MTV News |
- Rihanna 'Vented' On Her Just-Released <I>Rated R</I> Album
- Adam Lambert's AMA Performance Was A Bit Too 'Dirty' For Some Fans
- Lady Gaga Inspired To Write By Her 'Fears And Monsters'
- Britney Spears' 'Womanizer' Clip Proved She Still Had It
- Jennifer Lopez Says AMA Fall 'Was Part Of The Choreography'
- Adam Lambert's AMA Performance Generates 1,500 Viewer Complaints
- Britney Spears Took Aim At The Media In 'Piece Of Me' Video
- Adam Lambert Says AMA Kiss Was 'In The Moment'
- Selena Gomez Gets Fierce And Fun For 'Naturally' Video
| Rihanna 'Vented' On Her Just-Released <I>Rated R</I> Album Posted: 24 Nov 2009 04:01 AM PST 'All of it isn't about that specific relationship ... 'cause that's not who I am,' she tells MTV News of Chris Brown.
With Rated R now in stores, fans will most likely be trying to decipher which songs are about Rihanna's relationship with Chris Brown. While there are tracks about her ex-boyfriend, Rihanna wanted to make sure fans knew that she's more than just that one relationship. "Today, I am strong, very fearless, brave," Rihanna told MTV News. "I love taking risks. I'm not afraid of the unknown."
The album, which had Rihanna hitting the studio with collaborators like Justin Timberlake, Tricky Stewart and Ne-Yo, was one of those risks. It deviates from her club-banging pop songs to a harder-edge hip-hop/pop sound. "This album is an expression of all those feelings that I went through in the last eight months, just different emotions," she said of the aftermath of Brown's assault. "All of it isn't angry, all of it isn't dark and sad, 'cause I didn't go through that the whole time. That was part of it. It was really a roller coaster, and you get that when you're listening to the album." As for the songs that touch on her tumultuous relationship with Brown, listeners will get an intimate look into her world. "The feelings that I went through and exactly what was going through my mind and how I felt," she said of what she addresses on the album. "I really vented on this album, and as I said before, all of it isn't about that specific relationship or what I went through, 'cause that's not who I am. That's not all of who I am." Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Adam Lambert's AMA Performance Was A Bit Too 'Dirty' For Some Fans Posted: 23 Nov 2009 01:01 AM PST 'His fans are going to be like, 'What are you doing?' ' one viewer tells MTV News.
"American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert sparked a lot of chatter after his provocative performance of "For Your Entertainment" at the American Music Awards on Sunday. The singer, who promised MTV News before the show that his AMA debut would be "sexy," hit the stage with a routine that featured a group of dancers, leashes, polls and an impromptu kiss with a male keyboard player. We headed to New York's Times Square on Monday (November 23) to find out what fans thought of the edgy performance. Lindsay, 16, a longtime Lambert fan, said she enjoyed the AMA routine. "I just liked the dancers and everything," she said. "I thought it was really good."
Jaquita, 18, applauded the use of props. "I really liked all the chains," she said. But they were both in the minority, as nearly 78 percent of the fans we polled said they weren't feeling the performance. Kaley, 16, thought the performance was surprising — but not necessarily in a good way. "It was kind of really dirty and sexual, I would say," she said. Meanwhile, Malia, 16, thought the leashes and some of the more controversial choreography were unnecessary: "His fans are going to be like, 'What are you doing?' " Lambert himself weighed in to Rolling Stone after the show, saying: "We're in 2009 — it's time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people's eyes, and if it offends them, then maybe I'm not for them." Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Lady Gaga Inspired To Write By Her 'Fears And Monsters' Posted: 24 Nov 2009 04:01 AM PST 'To me, being an artist is being private in public,' singer says of tour and writing process for new songs on The Fame Monster.
Lady Gaga came onto the scene a champagne-swilling, fame-seeking disco queen in 2008. And while she could have possibly been just another flash in the pan, she soon evolved into a gutsy, unique pop star willing to almost die for her art — see her Video Music Awards and American Music Awards performances for proof of her dedication. Now, with her sophomore release, The Fame Monster, Gaga is exorcising her demons — the very demons she gained on her journey to fame.
"I never really decided what I wanted to write about at all. I just felt this urgency to write about what I was going through — my fears and my monsters," she explained. "I had been so ambitious and dreaming for so long that I wasn't feeling very much." Those fears and monsters pushed her to write the track "Speechless," a song about her fear of death — specifically her father's. "My mom called me and I was very depressed. I was on tour and I couldn't leave, so I went into the studio and I wrote this song 'Speechless,' and it's about these phone calls," she said. "My dad used to call me after he'd had a few drinks and I wouldn't know what to say. I was speechless and I just feared that I would lose him and I wouldn't be there. "Once I got out on the road — when you're that vulnerable with your audience every night ... to me, being an artist is being private in public," she explained. "So I'm being private in public every night and all my monsters and my fears went leaping out of me and I just began to write." Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Britney Spears' 'Womanizer' Clip Proved She Still Had It Posted: 24 Nov 2009 04:01 AM PST 'We just need to tell everybody that she's OK,' director Joseph Kahn says of the first video after Britney's rough patch.
By the time 2008 rolled around, Britney Spears had once again taken her rightful place as the pre-eminent princess of pop. There was no question about it: Britney was back and "Womanizer" confirmed it. After all, what better way to show everyone you're back than to appear naked in a sauna?
"It was an actual sauna and we built a big tent around it ... and Britney, naked again. I guess I have one of the best jobs in the world," Joseph Kahn, who also shot Britney in the nude for her "Toxic" clip, told MTV News. "I was like, 'You know, if we do this video, and she went through all this work to get a new paint job, I was gonna show off the paint job — she's gonna be naked in this video.' " The idea, however, like so many videos before, was all Britney's suggestion. "She pitched to me a very detailed idea of what she wanted to do," Kahn explained. "She wanted to dress up in costume, she wanted to follow her man to work, and she eventually wanted to show at the end that she is all three of those women." He went on to say that this video was the one where he and Britney would prove that she was still at the top of her game. "It was, like, her first video that no one really knew if she could even come on set, you know? It was just a big question as to you know, like, what would that video look like?" he said. "What shape would she be in? Can she really dance? Can she perform? Who is she at this point? " 'Womanizer,' for me, was a great experience on a personal level, because it completely verified that she was coming back," he continued. "By the time I worked with her on 'Womanizer,' you know, that was the Britney that I knew and it was a fun experience for me." Kahn had to basically turn the video around overnight, and it was worth all the hard work — the video quickly became a fan favorite. "By the time it got out — and the beautiful thing about the Internet is that you get instant reaction — the reaction seemed to be very positive. I'm going to sound like such a wuss, but I think I cried," he said. "That sounds super lame, but come on, man — that's five days of some serious stress. And I had to end the video on her smiling, for sure. Like, we just need to tell everybody that she's OK." 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 Related Photos Related Artists |
| Jennifer Lopez Says AMA Fall 'Was Part Of The Choreography' Posted: 22 Nov 2009 11:23 PM PST 'I meant to do that,' singer says of brief tumble during 'Louboutins' performance.
Fall? What fall? That's the line Jennifer Lopez took on Monday morning (November 23) after her apparent slip during Sunday night's American Music Awards performance became one of the most-searched items on the Internet. Giggling while reliving the seeming slip-up during her run through her new single "Louboutins," Lopez appeared on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show on Monday (November 23) and made light of the incident.
"Did I? Did I? Did I trip a little bit? I don't even remember," Lopez said with a chuckle. "Yeah, I meant to do that. You should know me better than that. That was part of the choreography." The brief stumble (which E! Online reported was edited out of the West Coast feed of the show out of respect for Lopez by the show's producers) took place after the singer climbed up the backs of her shirtless male dancers and then leaped into the air after reaching the top. She seemed to lose her footing on landing and slipped momentarily onto her backside, jumping up almost instantly and continuing with her routine. Seacrest gave her props for what he termed "the greatest recovery ever" and Lopez explained that, "The measure of things is not what happens when you fall, it's how you recover when you fall ... It was fun, it was really fun," she said. "It was nice to be back on stage and doing my thing." (It was that kind of night: Adam Lambert also fell during his performance.) After a year or so out of the musical spotlight, Lopez's performance was the first major promotional appearance in support of her upcoming album, which is due out in early 2010. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Adam Lambert's AMA Performance Generates 1,500 Viewer Complaints Posted: 23 Nov 2009 02:07 AM PST ABC calls the number of calls 'moderate.'
Adam Lambert's sexually provocative performance of "For Your Entertainment" at the American Music Awards on Sunday — during which he kissed his male keyboardist and simulated sex with a dancer — drew complaints from viewers watching at home. ABC, which aired the awards show, received calls from approximately 1,500 people complaining about the performance, according to The Associated Press. The number of complaints was by no means extraordinary, ABC stated, calling the response "moderate."
"It's gonna be sexy, I think," Lambert told MTV News last week about his planned AMA performance. On Sunday night, he thrust his head into the crotch of a male dancer, passionately kissed his keyboardist, pulled a female dancer across the stage by her ankles and led two dancers around on a leash. The performance was both applauded and condemned by viewers, with some supporting Lambert's theatrical rendition and others deeming it too outlandish. The openly gay Lambert said the backlash against the performance was "a form of discrimination and a double standard" because for decades "women performers have been pushing the envelope." On his Twitter account, Lambert wrote, "All hail freedom of expression and artistic integrity. Fans: I adore u." Later, responding to a tweet from Perez Hilton, the singer wrote, "Thank you for the support. It WAS a bit pitchy. Don't know what was goin' on with the sound. Same thing always went down on 'Idol.' " Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Britney Spears Took Aim At The Media In 'Piece Of Me' Video Posted: 23 Nov 2009 01:54 AM PST 'When she goes for it, she goes for it,' director Wayne Isham says of tongue-in-cheek clip.
Britney Spears might not have been at her personal peak when she released Blackout in 2007, but she also wasn't afraid to show the world that she was in on the joke. On her single "Piece of Me," Britney sings about how every move she makes is reported by the media. And what better place to film a video for the song than in a nightclub with reporters and paparazzi trying to capture Brit's every move?
"On 'Piece of Me,' I really just wanted to put the mirror back onto the whole experience," director Wayne Isham told MTV News about the video's concept, which finds Britney flirting with boys and dancing around the club. "You can see that she had that kind of confidence. And, literally, every take became a more and more confident take, so that she could have fun with what was going on. Not being over-the-top sarcastic, but ... having a laugh at everything that was going on around her, with confidence." At the time, Britney had become a tabloid staple. And, even when she was trying to get her career back on track, it seems the paparazzi were there to mess with any comeback plans. "She was late," Isham recalled. "People made a big thing about it, [but] how could she not be late, when you have 50, 65, 75 people running down the street chasing her car? That was a long day for the crew. It was literally a 20-hour day for the crew. She was there for the last six hours of it. She got there late, showed up and just kicked ass." Isham encouraged the pop star to get loose for the video and (literally) let her hair down. "The very last dance of the piece, she had her hair up, and I go, 'Can you just do one for me with your hair down?' She dropped her hair down," Isham recalled. "You'll see we intercut with her hair up and her hair down. That was the last piece. She just rocked it from her heart. She choreographed that last dance at the very end. She did that on her own and said, 'Let's go for it.' " The video, which earned the singer three VMAs in 2008, would prove that no matter what was happening in her life, she could bring it. "When she goes for it, she goes for it," Isham said. "You know, it's about the story line, it's about her dance, it's about her appearance," he said. "I just love that she's one of the few that are still left that step up to what music videos are about." 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 — and if you think you're Britney's biggest fan, enter our contest to win a free copy of the album! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Adam Lambert Says AMA Kiss Was 'In The Moment' Posted: 23 Nov 2009 06:38 AM PST Singer also said that any criticism of the bit is discriminatory and shows a "double standard."
Just last week, the editor-in-chief of the gay magazine Out was lamenting that Adam Lambert's handlers were allegedly trying to ease the out-and-proud singer back into the closet a bit. While Lambert told the gay magazine to chill, he seemed intent on sending a strong message on Sunday night with his pan-sexually charged performance of the title track from his debut album, For Your Entertainment.
In addition to dragging a female dancer around by the ankles, pushing a male dancer's head into his crotch and simulating oral sex, walking a pair of male hoofers around like dogs on a leash, and furiously thrusting his hips at every opportunity, Lambert took a moment mid-song to fervently make out with (an allegedly straight) male keyboard player. After the jaw-dropping performance, Lambert told CNN that the forceful smooch was "in the moment" and was not a planned part of his routine. Appearing to preemptively strike back at anyone who took issue with the S&M-heavy imagery of the night-closing routine for its risqué nature, Lambert said those who object are engaging in "a form of discrimination and a double standard," considering that for decades, "women performers have been pushing the envelope." Lambert repeated that double-standard line of reasoning with Rolling Stone backstage after the show, telling the mag, "Female performers have been doing this for years — pushing the envelope about sexuality — and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out. We're in 2009 — it's time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people's eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I'm not for them. My goal was not to piss people off, it was to promote freedom of expression and artistic freedom." The singer, whose glam pop/rock debut was released on Monday (November 23), lamented that when Madonna and Britney Spears smooched at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, it was not censored, though it did take place on a cable network, not on a prime-time network television broadcast. The West Coast broadcast of the show reportedly kept the kiss with the keyboardist in but cut out the simulated oral sex. Critical reaction to Lambert's performance was decidedly mixed, with some applauding his audaciousness and more questioning the over-the-top nature of what Entertainment Weekly described as a bit that "emphasized shock-and-awe imagery over his standard-operating vocal excellence." Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Selena Gomez Gets Fierce And Fun For 'Naturally' Video Posted: 23 Nov 2009 01:52 AM PST 'The video is very different from any other video that I've done,' says the Disney star.
Selena Gomez and her band, the Scene, are poised to release "Naturally," the next single off their album, Kiss & Tell. And at the American Music Awards on Sunday night, the "Wizards of Waverly Place" star told MTV News that they have a video for the song coming out shortly too. "That's coming out soon," she said of the uptempo dance-floor friendly track, in which Gomez sings about a guy who is her perfect fit. Their relationship comes, well, quite naturally, and they make sense together like thunder and lightning. "I shot a video for it a couple weekends ago."
The 17-year-old singer said that the video, which she shot on November 14, will have her fans seeing her in a brand-new way. "The video is very different from any other video that I've done," she said. "It has a lot more fierce clothes and a lot of fun colors." In October, Gomez sat down with MTV News to talk about the album, which she was relieved to see finally on the shelves. "I have been working on it for a good two years now, so for it to finally be out is this huge thing lifted off my chest," she said. "And it feels amazing. I hope my fans like it." The album, which also features first single "Falling Down," wasn't entirely penned by Gomez, but she said she was very picky about the songs she chose. "I wanted to make sure, A) I can relate to it, and B) my fans can relate to it, and it's something that I went through," she explained. "And all of those songs are things that I went through, and that's why I put that all together." Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
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