MTV News |
- Michael Jackson's Burial At Neverland Ranch Still A Possibility
- Paramore Want To Go 'Smaller' For <i>Brand New Eyes</I> Tour
- Mariah Carey 'Had A Human Moment' At Memorial, Nick Cannon Says
- Jay-Z Tops <i>Forbes</i>' Hip-Hop Cash Kings List
- Zaytoven Lends His Skills To Gucci Mane, Usher
- Drake Explains His Balance Between Rapping, Singing
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Rejects Michael Jackson Resolution
- Michael Jackson Memorial Draws 31.1 Million U.S. Viewers
| Michael Jackson's Burial At Neverland Ranch Still A Possibility Posted: 09 Jul 2009 07:41 AM PDT State officials tell singer's family that he could be buried at his former home as long as the county approves.
While the location of Michael Jackson's burial is still up in the air, state officials have told the late singer's family that it might be possible to bury him at Neverland Ranch, according to CNN. The final decision rests with Santa Barbara County, where the ranch is located, and the Jacksons. County officials said on Thursday (July 9) that the family had not approached them about burying Michael on the sprawling Los Olivos, California, property. State officials, however, were contacted by a lawyer for the Jackson family about the possibility, Amanda Fulkerson of California's State and Consumer Services Agency told CNN.
Besides approval from the county, the family would also need a certificate of authority from the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, which can be obtained by filling out a two-page application and paying $400. While Jermaine Jackson told CNN he's in favor of burying his brother at Neverland, their father, Joe, said he's against the site. Michael Jackson bought the 2,500-acre property in 1988 at the age of 29. He ordered the construction of an amusement park with a roller coaster and Ferris wheel, a railroad, a movie theater, stables, an arcade and a zoo, complete with elephants, giraffes, chimpanzees, crocodiles, snakes and a bear. In total, there are 22 buildings on the land, including a mansion, guesthouses and several apartments. The upkeep was reported to be as high as $5 million per year. In 2006, California authorities ordered the closure of Neverland and fined Jackson following his failure to pay staff and renew insurance policies. By last year, Jackson's financial situation had deteriorated to the point where Neverland was set to be sold as a result of missed payments on a $24.5 million loan. A last-minute deal with a real estate investment firm prevented the compound from being auctioned off. The company, Colony Capital LLC, placed the title for the property into a joint venture with Mr. Jackson. The amusement-park rides, railroad and zoo were all removed after Jackson's departure. Reports last week had stated that a public memorial would be held at Neverland, but logistical concerns moved the event to Los Angeles' Staples Center instead. For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered." Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Paramore Want To Go 'Smaller' For <i>Brand New Eyes</I> Tour Posted: 10 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT 'It will be nostalgic for us,' frontwoman Hayley Williams says of playing clubs.
Maybe it's because they've spent their summer performing before stone-faced No Doubt fans in 15,000-seat amphitheaters and palatial hockey arenas, but when it came time to plan their own tour, Paramore decided to go small. Like, really small. While they're still figuring out the dates for their tour in support of the upcoming Brand New Eyes LP, they already know what kind of venues they want to play: the kind they've been playing for years.
"We haven't hashed it all out yet, but it will be smaller, due to the fact that the tour we're doing right now is so large and, like, ticket prices are on a whole new level ... everything is a whole new level for us," frontwoman Hayley Williams told MTV News. "And we love it, but we want to do something that's really intimate and that our fans can be right up there and don't have to break their banks [for tickets]. It will just be really fun. I'm stoked." Williams said the tour is tentatively scheduled to start on the day Brand New Eyes is released — September 29, which is coincidentally also guitarist Josh Farro's birthday — and it will more than likely feature two opening acts. Who will those acts be? Well, Williams and company seem to know, but they're not going to tell us just yet. Don't worry, though — whomever they pick, it will all be perfect. "We're still thinking about bands we want to take out. This is a lie. We know, but it still could change," Williams laughed. "I'm always thinking about that, to be honest, because I want these shows to be great for our fans. And it seems like they really are going to be like that. I'm stoked. It'll be in clubs, it will be nostalgic for us. It'll be perfect." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Mariah Carey 'Had A Human Moment' At Memorial, Nick Cannon Says Posted: 09 Jul 2009 08:46 AM PDT Carey's husband thinks she didn't need to apologize for being emotional at Michael Jackson's service.
On Wednesday, Mariah Carey told "Today" and her Twitter followers that she thought she "let everybody down" when her voice cracked when she sang "I'll Be There" at Michael Jackson's memorial. But Nick Cannon didn't think his wife had anything to apologize for, saying that her performance was "all about the emotion."
"To be able to see [the memorial for] not only someone who influenced music and the world, but someone who was a close friend, to have to sit there and perform, it's just a little tough," he told MTV News on Wednesday. Cannon also noted that Carey wasn't the only performer who got emotional during their tributes to the late King of Pop. "It's tough on anybody," he said. "We seen all the performances, and everybody was emotional, so I think she was just trying to say she had a human moment and that was one of those things. It wasn't about the entertainment. It was about just having that moment." The "America's Got Talent" host said he felt that Tuesday's performances were all equally touching, and none stood out above the rest. "It was one of those things where it was raw emotion in the entire place. Nobody was up there faking," he said. "Nobody was up there trying to showboat or make it about them. Everybody had a magical moment." Cannon said he was also moved by how the Staples Center that day was "packed, but it was still silent. It was one of those things where everybody was there to pay respects to the greatest entertainer that ever lived." For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered." Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Jay-Z Tops <i>Forbes</i>' Hip-Hop Cash Kings List Posted: 09 Jul 2009 01:42 AM PDT Kanye West, Diddy and 50 Cent trail behind Jay's $35 million 2009 earnings.
The economy has been rough on everybody, but as Forbes' Hip-Hop Cash Kings list proves, it still pays to be a huge mainstream rapper with multiple business ventures. Even though he took a 57 percent pay cut compared to last year, Jay-Z still managed to come in at #1 as the richest rapper of the year. By Forbes' estimate (based on earnings between June 2008 and June 2009), Jigga pulled in $35 million in the past year, owing mostly to his international tour and his ownership stakes in the NBA's New Jersey Nets and New York's sports/strip club 40/40. Why did Hova take such a huge pay cut? Because last year's figure was boosted heavily by the $150 million deal the rapper signed with Live Nation, which provided him with an immediate cash windfall. Last year's winner, 50 Cent, slipped to fourth place with $20 million. Again, 50 owes most of his fortune to diversification, such as his Vitamin Water deal, G-Unit clothing line and numerous licensing deals (including a video game). Between 50 and Jay stands Kanye West (who cashed checks on his multiplatinum album 808s & Heartbreak and his juggernaut Glow in the Dark Tour) with $25 million and Diddy (whose ever-expanding portfolio includes a brand of premium vodka and his Sean John clothing line) with $30 million. The rest of the list proves that rappers are making a great deal of money doing things that have nothing to do with actual rapping. Even the producers on the list — like Pharrell Williams ($16 million) and Timbaland ($17 million) have their hands in accessory lines and film production. If all else fails, you just need to create a timeless album, which is how Dr. Dre came in at #11 on the list. Though he executive-produced Eminem's platinum Relapse, the producer's $13 million came primarily from royalties collected on classic releases like The Chronic. Related Artists |
| Zaytoven Lends His Skills To Gucci Mane, Usher Posted: 10 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT Plus: Rick Ross gives us details about his next project, in Mixtape Daily.
Behind the Beats: Zaytoven Xavier "Zaytoven" Dotson literally is crafting the sound of the South as we know it right now. Usher, Jagged Edge, Rick Ross, Slim from 112, Yung LA — all are on his just-done list, but his biggest clients are the two dudes he's been rocking with for years, Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman. "When me and Gucci sit down, I make tracks real fast and he can write songs real fast," Zay told us about his friend of almost a decade. Their winning game plan was to just release new music as frequently as possible. "We felt we could do that faster and more than anybody else," Zay explained. "We put out more music than anybody else has. We felt that what's was gonna separate us from everybody else. Everybody don't get a chance to breathe. People be like, 'They putting out all that music' — it made them pay attention."
The Gucc is back in the studio after his jail stint, and 'Toven said people are just now recognizing what he's known for almost 10 years. "He actually came and was trying to write music for his little nephew," he said of how Gucci first started making his own songs. "He was coming by [my studio], trying to get his nephew. Once he started recording and I heard him ... I said, 'This guy got it right here.' A lot of people didn't hear it then, but I liked Gucci Mane's music a whole lot. We were doing our own thing. I'd make beats, he'd rap and we'd go to the club and perform. "The sound I got is how Gucci Mane rap," Zay explained. "It's hard, but it's still bright and got character to it. It ain't just hard and gory — it's got life to it." Zaytoven moved from his native San Francisco to Atlanta back in 2000. With the price of studio time on the rise, Z converted his parents' basement into his own personal lab and got to work. All he originally had was a computer and a keyboard — the rappers he worked with recorded their lyrics in a closet. "Checks done helped us out, got us looking better," he said about improvements made to the space. "I never moved the studio, 'cause I like its home feel. This is where all my family comes and we kick it. We been doing this since day one. I'mma always have this studio — this is home. We call this Zaytown. We in the A-Town, this basement is Zaytown." To get to Zaytown, you pull up to an unassuming house, walk through the front into the kitchen, then ease through the living room where his grandmother might be watching TV, down to the basement. He's made hundreds of beats down there (most of them take only 10 minutes to finish), and all the big Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman songs originated there, from "Bricks" to "Make the Trap Say Aye." "We did 'Bricks' and 'Ridiculous' all in one day," Zaytoven offered. "Gucci came here, like, 8 in the morning — we were done 4 the morning the next day. OJ came way later that day, and 'Make the Trap Say Aye' was one of the last songs we did." Now Gucci, OJ and Zaytoven are all moving from the streets to the mainstream. OJ laid tracks with R. Kelly, Gucci is on songs by Black Eyed Peas and Mariah Carey and Zay made a song for Usher's new album. "I can't wait for something like that to come out, so people can see I do more that just hip-hop," Zay said. "I can do R&B, pop, gospel ... whatever genre of music that's out. If you listen to [this new Usher song], you can't say, 'Zaytoven did that.' "All this stuff is big for me," he added. "It's our time. The sound we put out for so long and gave away for free on the mixtapes — now it means something." Next Wave of Flav On Snoop Dogg: "Snoop is the funniest guy in the world. He makes you feel like you're his real nephew. He knows what his sound is. He wanted to get back in the streets. He knows what's poppin' and he came to me. He just got on the 'Gorgeous' song. A lot of the record we're going to do are ideas right now. He'll lay a verse then come back to it." The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From the Underground The remix for "Yacht Club" is just a taste of what's to come real soon. Rick Ross says he ready to launch the new Triple C (Carol City Cartel). "In the next two weeks, look for the Triple C single for Custom Cars and Cycles," he revealed to us. "Custom Cars and Cycles ... the reason we name it that is that it's three Cs. But when we first began making music together and we was homies before we ever made a dollar in the music game, the furthest we could see was coming up and getting us a couple of custom cars and few motorcycles. We're taking this project back to the love, back to the beginning — well over a decade ago. I salute Gunplay, Torch, Young Bre. It's gonna be potent." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Drake Explains His Balance Between Rapping, Singing Posted: 09 Jul 2009 12:23 AM PDT 'It allows people a break from just constant rapping, rapping, rapping,' he says of crooning on his tracks.
While Drake works on his debut LP, Thank Me Later, the Toronto MC said there is no method to any of his madness. If he gets inspired to spit rhymes on a track, he'll get to it. If he wants to croon to a beat, that's what it will be.
"The balance of singing and rapping has been blurred ever since I did So Far Gone," he said of his breakthrough mixtape. "I mean, I don't really have a formula for that. I don't say, like, 'OK, I can only sing this hook or I want to rap this.' I just really hear a beat, and it's like, 'If I can write to it on a hip-hop level, if I can pen some raps to it, then that will work.' And then maybe after I do that, I'll get in the booth and sing a little part of the verse. "I like to do that," he continued. "I like to incorporate singing into my verses. And then I feel like it allows people a break from just constant rapping, rapping, rapping, you know? I think it's great to incorporate melodies into the songs that I write. And yeah, my goal is just really to make a song that after I listen to it, I'll just be like, 'Man, people are going to know the words to that.' That's the best thing. I think I'm doing it right, 'cause when I go to the shows, people know the words to the songs, and that's good." Drake has the video for "Best I Ever Had" out right now and says he'll probably be appearing in front of the cameras for more clips soon. "There's talk to do a 'Successful' video," Drake said. "Also, you know, I'm shooting the video to 'Digital Girl' with Jamie Foxx and Kanye West and The-Dream. And then there is another song that we have that we might shoot a video for, for the album. So as far as videos go, there is some more potential chances to see [me]." Related Videos Related Artists |
| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Rejects Michael Jackson Resolution Posted: 08 Jul 2009 11:36 PM PDT 'I don't think it's necessary,' Pelosi says.
During the Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday, Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas proudly proclaimed her support for House Resolution 600 in praise of the King of Pop, even holding up a copy of her proposal honoring the singer for his humanitarian efforts during a lengthy, loving speech about the singer. A number of Republicans in the House — most notoriously New York Representative Peter King — were quick to shoot down the effort and on Wednesday, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the chorus. While she said she would allow fellow House members to express their sorrow over the pop icon's passing, Pelosi stated emphatically that she didn't think a resolution was necessary. According to a transcript of her weekly press conference provided by her office, when asked at a news conference if she would support the resolution, Pelosi said, "Michael Jackson was a great, great performer ... [there's] lots of sadness there for many reasons." She went on to say there is plenty of "opportunity on the floor of the House to express their sympathy or their praise any time that they wish. I don't think it's necessary for us to have a resolution." She added that a resolution would open up Jackson's life to "contrary views that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different," seemingly referring to the more sordid elements of Jackson's life, including two allegations of child molestation and allegations that he abused prescription medication. The non-binding resolution proposed by Jackson Lee — who noted during her speech on Tuesday that Jackson was acquitted on criminal charges of sexual molestation of a child in 2005 — would have been a symbolic gesture from lawmakers with no legal or political implications. Pelosi's spokesperson said the House Speaker was not available at press time for further comment and a spokesperson for Jackson Lee could not be reached for comment. For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered." Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Michael Jackson Memorial Draws 31.1 Million U.S. Viewers Posted: 09 Jul 2009 06:24 AM PDT Total is less than Obama inauguration, about the same as 'American Idol' finale numbers.
With 18 U.S. TV networks and cable outlets broadcasting the nearly three-hour Michael Jackson memorial service on Tuesday, just over 31.1 million people tuned in. Nielsen Media Research reported that despite the global attention paid to the death of the pop icon and the breathless anticipation of his final sendoff, the U.S. numbers for the event were lower than the figures in this country for the 2004 funeral of ex-president Ronald Reagan (35.1 million), the 1997 funeral of England's Princess Diana (33.3 million), the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January (37.8 million) and the president's first White House news conference in February (49.5 million).
By comparison, last year's "American Idol" finale drew 31.7 million viewers, and the Super Bowl typically draws nearly 100 million viewers. While the Jackson numbers did not break records, thanks to the widespread pickup by so many networks and stations the event had an audience share of 56, Nielsen reported. That figure means that 56 percent of the TVs turned on at the time were tuned in to the Jackson memorial, an astronomical figure for daytime television, which typically has much lower figures than prime-time programming. Reuters reported that the numbers for the memorial — which featured performances from Usher, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Hudson, as well as a touching message from the late singer's daughter, Paris Jackson — did not include figures for the estimated millions who watched the event online or in replays. They also don't take into account the many community gatherings and the nearly 100 movie theaters that screened the event across the nation. Akamai, an Internet company that handles 20 percent of the world's web traffic, reported that it handled nearly 2.8 million audio and video streams during the Jackson memorial, making it the most widely viewed Internet event since Obama's inauguration. In England, however, where Jackson was slated to kick off his 50-date This Is It residency at London's O2 Arena next Tuesday, the Guardian estimated that 6 million people tuned in to the service. For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered." Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
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