MTV News |
- Lady Gaga Picks Her Favorite Artists And Song Of 2009
- Lil Wayne Raps Over Other MCs' Tracks 'Because It's Cheaper'
- Amy Winehouse Arrested And Charged With Assault
- Frances Bean Cobain Court Papers Reportedly Mention Domestic Violence
- Johnny Knoxville, Naomi Nelson Welcome Baby Boy
- Susan Sarandon And Tim Robbins Call It Quits
- Susan Boyle Tops <i>Billboard</i> For Fourth Week, With Alicia Keys At #2
- Aerosmith's Steven Tyler In Rehab For Painkiller Addiction
- Michael Jackson's FBI Files Reveal Death Threats
| Lady Gaga Picks Her Favorite Artists And Song Of 2009 Posted: 23 Dec 2009 03:50 AM PST Everyone else's favorite artist of the moment shares with us just what inspired her.
Over the past few weeks, MTV News has been asking some of the biggest stars in music to name their favorite artists, songs and albums of the past year. And, not surprisingly, they all kept repeating the same two words: "Lady Gaga." It's not exactly a surprise, considering that, over the past 12 months, Gaga was everywhere. Her hits topped the charts. Her tours wowed audiences. And her album (or, more specifically, albums) were in constant rotation on iPods everywhere. It's no stretch to say that in 2009, Lady Gaga was your favorite artist's favorite artist. She inspired them to write and record, to take their songs and tours to the next level. She pushed them to work harder, because they had to. But who pushed her? We decided to find out, so on Saturday (December 19), hours before her Monster Ball stop in San Diego, MTV News sat down with the Lady herself, to get her favorite artists, albums and songs of 2009. As it turns out, she drew inspiration from the new and the old.
Artists of the Year "My fans are f---ing really smart. They're art students, they're club kids, and some of them are just normal, top-40-listening kids in high school who don't feel like they have an identity yet and they're searching for one. But I would say that they're my favorite artists. Then I would say Semi Precious Weapons, who are on tour with me and are my very dear and close friends. And I really love Alphabeat, they're great and they're going to come out on tour with me next year." Album of the Year Song of the Year |
| Lil Wayne Raps Over Other MCs' Tracks 'Because It's Cheaper' Posted: 23 Dec 2009 03:50 AM PST 'The producers be wanting their money,' Weezy says in 'The Nino Brown Story Pt. 2' footage.
All this week, MTV News has been bringing you behind-the-scenes peeks at all the hard work Lil Wayne put into his No Ceilings mixtape. DJ Scoob Doo provided us with the preview footage (showing the MC recording and talking about his early years in the game) from his DVD, "The Nino Brown Story Pt. 2," and he recently told us that he was amazed to observe Weezy's much-talked-about work ethic. "It's phenomenal to see somebody at 7 o'clock in the morning or 8 o'clock in the morning, after being in the studio a good 10, 12 hours, and still having fun," he said. "You're going to see him laughing at himself. He's not listening to anybody tell jokes. He's listening to his own words, he's listening to his own raps, and he's having the best time of his life."
Wayne's tireless work ethic and his love of music have set him apart from most rappers. He's outshined many an artist on their own beat, but Wayne says he only does that because it's cheaper. "I don't like to do real songs up there, because the producers be wanting their money. So just do sh-- that's already out, because it's easier that way," he says in the footage. And Wayne says he ignores people who say he takes other MCs down when he freestyles over their tracks. " 'You killed that n---a on his own song!' That's not the intentions, brother. No, I did not kill nobody on their own song. I like the song; that's why I killed it. I didn't kill them. I'm not even rapping like them." Before continuing his freestyle over Jay-Z's "D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)", he quickly clarifies that he has, in fact, murdered the beat. "I killed their song, though. So, Jay-Z, I'm about to kill your song." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Amy Winehouse Arrested And Charged With Assault Posted: 22 Dec 2009 10:02 PM PST Singer was released on bail after an incident at an English theater.
Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse was back in familiar surroundings on Wednesday when she was arrested and charged in connection with an alleged assault that occurred on Saturday at an English theater. According to the Associated Press, Winehouse, 26, turned herself in to Thames Valley Police on Wednesday and was promptly arrested after appearing at the police station with her lawyer. Police charged Winehouse with a public order offense and common assault under her married name, Amy Civil, following an alleged incident at the Milton Keynes Theatre on Saturday. Though police did not provide details of the alleged event, the British media have reported that Winehouse struggled with a member of the theater's staff after she began to heckle a performance of the show "Cinderella," starring Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney. The Times Online reported that Winehouse was interacting with the show a bit too enthusiastically, repeatedly shouting "he's f---ing behind you!" during the program and referring to the ugly stepsisters as "bitches." Police reportedly launched the investigation after theater manager Richard Pound complained that Winehouse had pulled his hair, punched him and kicked him when he asked her to move seats. Winehouse was released on bail and has to return to court on January 20. The Grammy-winning singer has been mostly out of the public eye for the past year due to struggles with drugs and various legal entanglements, including a July divorce from husband Blake Fielder-Civil. In March, she pleaded not guilty to assaulting a fan last September at a show, gaining acquittal in that case in July. She is reportedly working on her follow up to breakthrough album Back to Black and made a surprise appearance at the V Festival in the U.K. in August. Related Artists |
| Frances Bean Cobain Court Papers Reportedly Mention Domestic Violence Posted: 23 Dec 2009 01:45 AM PST Papers were filed in a motion to seal the guardianship proceeding of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain's daughter.
More details have emerged about the flurry of activity that recently resulted in Frances Bean Cobain filing a restraining order against her mom, rocker Courtney Love, just days after Love lost guardianship of the 17-year-old. According to papers filed Monday in a motion to seal the guardianship proceeding, there are allegations of "personal problems in the family." TMZ allegedly obtained a copy of the papers, which discuss "a minor and allegations of domestic violence."
The nature and the instigator of the alleged domestic violence are not mentioned in the papers. Love was stripped of legal guardianship of Frances Bean on December 11, and a judge later issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting Love from having contact with her only child with late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. No reason was given at the time for the issuance of the order, which prohibits Love from "certain behavior and from coming within a certain distance of Frances and her guardians." The documents posted by TMZ also refer to a request to seal Frances Bean's medical records and claim that "in this proceeding, every document reveals details of Frances's relationship with her mother." Frances is currently under the care of her grandmother and aunt. Though Love has made no official statement about the case, she has posted (and deleted) a series of rants on her Facebook page lashing out at Frances and her guardians. Cobain's mother, Wendy O'Connor, and sister, Kimberly Dawn Cobain — Frances' grandmother and aunt, respectively — have argued that the case should proceed in private to protect Frances. "The merits of this motion cannot be fully argued here without disclosing the contents of the documents to be sealed," the court papers claim. A hearing is set for January 5 to make the restraining order permanent, and a February 10 date has been set to make the guardianship appointment permanent as well. A spokesperson for Love could not be reached at press time. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Johnny Knoxville, Naomi Nelson Welcome Baby Boy Posted: 22 Dec 2009 11:18 PM PST Son Rocko Akira Clapp was born Sunday night in Los Angeles.
Congratulations are in order for Johnny Knoxville and girlfriend Naomi Nelson, who welcomed a baby boy on Sunday night in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times. Rocko Akira Clapp weighed in at 8 pounds and measured 20 inches long. Both mother and baby are reportedly doing fine. Back in August, Knoxville announced on his blog that he and Nelson were expecting their first child together, and that he was "excited as hell" to meet his new baby. "[Naomi and I] have been together a few years now and felt it was time to start reproducing (if you know what I mean). Anyway, we are excited as all hell, and can't wait 'til the little booger gets here," the "Jackass" star wrote. The couple, who have kept a low profile, are very supportive of one another, and according to Knoxville.com, he's happier than ever before. "I'm lucky enough to be with someone, and I am happy," he wrote on the site. "I feel very lucky. I'm not out running around all the time. I don't party as much as I used to. I'm not partying constantly and constantly battling myself. I'm with someone, and we are very, very happy." Knoxville, whose real name is Phillip John Clapp, has a 13-year-old daughter named Madison with ex-wife Melanie Clapp. Prior to son Rocko's arrival, Knoxville wrote on his blog, "My daughter Madison has already started becoming a big sister too and is helping pick out clothes, strollers and beds for her new little sister or brother." |
| Susan Sarandon And Tim Robbins Call It Quits Posted: 23 Dec 2009 01:41 AM PST The couple apparently split over the summer, according to a statement.
Few Hollywood relationships are able to stand the test of time, and Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon's relationship was seemingly one of them. However, People reports that the couple, who have been together for more than two decades, are calling it quits. "Actress Susan Sarandon and her partner of 23 years, actor Tim Robbins, have announced that they separated over the summer," her rep Teal Cannaday said in a statement. "No further comments will be made." The couple, who have two sons together é Jack, 20, and Miles, 17 é met on the set of "Bull Durham" in 1988. Despite their 12-year age difference, the couple remained solid for years and raised their children together, including actress Eva Amurri, Sarandon's daughter from a previous relationship. Sarandon and Robbins shared many commonalities, specifically related to their acting careers. Sarandon launched her career at the age of 19 when she accompanied her then-husband, actor Chris Sarandon, to an audition and went on to land a role. Robbins began his acting career as a child, performing in "The Little Prince," the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry classic, in New York City. Their relationship remained strong due to their shared passion for their art, and the two have collaborated on projects throughout their time together. Sarandon won an Oscar for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean in "Dead Man Walking," which Robbins adapted for the screen and directed. And they have continued to work together in other endeavors, such as Robbins' films "Cradle Will Rock" and "Bob Roberts." The couple also shared political views and are famous for their liberal activism. |
| Susan Boyle Tops <i>Billboard</i> For Fourth Week, With Alicia Keys At #2 Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:33 AM PST Boyle has sold nearly 2.5 million albums to date in the U.S.
Taylor Swift might be sweeping up all the year-end awards, but it's "Britain's Got Talent" runner-up Susan Boyle who is dominating the charts. According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, will lord over the Billboard 200 chart yet again next week, notching an impressive fourth consecutive week in the #1 position thanks to another 661,000 units shifted. Since its release last month, Boyle's disc of covers and holiday favorites has sold nearly 2.5 million copies, making it one of the year's top sellers. After a series of delays, Alicia Keys will come out strong at #2 with The Element of Freedom, which sold 417,000 copies, pushing another swiftly selling holiday album, tenor Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas, down to #3 on sales of 390,000. The only other debut in the top 10 in a quiet release week will come from R&B smoothie Robin Thicke, whose Sex Therapy: The Experience will land at #9 on sales of 123,000. The rest of the top 10: Taylor Swift's Fearless (#4, 239,000, up 42 percent), Carrie Underwood's Play On (#5, 153,000, up 44 percent), Lady Gaga's The Fame (#6, up 37 percent), Michael Bublé's Crazy World (#7, 140,000, up 53 percent), Justin Bieber's My World (#8, 127,000, up 31 percent) and Glee: The Music Volume 2 (#10, 111,000, down 36 percent). Just outside the top 10, a number of albums saw healthy holiday-related sales bumps, including Gaga's eight-song The Fame Monster EP (99,000, up 37 percent), John Mayer's Battle Studies (#15, 88,000, up 65 percent) and Rihanna's Rated R (#21, 78,000, up 55 percent). The "Russian Roulette" singer's ex, Chris Brown, had a rougher week on the charts, as his first album since pleading guilty to assaulting her, Graffiti, plunged 21 spots in week two to #28 on sales of 54,000, a 47 percent drop-off. Imprisoned rapper Gucci Mane also had a tough week, as The State vs. Radric Davis fell 27 spots to #37 in its second week, dropping 54 percent on sales of 41,000, while Snoop Dogg's latest, Malice N Wonderland, dipped 43 percent and 27 spots to #48 on sales of 34,000 in its second week. Another album quickly fading is R. Kelly's Untitled, which has slipped from #4 to #55 in three weeks on the charts, selling just 29,000 copies last week. And finally, another of last week's high debuts, 30 Seconds to Mars' This Is War, did a belly flop in week two, falling 40 spots to #58 as business dropped 58 percent to 28,000. That was almost as bad as the news for super-producer Timbaland, whose star-packed solo album Shock Value II shed 52 percent of its business, dropping 47 spots to #79 in week two on sales of 19,000. The news wasn't great for rap duo the Clipse either, with Til the Casket Drops tumbling 92 spots to #133 as business dropped 65 percent to 11,000. Look for another quiet one next week, as the only contenders for Boyle's crown in the final holiday dash are new albums from Mary J. Blige, Hurricane Chris, the debut from Lil Wayne's Young Money crew, Eminem's Relapse: Refill bonus collection and a Dave Matthews Band live CD/DVD set. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Aerosmith's Steven Tyler In Rehab For Painkiller Addiction Posted: 23 Dec 2009 06:16 AM PST Singer pledges to get back onstage with the band after rehab.
After months of rumors, back-and-forth accusations, denials and threats of moving on from his bandmates, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has entered a rehabilitation facility to treat a painkiller addiction. "With the help of my family and team of medical professionals I am taking responsibility for the management of my pain and am eager to be back on the stage and in the recording studio with my bandmates Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford," the singer said in a statement released on Tuesday. "I love Aerosmith; I love performing as the lead singer in Aerosmith. I am grateful for all of the support and love I am receiving and am committed to getting things taken care of." In an additional comment to Rolling Stone, Tyler also quashed rumors that he demanded a two-year band hiatus to pursue a solo career. "I wish to set the record straight and say that I have read reports of a rumored two-year hiatus and want to be clear that this is completely false and I will enthusiastically be writing, recording and performing with Aerosmith as soon as things are handled," he said. Tyler, 61, has reportedly entered an undisclosed facility to deal with pain management and an addiction to prescription painkillers that the recovering addict began taking to deal with a host of performance-related injuries over the past decade, according to People. Spokespeople for the singer and the band could not be reached by MTV News for comment at press time. The energetic hard-rock frontman, who battled a serious drug addiction in the '70s and early '80s before entering rehab, has suffered a number of orthopedic injuries over the past decade that have left him with "severe chronic pain" that will require several surgeries on his knees and feet, according to his physician, Dr. Brian McKeon, Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopedics at Tufts School of Medicine. "Managing and controlling his pain has been challenging, and despite our use of alternative therapies and the creation of custom shoes built by a team of engineers from Timberland, Steven's pain has progressed," McKeon told People. "The balance between managing his pain and avoiding addiction is tenuous and difficult and his bravery in persevering through rigorous touring is admirable. As with many athletes, Steven put his performance first as he struggled with acute pain for years." Tyler's recent erratic behavior has created a rift in the 39-year-old band, with guitarist Perry telling MTV News at last month's American Music Awards that he was not speaking to his longtime musical foil. That statement capped months of uncertainty for Aerosmith fans, spurred by details about Tyler's desire to go solo, which led to Perry's belief that the lead singer was quitting the band. Then Tyler made a surprise appearance onstage with the Joe Perry Project at a show in New York, where he seemed to re-assert his desire to perform with Aerosmith. Just a few days before the AMA's, Kramer and Whitford expressed their concern for Tyler, suggesting that he needed to take some time off to deal with his health. The band canceled a summer tour after Tyler fell off a stage and injured his shoulder, and a long-in-the-works new album has seemingly been back-burnered as the band works through their problems. Tyler checked in to a rehab facility last year to treat an addiction to pain and sleeping medication following foot surgery. "My family and I are in complete support of my dad's decision to seek treatment," daughter actress Liv Tyler added in an accompanying statement. "He is a courageous man. We love him and are so proud that he is getting help to balance his pain management, not just for himself but for his family, friends and fans." Related Artists |
| Michael Jackson's FBI Files Reveal Death Threats Posted: 23 Dec 2009 06:45 AM PST FBI also helped run interviews in singer's child-molestation investigation.
During more than a decade of monitoring, the Federal Bureau of Investigation helped set up interviews over child-molestation allegations and investigated a possible terror attack and an alleged assassination plot against Michael Jackson, according to newly released FBI files. Despite monitoring Jackson for more than a decade, the files don't contain any major revelations about the late pop singer's private life and the bureau never uncovered any solid evidence against him in connection with two different molestation allegations, according to The Associated Press. The documents made public on Tuesday date from 1992 to 2005, and though the FBI said they number about 600 pages, only 333 were released due to privacy rules and a desire to protect investigative techniques. Though they don't contain many bombshells, they do reveal that the 1993 sentencing of Frank Paul Jones — a man allegedly obsessed with Michael's sister, Janet Jackson — was tied to death threats he made against Michael, then-president George H.W. Bush and late mob boss John Gotti, whom he claimed was his father. In a letter obtained by the FBI, dated July 6, 1992, Jones wrote, "I decided that because nobody is taking me serious, and I can't handle my state of mind, that I am going to Washington, D.C. to threaten to kill the President of the United States, George Bush," adding, "Michael (Jackson) I will personally attempt to kill, if he doesn't pay me my money." Among the documents is one written by the L.A. City Attorney's office, which claimed that on June 22, 1992, the letter's author "arrives in Calif." and "threatens to kill." The FBI interviewed an unidentified "victim," whose name is redacted but the AP said was presumably Michael Jackson, who told authorities that he was aware of the threats and took them seriously. Jones was arrested June 22 and held on $15,000 bail for investigation of trespassing in the driveway of the Jackson family compound in Encino, California, and sentenced in 1993 to two years in prison for "mailing a threatening communication." The federal government's investigative agency continued its probe into Jackson in 1993, after the Los Angeles Police Department asked the FBI if it was interested in working on a possible case against Jackson for transporting a minor across state lines for immoral purposes. The request came after an LAPD investigator traveled to Manila, Philippines, to speak to two former Jackson employees who claimed they saw the singer fondle young boys; the FBI did not join the investigation because the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to get involved, though an FBI agent accompanied California officials to the first interview. The Santa Maria Police Department asked the FBI to get involved again after Jackson was arrested for child molestation in 2004, believing that the ensuing court case would be a "soft target" for terrorists because of the worldwide attention the trial would attract. The FBI ultimately concluded that there were not imminent threats, though it noted the presence in court of the Nation of Islam's Fruits of Islam security force and an unnamed member of the New Black Panther Party. Jackson, who used Nation of Islam bodyguards during the trial, was acquitted in the case. The FBI reviewed case notes from local authorities in the molestation case and examined 16 computers taken from Jackson's home, but investigators didn't appear to find anything of note, prompting one of Jackson's lead defense attorneys, Thomas Mesereau, to say that the FBI documents provide further proof that Jackson did nothing wrong. "He was not a criminal and he was not a pedophile," Mesereau told the AP. "The fact that so many agencies investigated him and couldn't find anything proves he was completely innocent." In September 1993, an FBI agent in London also reportedly told colleagues in Los Angeles about British press reports concerning a man claiming that Jackson had made a sexually suggestive phone call to him in 1979 when he was 13 and the singer was 20; no further action was taken in that case. And in October 1995, the U.S. Customs Service reportedly asked the FBI to look at a videotape labeled "Michael Jackson's Neverland Favorites An All Boy Anthology" as part of a child-pornography investigation, though the tape was of such poor quality that investigators couldn't tell what was on it. Related Videos Related Photos 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 |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar