MTV News |
- Kings Of Leon, Death Cab For Cutie, Matt And Kim Rule mtvU Woodie Awards
- 50 Cent Says He Feels The Same Pressure As Britney Spears
- Britney Spears Declared Her Independence With 'I'm Not A Girl' Video
- Lil Wayne Inspires Kidd Kidd To Make It Big
- Death Cab For Cutie Bring mtvU Woodie Awards To The 'Equinox'
- Robert Pattinson Can't Figure Out Why He's So Sexy
- Beanie Sigel Spits Anti-Jay-Z Rhymes In Online Video
- Bangz MC Ella Ann Won't Be Slowed Down By Shooting
| Kings Of Leon, Death Cab For Cutie, Matt And Kim Rule mtvU Woodie Awards Posted: 18 Nov 2009 08:25 AM PST Matt and Kim's energy-filled performance sets the tone for the show, which airs December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU.
NEW YORK — The spirit and energy of the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards — the madcap awards show that celebrates independent music and college radio across the country — was distilled entirely in the show's opening performance. Once the lights dimmed at Roseland Ballroom, house DJ Diplo cranked out booty-shaking jams while the giant video screens showed Brooklyn new-wave duo Matt and Kim riding through the city on bicycles. Once they arrived, they stormed the stage and kicked into "Lessons Learned." Flanked by eight backup singers who gradually stripped down to their underwear (in a nod to the Video Music Award-winning video for the same song), the duo jubilantly pounded out the song. Unlike this year's VMAs, stage crashers were welcomed during Matt and Kim's three minutes of joy, and Kim herself mounted the crowd at the end.
From there, Pete Wentz — dressed casually and holding a red plastic cup (a common accessory throughout the evening) — sauntered onstage and officially kicked off the show, which airs December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU. What followed was a cavalcade of fun-loving guest appearances, energy-packed performances and plenty of enthusiastic crowd interaction. Zooey Deschanel appeared next, running off a long and complicated story about cloning herself to find out about more bands and presenting the Breaking Woodie award to Never Shout Never. 3OH!3 turned plenty of heads when they appeared dressed in the same red-lace costume Lady Gaga wore to the VMAs, then handed the Left Field Woodie to a grateful Tech N9ne. Other winners included Hotel of the Laughing Tree (the Long Island quintet who picked up the Best Music on Campus Woodie and seemed overwhelmed by the whole fiasco), Green Day (who were absent, forcing Asher Roth to accept in their honor — which he did by leaping into the crowd while wearing a throwback basketball jersey) and Matt and Kim (who won the Best Video Woodie for "Lessons Learned"). On the performance front, nobody could quite match the manic grandeur of Matt and Kim, but Passion Pit (who whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a ridiculous rendition of "The Reeling") and the Clipse, (who brought out Cam'ron and Rick Ross for a chaotic but thrilling run through a handful of lightning-tongue verses) came pretty close. With all the flailing limbs and semi-nude people, it was easy to miss the easy poise of Death Cab for Cutie, who rolled through their "New Moon" soundtrack song, "Meet Me on the Equinox," with an arena-rock grace, clearly cementing themselves as not only the night's elder statesmen, but also the band ready for much bigger rooms than Roseland. By the end of the evening, the crowd was soaked with sweat but still swaying and dancing and drinking. Like the best college party, it hardly mattered who won in the end (that would be Kings of Leon, who scored the night's top honor of Woodie of the Year). Don't miss the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, airing on December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU! Related Photos Related Artists |
| 50 Cent Says He Feels The Same Pressure As Britney Spears Posted: 19 Nov 2009 03:50 AM PST 'They begin to resent you,' Fif says of the pressure the public puts on its favorite stars.
50 Cent says Before I Self Destruct is no different from his other three solo LPs; he feels like his back is against the wall every time he releases a new album. "Absolutely, every project is the same for me," he told MTV News. "It feels like I'm back in the underdog space because I feel that doubt from the public where they go, 'Do you think he can do it again?' [They doubt you can] return to that space where you're generating that interest as before. Not the actual sales, not how people feel about you generally, but overall does it feel the way it felt in 2003? ... But I told them ahead of time, actually getting a chance to hear the record, is that this album was arguably better than Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
Fif says he's more conscious of himself in the studio now, as opposed to when he was debuting. Now that he's tasted the kind of success that most in his peer group will never see, he says that some want to see his downfall. It's only natural. "Well, the title itself is a representation of the cycle of success from an artist perspective," he said. "I feel like the general public turns you into a favorite by consuming your material. We all start from an underdog space. And after they consume it, they begin to resent you for not bearing the same pressures. Because you're in this financial space where they know you're not under the same circumstances they are. ... This is why they like nothing more than to see Britney Spears when she's shaving her head and swinging at the cameras. We should be covering her more now. They covered it during the confusion, but the intensity, that's less than when she made the comeback." Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Britney Spears Declared Her Independence With 'I'm Not A Girl' Video Posted: 19 Nov 2009 03:50 AM PST 'The wind started picking up a lot and almost dropped me over,' Brit recalls of cliffhanging clip.
Britney Spears had been grappling with her budding adulthood when she released her third album, simply titled Britney, in 2001. With songs like "Overprotected" and "Let Me Be," Spears seemed to be letting out her adolescent angst. But on the single "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," which was also featured on the soundtrack for her flick "Crossroads," the singer wanted the world to know that she was ready to be treated like an adult. For the video, director Wayne Isham just wanted to have Britney out in nature — even if the setting seemed a bit dangerous for a pop star. "I go, 'Let me check it out first,' " Isham told MTV News about having Britney stand on the edge of a cliff. "She understood that if my fat ass was out there and I could stand there, then she could stand there," he laughed.
The singer might have been willing to take the risk, but she still had some trepidation about standing on a cliff. "The wind started picking up a lot and almost dropped me over," Spears recalled. "And I was like, 'OK, gotta go.' " Nonetheless, Isham loved the way the video looked and said there was no green screen involved. "She went out there and, without a safety cable, just stood there with those cowboy boots on," he said. "She was standing on the edge in her cowboy boots, looking hot. We'd be right on the edge, and she had not a blink of fear." Spears said in 2001 that the song was actually intended for the "Crossroads" soundtrack before she included it on her album. "The song was written for the movie once we had the decision to make the music part of the movie," she said. "It's an inspirational song, and it's probably one of my favorite songs that I've ever sang." And the video is one of Isham's favorites too. "I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience with her and what she's doing right now," he said. "She stepped into it with positive energy. She ended up stepping out and kicking ass." With the release of Britney Spears: The Singles Collection, MTV News is looking back on the pop star's career through interviews with video directors, music-industry insiders and Spears herself, as she reflects on some of her greatest hits. Keep coming back for all things Britney, and let us know your favorite Brit songs, videos, memories and more in the comments below! Related Videos |
| Lil Wayne Inspires Kidd Kidd To Make It Big Posted: 19 Nov 2009 03:50 AM PST New Orleans newcomer reveals to Mixtape Daily that he was originally on Drake's 'Forever.'
Fire Starter: Kidd Kidd We're going to keep flying through the green light this month in the Fire Starter section. The hot talent from the South keeps emerging. So far, we've brought you Pill and Donnis out of the ATL. This week, we take it to New Orleans for Kidd Kidd. "Kidd Kidd, my face on every wanted poster" — you might not have recognized the voice, but Kidd was on one of the biggest singles of 2008: Lil Wayne's "Mrs. Officer." The downtown New Orleans native linked up with the uptown N.O. legend (Kidd says downtown cats are known for being grimy, while uptown fellas are famous for stuntin') more than six years ago as part of Wayne's side clique Sqad Up. The collective — which also included Gudda Gudda and T-Streets, who are now down with Wayne's Young Money label — released a slew of mixtapes and underground, independent albums on Wayne's now-defunct Money Yung'N Records.
"Wayne, he works hard," said Kidd, who is known primarily by the nicknames "Peanut" or "Nutt" in his hometown. "You've got to give it up to him. He's a hard worker, so I feel like if I'm around you, I have to work just as hard as you. When he's in the studio, I'm in there. I have to make sure I'm on top of mine too. It was just about being at the right place at the right time." Since last year, Kidd has ventured out to do his own thing and has linked up with music-industry vet Sha Money XL, who played an integral part in 50 Cent and the G-Unit's rise to fame. "I want to see the best for him," XL told Mixtape Daily. "I got the label deal too. We're gonna put out records regardless, but it's more for me to get him out there as big as he can be, 'cause he's a star. I want to see him rise to the top. If another major comes in and got the right money, we can do it. L.A. Reid, all y'all know we get to it. We can get to it." Kidd's first stop to making sure everyone knows his face and his music is the mixtape New Kidd on the Block, hosted by DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Scream. The CD has a mixture of freestyles and new songs, as well as old records he recorded with Drake and Wayne. "I wanted to put those songs out there, because somebody else was already trying to," Kidd explained. "It wasn't out there how it was supposed to be, so we put those on there." Some of the records Kidd dug in the crates for was "My N---a," which lent some melodic inspiration to Drake's "Best I Ever Had' and the original version of "Forever" — sans Eminem and Kanye West (Drake and Wayne's verses are totally different form the version you hear on the radio). "What a lot of people don't know, ['Forever'], it was a me, Drake and Wayne song, the original before they did the remix to it." He also flipped his own version of Drake's "Fear," which is about Kidd's introduction to the rap game. "It's letting people know, 'Don't be scared of me. Just give me your ear and let me do me,' " Kidd explained. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| Death Cab For Cutie Bring mtvU Woodie Awards To The 'Equinox' Posted: 19 Nov 2009 09:20 AM PST Elder statesmen perform their 'New Moon' soundtrack song at the show, which airs December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU.
NEW YORK — The Woodie Awards, mtvU's annual celebration of college music and independent spirit, are often thought of as the raucous kid brother to the Video Music Awards. They feature artists on the fringes of various music scenes and bands who are only a radio hit or buzzworthy live show away from breaking into the big time. This year's show was no different, featuring envelope-pushing weirdos like Matt and Kim and Passion Pit. So what were Death Cab for Cutie — a band that has sold millions of records for a major label and whose recent hit is attached to the most hotly anticipated Hollywood movie of the season — doing there? They were teaching the kids how it's done.
Eschewing twitchy raucousness for the kind of stateliness usually reserved for the likes of bands like U2 and Coldplay, Ben Gibbard and his band filled Roseland Ballroom with the regal noise and big hooks of "Meet Me on the Equinox," the new single from the soundtrack to "New Moon." But rather than appear as the tiny band that sold out, they were greeted as the local boys who made good in the outside world. Death Cab for Cutie spent the better part of a decade toiling on the margins, and they provided a glimpse into what is possible if you truly stick to your guns and carve out a niche for yourself. Indeed, Death Cab for Cutie simply became too good for the mainstream to ignore. As far as "Meet Me on the Equinox" goes, the band absolutely killed it. Guitarist Chris Walla's towering, atmospheric power chords hung over the room like a great cloud of goth energy, while Gibbard crooned the song's melancholy refrain. "Everything/ Everything ends," goes the chorus, but for any young bands — or rapt fans, for that matter — watching Death Cab on Wednesday evening (November 18), "Equinox" represented the beginning of a possibility. "Thanks," Gibbard mumbled as the band left the stage, proving no amount of "Twilight" fandom or Hollywood spouses can take the indie out of certain people. Don't miss the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, airing on December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Robert Pattinson Can't Figure Out Why He's So Sexy Posted: 18 Nov 2009 12:47 AM PST 'I'm kind of self-obsessed and kind of only about negative stuff,' the 'New Moon' stars says.
Robert Pattinson might be one of the sexiest men on the face of the planet, but he doesn't really understand what people see in him. In fact, the very idea of looking at his appearance in a positive way makes him want to cringe.
"Favorite feature? I'm, like, 'Weird,' 'cause I'm kind of self-obsessed and kind of only about negative stuff," he told MTV at the London junket for "New Moon." " ... In saying something positive, I'll hate myself even more." Despite their onscreen rivalry, Pattinson promised Twilighters that there's no heartthrob battle erupting between him and Taylor Lautner. "It's funny, 'cause we're quite opposite people in a lot of ways, but I get on with him really well," he said. "It's really funny how this rivalry thing happened. ... For one thing, I can't fight it out with Taylor. In the movie, yeah ,[I have abs]. That was awhile back." In fact, the co-stars are such good real-life friends that while shooting the film together, they became gym buddies. "He made me go to the gym for pretty much the first time in my life" he revealed. "And more consistently than I've ever done. But I think I went a little too late." Their friendship has inspired Pattinson to choose Team Werewolf over Team Vampire. "I think my mentality suits it more," he said. "I'm always so annoyed with myself when I get really, really angry. ... So it'd be much easier if I turned into this massive dog." Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Beanie Sigel Spits Anti-Jay-Z Rhymes In Online Video Posted: 18 Nov 2009 05:30 AM PST Clip, shot in a home studio, was posted on 50 Cent's Web site.
On the day it was announced that Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" would be his first #1 single, Beanie Sigel tried to make sure Hova wasn't in the mood to celebrate. Footage shot by DIYRyan appeared on 50 Cent's Web site,, showing Beans in a home studio in New Jersey. "You in the hall already/ On the wall already," Beans raps to his friends in the video. "You's a work of art/ Man, this boy's all pretty/ Type to not feed no workers/ 'Cause he grubbed already/ Noodle, I had the sauce/ We could've made spaghetti/ But I'mma shine on my own/ I'm a star already/ Lost the Best of Both Worlds/ He could've called R. Kelly." The lyrics and flow were in the same cadence of Jay-Z's last verse of the Blueprint 3 track "Already Home." On Saturday, Sig called into DJ Whoo Kid's Shade 45 satellite radio show show and said he was waiting for Jay-Z to respond to his anti-Jigga campaign. "I hope so, for the sport," Beanie said of whether he thought Jay would throw lines back at him, thus igniting a full-fledged rhyme war. "I'm ready to stretch my legs. I'm ready to jump in the ring. "I don't think there's much a person could say about me," Beanie added. "My gangster's never been on trial. At the end of the day, what can you say about a real n---a? I ain't never tell on nobody. I was never in an awkward position where I had to curb my manhood. ... Jay can rap. You can't take anything from Jay, but yo, I'm nice, cuz. I'm nice!" Related Artists |
| Bangz MC Ella Ann Won't Be Slowed Down By Shooting Posted: 18 Nov 2009 04:20 AM PST 'The whole world just stopped,' Bangz's Sabi says of the day her partner was hit by a stray bullet.
Korttney Elliott was working to live out her dream of becoming a performer. Elliott raps under the moniker Ella Ann with partner Jenice "Sabi" Portlock in the Bangz. Over the summer the L.A. natives had started to bubble with "Boys With Tattoos (We Jerkin)." The two not only were adding a unique style to a seriously dilapidated playing field of female MCs who get exposure, but they were also adding onto the blistering jerk movement that had been brought to the mainstream's attention by the New Boyz. DJ Felli Fel had the song in heavy rotation at Los Angeles radio station Power 106, and the ladies were starting to go in heavy on the shows and get the attention of the press.
But, as Sabi tells it, "the world stopped" on September 14. Elliott was sitting in her Mercedes-Benz, driving around town with a male friend, when she was hit in the neck by a stray bullet. "I honestly didn't think it was that bad," Sabi said Tuesday on the set of the Bangz's new video, "Found My Swag," in L.A. "Ella parties a lot, so I was thinking, 'Maybe she was out and about.' She caught a stray bullet. I didn't think it was gonna be as serious as it was." Sabi says she got a call around 2 a.m. from her boyfriend, who told her that her partner was in the hospital. She grossly underestimated the serious nature of Ella's injury. "When we got to the hospital, I remember walking through the emergency room," Sabi said. "I didn't know what to expect. When I saw the face of her stepfather and her mother, I knew it was something very serious. I immediately started crying. I said, 'Please tell me she's not ... ' I thought the worst happened. They thought the worst happened. [The doctors] said she was practically brain-dead basically. Then they found some brain activity and it was a little shine of light. It was a roller-coaster situation. Then they got her somewhat stabilized, but she was in such a critical condition. It was a really awkward, stressful, shocking situation. The whole world just stopped." Ella had to have three surgeries in the wake of her shooting. She was unconscious for almost a month. "It was scary for our family, but we have God in our heart," Ella's mother said. "When you're in that position, you pull on your faith. Once we got over the initial shock, we knew she would be OK." The family's prayers were answered. Ella came out of her coma, and although she still can't speak or walk, she is very responsive. Now Ella watches "Gossip Girl" and can even unbraid her own hair again. "She's doing good," Sabi said. "The fight is in her to get better. She's such a rock-and-roll chic. This is not gonna slow her down at all. She's been getting physical therapy, speech therapy to get her back to where she was. The doctors say they expect a full recovery as long as she fights to get better. She has to push through these therapy sessions because it's really hard for her. When she got injured, she was unconscious for three weeks. Now she's fighting to get her mobility back. But she was aware. As soon as she opened her eyes three weeks later, she was aware." "She looks in my eyes like, 'Don't worry. I'll be back,' " Ella's mom said. "She throws up the peace sign. Every day is a good day. I remember the doctors looking like, 'We don't know.' [But] she has such a fight in her. She's a tough woman. I think people have to understand that when you're young people, the violence can strike anyone. You have to be aware of your surroundings and the people you're friends with. Just be more aware." Ella's mom says that the overwhelming amount of get-well wishes and other positive messages have greatly helped the young rapper's recovery. Ella is still a long way from performing or even recording again, but the group will continue. Their next single, "Found My Swag," is a collaboration between the duo and their jerkin' brethren, the New Boyz. Ella was supposed to lay her vocals for the record the night she was shot but never made it to the studio. "We was doing a song the day of the incident. Our Twitters was blowing up, 'Did you hear about Ella?' " Ben J of the Boyz said on the video set. "Our phone started blowing up, 'Something happened to Ella. Something happened to Ella,' " Legacy remembered. "We called up Sabi and she told us the story. It's grimy. People do stuff out there for no reason. Nobody deserves that, you feel me?" "It's a blessing she's still here with us," Ben said. As you can tell by the title, "Found My Swag" doesn't match the somber tone of the incident. "Their style was similar to ours," Ben J said of why they like working with their "little sisters." "They're girls and we're guys, but we're the exact same in this jerkin' movement. 'Found My Swag' — the title is awesome. It defines them and defines us." "It's all about swag, attitude," Sabi explained. "Everyone is coming in poppin' their collars. The New Boyz are there. The whole thing is performance-based. We're just out here having fun. That's pretty much the whole video." Related Artists |
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