Rabu, 09 September 2009

MTV News

MTV News

Diddy Discusses Mase Coming Back To Bad Boy, Label's Future

Posted: 09 Sep 2009 03:51 AM PDT

Plus: Boxer Andre Berto listens to T.I., Rick Ross to get pumped up for fights, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Sway Calloway


Diddy and Mase
Photo: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images

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When Andre Berto is about to get in the ring or when he's just living the life of a millionaire boxer, he said hip-hop is one of his major loves.

"I listen to T.I. heavy, my man Rick Ross," he said. "I was just with Luda. Drake is real hot right now. I'm just heavy on that right now. Jeezy! I'm into the Southern joints right now. Jay-Z, I listen to Jay heavy. Jadakiss, Fabolous has been doing his thing heavy.

"Every training camp, we pick an album to ride to the whole training camp," he added. "In January, I had a fight. We went with [T.I.'s] Paper Trail the whole camp. This camp, we were going hard on [Rick Ross'] Deeper Than Rap. We're gonna see who we'll go with before this fight in December."

Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Mase has been talking lately about trying to work out a deal with Diddy. He even rapped about renegotiating with Chairman Combs in his song "Get It" with Cam'ron: " 'Mase, you come back if you get 50 percent?'/ I'm like, 'Nah, if I come back I need Diddy percent.' "

Diddy said that he and Mase have been talking, but nothing is solid as far as a Mase project on Bad Boy.

"Mase has called me," Diddy told us. "We've spoken. He's basically said, 'Just keep your eye on me. Making this switch, I gotta kinda bear this cross for a second. Just watch what I do.' I said, 'I've seen.' He's definitely one of the dopest MCs to ever touch the game. People can't deny that. He's one of the most successful. I've seen people come back from different things in this game. I said, 'Yeah. Without a doubt, I'll keep my eye on you.' I spoke to him today. He's out there working."

In June, 50 Cent was a guest on Funk Master Flex's Hot 97 radio show and said he wanted to bring Mase to the G-Unit but Diddy wanted too much money to turn over the contract.

If Mase would come back and make music with Bad Boy, and if Diddy were able to make that long-rumored LOX re-signing come to fruition, he would have one of the strongest hip-hop rosters in the game. You add his foundation players along with the recently added Red Cafe and newcomer Aasim, then a nice nucleus would take shape. But Diddy doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself. He's taking his time and plotting his rap attack.

"With the future of Bad Boy, I definitely think it's time for me to come up with a game plan," he said. "A lot of things have changed. I have a great legacy I have to protect. I'm taking some time. I don't wanna sign anything new. I wanna focus on this Janelle Monáe album, on this Cassie album, on this Last Train to Paris. Those are the albums I'm focusing on. I'm not making anything new. I wanna come up with a game plan that works going forward with the future of Bad Boy."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Janet Jackson To Pay Tribute To Michael At The VMAs

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 03:49 AM PDT

Janet will help kick off the awards show, which airs live Sunday at 9 p.m.
By Eric Ditzian


Janet Jackson
Photo: John Shearer/ WireImage

Michael Jackson has contributed some of the most unforgettable moments in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards. In 1984, he won a handful of Moonmen for his "Thriller" video. A decade later, he shared a famous kiss with wife Lisa Marie Presley onstage. The list of epic performances and remarkable pop-culture moments goes on and on.

Following Jackson's sudden death in June, his sister Janet will return to the VMA stage to pay musical tribute to her brother. On Sunday, Janet — who has won nine VMAs — will make a special appearance at the VMAs to help open the show and honor MJ's career. Previous reports noting that choreographer Frank Gaston is involved are erroneous.

Airing live Sunday at 9 p.m., the Russell Brand-hosted VMAs will pit Lady Gaga against Beyoncé, as each pop star has nabbed nine nominations, including nods for Video of the Year and Best Female Video. Britney Spears has garnered seven nominations for her "Womanizer" and "Circus" clips in categories like Video of the Year and Best Pop Video. Kanye West, Eminem and Coldplay received four nominations each.

Performers include Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Pink, Taylor Swift and Muse. Among the evening's presenters are Katy Perry, Nelly Furtado, Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, Ne-Yo and Miranda Cosgrove.

"Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will also appear on the show to debut an exclusive expanded trailer for "New Moon," the second film in the vampire saga.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place this Sunday, September 13, at 9 p.m. ET. Stay tuned all week long for news on additional performers and celebrity presenters.

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Pearl Jam's Mike McCready Praises The 'Phenomenal' Beatles

Posted: 09 Sep 2009 03:51 AM PDT

But he might not be so good at the just-released 'Beatles: Rock Band': 'I need to work on my skills.'
By Kyle Anderson


Pearl Jam's Mike McCready
Photo: MTV News

Pearl Jam already have several links to "Rock Band," as they have made their classic debut Ten available in its entirety as a playable download and will be dropping their forthcoming album Backspacer in the same fashion once it's released September 20. And though founding guitarist Mike McCready has played the game and is excited for the Wednesday (September 9) release of "The Beatles: Rock Band," he has a confession to make.

"I honestly grew up listening to the Stones more," McCready told MTV News at the Outside Lands Festival. "But that doesn't mean I don't love the Beatles."

McCready cited the band's harmonies as a musical development that really inspired him, and he also gave a nod to a classic piece of video. "The concert footage on the roof was probably something that was integral in my growing up."

The footage in question is the surprise show the Beatles gave in January 1969 that marked the end of the recording of Let It Be and ended up being the band's final public appearance together. McCready did learn one profound thing from the Beatles. "My manager says you never want to release anything against the Beatles, because they'll always win," he joked. "And they should, because they were phenomenal."

As for "Rock Band," McCready admitted he needs practice. "I play 'Rock Band' with my friends' kids, and they completely beat me senseless with it," he admitted. "I feel like I'm holding them back. I try to play the drums, and I just can't play the drums. I think I need to work on my skills."

But when Backspacer becomes available as a playable full-album download, McCready said players will be able to develop their skills on a few of his favorite tracks. "I would say try the solo on 'Amongst the Waves.' And just rock out to 'Gonna See My Friend.' That'll be fun to jump around to and play. Stomp as much as you possibly can. That's rock!"

For more on "The Beatles: Rock Band" check out Multiplayer.MTV.com.

Taylor Swift Says 'Anything Can Happen' During Her VMA Performance

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 02:06 AM PDT

Country singer will perform 'You Belong With Me' at awards show, which airs live Sunday at 9 p.m.
By Jocelyn Vena


Taylor Swift
Photo: MTV News

Taylor Swift is going from being last year's VMA preshow fashion correspondent to taking over the main stage. Swift will perform "You Belong With Me," which is nominated for Best Female Video, at the Video Music Awards.

In past performances, Swift has done everything from singing in the pouring rain to collaborating with Def Leppard, T-Pain and Miley Cyrus. So when she hits the stage Sunday, fans should expect the unexpected.

" 'You Belong With Me' is not going to be as different musically as it's going to be different in that I've never done anything on an awards show like I'm going to do on this one," she teased, saying that the show's location adds to the allure of her performance. "It's in New York, so anything can happen."

The singer also revealed that she'd like to take her performance out of Radio City Music Hall and maybe pop up somewhere else. "I would love to perform somewhere outside of the venue," she said. "I think it could be really cool if it was unlike anything I've ever done at an awards show, which would mean doing it at a different location."

Recently, MTV News caught up with Perez Hilton, who gave us some details about another VMA performer. "I think, without a doubt, Gaga's gonna be that big star of the night, just because her performance really is next-level," Hilton said of BFF Lady Gaga. "That's the thing about her: She's always trying to top herself, and I think she's going to."

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place this Sunday, September 13, at 9 p.m. ET. Stay tuned all week long for news on additional performers and celebrity presenters.

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The <i>Other</i> Videos Of The Year

Posted: 09 Sep 2009 03:51 AM PDT

Just in time for the VMAs, we introduce you to some under-the-radar clips, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery


Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing"
Photo: Capitol

Despite what you might think, there are actually great music videos out there. And two of them are nominated for Video of the Year at the VMAs: Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (which is about as close as an "iconic" clip as we have these days) and Kanye West's stylized, minimal "Love Lockdown." The other three in the category — Eminem's "We Made You," Britney's "Womanizer" and Gaga's "Poker Face" — are certainly among the biggest, and they should rightfully be lauded for that. But, in my estimation, they're hardly the best, either.

That might explain why pretty much everyone I talk to is hard-pressed to name a music video that's moved them in any particular way over the past year: People only knew about the huge ones, so choosing their favorites is sort of like trying to decide between "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "The Final Destination" for Best Picture; you tend to abstain completely. People have been weaned on a steady diet of blockbusters, which has turned their brains into mush. So I decided to remedy that.

I've compiled a list of my favorite music videos released over the past 12 months, clips that, for whatever reason (gruesome special effects, copyright issues, child-exploitation laws), have largely flown beneath the radar. It's a shame, because all of them are amazing. They give me hope and remind me of a time when I used to fill VHS tapes with old clips by Beck and Pavement. My hope is, by watching them, you'll remember that time too.

So here are my picks for Video of the Year. And yes, there are something like 13 of them. Brevity has never been my thing. And it really shouldn't be anyone's — brevity (and pretty much everything else) killed the video star.

Coldplay, "Strawberry Swing"
I think there are about 15 different versions of this video (or something like that), but this is my favorite: a whimsical, stop-motion clip that stars Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as a cape-clad superhero. He soars — and sinks, and crawls — through a world made entirely of chalk drawings (the work of British collective Shynola), rescues the damsel in distress and walks off into the sunset. It's joyous, magical, downright brilliant stuff — proof that videos can still move you.

The Dead Weather, "Treat Me Like Your Mother"
Jack White and Alison Mosshart don leather jackets, trudge through a suburb in Palmdale, California, and address the oedipal complex by blasting the sh-- out of each other with machine guns. Clips are emptied. And reloaded. There is much blood, and even more sexual tension. Somewhat fittingly, this premiered on Cinemax, where this kind of coital carnage happens on the regular, though usually in the "Busty Cops" series.

Dinosaur Jr., "Over It"
If you like old dudes skateboarding (and wiping out big time) on the streets of Tallahassee, Florida, well, then this is the video for you. If you don't like old dudes skateboarding (and wiping out big time) on the streets of Tallahassee, Florida, well, then what the heck is wrong with you?

Franz Ferdinand, "Ulysses" and "No You Girls"
Franz Ferdinand released a pair of really great, strangely overlooked videos to promote their really great, strangely overlooked Tonight: Franz Ferdinand album. "Ulysses" is a sweaty, sticky trip though dingy bars and even dingier motel rooms — like a series of Polaroids of a night you'd soon forget, even if you can't remember all of it. The alternate version of "No You Girls" — directed by the band itself — is a never-ending loop of backstage antics and televised performances, sort of like what would happen if Michel Gondry directed a tour documentary.

Grizzly Bear, "Two Weeks"
The great Patrick Daughters (Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps," a million others) reimagines Grizzly Bear as ultra-creepy, oddly greasy Kewpie dolls, complete with glowing red cheeks, bottomless dimples and saucer-huge eyes. The only thing? Those cheeks keep glowing, and those dimples just get deeper, and those eyes — yow. It just gets creepier and creepier, until everyone's head explodes into showers of sparks. There are also gratuitous bow ties involved.

Lily Allen, "The Fear"
If Merchant Ivory Productions decided to make a version of "Alice in Wonderland," only with dancing butlers, pirouetting presents, smoke bombs and Allen's gravity-defying bangs, this would be it. A sexy, cheeky and effervescent big-budget pop video, the kind they generally stopped making 20 years ago. Brilliant stuff. Then again, I might be a bit be a bit biased.

MGMT, "Kids"
Over the course of six super-unsettling minutes, MGMT (and director Ray Tintori) positively brutalize a tiny child — certainly no older than 2 — with visions of terrifying, maw-dripping, blood-oozing monsters, basically sentencing the kid to a lifetime of therapy (and seriously calling into question the qualifications of his parents). Of course, it's genuinely awful, but it's also pretty provocative, too, recalling the sorta-twisted Saturday morning visions of Sid and Marty Krofft and the definitely twisted photography of Jill Greenberg, only, you know, on drugs. Art? Child abuse? Both? They certainly don't make 'em like this anymore. Mostly for legal reasons.

Modest Mouse, "King Rat"
The late Heath Ledger had something to do with this warped animated clip — I believe the correct thing to say is that he "conceived" it — which spares no detail in its depiction of illegal whaling (or, more specifically, in its depiction of whales hunting humans). Bodies are flailed and skinned and turned into petroleum products in particularly graphic detail, while Isaac Brock wails and spits in the background like a Tourette's patient. A bit gratuitous, a bit graphic, but undeniably gripping too.

Neil Young, "Johnny Magic"
Like if your dad made a music video, only if your dad was awesome and decided to convert his 1959 Lincoln Continental into an electric vehicle and write an album about it.

Phoenix, "Lisztomania (Brat Pack Mashup)"
The late John Hughes probably would've loved Phoenix, or at least been deeply flattered by them, since they bottle all the jittery joy of his best films in their hooky, boyish super-pop. So, somewhat fittingly, this bootleg video takes the best track on their Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix record and syncs it with the best moments from Hughes' films (and "Mannequin" and "Footloose" too) — i.e. whenever anyone dances/embraces/pirouettes for no particular reason — with predictably joyous results. Watch whenever you want to ram your head through your cubicle wall.

Wale, "Chillin' "
Roughly 40 percent of this video takes place outside of Ben's Chili Bowl, which is probably my favorite restaurant in the universe. The other 60 percent is pretty great, too, but, seriously — have you ever had a chili half-smoke?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Zero"
Karen O dons her leathers and prowls the streets of San Francisco's Chinatown, strutting her stuff, denting the roofs of cars and generally freaking out passersby. By the end of the clip, she's found her YYY mates, and they rock out in a 24-hour discount store while tickertape showers down from the ceiling. It's tough, sexy and overly-blissed — just like the song itself.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

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Christina Milian And The-Dream Get Married

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 05:53 AM PDT

Las Vegas nuptials were the first of three ceremonies for the couple, a source close to The-Dream reveals.
By Jayson Rodriguez


The-Dream and Christina Milian
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images

The-Dream and Christina Milian are officially making sweet music together. The pair were married in Las Vegas over the Labor Day weekend, MTV News has confirmed.

"It was the first of three ceremonies," a source close to The-Dream revealed exclusively to MTV News on Tuesday (September 8).

According to the source, The-Dream and Milian are set to get hitched yet again overseas in Rome very shortly. Then the singers will renew their vows Stateside on their first wedding anniversary in front of family and friends who won't be able to make the trip to Italy. TMZ reported the couple wed on Friday, September 4.

The report indicated the Grammy-winning songwriter (Rihanna and Mariah Carey) and Milian rented their formal attire, a tuxedo for him and a dress for her. But the source close to The-Dream shot down the information, calling it 100 percent false. Instead the now-married entertainers were dressed appropriately for the occasion, they said.

The-Dream and Milian first turned heads earlier this year in January when the Cuban star appeared alongside the Atlanta native at a listening session for his sophomore album. Later that same night they appeared very comfortable with each other at a birthday celebration for a Def Jam Records executive in Manhattan. When pressed about the relationship the next day, The-Dream denied the budding romance to MTV News, saying it was a business union; he signed her to his label imprint in a partnership with Interscope Records.

"Yeah, it's a new Radio Killa thing that we have," he coyly said at the time. "Um, actually, what happened was, I think about a month ago, I think I sat with her. It was one of these things where you try to grow an artist, you can either grow them from the ground or you can come in and say, 'This artist needs this, that's all.' And that part of me I have, which is what she didn't have."

The singers' whirlwind relationship caught the rapt attention of the blogoshpere, as pictures of the couple have appeared online almost daily. They also graced the cover of the final issue of Vibe magazine. Although the pairing was labeled a publicity stunt, the source, who attended the Las Vegas ceremony, said The-Dream and Milian are the real thing.

"Anyone can tell just by looking at them together," the source said.

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'City' Star Whitney Port Gets 'Empowering' Advice From Her Mentors

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 07:31 AM PDT

Aspiring fashion designer celebrates her upcoming cover story at a Seventeen magazine party.
By Jocelyn Vena


Whitney Port
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

Whitney Port is definitely learning about the business world on the new season of "The City," and she knows the women she works with can teach her a lot about what it takes to cut it in the fashion industry. The people over at Seventeen magazine seemed to think Port's perseverance in the cutthroat industry made her a perfect candidate for the cover of the October issue.

Port dished to MTV News at the issue's release party Tuesday (September 8) that working for design maven Diane Von Furstenberg and PR queen Kelly Cutrone has showed her that it takes a strong personality to make it. Both women have given her key advice to make her dreams come true.

"Diane really taught me a lot about empowering myself as a woman, and in my relationship world, she taught me a lot about appreciating myself and putting myself first," Port said.

This season of "The City" shows Whitney taking a cue or two from Cutrone as well. While Cutrone and Von Furstenberg may seem like very different people, they gave Port very similar advice.

"She's really boosted my confidence," Port said of the tough-as-nails Cutrone. "And made me believe in myself and really taught me I should just follow my dreams and not be afraid to fail."

A trailer for the new season of "The City" shows Whitney transitioning to her new job — and a new man. Watch the "The City" season premiere on Tuesday, September 29, at 10:30 p.m., right after the season premiere of "The Hills."

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50 Cent Weighs In On VMA Battle: Eminem Or Kanye West?

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 01:37 AM PDT

MC declines to take sides; VMAs air on Sunday night!
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez


50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

At Sunday's Video Music Awards, there will be all kinds of battles going on for the coveted Moonmen, but the biggest one just might be Eminem vs. Kanye West: both are up for four awards, and the winner will be decided at Sunday night's big show.

Despite 50 Cent's long history with Eminem, it seems that he can't quite pick which MC he thinks should take home the most Moonmen on Sunday night.

"When you say VMAs, they both have trophy cases full, both Kanye and Eminem," 50 said, expertly dodging the question. Instead, he focused on how many VMA trophies Eminem already has.

"I said, 'Damn, how many trophies they gave you?' " he joked. "They're, like, all over the place. I be like, 'They ain't gave me [anything]!" [Editor's note: 50 Cent's first VMA came in 2003 for Best New Artist.]

Eminem, who has nine trophies under his belt, and West, who has two, are going up against each other in the four major categories for which they are nominated, including Best Special Effects, Best Male Video, Best Hip-hop video and Video of the Year. Eminem's nominations are all for his "We Made You" clip, which he performed at the MTV Movie Awards earlier this year in a medley with "Crack a Bottle."

West's nominations are for two videos: "Love Lockdown," the song he performed at last year's VMAs, and his Mr Hudson collaboration, "Paranoid," which features Rihanna as its female lead.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place this Sunday, September 13, at 9 p.m. ET. Stay tuned all week long for news on additional performers and celebrity presenters.

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Megan Fox: There Will 'Never' Be A Megan Fox Sex Tape

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 09:24 AM PDT

'Ugh, never! That's the last thing I want to see,' 'Jennifer's Body' star says.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Megan Fox in "Jennifer's Body"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

It's almost as easy to count the celebrities without sex tapes or compromising photos than it is to keep track of the ones whose pixilated flesh has radiated around the Internet for all to see.

Megan Fox will bare a considerable amount of skin in her upcoming film, "Jennifer's Body," but audiences won't see the 23-year-old actress anywhere close to fully naked and, as she told MTV recently, the public will never, ever have the chance to click onto a Megan Fox sex tape on the Web.

"Ugh, never!" said the actress. "That's the last thing I want to see — what I look like having sex. It would take one shot of me not looking good and I would not be able to have sex ever again, because I would always just see myself looking like a hippo having sex."

Just as there will be no nudity on camera in the comfort of her own home, there will be no nudity for Fox on set either. "I can't ever imagine myself doing nudity in a film," she said. "It lives forever, especially now, with the Internet. I just can't. I just can't."

In the spring of last year, during filming for "Jennifer's Body," pictures of Fox — nude save for some strategically placed pasties and flesh-colored underwear — popped up on the Web. The fact that those photos will now "live forever" — that her body is no longer private — is something that still upsets Fox.

"That's the only thing I have left," she explained. "That's what I was saying when I was so upset that day [when the photos appeared] is people take everything from you when you're in this business. Your anonymity is stripped from you. They invade every part of your personal life, your relationships. Everything you say gets judged, everything you do gets judged. Literally all I have left are my private parts and I don't want to also share them with the world. I'd like to keep them private. That's why they're called that!"

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