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| Eminem's Mom Tells Her Side Of The Story In New Memoir Posted: 18 Sep 2008 05:02 AM PDT In 'My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem,' Debbie Nelson says she was close to her son before his rise to fame.
For his entire career, Eminem has reveled in his split personality, toggling between the more sensitive Marshall Mathers (his real name) and his mischievous alter egos, Eminem and Slim Shady. But in her upcoming memoir, "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem," Debbie Nelson says she regrets keeping quiet as Em cultivated his public persona of a trailer dweller with a crazy welfare mom. In the book, due out in November, Nelson attempts to set the record straight on her troubled relationship with her eldest son and includes never-before-seen lyrics and poems he wrote before his rise to fame. (Find out the latest on Eminem's new album here.) Nelson writes that she encouraged Eminem every step of the way on his career, even when the "skinny white dude" (as he referred to himself) was laughed off the stage and mocked by the Detroit MCs and DJs he tried so hard to impress. And though she was troubled by the things he said about her and his upbringing in public, he told her that the fouler he was, the more the audience loved him. In interviews, including one with Kurt Loder in 1999, Eminem called his mother unreliable and claimed he raised his little brother mostly on his own. "At first I went along with it for Marshall's sake — if I made one mistake as a mother, it was giving in to my eldest son's every whim," she says, noting that some relatives commented that mother and son were so close, it was as if the umbilical cord had never been cut. "He never knew his father, and I did all I could to make up for it. I wasn't happy when he made up a whole new life for himself — what mother wants to be known as a pill-popping alcoholic who lives on welfare? To tell the truth, I was heartbroken. The lies started coming thick and fast — and not just from Marshall. ... I think he's forgotten the good times we had, and this book is my way of setting the record straight." Nelson depicts the young Marshall running around their house in a Batman cape, jumping off the sofa and crashing into her lap. Their home was full of music that the future MC would often mimic while watching himself in a mirror, and he filled notebooks with poetry and superhero sketches, she recalls. An entrepreneur by age 11, Marshall was charging other neighborhood kids a quarter to watch him breakdance. She says he grew from a perfect baby who never cried to a troubled child with a temper who was terribly shy around strangers and other kids, preferring to play with his imaginary friend, Casper. People often referred to Em as a "monster," she says, recalling when he destroyed a store display and lay spread-eagle across an aisle screaming and when he pulled an old lady's hair and threw food around at a restaurant where his mother worked. Because he was small, he was often bullied at school. When he was 9, he was beat so badly he lost consciousness and was hospitalized for four days for a cerebral hemorrhage and had to relearn how to tie his shoes and pour cereal in a bowl. When Em referred to the incident in the song "Brain Damage," his tormentor DeAngelo Bailey tried to sue him for $1 million. Nelson says Marshall clung to her when she dropped him off, often faking illnesses to get out of going to school and once smashing his arm through a glass door and cutting a main artery in his wrist in a panic when he thought she was leaving the house without him. He eventually made what she calls a miraculous recovery from his brain injury, but when doctors warned that another blow to the head could kill him, she made him wear a football helmet to play outside. During his rise to fame with The Slim Shady LP in 1999, Eminem was so strung out on drugs and alcohol that he later confessed to his mother that he couldn't recall much of anything about that year — not his hit singles, his concerts or even his first wedding to his on-and-off first love, Kim Scott. "No one prepares you for the downside of celebrity," she says. "There isn't a school for would-be stars and their families where you can learn about the pitfalls. Marshall says fame brought a slew of problems he never expected. He no longer trusts anyone. Everyone wants a piece of Eminem the megastar, not Marshall Mathers the man. I call these people the circling vultures: They spot dollar signs and swoop in for the kill." It wasn't just Eminem who suffered. Fans would spit at his mother in supermarkets and stick gum in her hair, and their parents would sneer at her. She says the abuse mirrored what she endured in her own sad childhood and adulthood, which included physical abuse from her stepfather and mother, who also attempted suicide several times. At 15, she married Em's abusive, hard-drinking father and dropped out of school. She later suffered through three other marriages with abusive men, numerous acts of random violence against her and a car crash that left her vocal cords severely damaged and caused her weight to plummet below 80 pounds. Nelson also chronicles the love-hate relationship between Eminem and twice ex-wife Kim, who came to live with the family when she was just 13 and quickly established an antagonistic relationship with Nelson. Constantly cursing at Nelson, Kim would frequently belittle Eminem's writing talents, his mother says, and friends would tease him about the iron hold Kim had on his emotions. As Em's fame grew, with it came a barrage of lawsuits from the gnarled family tree. And though Eminem assured his mother that the image he painted of her as a drunk, pill-popping, lawsuit-happy woman was just a joke, eventually her lawyer filed an infamous $11 million defamation suit against him. Nelson says, however, that the lawyer filed the suit without her permission. (She eventually was awarded $25,000, and after legal fees went home with only $1,600.) As his marriage to Kim crumbled and those he thought he could trust betrayed him, Nelson says Em receded into a haze of drug abuse and cut his mother out of his increasingly hectic life. "It's been said that Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, would have a field day dissecting my son," Nelson writes near the end of the book. "It's true. Marshall is a mass of contradictions — he's shy, suffers terrible stage fright, yet tours constantly and is among the most instantly recognizable people in the world. I believe he'd have been far happier writing lyrics and producing away from the spotlight. Sometimes I wish we hadn't moved back to Michigan in 1987, where he got involved with hard-core rap. If we'd stayed in Missouri, he'd have maybe worked on a farm or in a factory. I don't know if that would have made him happier, but I do know we would not be estranged." Cut off from her son's life, Nelson says she worries he's turning into a kind of hip-hop Elvis, sequestered behind the gates of his home, depressed and separated from those who love him. "As a mother, of course, I worry," she writes. "But I do truly believe that Marshall will be back. I'm sure he's biding his time, waiting for the right moment, and when he does return, he will be bigger and stronger and more successful than ever. I know my son, and he just doesn't give up that easily." Reps for Eminem's label, Interscope, had no comment on the book. Related Artists |
| G-Unit's Tony Yayo Talks About 50 Cent/ Kanye West SoundScan Showdown, Gig With Flavor Flav Posted: 17 Sep 2008 02:48 AM PDT 'I don't think Kanye will never be bigger than Fif, no matter what his numbers do,' Yayo says.
It's too much enthusiasm for one stage to handle: Tony Yayo — the G-Unit's self-proclaimed "Energy God" — and the world's all-time greatest hype man, Flavor Flav. Wow. "Both energies together," Yayo told MTV News of his latest partnership on Wednesday (September 17). "It was a while back when we was beefing with Fat Joe, and he said I was the '2008 version of Flavor Flav.' I took it good. Me and Flav kicked it backstage, and the two things he said to me: 'Stay alive and stay out of jail.' " Flavor Flav was the G-Unit's special guest during their Albany, New York, concert on Saturday. The imperial member of Public Enemy came out for Yayo's "So Seductive." "The energy onstage when I said 'Flaaaaavor Flaaaaaaaaav!' — the crowd went crazy," Yayo continued. "Me and him got the same kinda energy. I look up to a lot of the old-school rappers: Flavor, Chuck D, Whodini. I seen that rap from the '80s to '90s to now. Flavor Flav, for you to get out of jail and be in one of the biggest rap groups in the country, come off Rikers Island, create your own hustle, create your own show, then have the number-one show in the country. When I came out, I was on easy street. 50 took care of me." Yayo said the Albany show was the first time the Unit and Flav crossed paths. "We was backstage, I got to meet a lot of his kids, five of his kids," Yayo said. "I talked to his baby mother. He got to meet 50 and Banks. I'm a big fan of Flavor. His energy when he gets onstage, his is 10 times what mine is. He's entertaining. That's what people want. That's what I try to do — entertain people on the stage. When I see a boring show, I get bored. That's why I looked up to people like Flav and Doug E. Fresh. I asked Doug the secrets of shows. I ran into him at the airport. He said, 'Before a show, I don't eat, don't drink and get a lot of rest.' I listened to that. Then Flavor, when he came out on that stage and we did 'So Seductive,' I did his dance. Right now, he's happy I made the dance popular. We talked yesterday." Another moment in the show that had everyone talking was when 50 had fun with Kanye West, doing his own rendition of "Love Lockdown." Yayo said the crew was just having a good time and that they would welcome another SoundScan showdown with Mr. West. Kanye's 808's & Heartbreak and 50's Before I Self Destruct are due in December, one week apart from each other. "That'll be fun," Yayo noted. "In my eyes, I don't think Kanye will never be bigger than Fif, no matter what his numbers do." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Taylor Swift Ready To Unveil 'Songs About Boys' With <i>Fearless</i> Posted: 18 Sep 2008 05:02 AM PDT Singer also says Jonas Brothers' VMA performance overshadowed Russell Brand's purity-ring jabs.
This year, Taylor Swift was welcomed into the MTV family as the fashion correspondent at the Video Music Awards preshow. And the 18-year-old couldn't have enjoyed the experience any more than she did. '"I had so much fun being the fashion correspondent. It was a blast, and I got to meet some awesome people," she told MTV News. "I had never been on that side of the interview before, so it was like learning this whole new thing and all of the terminology. It was really fun for me."
The country singer also talked about her upcoming album Fearless, adding that if you want to know what it's like to date her, all you need to do is listen to her music. "The album comes out November 11, and I wrote every song on it and I co-produced it. I like to write songs about boys and personal stories, and there are a lot of stories that I can't wait for people to hear," she said. We wonder if one of those personal stories will revolve around her widely speculated relationship with middle Jonas Brother Joe Jonas. But until the record hits the shelves, all we know is that she's defending her rumored guy's honor following Russell Brand's purity-ring jabs at the VMAs. "I think that the people that the jokes were directed towards are very professional and very good at laughing at themselves," she said. "I think that people walked away not really thinking about the Jonas Brothers [in regards to] the jokes that were made about them. They walked away thinking what a great performance they had." Swift's new single just hit radio, and it's a song that she feels particularly proud of. "It's called 'Love Story,' " she said. "It's one that I wrote by myself, so it's really cool to see it be the first single." And she just finished the video for the track, telling MTV News, "It's a period piece. It's very renaissance and very 'Romeo and Juliet.' " Related Artists |
| Eminem Hints At New Album: 'I'm Concentrating On My Own Stuff Right Now' Posted: 17 Sep 2008 02:11 AM PDT 'They're gonna love Em like they loved him the first time he came,' 50 Cent says of new material.
Marshall, we miss you. The fans have been calling for an Eminem album for years. There's still no official announcement of a single or album release date, but there is hope. Slim Shady appeared on his Sirius Satellite Radio station, Shade 45, and talked with DJ Tony Touch about his impending comeback. "I always do side projects and produce for artists on the label," he told the DJ. "I'm concentrating on my own stuff right now — just banging out tracks. The more I keep producing, the better it seems I get. I start knowing stuff, learning the boards like the back of my hands." Although Eminem did not specifically give details about his long-awaited next LP, 50 Cent — while promoting the movie "Righteous Kill" — told U.K. reporters that he recently recorded with Em for the album. "You think I'm gonna let him make the record and I'm there and not be on the record?" 50 Cent said to ITN during the film's red-carpet premiere. "I had the opportunity to sit with [Eminem] two and half weeks ago for his project," he added. "I stayed with him for the weekend. His project is coming together. They're not gonna be excited till they hear the first single, then they're just gonna go right back to loving him all over again. They're gonna love Em like they loved him the first time he came." "You'll be seeing him shortly," 50 told the BBC in a separate interview. "He's working. I spent the weekend at his house. Even though he tries to relax and stay home, it's impossible for him to stay in. A lot of material he wrote prior to this is being scrapped. He's got to feel like it's just happened, it's new and it's current. That's just how he is creatively as an artist." The last time Eminem was on Shade 45, he was promoting his participation on Delicious Vinyl's Rmxxology; his contribution to the project was a remix of Masta Ace's "Slaughtahouse." Em also brought the always crass Ken Kaniff on the station to sing "I Kissed a Boy." Related Artists |
| Usher Gets Intimate With Lingerie-Clad Model In 'Forward-Thinking' Video For 'Trading Places' Posted: 17 Sep 2008 03:29 AM PDT Singer says he's 'loving every aspect' of fatherhood but won't confirm that a second child is on the way.
Usher has a lot on his plate right now. He's working on his latest video for the song "Trading Places," has a fall tour in the works and is reportedly expecting his second child. Although he wouldn't confirm to MTV News the speculation that he was adding another baby to his brood, with a knowing smile he spoke candidly about the joys he's found in being a dad to Usher Raymond V.
"Loving it. Loving every aspect of it. My life improved so much in having a child," he told MTV News when we visited him on the set of his video for "Trading Places." "I'm very happy. It's a very promising thing to have a child. ... Everybody's saying that [I'm expecting another baby]. There's a lot of speculation." Usher was more open to talking about his steamy video, which features some intimate moments between Usher and a lingerie-clad model. "It's gonna be hot. The story is, like, wishful thinking for all men to have a woman who takes control and compliments us the way we compliment them." This marks the second collaboration between Usher and video director Chris Robinson. "We wanted to do something very forward-thinking," he added. Usher is currently in the planning stages for his ladies-only tour, One Night Stand. He felt that this tour is a way for him to tap into his creative instincts and do something different. "There comes a time when [an artist] wants to do something creative. It's not about the big bang theory," he said. "It's the intimacy of it and catering a show to an audience, and that audience is majority female." Even with all that on his plate, he is beginning to think about his next album, a follow-up to Here I Stand. "I've definitely had some time to think about duets, so there should be some of that on the new album," he said. "There's always something on the horizon, but it's just tentative. We're just warming up. But a new album is in the works very soon." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Mudvayne Reward Fans Who Buy <i>New Game</i>: 'Giving Back Is The Theme Of This Whole Record' Posted: 18 Sep 2008 05:02 AM PDT LP, which drops November 18, will come with a fan-club membership and other goodies.
Back in 2005, metal-leaning hard-rock troupe Mudvayne found themselves in unfamiliar territory. They had just released Lost and Found, which sold close to 152,000 copies in its first week. That sales total was more than enough to land the LP at #2 on the Billboard albums chart. Sure, it wasn't the elusive #1 opening they'd been hoping for, but it was still a monumental feat for Mudvayne. That week, it was Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi that took the chart's top spot, with more than 403,000 copies flying off store shelves. Finishing third, behind Mudvayne, was 50 Cent's The Massacre. "I remember that day, when we found out we'd gotten #2. It was like, 'Oh, man — #2,' and we were all pretty bummed," frontman Chad Gray recalled. "But I told the guys, 'You know what today is? Today's the day that 50 Cent and Mariah Carey learned who Mudvayne is.' 50 Cent was the #3 album that week, and I guarantee you he went, 'Who in the hell is Mudvayne?' Maybe even Mariah Carey went, 'Who's Mudvayne?' " Since then, Mudvayne have expanded their fanbase through constant touring and a stint on Ozzfest. And they've been dormant for so long, perhaps fans will race right out and pick up their forthcoming album, the Dave Fortman-helmed The New Game, when it drops November 18. With Slipknot earning the first chart-topping debut of their career a few weeks back and Metallica topping the charts this week with their fifth straight #1 opener, perhaps this time around, Mudvayne can do what Mariah prevented them from doing three years ago. Still, Gray isn't holding his breath. "I've never had a #1 record. ... #2 was pretty cool, but ultimately, it's not super-important to me to have a #1 record," he admitted. "It'd probably be good for the band, but the whole climate's changed since then. I think that we have one of the most loyal fanbases ever, and we have fans that like to be challenged. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter to me, man. I would like to have a #1 record, but it's been three years, and I almost can't remember what a Mudvayne release feels like. Maybe we've been gone too long?" But if The New Game does open on top (which might be hard, considering "American Idol" champ David Cook, Kelly Clarkson, Beyoncé and Nickelback are all eyeing that same date for their efforts), Gray wouldn't complain. "It would let me know that the fans still believe in what we do," he said. "But we're coming out at a weird time, towards the end of the year — there will be lots of stuff dropping that week. I don't think we know what we're up against at this point." He did, however, know that November 18 would not be the day 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct is due. Mudvayne are giving their fans ample incentive to help them in their cause. The boys have concocted a scheme that they hope will discourage fans from illegally downloading the disc, while at the same time saving them some cash — it's called "The Album Is the Ticket" program. When a fan buys The New Game, they'll be able to purchase tickets to the band's upcoming tour — which kicks off October 28 in El Paso, Texas, and will feature the reunited Snot and 10 Years in the opening slots — and will earn membership to the band's fan club, where a number of free goodies await. "Giving back is kind of the theme of this whole record," he said. "We're just trying to help people who are getting squashed. This economy is affecting everyone, and we're not Bill Gates over here — driving Ferraris and sitting on a pile of money — but we're trying to do new and creative things just to help our fans out and drive this market a little bit. When you buy the record, it will be your ticket into the show, and we're saving you some money." So how does the new material sound? "It sounds great, man — I love it," Gray said. "It's just surpassed my expectations, and I'm really proud of it. It's obviously a more mature record, because we've matured since the last one. We're just pretty tuned in to what we do now. It's not easier for us to write records, but I think we understand each other better, so it kind of makes it a little easier. But it's still calculated. We're just refining what we do. "The key is to keep moving forward," he continued. "It's the same type of Mudvayne, where we don't question what we do. Things are still as disjunctive as they ever were, but the spaces between the craziness are a little more fluid. They kind of slide into each other a bit easier, so it makes it seem more like it's a little straighter. But if you really get into the nuts and bolts of what we're doing, I think it's just as intricate as anything we've ever done." With Mudvayne taking up most of his time for the foreseeable future, Gray said his other project, Hellyeah, has been put on the back burner for now. But that band — which also features former Pantera kitman Vinnie Paul and Mudvayne guitarist Greg Tribbett — won't be in storage for long. "Everybody in Hellyeah knows we're absolutely planning to continue," he said. "I think we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot and letting down a lot of fans if we didn't continue it. Our first record sold 330,000 copies. ... That's a pretty good indicator that you should keep writing records." Related Artists |
| R. Kelly Speaks Out About Child-Pornography Trial For First — And Possibly Last — Time Posted: 17 Sep 2008 06:32 AM PDT When asked by interviewer whether he likes teenage girls, Kelly says, 'I don't like anybody illegal.'
In the first — and what he claimed would be his last — interview regarding his recent child-pornography trial, R&B singer R. Kelly sat down with BET News for a special that aired Tuesday, to say he has had been punished enough and that people should respect the not-guilty verdict he received three months ago. "It's time for me to move on," Kelly told interviewer Touré during "R. Kelly Speaks." "I can't keep answering these questions. If you was charged with something and you was found innocent, then you can't be found guilty for being found innocent." However, with that statement, Kelly failed to distinguish the difference between not guilty and innocent — no jury has the power to declare anyone innocent, only the power to say that the state did not meet its burden of proof to find someone guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. And in this particular case, the members of Kelly's jury still had some doubts. Kelly expected his fans and public to have some doubts as well, but he hoped to overcome them with the interview, in which he claimed his sex-god image was just that, an image — not his real life. "I wish people wouldn't connect the R. Kelly image — of champagne, girls ... sex, sex, sex — to Robert," Kelly said. "R. Kelly is an image, a brand. That's my job. There's a whole other side of me that's Robert, who is a father, a friend. But then I put on the game face and go into the studio and do the music. That's just another day at the office." When asked directly if he likes teenage girls, Kelly asked in response, "How old are we talking?" Touré responded, "Girls who are teenagers." Kelly then asked, "Nineteen? I have some 19-year-old fans. I don't like anybody illegal, if that's what you're talking about." (The subject of his annulled marriage to a 15-year-old Aaliyah did not come up.) (Head here for more questions R. Kelly could have been asked but wasn't.) Touré countered that some of the singer's former employees (including an assistant and a publicist) and his brother Carey Kelly had raised "issues of concern" in this area. "Issues of concern?" Kelly asked. "What do you mean? Let me put it to you this way, man. People who don't work for me say that. The people who do work for me don't say that. The people who don't work for me were fired. ... Do not listen to the people who was fired. Don't even listen to the people who was hired. Listen to the facts." But what about his own brother, who could hardly be considered just another disgruntled employee? "Doesn't matter," Kelly said. "I fired him too." Why? "I can't get into that," Kelly said. "But I fired him 1,000 times and I rehired him." Kelly also claimed that he had been blackmailed, a claim he had made previously when a sex tape purporting to depict him and an underage girl was first made public, only now he said the blackmail attempts happened before, during and after the trial. (Kelly did not specify who had allegedly blackmailed him, but Kelly's own lawyer had dispelled the notion that ex-manager — and Aaliyah's uncle — Barry Hankerson was involved in any such attempt in his interview with MTV News immediately following the verdict.) "I've been blackmailed a billion times," Kelly said. "I've been sued for ridiculous things. At one point in my life, I was an ATM machine. But I'm used to that. You don't get used to it, but I'm used to the fact that people will do this, even your own family members, and I don't hate none of them. A lot of people are out to get me, especially when I was vulnerable [because of the trial and public scandal]. When you're R. Kelly, they want a piece of you." Kelly said the ordeal of the trial and the years leading up to it made him feel like he had already been given a guilty verdict. "I feel like I was in jail for the last seven years," he said. "A lot has been taken away from me. Going through that whole thing was hell, man. I wouldn't wish it on nobody." Now that it's over, he wants to concentrate on his music (which he said would remain sexually explicit), his children (although he didn't mention his estranged wife) and humanitarian efforts. He's planning a trip to Africa — his first. "I'm trying to put it all together," Kelly said. "I want to get over there not just to tour, but get into doing some humanity stuff. I don't know what that is yet." Kelly said the trial and scandal experience has taught him a lot, including to be more humble, to be more spiritual and to separate his professional and private life. "If it had an impact, I hope it to be a positive impact," he said. "If the 12 people who didn't know me, after hearing the facts and listening to everything, could find me innocent, [I hope that] people around the world could do the same thing." Find a review of the major players in the R. Kelly trial here. For full coverage of the R. Kelly case, see the R. Kelly Reports and check out this complete timeline of the events leading up to the trial. Related Artists |
| The Legacy Of 'TRL,' In <i>Bigger Than The Sound</i> Posted: 17 Sep 2008 05:00 AM PDT The request show, which goes on hiatus in November, was YouTube before the video-sharing site even existed.
On The Record: The Legacy Of "TRL" (No, Really) In a way, I suppose it was somewhat fitting that I heard about the shelving of "TRL" not from a super-secret corporate memo or a closed-door meeting with PowerPoint presentations, but rather in a text message from a friend. After all, it was the kind of news you usually get from a buddy of yours — something slightly terrible yet completely expected, right on par with "Did you hear so-and-so's parents are getting divorced?" or "Did you know your ex-girlfriend is now a Suicide Girl?" Because, let's face it: "TRL" has been on the air for a decade now (which, to borrow a quote from the good folks over at Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch Blog, is "equivalent to maybe 200 in human years" for this network); has launched more than a few careers; and has had more than its fair share of memorable moments (Mariah Carey's 2001 ice-cream-fueled striptease/meltdown being about five of them). It has been the hottest thing on television, the stalest thing since week-old bread and a cultural tipping point (you probably don't remember, but "TRL" really shouldered the brunt of the whole "MTV is ruining society" thing back before Lauren and Audrina graced our airwaves). And over the course of more than 2,000 shows (and just as many hosts), it's also become something that I don't think anyone could've predicted: an institution of sorts. But having said all that, its time has come. Of course, this has less to do with the show itself than it does with the fact that, in 2008, the idea of a video-countdown show seems impossibly antiquated. With the state of labels and the rise of sites like MySpace and YouTube, music videos are no longer the primary means of promotion for an artist or an album (they're probably not even necessary, though we'll leave that debate for another day), and you can basically say the same thing about "TRL." And while the show isn't leaving us for good — rather than being canceled outright, it's apparently just "resting" for a while — it's a pretty safe bet that even if it is resurrected someday, it won't be the "TRL" you grew up with. It will be rejiggered and reinvigorated ... and, god willing, something much, much better. So, in a lot of ways, this seems like a pretty good time to stand over the casket, close our eyes tight and deliver a eulogy for "TRL," a show that ultimately was drowned by the waves it helped create. Because, whether anyone associated with the show ever realizes it, "TRL" will probably not be remembered for the stars it helped create or the shiny studio it vacated but, rather, for the legacy it leaves behind ... one that is simply stated, yet massive in scope: "TRL" was YouTube before YouTube ever existed. Seriously. Because as soon as "TRL" really started gaining steam — say, in the fall of 1999, when a live studio audience was added to the mix — the innovations were fast and furious. With the introduction of the live audience came those little windows featuring squealing tweens (you know, the ones who would pop up during, say, the new Britney video). At the time, they were rather annoying — except when some poor girl would freeze up on live TV, and then black-hearted hilarity would ensue — but now it's fairly obvious that these were the prototypes of a million "video diaries" that would come to populate YouTube in the years to come. These were kids talking directly to the camera (and, in a way, to the audience at home), which had never been done before. Stylistically (and sentiment-wise), it was the kind of stuff we'd see in the entire lonelygirl15 series or just about any other so-called vlog you can think of these days. It's de rigueur now, but back in 1999, it was groundbreaking. After that came the whole concept of "instant feedback" — videos were voted on by viewers at home, and (in later years) those same viewers were able to submit messages that would scroll along the bottom of the screen during videos — something akin to commenting on a YouTube clip or leaving a sticky note or even favorite-ing a video. Again, rather groundbreaking stuff, and all happening on a live TV show that broadcast five days a week. And while we could debate about those stylistic points, I don't think there's any denying this: At its very heart, "TRL" was the first television show that turned the camera squarely on the audience. It made them the stars of the show — they dictated where it went and what videos made the cut. They contributed to the ebb and flow on a daily basis ... and the fact that the show was unfolding live before our very eyes only further emphasized that. Truly, "TRL" was the first program of its kind that could turn on a dime, could begin as one thing on a Monday and by Friday be something completely different. "TRL" was marketed as being "your show," and it really was. And that sentiment, that sense of spontaneity and that viewer-controlled flexibility is what made YouTube into the culture-defining thing it is today. Of course, it bears mentioning that all those achievements also contributed to the show's demise. As "TRL" grew in popularity, the sideshow (the audience, the viewers at home) became the main attraction, and the videos were almost an afterthought, chopped down to 30- then 15-second blips on the radar. It was a move that shortened our already nanosecond-length attention spans and only further devalued the videos themselves, until it got to the point where YouTube supplanted "TRL" as the place for kids to watch music videos, because, hey, they were really nothing more than disposable products anyway ... the kind of stuff perfectly suited to be viewed in grainy quality on a computer screen. And when the videos became less of an event, so did the show. Not to mention the fact that YouTube gave visitors unfiltered, uncensored (sort of) content and allowed them even, uh, "instant-er" feedback. And that, really, was game, set and match. Hosts came and went, guests popped in and popped out, but "TRL" was starting to lose its luster. And now, just a few days after it's 10th birthday, it's headed out to pasture. You might stand and cheer about that fact — "Good riddance!" — or you might be a bit sad (you might also be indifferent, which is kind of the last thing you're going for in the world of television). But however you feel, I think it's important to remember "TRL" for what it was: really groundbreaking, incredibly important television — a show whose impact is still being felt today ... and the launching pad for Carson Daly, of course. And that's a legacy-capper if I've ever heard one. Questions? Concerns? "TRL" memories? Send 'em to me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com. |
| Lynne Spears Talks About Britney, Jamie Lynn On 'Today' Show Posted: 17 Sep 2008 09:08 AM PDT Singer's mother talks about recent troubles in interview promoting her book, 'Through the Storm.'
Britney Spears' mother Lynne appeared on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday morning (September 17) and spoke candidly about what it was like to watch her daughter's rise from hometown girl to global superstar. Among many strong statements, Lynne said, "It's kind of like Britney was sent out into the world a little bit prematurely," adding that she was never a stage mom: "Britney pushed me." Lynne, who was on the show to promote her just-released book, "Through the Storm" (which was originally planned as a parenting book), hopes that the book will help people "to see our family as we really are." She recalled the early days of her daughter's success, noting the bad that can come with the good. "There's the honeymoon phase at first. Everything is fabulous: 'Look at the wonderful trips she gets to go on; look at the wonderful people she's meeting,' " Spears said. "Then there's the ugly side of things that turns, and we weren't ready for that, either." Lynne says things started to take that ugly turn when she and her husband, Jamie, began having marital problems and eventually divorced. "It was so crazy at that time," she recalled. "I don't think anybody was trying to sit and think what was going on." She also encouraged her youngest child, Jamie Lynn, to go into show business around that time. She said, "When Jamie Lynn got involved in it, that was during the honeymoon period of Britney's career, when everything was coming up roses. ... Everything was just fun." Earlier this year, things took a turn for the worse when Britney was twice hospitalized for psychiatric problems and Jamie Lynn, Britney's then 16-year-old sister and a television star, announced she was pregnant. "We were praying very hard, because it seemed like we were having no control over anything that was happening," Lynne said. "We were trying." She said that when Jamie Lynn told her she was pregnant, she was "waiting for the punch line. I was in shock. I think I was just truly in shock, and then I started to cry. And she started consoling me at that point. "A mother is as happy as her most unhappy child," Lynne continued. "You kind of gravitate toward the one who needs you the most at that time. ... It's a balancing act. Maybe I haven't done it as best as I could, but all I can ever tell you is I tried." Lynne said she blames herself for the problems her family has endured since Britney's rise to fame. "As a mother, don't we always blame ourselves?" she said. "I took a lot of the blame. I took all the blame. The personality I have, it's always my fault." And she admitted she owes thanks to her ex-husband Jamie, who, after finding sobriety and gaining control of Britney's affairs, has apparently helped his daughter to settle down. "I have sat for hours, thinking and thinking about everything that's happened," she said. "It's been a whirlwind. When you mix extreme heightened celebrity-hood and then when you have heartache. ... The mixture's just not healthy," she said. "It's been a whirlwind," she added. "It's been a wild ride for everybody." Lynne also said she knows that in the end, Britney has the strength to be an independent adult. "She's strong," Lynne said. "She's resilient. She's had some big bumps in the road, but Britney's fine. Britney is headed to the top once again. I have no fears about Britney." However, Lynne added that she does worry about Britney's status as a constant media target. "I don't think the media's fair to Britney, to criticize her as much as they do." Referencing her book's title, "Through the Storm," Al Roker asked Lynne: "Are you through the storm?" "Oh, yes," Lynne said. "We're through the storm and we're looking at the sunshine right now." Related Artists |
| Norman Whitfield, Legendary Motown Songwriter/ Producer, Dead At 65 Posted: 17 Sep 2008 02:01 AM PDT Whitfield co-wrote and produced 'Heard It Through the Grapevine,' 'Just My Imagination,' 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' and many other classics.
Norman Whitfield, one of the most successful and influential songwriter/producers to emanate from the formidable stable of Motown Records, died Tuesday at the age of 65, according to Reuters. Whitfield co-wrote and/ or produced many hits for the label, including "Heard It Through the Grapevine," "I Can't Get Next to You," "Cloud Nine," "Ball of Confusion," "Just My Imagination," "War," the Grammy-winning "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and many others. Whitfield had struggled for months with complications from diabetes, the site reported, and had recently emerged from a coma. "It's a very sad day," Janie Bradford, who co-wrote the Temptations hit "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" with Whitfield, told the Detroit Free Press. Their friend Clay McMurray had reportedly spoken with Whitfield on the phone last week. "It sounded like he was fighting with everything he had to get it together," McMurray said. "Just fighting back." In a statement released Wednesday (September 17), Motown great Smokey Robinson hailed Whitfield as "one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers of our time. He will live forever through his great music," according to The Associated Press. While his name has rarely appeared in lights, Whitfield was one of the driving forces of the Motown sound. He joined the label's production team in 1962 and, over the following decade, worked with virtually every major artist on the label, including the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips and others. However, perhaps his greatest contribution was bringing Motown artists into the psychedelic era during the late 1960s. Showing the influence of Sly and the Family Stone, Whitfield led Gaye and the Temptations into rock territory with hard-hitting songs that examined the social distresses of the day ("Runaway Child, Running Wild," the drug-influenced "Cloud Nine") and matched the gritty lyrics with driving rhythms, wailing guitars and ominous string arrangements. His most frequent collaborator during this era was lyricist Barrett Strong. Whitfield left Motown in the mid-1970s and found chart success with Rose Royce and other artists — and won a Grammy Award in 1976 for his work on the "Car Wash" film soundtrack — but by the '80s, he had largely dropped off the radar, only making headlines in 2005 when he pleaded guilty to settle a tax-evasion case. |
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