum image manipulation flexibility in post.”

The NEX-IFR5 interface receives the uncompressed bit-stream carrying RAW sensor data, metadata, timecode and start/stop commands from the NEX-FS700U via 3G-SDI. The FS700 RAW files are recorded to the AXS memory cards in the AXS-R5 RAW recorder, where they can be screened and converted using Sony’s free RAW Viewer software.

Users can simultaneously record 4K on the AXS-R5 while recording HD on the NEX-FS700, both with identical, start frame, stop frame and time code.

The unit has an LCD panel for status indication including record mode, frame rate, timecode and battery and media remaining time. Large, tactile buttons control basic operation, menu and media management. When attached to the NEX-IFR5, the AXS-R5 can also act as a stand-alone playback unit for confidence monitoring and review through an on-board HD SDI 422 output.

The introduction of the NEX-IFR5 interface unit is the first implementation of 2K RAW recording capability with the AXSM memory system. 2K RAW provides all the benefits of RAW – wide color gamut, full sensor latitude and flexible digital image manipulation – but at a cost efficient 2K resolution. 2K RAW enables the NEX-FS700 to create digital RGB files with 12-bit color depth, and also works simultaneously with the camera’s on-board 8-bit AVC-HD capability. This gives productions the freedom to choose the recording file format that best matches scene content and budget, and the flexibility to archive HD, 2K or 4K recordings.

With the NEX-IFR5, NEX-FS700 users can perform continuous 120/240fps high frame rate recording in 2K and 120 fps four-second “burst” recording in 4K. The NEX-FS700 even goes beyond 120 frames per second to 240fps. Playing back at 240fps yields compelling slow motion at 1/5 or 1/10 normal speed. Users can also choose 480 and 960fps burst recording (at reduced resolution) for even more creative possibilities. HFR is also now available with S-Log2 Gamma.

“Previously, HFR capability (above 60fps@1080p) was relegated to a rarified few “custom” cameras, many designed for machine vision and not high end program production,” said Crithary. “The combination of the NEX-FS700, NEX-IFR5 and AXS-R5 now supports an array of game changing speeds in continuous and burst shooting modes at a price point unmatched in the industry. With these new capabilities the NEX-FS700 is poised for use as a high-quality, low-cost camera for HFR.”

The NEX-IFR5 also allows the use of compatible media, file naming conventions, metadata and the RAW workflow used by Sony’s PMW-F55 and PMW-F5 CineAlta 4K cameras.

This new Sony technology is the latest recording option for the NEX-FS700 camcorder, joining the recently announced direct connectivity with Convergent Design’s new Odyssey7Q.

The NEX-IFR5 2K/4K RAW interface unit will be available in June for a suggested list price of $ 2,500.

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Video After The Jump

In part five of 50 Cent’s extensive interview with Hard Knock TV he addresses a variety of topics.

The G-Unit mogul addresses why he started SK Energy, conscious capitalism, SMS Audio, feeding people in need, working with West Coast artists, why he chose the names 50 Cent, G-Unit and more.

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During an I/O session called “Structure in Android App Design,” Google leaked a new design for Gmail ahead of any official announcement. The slide shows a revamped navigation drawer and a conspicuous lack of the action bar on the bottom. Functions currently located at the bottom of the screen (like compose and search) have moved up, streamlining the inbox’s vertical structure. Meanwhile, the new navigation drawer makes it easier to access features like the priority inbox and individual labels without having to open separate screens, as is the case on the current Gmail app. There are a few cosmetic changes as well, like the larger stars in the inbox. It’s hard to tell from the image, but one might assume that the navigation bar scrolls down to reveal important functions like trash, spam, and drafts. It doesn’t appear that the inclusion of the screenshot was given much thought — indeed, presenter Jens Nagel left in his personal Gmail address, now blurred out. Stay tuned — we’ll update you as official word on a redesign comes in.

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“When everybody consciously now uses this term or this phrase and putting it in lyrics, it waters the culture down,” Kendrick tells MTV’s Sway in a recent interview. “So it’s really just time to move on.”

References to Molly (a powdered or crystallized form of MDMA) has seen a rise in rap songs in recent years. The drug has also seen greater usage among young people.

According to a 2012 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2% of eighth graders, 5% of 10th graders, and 7% of 12 graders reported to have tried MDMA throughout their lifetime. Nearly 12% of respondents between the ages of 18-25 admitted to using the drug at one point.

Molly became part of a huge news story recently when rapper Rick Ross lost an endorsement deal with Reebok because of his controversial lyrics on Rocko’s “U.O.E.N.O.”

On the track Ross raps, “Put Molly all in her champagne/she ain’t even know it/I took her home and I enjoyed that/she ain’t even know it.” The lyrics were viewed by some as supporting or glorifying date rape leading to protests from women’s groups.

[ALSO READ: Rick Ross To Lose $ 3.5 – $ 5 Million From Dropped Reebok Deal]

“Sometimes you have the trends that’s not that cool,” says Kendrick speaking in general about the overuse of Molly mentions in rap music. “You may have certain artists portraying these trends and don’t really have that lifestyle and then it gives off the wrong thing. And it becomes kinda corny after a while.”

Kendrick’s ceremonial burial of the party drug is his way of pushing the culture forward past the “Molly Era.”

[ALSO READ: Kendrick Lamar Says He’s Inspired By Kanye West, Calls ‘Yeezus’ Title Genius]

Watch Kendrick Lamar’s MTV interview below.

AllHipHop.com » News

Kevin Durant walks past tornado-damaged homes in Moore, Okla. (AP/Sue Ogrocki)

In the aftermath of the devastating tornado that tore through Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla., on Monday, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant was one of the first high-profile celebrities to lend a major hand, donating $ 1 million to regional Red Cross relief efforts in the hope of not only providing immediate aid of his own, but also sparking an outpouring of charitable contributions from others. Durant’s leadership spurred responses from the Thunder, which matched his $ 1 million donation; the NBA and National Basketball Players Association, which combined to do the same; and many other citizens, who had combined to kick in “about $ 7.5 million as a result of Mr. Durant’s gift,” according to Emmanuel Bailey, president of the board of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation.

But, as we noted in Thursday’s 10-man rotation, Durant’s involvement didn’t end with his own checkbook. He toured Moore on Wednesday afternoon, surveying the destruction, meeting with residents still sorting through the rubble of their homes, and doing what little he could — an autograph here, a picture there, a few moments of conversation shot through with apologies and kind words — to brighten the spirits of those affected. As Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman wrote, after speaking with one woman, Durant, “in that moment, turned and walked away as if he wanted to give $ 1 million more.”

So on Thursday, by reaching out to one of his main endorsers, he did.

As the shoe giant describes on its website, Nike will donate $ 1 million worth of products and apparel to Oklahoma residents affected by the storms. Not only that, the company will devote “profits from Oklahoma City KD V Elites” — a version of Durant’s signature shoe that comes in white, tour yellow and photo blue and sells for $ 180 on Nike.com — sold on the site between May 23 and June 15 to Oklahoma relief efforts.

That Durant gave his own money was generous enough. That he felt compelled to reach out to affected residents personally — and you can watch video of his trip through Moore below — was great, too. But that he continues to use his stature and relationships to continue to make massive contributions to an effort that’s going to take an awful lot of time, money and commitment is just remarkable; it’s like every time you think Durant’s maxed out the degree to which he seems too good to be true, he reaches another level. That’s a pretty amazing and rare thing. Oklahoma City’s pretty lucky to have this dude as part of the community.

Hat-tip to Trey Kerby of The Basketball Jones.

Ball Don’t Lie – NBA – Yahoo! Sports