MTV News |
| Exclusive: Mark Hoppus Announces Solo Plans, Puts +44 To Bed Posted: 14 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST 'I've been in the studio every week writing songs with the intention of putting out a record of my own,' former Blink-182 member tells MTV News.
Earlier this week, Mark Hoppus piqued the interest of Blink-182 fans everywhere when he told MTV News that he had been talking to former bandmate Tom DeLonge "several times a day," and when it came to the possibility of a reunion, "the future is wide open." Of course, those answers only led to more questions. Because while a Blink reunion would be amazing, it still sounds like a long shot. And while fans wait for the pieces to fall into place, they're still clamoring for new music from Hoppus and Travis Barker's other band, +44, who haven't made a peep since releasing their debut, When Your Heart Stops Beating, in late 2006. So what's the deal with +44? When MTV News spoke with Hoppus backstage at the Woodie Awards in New York, why did he go to such great lengths to not mention the band by name? Is the group finished? In part two of our exclusive interview with Hoppus, we get the answer to that question ... and a few others. And if you're expecting a new +44 album anytime soon, well, you might be out of luck. On The Future of +44: "To answer your question about the interview at the Woodies — and, by the way, I want to thank everyone at MTV for choosing the most flattering photos possible to go in the article — the reason I wasn't able to answer with a great deal of specificity is that I didn't really know how to say what was going to happen. Since late August of last year, I've been in the studio every week writing songs with the intention of putting out a record of my own. As of this week, I've got about 10 songs in various stages of completion and another 10 ideas that I still want to work on. ... By the way, this interview will be the first time many people at the label are going to hear about the possibility of me doing an album on my own. Hi, Interscope!" On Going Solo (Sort Of): "Travis has played on a bunch of [my] tracks, and he's working on his own album as well. We totally support each other in whatever we're doing. He's like a brother to me. I see him in our studio every week, and we'll be in the room of the studio he's working in, listening to stuff he's recorded, or he'll come into the room where I'm working and check out my songs. He's played on a bunch of them, and he's asked if I'll play on some of his songs. We collaborate and give each other ideas and support. That's what I meant when I said [in the interview at the Woodies], 'No matter what I work on, Travis will be a part of it.' " On Just When We'll Get to Hear His Music: "Well, I just co-wrote a song for a movie coming out called 'Fired Up,' [and] the New Found Glory record I produced comes out soon, and I'm super proud of that. Those guys wrote a great album, and I think people will be blown away. There are a bunch of collaborations, producing offers and film and TV projects that I'm working on as well." Related Artists |
| Taylor Swift Talks About 'Emotional' New Video For 'White Horse' Posted: 14 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST 'It's ... sort of a new thing for me,' singer says of crying in the clip.
It's Pop Week here at MTV News, and that means we're catching up with and getting to know everyone who's going to make a splash in pop music and culture over the next 12 months. Whether they're just arriving on the scene or are already the name on everyone's lips, these are the artists we expect big things from in 2009. Taylor Swift just recently wrapped work on the video for her next single, "White Horse." For her last few videos she's had a slew of cute guys making cameos — including singer/actor Tyler Hilton and Miley Cyrus' beau Justin Gaston — and this time around she's hired "Laguna Beach" and "One Tree Hill" star Stephen Colletti. "I watched ['Laguna Beach'] on and off, but I saw him on 'One Tree Hill' and thought he was really awesome on that," Taylor told MTV News. "He had sort of the look we were going for ... because the guy in the video is supposed to look really sweet and someone who just looks like he would never lie to you.
"But in the video, he does," she added. "So I thought he would be perfect for it and, actually, he did an amazing job." Swift once again teamed up with director Trey Fanjoy, who previously directed the 19-year-old in videos for "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Love Story." "It's been really fun working with her," Swift said. "This video is a lot different than the other videos that we've made, 'cause usually we've gone for bright colors and me looking straight to camera and singing. [This video is] a little more introspective." Swift explained that this time around, shooting the video required her to get very emotional and cry her eyes out over Colletti's character. "There's an emotional scene in there where I had to cry for, like, three hours ... bawl my eyes out for three hours," she said. "It was really interesting and sort of a new thing for me." Swift also talked a bit about the song, which, like the video, stems from a very emotional place in her life. "[It's] about that moment where you realize the person you thought was going to be Prince Charming and sweep you off your feet is really not going to sweep you off your feet," she explained. And, in addition to breaking up with you, he ends up falling in love with someone else. "He sweeps somebody else off their feet and it's going to be something that you're going to have to get over," she said. "There's that moment in the letdown where you realize that, and you realize that person isn't your future — they are your past." Check out all of our Female Pop Rookies, Male Pop Rookies and Female Pop MVPs, and stick with us all week for more Pop Week stories on the stars to watch in 2009! Related Videos Related Artists |
| One Week With 'The Best Album Of 2009,' In <i>Bigger Than The Sound</i> Posted: 14 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Does Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion live up to the hype?
Conventional wisdom holds that there are still 351 days left in 2009 and that, really, anything can happen. Fortunately, conventional wisdom does not exist in the blogosphere, which is why I am happy to report that after just 14 days, 2009 is a wrap. Finished. Over. Dunzo. Music-wise, at least. This is because, on January 6, Animal Collective released Merriweather Post Pavilion, 55 minutes of ambling psychedelia and rumbling low end that was universally proclaimed to be "the best album of 2009" by just about every blog on the planet (OK, probably only about half of them).
It's the kind of hyperbole that I usually find hilarious — I mean, the year was only six days old at this point. But combined with the glowing 9.6 rating Pitchfork hung on the album (the highest rating the site has bestowed on a new album since the 9.7 it threw at the Arcade Fire's Funeral back in 2004) and the weeks of Web-Sheriff-fueled drama that led up to the album's release, I have to admit that it sort of worked on me. If Merriweather Post Pavilion was really the best album of 2009, one worthy of ridiculous statements and mania and legal threats, well, then I most certainly had to hear it. Nay, I had to experience it. So, last Tuesday, I grabbed a digital copy of the album (MPP was released both digitally and on vinyl that day, but the CD is due next Tuesday) and decided that I was going to listen to it — and nothing but it — for a week straight. And for seven days (or 168 hours, or 10,080 minutes), Merriweather Post Pavilion was my soundtrack. On the subway, at the gym, in the shower, sitting at my desk, laying on my couch, driving in my car — my ears and brain were filled with the burbling soundscapes of possibly the greatest band of our time, a group Wikipedia awesomely sums up as "a critically acclaimed New York City/ Washington, D.C/ Lisbon based music collective of avant-garde musicians from Baltimore, Maryland." And, come to think of it, that's probably the most dead-on description of Animal Collective I've ever read. Anyway, what follows are some notes from my week with Merriweather Post Pavilion. Does it live up to the hype? Did I have the best week of 2009? Read on to find out. Tuesday, January 6, 10:15 p.m.: I finish downloading Merriweather Post Pavilion at my apartment and attempt to play it on my speakers. Almost immediately, I am overcome by a wave of flowery sonic flatulence that rattles the floorboards and causes my wife to sprint in from the other room and shout, "What is that?!?" before telling me to turn it down. This is how the album starts. My neighbors are not pleased. Wednesday, January 7, 8:55 a.m.: As the spindly guitars (banjos?) of "Flowers" exhale into the icy synths of "My Girls" (which subsequently builds to a raving chorus complete with electro bleeps, shouted "Owwwwws!," handclaps and downright gnarly bass), I begin to imagine that I am not stuffed between some dude with a mustache and a 300-pound woman on the L-Train but, rather, shirtless, bathed in Technicolor sweat, dancing on a beach, my body entwined with other Technicolor youth, forming a great, unending chain. The moon is low, the stars bright. Campfires dot the horizon. This is by far the best rush-hour commute of 2009. Wednesday, 10:45 a.m.: I have a discussion with my co-worker, Christopher "CJ" Smith, who tells me I need to listen to MPP on a reaaaallly great set of speakers, because it's "dance music" for the next decade and that the bass is so intense that "hip-hop kids will be driving around in low-riders blasting it from their trunks." I smile and nod. He is very young. Thursday, January 8, 12:58 p.m.: My officemate, Garth, describes "Lion in a Coma" as "being sort of Grateful Dead-y" and says that he would "definitely smoke drugs while listening to this," despite the fact that he's "not really a pot guy." Hopefully, Garth's mom is not reading this. Thursday, 7:07 p.m.: I am not running on a treadmill; I am sprinting through a psychedelic forest, being chased by a saber-fanged creature who looks like the Gmork from "The Neverending Story." On a related note, the opening moments of "Lion in a Coma" — breathy pants, electronic frippery, didgeridoo (?) — are terrifyingly great. This is by far the best treadmill session of 2009. Friday, January 9, 4:45 p.m.: I am attempting to think of ways to describe the bass on songs like "Also Frightened," "Summertime Clothes" and "Lion" — which are, I'm assuming, the handiwork of AC "sound manipulator" Geologist (a.k.a. Brian Weitz). So far, I have come up with the following: "like granite blocks tumbling down the stairs," "like something from Bjõrk's Homogenic album, only flattened with a mallet," "like what those spiky blocks with the angry faces in the 'Super Mario' games sound like when they womp the ground." Saturday, January 10, 11:45 a.m.: My wife informs me that she loves the sentiments contained within "My Girls," which seems to be about co-vocalist Avey Tare's desire to ditch the trappings of, uh, celebrity and move his wife and daughters to an adobe hut. Unless, of course, the song is about something sleazy, that is. I tell her that I don't think it is. This is by far the best discussion my wife and I have had about other girls in 2009. Sunday, January 11, 2:43 a.m.: I am unable to sleep, as my eyeballs are bouncing around in my skull like the syncopated computer bleats and sampled animal yelps in the middle section of album-closer "Brother Sport" (which sort of goes like "Wooo! Doo Doo Doo! Woo! Doo Doo! Woo!"). This is either because Merriweather Post Pavilion is boring its way into my subconscious or because I drank five cups of coffee and smoked roughly 57 cigarettes during the Steelers/Chargers game. Monday, January 12, 1:15 p.m.: At work, I am reminded that once, when my wife and I were sitting in an airport bar in Reykjavik, Iceland, we met a guy who claimed to be Avey Tare's dentist. He said he had known Tare since he was a kid and that he was "really nice." We had no reason not to believe him. Tuesday, January 13, 5:39 p.m.: The goofy sorta-samba and echoed vocals and bleep boops of "Brother Sport" come to an end, and with them, my Animal Collective experiment. I am not sure how I feel about this. However, I'm certain my wife, my neighbors and my officemate are unspeakably thrilled. So, after a week spent with the album, what do I think? To be honest, I'm not really sure, though I know I like it. A lot. To be fair, I've never really been the hugest AC fan in the world — I appreciate 2005's Feels album and was sort of mystified by '07's Strawberry Jam — but having said that, it doesn't stop me from realizing that MPP is far and away the best thing they've ever done. I've read people describe it as the group's "pop" album, an assessment that, at first, struck me as kind of funny, but after repeated listens, one that I sort of agree with. There are genuine, sun-dappled moments of pure pop on the record (the choruses of "Summertime Clothes" and "Lion in a Coma," to name a pair), and I really can't say enough about the production, which captures both the rumbling lows and the spiky highs with a clarity that belies its (assumed) non-budget. But is Merriweather Post Pavilion the best record of the year? Maybe. There's still a long way to go in '09, but in terms of sonic wallop and sheer experimentalism, I don't think it's going to be beat. If you view the album as the culmination of Animal Collective's decade-plus career, then it's an even greater achievement — one born out of pushing envelopes and redefining the boundaries of sound. It all led to this moment. And, if you consider yourself a connoisseur of music, that's exactly what Merriweather Post Pavilion is: A moment ... one you will probably remember for a long time. My moment just happened to last for an entire week. Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com. Related Videos Related Artists |
| What Are The Female Pop MVPs Up To In 2009? Posted: 14 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST 'Twilight' star Kristen Stewart, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and other queen bees are keeping busy to stay on top this year.
It's Pop Week here at MTV News, and that means we're catching up with and getting to know everyone who's going to make a splash in pop music and culture over the next 12 months. Whether they're just arriving on the scene or are already the name on everyone's lips, these are the artists we expect big things from in 2009. These are the queen bees of the teen-queen pack. You already read their names almost every day, and they're keeping busy in 2009 so you won't forget about them anytime soon. With upcoming movies, music, books and clothing lines, these girls know that it takes a lot more than just being a triple threat to be famous — you need to do everything possible to stay famous. Here's what your Female Pop MVPs will be up to in 2009: Miley Cyrus Taylor Swift Katy Perry Kristen Stewart Aubrey O'Day Check out our Male and Female Pop Rookies, and stick with us all week for more Pop Week stories on the stars to watch in 2009! Related Videos Related Artists |
| More 2009 Rock Rookies, Including Pete Wentz's Answer To Paramore Posted: 14 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Hey Monday call Fall Out Boy bassist 'an awesome guy'; Friday Night Boys say they can 'out-drink any band.'
2008 was a huge year for rock ... and 2009 looks like it could be even bigger. So all this week, we're taking stock of the things guaranteed to rock this year. From the triumphant returns of some of the biggest bands on the planet to a handful of up-and-coming acts that we're expecting big things from in '09, we've got it all covered. This is Rock Week, on MTVNews.com. Once upon a time, even the hugest bands on the planet were bands no one had ever heard of. They had yet to rock arenas or unite the globe or even ride on a tour bus with a working toilet, for that matter. They were just a bunch of kids with a single press photo (usually taken against a brick wall) and a whole lot of possibility. It didn't matter that the odds were stacked impossibly high against them. It was almost better that way. These days, things are different. Thanks to the vast frontier of the Internet, practically every band has been heard by somebody, which makes the concept of them "rocketing to success" seem rather antiquated. And, perhaps dulled by nearly three decades of "Next Big Thing" articles, we tend to roll our eyes further back into our heads with each "can't miss" contender foisted on us by the music industry.
That said, please allow us to do the very same thing. Because, really, the Next Big Things have to come from somewhere, right? So while we're going to refrain from the hyperbole ("This band will change your life!"), we are going to go out on a limb and say that you'll be hearing a whole lot from these guys in 2009. From Lil Wayne-approved rock stars to much-buzzed blog acts to, um, barely pubescent head-bangers, these are our top picks for 2009's Rock Rookies. (Check out our first two rookies, Kevin Rudolf and Chester French.) Who: An effervescent Florida pop-punk act fronted by 19-year-old firecracker Cassadee Pope. Formed out of the ashes of a group called Blake, Hey Monday drew major-label attention and caught the ear of a certain A&R guy by the name of Pete Wentz, who brokered a deal between Columbia Records and his own Decaydance label. Their debut album, the hooky and melodramatic Hold on Tight, was released late last year. And, yes, they remind everyone of another fairly successful, female-fronted pop-punk band. Getting Deep: Their debut single, "Homecoming," was co-written by the Academy Is ... heartthrob William Beckett, but Pope is no slouch when it comes to penning a tune or two. After all, she's had years of practice. "I wrote my first song when I was 7 or 8. It was about a flower," Pope laughed. "You know, about how they grow from seeds to flowers. It's kind of funny now, but I thought it was really deep back then." On Pete and Paramore: Ever since Wentz took them under his wing ("My aunt reads People and sees him in there. She's amazed I know him. But to me, he's just an awesome guy," Pope said), Hey Monday have had to deal with plenty of detractors who say they're nothing more than pretenders to Paramore's throne, an accusation Pope finds oddly complimentary: "It comes up in pretty much every interview we do and every night we play, but it doesn't bother me," she explained. "[Paramore frontwoman] Hayley [Williams] is amazing, and I look up to them. I think we're totally different bands, but I'd rather be compared to them than a lot of other people." The Friday Night Boys Who: Four power-pop party-starters from Fairfax, Virginia, who landed a gig on "TRL" before they even had a recording contract, thanks to a self-released EP and a massive MySpace presence. They impressed All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth, who took their demos to Fueled by Ramen, who inked the Boys to a deal. They've hit the road with various FBR bands and are currently working on their full-length debut with pop producer Eman Kiriakou, who's worked with David Archuleta, Jordin Sparks and, uh, the New Kids on the Block. The Song Isn't Named After a Marginally Popular CBS Sitcom?: Like their name suggests, FNB live every day like it's Friday night, which sometimes leads to some rather, uh, interesting situations: "We have a song called 'How I Met Your Mother' that's about this one situation, where a girl called me over and I went into her house," frontman Andrew Goldstein laughed. "She's like, 'All right, you have to go in through the back door and come up to my bed,' and so I go, and I walk into the bedroom, I get into the bed, and I realize it's not the girl's bedroom, it's her mom's. ... I'm not in contact with the girl anymore, but I do talk to the mom." A Day in the Life: It's kind of difficult to rage for 24 hours straight, but the guys in FNB are determined to try. All the time. Here's what a typical 24 hours looks like for them: "OK, first we kind of wake up and look around, confused as to where we are, and then we'll go to a bar and then try pathetically to get with a girl, and then not remember the rest of the night," Goldstein said. "And then [bassist] Robby [Dallas Reider] pi--es on the floor at some point. It's fun. And pathetic too. But I know that we can out-drink any band. I promise you that." Check back for more Thursday, as Rock Week continues on MTVNews.com. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Check Out 'American Idol' Expert Jim Cantiello's Premiere Live-Blog! Posted: 13 Jan 2009 05:20 AM PST Make sure you didn't miss a thing with Jim's minute-by-minute recap.
|
| Lil Wayne To Perform At The Grammys Posted: 13 Jan 2009 01:02 AM PST Source close to the February 8 awards show confirms Weezy's appearance.
Even if he doesn't win at least one of the eight awards he's up for at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, Lil Wayne will indeed take the stage at the Staples Center on February 8. Weezy F. Baby will perform at the Grammy Awards, a source close to show has confirmed to MTV News. And what should we expect from Wayne's set at the prestigious ceremony? Maybe his biggest-scale TV performance to date, the 2008 VMAs, will give us a clue.
"I thought it out," Wayne said of his VMA show. "And that's very scary. For me to plan something and execute it, that's when I murder the world. And I'm gonna murder that performance." Surely, he will be showing out for the Grammy Awards too. Weezy has been getting kudos for his live-performance chops while out on the road right now. The New Orleans Fireman is hitting the stage with a live band as he headlines the I Am Music tour along with T-Pain, Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson. Last week, the rumor mill went crazy when portions from an interview with Canadian MC Drake hit the blogs. In it, Drake described Wayne's next LP as being an all-rock effort. But in October, Wayne explained his musical ambitions to Mixtape Monday, saying that he's beyond genres. "People see the guitars, and they wanna call it rock and roll," Wayne said. "I plug up the bass, I plug up the electric, I plug up the acoustic. It's not really rock and roll, it's just great music I'm doing right now." Related Artists |
| Jay-Z, Jonas Brothers, T.I. Expected To Play Inaugural Concerts Posted: 13 Jan 2009 12:56 AM PST Ludacris, Miley Cyrus, Beastie Boys, Young Jeezy will also reportedly rock D.C. this weekend.
It's fitting that the first post-baby boomer president will be inaugurated with a celebration that will include rock, pop, country, opera, Latin and hip-hop. That's why the lineup for Barack Obama's inauguration reads like the roster for a really killer "We Are the World"-type single. We've already told you about Sunday's star-studded "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial," which will feature U2, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen, Usher, Will.I.Am, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Shakira and Jamie Foxx — but that's just the tip of the iceberg. While the entertainment for the 10 official balls has not yet been confirmed, the party gets started Thursday with D'Angelo's show at the Shadow Room, followed by another HHC-sponsored show the next night at Ibiza, with a lineup that hasn't been announced yet. Saturday night brings the Green Inaugural Party headlined by Wyclef Jean and the BET Honors ball, hosted by Gabrielle Union and honoring Mary J. Blige, Tyler Perry and Magic Johnson, among others. Common, Mary J. Blige and Nelly will headline a show at Ibiza sponsored by the Hip-Hop Caucus on Saturday night. Sunday's lineup begins to heat up with the "Dreams From My Father American Scholars Inaugural Ball," featuring appearances by LL Cool J, Alicia Keys and Macy Gray, and the Voto Latino Inaugural Party, with guests including Rosario Dawson, Paulina Rubio, Wilmer Valderrama and Marc Anthony. Also on the docket is Declare Yourself's "A New Birth of Citizenship" event, hosted by Jessica Alba, with sets from Maroon 5, John Legend, DJ Samantha Ronson and "special guests." By Monday, the talent pool will (reportedly) include the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus headlining a yet-unconfirmed free Concert for America's Children at the Verizon Center; Young Jeezy, LL Cool J and T.I. at the Hip Hop Summit Action Network black-tie party hosted by Russell Simmons; "An Evening With Jay-Z" at the intimate Warner Theater backed by a full band; and the "Old School Legends Ball" with Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh and Biz Markie. That night will also find the Beastie Boys squeezing into D.C.'s legendary 9:30 Club for an all-ages, Rock the Vote-sponsored party called "Hey, America Feels Kinda Cool Again" inaugural gala featuring Sheryl Crow, Citizen Cope and Justin Jones. Inauguration day will bring the "Urban Ball," hosted by Ludacris and featuring Big Boi, Monica, T-Pain, Eve and David Banner; the Creative Coalition gala, which is expected to draw Anne Hathaway, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Josh Lucas, Elvis Costello and Spike Lee, among other celebrities; the LBGT community-sponsored "Equality Ball" with Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright and Melissa Etheridge; the RIAA/ Feeding America ball with Rihanna; the "Neighborhood Ball," with rumored performers Jay-Z and Beyoncé; and, of course, the "Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" ball, co-hosted by MTV and ServiceNation and featuring sets from a number of yet-unnamed major acts. "Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" will air live on MTV on Tuesday, January 20, at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT. MTV News will have wall-to-wall coverage of the event and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya in the days leading up to the event and in the days that follow. Related Artists |
| Katy Perry Tells Media To 'Stop Looking For A Story' Posted: 13 Jan 2009 12:34 AM PST Singer's onstage remarks in L.A. were interpreted as comments on breakup with Travis McCoy.
Katy Perry insists that, despite what appeared to be public comments about her recent breakup with Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy, there is no story here, and (ahem) media outlets should stop trying to blow her comments out of proportion. "I don't give statements about my personal life," she blogged on her site. "The stories [I] read about the things I say introducing some of my songs are merely to explain the forthcoming song. I enjoy being myself on stage and that's what you expect of me." On Monday night during an acoustic set in Los Angeles, Perry made comments like "When you break up with someone, you move on," according to People magazine. "You don't really want to move on ... but you have to because they don't give you any choice," she added before declaring, "But I'm over it!" In Tuesday's blog post, she wrote that since splitting with McCoy, people are finding new reasons to comment on things she claims she says all the time in concert. "I have made many of the same introductions before ... just lately everyone's dissecting my every word. Understandable," she blogged. "When I wanna share something with the world, the world will know ... otherwise, stop looking for a story, or an explanation." In a previous blog post on Monday, Perry shared with everyone that she was feeling "very melancholy. The usual," adding, "Mostly just a pity party I suppose. We all throw them... no one ever comes though, especially mine!" Related Artists |
| You are subscribed to email updates from MTV News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
Inbox too full?  Subscribe to the feed version of MTV News in a feed reader. | |
| If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: MTV News, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar