MTV News |
- Justin Bieber's 'CSI' Cameo Shows Off Dark Side
- 'Waiting For Superman' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know
- Kristin Chenoweth Recalls Her Gleek Roots On 'When I Was 17'
- Lady Gaga's <i>Born This Way</i> Is Her 'Freedom Album,' Producer Says
- Kanye West Is 'Stepping Backwards' For New Music, Q-Tip Says
- Tony Yayo Says 50 Cent's Beef With Fat Joe Is 'My Problem' Too
- Drake Talks Infectious Lil Wayne Collabo 'Gonorrhea'
- Weezer Announce First <i>Blue</i>/<i>Pinkerton</i> Tour Dates
- Ne-Yo Plays Charity Concert In Times Square
- T.I. Is 'Gonna Be Fine,' Pharrell Says
- Heart's Nancy Wilson Files For Divorce From Cameron Crowe
- Birdman Says Lil Wayne Spitting 'Raw Rap' On New LP
- Guillermo Del Toro Says 'The Fall' Vampires 'Don't Sparkle'
- Swizz Beatz And Lil Wayne Revisit Eminem's 'Stan' With 'Anne'
- Justin Bieber Gets 'Kudos' For His 'CSI' Cameo
- 'Jersey Shore' Star Sammi Explains Reaction To Snooki, JWoww Note
- Soulja Boy Remembers Vegas VMAs On 'When I Was 17'
- N.E.R.D. Play New Music At Times Square Show
- Nicki Minaj Says Lil Wayne Is 'Focused' In Prison
| Justin Bieber's 'CSI' Cameo Shows Off Dark Side Posted: 23 Sep 2010 07:39 AM PDT Fans will have to wait until February for Bieber's story line to continue.
The appropriately titled season premiere of "CSI," "Shock Waves," found the CSIs chasing down a bomb suspect with a grudge against the cops. With the investigators each dealing with ongoing physical and emotional damage from various other traumatic events, they had to put those feelings aside to chase down the McCann brothers, two young men with some authority issues.
After Dr. Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne) is stabbed by inmate Nate Haskell, it's assumed Haskell is the man behind the bombing at a funeral for a dead officer attended by Nick Stokes (George Eads). When they realize that the killer's MO doesn't match that of Haskell's, they are on the trail, looking into every lead, which includes two very key clues that bring us to Jason McCann, played by Justin Bieber in his acting debut. We first meet Bieber at a community center, where he is defending the man who helped raise him, Ralph. "Ralph was no criminal," Bieber says. "He's a decent man. He took my brother and I when we had no one." But it's not long before Bieber and the CSIs meet at the community center, where they are trying to track down a cell phone used to detonate one of the bombs. In Bieber's several scenes, his biggest and most convincing acting comes during his interrogation by Stokes. After learning that a young man fitting McCann's description bought a toy plane, also used in the explosion, he sits down with the teen to try to find his brother, Alex, the main suspect in the explosion. Bieber is certainly new to acting, but he shows some quick wit and certainly has a screen presence, not to mention that signature hair, while delivering his lines alongside the veteran "CSI" actor. "Where's your gun, your vest, your badge? You're off work or something?" Bieber quips. "You still represent the authority, everything I hate. It's probably like you hate me." Soon, however, McCann's confused-kid nature starts to show as he opens up to Stokes about his brother's vindictive nature against the police. "They're going to kill him, aren't they?" he asks about his brother, who most likely is the guy out to settle scores by blowing up cops. "I didn't have anything to do with the bombs. I just bought the airplane." Soon, we learn that Ralph, the man who cared for the boys, was arrested, though it is never said why or if he actually deserved it. "When the cops arrested Ralph, Alex snapped. Ralph was like a father. He was a decent man," he said, adding his brother's motives: "He told me he was going to scare the cops. He's got a house in old Henderson. You'd better hurry. That show at the funeral was just fireworks compared to what's coming." Stokes is soon off to find Alex, though it really isn't too hard to find him. Alex is caught buying supplies to make more bombs and is killed by the cops when he pulls his gun, leaving Jason without his older brother but the CSIs with lots of evidence in the back seat of Alex's car. The evidence? He wanted to blow up police headquarters. Jason's story is kind of left up in the air, but not without one more explosion at an abandoned building being investigated. The catch: Alex was already dead when the explosion was set off. And, with Bieber in custody and an evil look in his eyes, it seems he's keeping the family business alive. So what will happen when Bieber's McCann returns? Well, fans will have to wait until February to find out. What did you think of Bieber's acting debut? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Related Artists |
| 'Waiting For Superman' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know Posted: 24 Sep 2010 03:52 AM PDT We present the facts about this incisive education-themed documentary from Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim so you don't have to cram.
After his last filmmaking effort, "An Inconvenient Truth," took the Oscar for Best Documentary, director Davis Guggenheim had the bar set rather high for his future projects. He seems to have met the challenge as his latest work, "Waiting for Superman," has been generating awards-show buzz and serious acclaim since it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival early this year. ("Superman" won the fest's Documentary Audience Award.)
MTV News has been following the poignant film, from its start at Sundance to the debut of the first trailer, and even logged some conversation time with Guggenheim. The arresting documentary finally arrived in theaters on Friday (September 24), and we've gathered all the facts you need to know. First of all, what's all the fuss about? The film takes a long, hard look at the state of America's public school system, following five students in various U.S. cities who are struggling to get a quality education. It also features commentary from several leaders in the education field: philanthropist Bill Gates; Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone in Harlem, New York; and Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools. When the film traveled to Park City, Utah, in January 2010 for Sundance, it was quickly snatched up by Paramount Vantage, becoming the festival's first official sale, days before it even premiered there. "Superman" went on to win the Documentary Audience Award. Four months later we got our eyes on the first trailer, and three months after that, MTV partnered with the Get Schooled campaign to host a screening of the film for members of various Chicago youth groups Shortly thereafter, as part of our Fall Movie Preview, we had an insightful chat with Guggenheim about education reform, the reasons MTV viewers should care about their neighborhood schools and what the average person can do to sustain the conversation he hopes to start with this film. Leading up to the film's release, Guggenheim took the film and its important message — joined by Bill Gates and chancellor Rhee of the Washington, D.C., school district — to "The Oprah Winfrey Show." This week, MTV News hit up the Los Angeles premiere of "Waiting for Superman" on the famed Paramount lot. There, Guggenheim celebrated with VIPs like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Cheryl Hines and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "This movie has got to be a catalyst for real change," Villaraigosa said. "It's got to do for education what 'An Inconvenient Truth' did for climate change and the struggle to educate people about global warming. This is the pre-eminent challenge facing America. It is the civil-rights issue of our time. When you look at the kids in urban schools, the level with which they're dropping out and the abysmal success rate of our urban public schools." On the lighter side of things, but still in the spirit of "Superman," we made a list of our favorite fictional schools over at the MTV Movies Blog, where Hogwarts and "Back to the Future" 's Hill Valley earned nods. What's your opinion on the education issues raised by "Waiting for Superman"? We want to hear what you think in the comments! Check out everything we've got on "Waiting for Superman." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. |
| Kristin Chenoweth Recalls Her Gleek Roots On 'When I Was 17' Posted: 24 Sep 2010 03:52 AM PDT 'I was the popular geeky girl,' she says on Saturday's episode.
During Kristin Chenoweth's high school days, life was like an episode of "Glee." She was the real-life Brittany, chilling with the resident gleeks at her high school and also getting her groove on at football games.
So it makes sense that Chenoweth would grow up to be not only a Broadway star (including stints in "Wicked" and "Promises, Promises"), but also make cameos on the hit Fox musical series. On this week's episode of "When I Was 17," which also features appearances by Jay Sean and Soulja Boy Tell'em, Chenoweth reveals that she existed somewhere in the middle of her school's popularity totem pole. "I was the popular geeky girl," she says on the show, which airs Saturday at 11 a.m. So what kind of after-school activities does the school's resident "popular geeky girl" find herself doing? "I had friends that were, like, in the smoke hole, and I had friends that were in the choir with me," she says. "But I was also a Tigette, which was a pompom girl [for the school's team the Tigers]." These days, Chenoweth is known for her upbeat demeanor, and it seems that was also the case back in high school. "[She was] like a little pixie, very quirky," her high school principal, Max, says. "She always had a smile on her face and was friendly with everybody." Another thing that hasn't changed is the entertainer's flair for all things stylish and trendy. Back in the day, her style icon was none other than the frontwoman of the Go-Go's. "When I was 17, I looked like Belinda Carlisle," she said. "I had her exact haircut. I wore big earrings. I wore a lace bow in my hair tied to the side at all times." "When I Was 17" — this week featuring Chenoweth, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em and Jay Sean — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Lady Gaga's <i>Born This Way</i> Is Her 'Freedom Album,' Producer Says Posted: 23 Sep 2010 02:27 AM PDT RedOne says the upcoming Born This Way is 'too good to talk about.'
Why will Lady Gaga's forthcoming Born This Way album "piss people off"?
Gaga's main man, producer and songwriter RedOne, thinks it might be because the album is all about the artist's liberation. "I think it's more of her freedom album. It's like freedom this album ... it's her album!" he told MTV News. But trying to squeeze any more details out of the "Bad Romance" producer proved difficult. He remained tight-lipped about details, mostly because he feels the album, which Gaga has noted will veer toward bitter and political, isn't ready for everyday talk just yet. "To be honest with you, I think that this album that she's making is too precious to talk about. When it comes out you'll hear and you'll make your choice," he said. "I think you're gonna love it. But I think it's too precious for me to talk about it. It's crazy." RedOne said that as far as he knows there will be no Beyoncé-type collaborations on Born This Way. But he reiterated that he's always stepping up his game with each album. "I said with everything I do I want to shock people. Honestly, it's like whatever I do, I always want to shock people sonically, lyrically with the writer, anything that's gonna get the reaction," he said. "And so when it comes to her album, I mean honestly, I really think it's too precious, it's too good to talk about. I don't want to talk about it at all. I just want to save it. I'll let her talk about it. It's her. It's her presenting Gaga. I'm the producer, but she's the artist. "Whatever happens later is going to happen," he said about which of his tracks might make the final cut. "I can't say I'm doing this or I'm doing that. It's a surprise. I want to leave it like that." What are you expecting from Born This Way? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists |
| Kanye West Is 'Stepping Backwards' For New Music, Q-Tip Says Posted: 23 Sep 2010 01:30 AM PDT 'He's looking forward but reaching back, which is interesting,' he tells XXL.
Utilizing Auto-Tune and the electro-pop trend, Kanye West took a musical departure with his last album, 808s & Heartbreak. But the rapper is heading back to his early roots with his new album, according to collaborator Q-Tip. "This album is, in a good way, going backwards," Q-Tip told XXL magazine of the project. "He's such an artist. He knows exactly what he's doing. When he did [808s & Heartbreak], that was such a departure from College Dropout. But now he's stepping backwards, so this album will be more of a sonic extension of College Dropout and Graduation, but he's doing it with a new attitude." The Tribe Called Quest member explained that West is attempting to mix his sound of the past yet simultaneously cover new ground. "He's looking forward but reaching back, which is interesting," Q-Tip told the magazine. "It's a calculated toe in yesterday's water, if that makes any sense at all." In July, 'Ye spoke about the inspiration behind the yet-untitled project. "Everyone says all great art comes from pain, but I think my greatest art comes from excitement and joy," he said. "It's a completely different perspective about being extremely excited about stuff that is only cool to me." The LP, which is due in stores later this fall, is set to feature additional production credits from DJ Premier, Pete Rock and No I.D. Lead single "Power" finds the rapper taking on the media, haters and everyone in between. As the project has gained momentum, West has treated fans to a slew of new tracks including "Monster," featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj; "Devil in a New Dress"; and "G.O.O.D. Friday," featuring Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean and Charlie Wilson. More than likely, West will perform his new material when he serves as the musical guest on the Bryan Cranston-hosted "Saturday Night Live" episode October 2. What are you expecting from Kanye's new album? Share your thoughts below! Related Artists |
| Tony Yayo Says 50 Cent's Beef With Fat Joe Is 'My Problem' Too Posted: 23 Sep 2010 06:08 AM PDT 'If you really dislike 50, then you really dislike Yayo,' he says on 'RapFix Live.'
Tony Yayo wants to make it clear how the beef between 50 Cent and Fat Joe spills over to the rest of the G-Unit crew: "I didn't have a problem with Fat Joe; 50 did," Yayo explained Thursday (September 23) on "RapFix Live." "So now it's my problem."
Fat Joe and 50 Cent have been trading barbs in rhyme and during interviews for years now. When the Terror Squad lyricist appeared on "RapFix Live" last month, he said there's little chance the dispute with Fif could end peacefully. "The day 50 Cent want to lock up with me in a bathroom and do this like men, we can hug each other and keep it moving the day after that," Joe said, referring to a one-on-one fight. Yayo, however, dismissed Joe's notion. The G-Unit soldier said the idea of a straight-up battle is unheard of in his Queens, New York, neighborhood and said he'd jump into a fight with 50 against Fat Joe. "Where I'm from, there's no such thing as a fair one," he explained. "If that man is fighting, you fighting too. That's just how it is. Like [Joe] said, he don't know where [the beef] started from. Whatever beef 50 got with him, that's his issue. But 50 is my homie, and it is what it is." When asked if the issue between 50 and Joe could exist solely between the two men, Yayo didn't think so. "If you really dislike 50, then you really dislike Yayo," he said. " 'Cause anybody that doesn't like 50 isn't gonna like Yayo. There goes the answer right there. If I see you, you see me, something might potentially happen." What do you think about the ongoing beef between 50 Cent and Fat Joe? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Drake Talks Infectious Lil Wayne Collabo 'Gonorrhea' Posted: 23 Sep 2010 04:04 AM PDT 'It's like, 'Chlamydia! Oh, I should listen to this, maybe it's educating me,' ' Drizzy jokes to MTV News of leaked track.
It's safe to say Lil Wayne is a colorful MC when it comes to his rhymes, but on his latest number, he might have taken creative license to new heights: The song is named after an STD. "Gonorrhea," a track from Weezy's forthcoming release, I Am Not a Human Being, hit the Web earlier this week. The song features Drake, and when MTV News caught up with him before his second headlining concert in Miami, the Toronto lyricist laughed about the record, calling it "crazy."
"I kind of just did my verse when I heard the beat. I knew what the song was called and what it was about eventually," Drake told us. "Wayne's a character. [Laughs.] Expect the unexpected, I guess. It's funny and it definitely makes people [pay attention]. It's like, 'Chlamydia! Oh, I should listen to this, maybe it's educating me.' [Laughs.] It's crazy. But people like it, I got a lot of good feedback on the verse. I think [the project] is just a lot of Wayne songs that, it's that stuff that people want to hear. But Tha Carter IV is gonna be on another level. It's something for people to enjoy it, buy it, love it; if you love Lil Wayne, get it. But know that Tha Carter IV is going to be through the roof." On the track, the two Young Money stars trade rhymes about subpar MCs, likening them to gonorrhea and telling them to stay away. "Yeah, call it how I see 'em," Wayne chants on the chorus. "Wish I never met you, I wouldn't want to be you/ Pu--- ass n---a, I don't want you gonorrhea." I Am Not A Human Being is set for a digital release on September 27 — Lil Wayne's birthday — and drops in disc form on October 12. What do you think of the provocatively titled Wayne/Drake collabo? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Related Artists |
| Weezer Announce First <i>Blue</i>/<i>Pinkerton</i> Tour Dates Posted: 23 Sep 2010 04:53 AM PDT Memories Tour will make two-night stops in L.A. and San Francisco.
Weezer are men of their word. Last month, when we visited the set of Weezer's "Memories" video in Sun Valley, California, frontman Rivers Cuomo revealed exclusively to MTV News that they had an ambitious tour concept cooking. "We have this really exciting idea to do a tour where we spend two nights in each city, and the first night, we play the entire Blue Album, and the second night, we play the entirety of Pinkerton," Cuomo said, invoking the names of the band's first two albums. "We're just running it by promoters right now to see if there's sufficient interest in the markets to do something like that, and if they're onboard, it's gonna happen." Apparently the interest was there: Weezer have announced on their website that they'll be hitting Los Angeles and San Francisco at the end of November for two nights apiece, with more dates to be announced, for what's being billed as the Memories Tour. On top of playing Blue and Pinkerton from start to finish, a "greatest-hits set" will also be included at the shows, according to the site. VIP tickets go on sale Friday at 1 p.m., and an American Express presale starts Saturday. Tickets for the L.A. show go on sale to the public October 1, and the San Francisco dates will be available October 3. Weezer's indie-label debut, Hurley, hit stores last week, landing at #6 on the Billboard albums chart. The video for "Memories," which featured the crew from "Jackass" and a whole lot of skateboarding, premiered on MTV earlier this month. Weezer's Memories Tour dates so far, according to their website: » 11/26-27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre Will you check out Weezer's Memories Tour? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists |
| Ne-Yo Plays Charity Concert In Times Square Posted: 23 Sep 2010 05:36 AM PDT Singer performs five-song set for Children's Miracle Network.
NEW YORK — Ne-Yo performed a charity show mounted by Island Def Jam in Times Square on Thursday (September 23) for the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness for children's hospitals across North America. And Ne-Yo worked it out for the tykes, ripping fluid dance moves and belting out his hits during the five-song set. Playing to a massive audience that clogged the sidewalks in the famed square and included fans from the young to the young at heart, Ne-Yo was introduced by multi-hyphenate entertainer Nick Cannon. The singer then hit the stage with his club-friendly hit "Closer," flanked by a live eight-piece band. A three-person horn section and an array of dancers hoofing it in dapper menswear-inspired looks enlivened the track's house-music rhythms. Sweat was already glistening on the entertainer's forehead as he launched into his second song, "Champagne Life." Ne-Yo didn't let his gentlemanly attire of a white vest, signature black fedora and black tie, slacks and button-up, stop him from getting loose as he led concertgoers through the song's soul-clap breakdown. After wrapping the "Champagne Life" from his upcoming Libra Scale LP, Ne-Yo dipped back into his catalog for the title track of his 2007 album Because of You. He zigzagged between the mic and his onstage crew, retreating to his dancers to bust out some smooth footwork while the backing vocals and the audience piped up for the hit record's chorus. The star then slowed it down with the new midtempo Libra Scale single "One in a Million." Ne-Yo, who was in excellent form throughout the set, owning the stage with vigorous-yet-effortless energy, fell back from the dancing a bit for "Million" and concentrated on belting the high notes of the refrain. Before the final number, Ne-Yo — who had been mopping his brow with black hand towels that appeared to be coordinated with his outfit and tossing them to fans throughout the performance — addressed the women who proudly take care of themselves. Just after tossing out the final towel, presumably to a self-sufficient lady, Ne-Yo launched into "Miss Independent." He began the Year of the Gentleman single with two male dancers grooving behind him, but then his female dancers, who had first hit the stage in trousers, returned pants-less to finish the show. The audience begged for more when the singer bowed and bid farewell at the close of "Miss Independent." Ne-Yo looked to the side of the stage and appeared to consider pulling another trick out of his bag of hits, but then left the stage with a simple "Peace and love, y'all." Were you at Ne-Yo's Times Square show? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| T.I. Is 'Gonna Be Fine,' Pharrell Says Posted: 23 Sep 2010 02:39 AM PDT 'He lives a lot of his life on television — you're bound to make a mistake,' Tip's King Uncaged producer says.
Back when T.I. was still a fledging MC crafting his 2001 Arista Records debut, I'm Serious, he teamed up with superproducer Pharrell Williams, of the hitmaking production outfit the Neptunes, for the album's title track. Six albums, a label move and nearly a decade later, T.I. has become a hit factory unto himself, but he has also extended his already robust rap sheet.
He hooked up with Pharrell once again for his forthcoming album, King Uncaged, but his recent legal issues have steered the focus away from his hard-hitting music. When MTV News caught up with Pharrell, the producer who worked with Tip on his first mainstream offering and "talks to him every day," he insisted the ATL king can still rule the game. "He got the heart of a champion," Pharrell told MTV News on Thursday (September 23). "Whatever happens, Tip gonna be fine, regardless. He got a good heart, and at the end of the day, he's a human being." The producer cautioned fans against rushing to judgment, saying, "Let he who's perfect cast the first stone." "He lives a lot of his life on television — you're bound to make a mistake," Pharrell continued, referencing T.I.'s recent arrest on drug possession charges. "If that's what happened. We don't know what's going on right now. All we know is the fingers are being pointed, and I'mma stand by his side 'cause he's a good guy." Pharrell pointed to Tip's work with young people as one of the MC's redeeming qualities. "What you can't do is take away any of the good stuff that he's done for this world and done for the kids and his community," he said. "Sorry, you can't take that away. It's already done." Tip's legacy of chart-topping club bangers and fiery lyricism can't be denied either, and it appears that he refuses to slack off in the hits department, as Pharrell enthused, "the [new] album is crazy." The producer also spoke candidly about the delicate balance an artist like T.I. has to maintain in order to keep the fans happy, stack sales and maintain his artistic integrity. "He's got songs out there right now that are singles, but, you know, there are pressures in the world, certain things you can't necessarily control. But his body of work ... he's got a crazy album," Pharrell said. "I saw, like, 60 records, and almost every record that he played me was really incredible. Then there was the more poppier side of things, where the label kinda puts the gun to your head 'cause they gotta pay their bills." Although T.I. may have to relent to certain label demands with some radio-friendly jams, Pharrell said Uncaged will unleash the energy of their early collaborations together. "Please trust, T.I.'s album is incredible, and he's an amazing talent, and it's been a while since we got together," he said, adding that in addition to his work on I'm Serious, he also hooked up with Tip for the track "Freak Though," from 2004's Urban Legend. "It's been a minute since then, and we really went in for old times' sake, so, it's pretty crazy." Are you looking forward to T.I.'s new music? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Heart's Nancy Wilson Files For Divorce From Cameron Crowe Posted: 23 Sep 2010 06:19 AM PDT Rocker and film director have been married for 22 years.
"Almost Famous" director Cameron Crowe and wife Nancy Wilson are divorcing after 22 years of marriage. According to People magazine, Wilson filed divorce papers Thursday (September 23) in a Los Angeles County Superior Court. She reportedly cited irreconcilable differences and listed June 15, 2008, as the date of the couple's separation. Crowe and Wilson were married July 23, 1986. The couple have 10-year-old twin boys, William James Crowe and Curtis Wilson Crowe. Wilson is said to be seeking joint physical and legal custody of the children and has also asked the court for spousal support. In addition to "Almost Famous" — which is loosely based on Crowe's experiences as an eager 15-year-old writer for Rolling Stone magazine — the talented writer/director is responsible for '80s classics "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Say Anything," as well as "Singles," "Jerry Maguire," "Vanilla Sky" and "Elizabethtown." He is reportedly finishing up an untitled Pearl Jam documentary. Wilson, a singer/songwriter from the '70s rock band Heart (she sang lead vocals on the band's #1 hit "These Dreams" and on the top-20 hit "Stranded"), is a successful artist in her own right. She had cameos in Crowe's "The Wild Life" as Rick's wife and in "Fast Times," credited as "Beautiful Girl in Corvette," who while at a red light, turns and smiles, then laughs at Brad Hamilton (played by Judge Reinhold), dressed as a pirate. More recently, Wilson has made a name for herself as a film composer, having composed music for several of Crowe's films including "Jerry Maguire," "Almost Famous," "Vanilla Sky" and "Elizabethtown." Related Artists |
| Birdman Says Lil Wayne Spitting 'Raw Rap' On New LP Posted: 23 Sep 2010 02:35 AM PDT 'He's just rapping how he's feeling,' the Cash Money honcho tells MTV News about upcoming I Am Not a Human Being.
Like Kanye West, Lil Wayne turned to Auto-Tune while in the studio for his last few efforts and took advantage of the computer-aided pitch-correcting software to manipulate his voice in rhyme. But for his next project, I Am Not a Human Being, Cash Money CEO Bryan "Baby" Williams said the Vocoder is gone. Weezy gets back to "raw rap," according to the Birdman.
"When Wayne do what he do, he takes serious pride in his work," he told MTV News this week in Miami. "Nothing we do is half-stepping or half-cocked. I think it's a great album. To me, he's switching back: This album has no Vocoder, he's back to raw rap. He's just rapping how he's feeling. He's a genius, so the music is always gonna be great. He wanted to put I Am Not a Human Being out to show people he's always in the building. Every album we put out we're going to do the most; we're gonna go for it. We're never gonna come half-cocked, you expect to see a lot, you gonna get a lot. It's a great album." Human Being is set for a September 27 digital release, timed to coincide with Lil Wayne's birthday; it will have a re-release in disc format in October. The album has been in the works since Wayne struck his plea deal with New York prosecutors in 2009 and knew he was facing jail time. Baby said he was pleased at how successful their plan to keep Wayne's presence alive has been. "He's an addict, he's a monster, he's a beast," Baby said of Wayne's work ethic. "He loves what he does. He probably has thousands of songs, these probably are just the ones he picked [for the album]. This was the plan while he was gone: do a lot of videos and [put these records out] just to keep it poppin' hard. "Honestly, if he wasn't gone, it wouldn't feel like he was gone, 'cause we did so much while he was gone," the Cash Money boss added. Track list for I Am Not a Human Being, according to Young Money/ Cash Money Records: » "Gonorrhea" (featuring Drake) |
| Guillermo Del Toro Says 'The Fall' Vampires 'Don't Sparkle' Posted: 23 Sep 2010 03:10 AM PDT Director says parasitic blood-suckers in his novel 'won't take you to dinner. You will be dinner.'
Guillermo del Toro is a jolly fellow. You'll be 20 minutes into a conversation filled with jokey repartee and his self-deprecating asides, and you'll think: This is the guy who unleashed a swarm of killer cockroaches on a city full of children in "Mimic"?
Then, suddenly, a fuse will blow in the studio, and as your crew scrambles to re-light the set, del Toro will say, with a mix of charm and do-not-cross-me gravity, "My DP would punch you!" But his director of photography is nowhere to be seen, nor are plague-laden roaches, and all soon returns to normal. Del Toro is here to chat about "The Fall," the second book in his trilogy (co-written with Chuck Hogan), about a parasitic epidemic turning a city's population into blood-sucking vampires. It's grim material, no doubt, but the director-turned-novelist talks ebulliently, almost from start to finish, about the book, its influences and its development. He's got a right to be happy. Like the first installment, "The Fall" became a bestseller, thanks to robust pre-orders before it even hit shelves Tuesday. And, having dealt with a heartbreaking, years-long struggle to make "The Hobbit," del Toro is energized to be temporarily working outside the Hollywood machine, writing fiction about a subject he's been obsessed with since the age of 7. The Oscar nominee is getting set to dive back into moviemaking, of course, and is deep into preproduction on his 3-D collaboration with James Cameron, "At the Mountains of Madness." That, too, is a project he's been dreaming about for decades. Yet to hear del Toro talk about "The Fall" is to realize the special place fiction holds in his creative heart. And it doesn't hurt that the book is one kick-ass page-turner. MTV: I'm, first of all, curious about the process. You've written screenplays with other people; you've now written two books with Chuck Hogan. How do those two processes differ, if at all? Guillermo del Toro: It's much better than writing solo. Writing the books is very similar to writing the screenplays with collaborators. For the books, we get together for what Chuck terms "a four-day breakfast." We talk and eat, and eat and talk. Eventually, we figure out everything we want about the book, we go away, we generate a 30-page outline, and then we call dibs: "I want this section. I want that section." I think I get all the fun sections. I write them and send them to him, and when I get his sections, I realize he got a lot of fun sections, and I get envious and rewrite them. He rewrites my stuff, and we go from there. It becomes a single voice. MTV: There's more of an action vibe in the second book than in the first. Was that one of the goals, to mix much more action into your horror story? Del Toro: Chuck says that we got together on the first one and took our Legos and created the city and the characters, and on the second, we finally get to play with them, and on the third, we're going to destroy it. MTV: The vampires in the trilogy are unique compared to other depictions of vampires in popular culture in that vampirism is a disease. Where'd the idea come from? Any specific sources? Del Toro: During the Age of Enlightenment, there were plagues in Europe and vampiric panics that led to ransacking of graveyards and desecration of corpses. There was mass hysteria about vampires. I thought that in this age of GPS and iPhones, the only thing that reverts us to primitive fear is a viral epidemic. Immediately, you see people wearing masks and not opening mail for fear of anthrax. And if you talk to these people, most of them have no idea how anything is transmitted. It's very superstitious. I thought it would be great to recreate vampires biologically, explain how they work, and make them scary again. I've been reading vampiric folklore since I was 7. I know more about vampires than I know about my cousins. MTV: What is the lure of telling this story in book form, as opposed to, say, in comic books, video games or as a TV series? Del Toro: The only way to really track the epidemic was the long-arc form. You could have done it as a TV series or books. The freedom you get by doing it as books is you get to establish the characters and the world the way you want it. You don't get any notes from studio executives and TV executives. You don't test it with an audience. You don't have to get feedback. You don't mind about ratings. You do everything you want. It was a liberating thing to do it that way. I found it to be, personally, as a fat human being, an escape pod from really constrictive screenplay writing, especially within the studio environment. I really love writing fiction. It's like an amusement park for me. I have no end of fun. MTV: And it's an excuse to have four-day breakfasts with your friends. Del Toro: Everything I do, I feel like I'm a very well-financed child. I just do everything I dreamt of doing as a kid, and I get to do it with the friends I like. Someone puts us in a room together, and we build a city that is crazy, and we get in costumes and play, and then you have dinner with those people. It's like camp for abnormal kids. I'm deeply abnormal, so I am very happy. MTV: When the trilogy concludes, will that ending be final or does the possibility exist for the stories of any of these characters to continue? Del Toro: We don't want to return to it. We really want to close it on the third book. I would love to continue to do a short story now and then about the world or the characters, but with the novel form, we will close on the third one. The arc ends. MTV: I don't need to tell you how popular vampire fiction is these days. In your interactions with fans, in readings and whatnot, have you found a lot of overlap with fans of "Twilight" or "The Vampire Diaries," or is it very much a separate crowd? Del Toro: There is room for fans of vampire romance to look for the nastiest vampires. Our trilogy is dedicated to a parasitic feeding entity. These guys don't sparkle. They won't take you to dinner. You will be dinner. They are mouths with a stomach and a collective brain — the terrifying inhuman aspect of vampirism. The other aspect is perfectly genuine, and I don't put it down, but it's an area I have no interest in. I'm not attracted to the Byronian badboy that vampires can be. That's an analogy I don't pursue. But we do find people that are reading both types of fiction and enjoying it. Diversity is the key to happiness. MTV: When the first book came out, you said you talked with Fox about a TV show, and it didn't work out. This time around, have you tried to go back to the networks or cable? Del Toro: When the first one was on the bestseller list, we got a lot of calls. Some of the people we pitched it to originally called back. We don't want to turn it into anything. We want to wait until the third book because we don't want to think about it any other way than just books. You don't want to contaminate it. We got approached by studios wanting to turn them into movies. I don't feel comfortable with that. I don't know if I ever will. We're going to do stuff in the third book that is pretty hardcore. I don't know if we'd be able to preserve it. But, look, my favorite stuff is on TV right now. "Breaking Bad" is exceptionally good. At my household, we consider "Dexter" a family show. Partnering up with somebody like that would be fantastic. |
| Swizz Beatz And Lil Wayne Revisit Eminem's 'Stan' With 'Anne' Posted: 22 Sep 2010 11:41 PM PDT Producer tells Mixtape Daily about his work with Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Beyoncé.
Behind the Beats: Swizz Beatz After all these years of producing hits for everybody (and we mean everybody), Swizz Beatz had an epiphany. "My position is not to give people singles; it's to give people a sound. Back in the day, when I was working with [DMX] or Eve, I would give that sound. Nowadays, [the industry] is about singles. But your little brother in the room could slip up on a hot beat and have it potentially be a single. That doesn't mean that's gonna connect people to the artist's album." Swizz said he did some contemplating about what separates the elite artists and dissected the situation.
" 'What's the difference between that person and the next person? Why do people still go crazy over Sade and she ain't come out in X amount of years?' " Swizz began to recall. "It's because they can depend on a sound. Nowadays, you can't depend on a sound. You have to go through iTunes and weed out the fat, weed out all the garbage, what could have been the whole-album sound." Swizz, whose latest work includes the Kanye West-led posse cut "Lord Lord Lord" and Drake's "Fancy," isn't stopping anytime soon. His beats will be plastered all over your inner ear in the coming months. Besides his upcoming Haute Living LP, the Bronx native is working with Mary J. Blige and Beyoncé and has most of the tracks for Snoop's Dogg's Doggystyle sequel. "I didn't know I signed up to produce that until the end of that night," Swizz said about his and the Dogg's recent session. Swizz played Snoop more than a dozen new instrumentals, and the vibe was so rich, the West Coast icon decided to make it the foundation for his next album. Next Wave of Flav On Mary J. Blige and Beyoncé's new solo albums: "With Mary, it's not about one song. We're six songs in. With B, with all the people I'm working with, it's 'What's the sound?' I think it's gonna be an amazing year for sound in 2011. That's when people will notice it." On Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary: "We was in there just banging joints. I'm looking at him, he's feeling them like, 'Put that to the side. Put that to side.' But the things I'm picking are from a fan's standpoint. I'm not picking it from a producer's standpoint. I'm like, 'If Snoop is on this, that's his "Gin and Juice" right there.' I think people want Snoop to stay authentic, which he does all the time. But if he focuses on the sound, that brings them back to something familiar, but it's new, it works. I got the first Doggystyle in my brains." On Lil Wayne's Haute Living cameo: "Off my album, there was a lot of controversy over this before. The Eminem album before [Recovery], Relapse, I submitted a beat to him called 'Stan 2.' When I was doing an interview and they said, 'What you working on?' [Em] was amongst the people in the lineup I submitted things for. I said, 'I did a track for Eminem called "Stan 2." ' So it got out of hand in the media. He didn't want to do 'Stan 2.' But what I have on my album is a song called 'Anne' with Wayne, which is crazy. To connect the story of what we saying with Snoop, taking something that people remember and putting them in that time and taking it to the next level, the way that Wayne tells Anne he's sorry what happened to Stan. The album is crazy." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Justin Bieber Gets 'Kudos' For His 'CSI' Cameo Posted: 23 Sep 2010 12:32 AM PDT Show's exec producer sings the star's praises over his appearance on the show, airing Thursday.
Justin Bieber might be one of a handful of pop stars to make a cameo on "CSI," but he has certainly left his mark on the cast and the crew of the hit CBS crime drama. When Bieber hits the small screen Thursday night (September 23) for his performance as Jason McCann, he will certainly leave fans stunned by his acting chops, one of the show's producers told MTV News.
"I thought that he did a really good job. We only had Justin for a day, for 10 and a half hours, and he had a lot of work crammed into those 10 and a half hours," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said about the first of Bieber's two appearances on the show. "And he had one super big scene, and the scene was an interrogation scene in the police department with [actor] George Eads, and George actually took Justin under his wing." Why did the veteran "CSI" actor feel that Biebs was worthy of his mentorship? "George said that when he was just starting out, Tom Selleck took him under his wing, so I think he tried to return that kindness, and he really had some time to work the material," she explained. "We built in some time, and I thought that scene was really good, and Justin had a couple of scenes where he didn't have a lot of dialogue or no dialogue and then two pretty heavy scenes." Noting that Bieber did a "really good job" with the heavier work, Mendelsohn added that Bieber has some acting chops. "It's hard for any accomplished, mature actor to come on the set and fall right into character and do your work, so kudos to Justin," she said. Are you planning to watch Justin's "CSI" debut? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Related Artists |
| 'Jersey Shore' Star Sammi Explains Reaction To Snooki, JWoww Note Posted: 23 Sep 2010 01:41 AM PDT She says her girls 'probably should have came and told me personally' about Ronnie's indiscretions.
It's possibly the most famous letter in reality-show history: the anonymous, all-caps note informing "Jersey Shore" star Sammi that Ronnie had been eagerly messing around behind her back.
Eventually, the truth came out — in hair-pulling, vocal-cord-shredding fashion. What else have we come to expect from the endlessly entertaining "Shore" kids? Sammi ended up repairing her relationship with Ron, though we can't say the same for her rapport with the letter-writing Snooki and JWoww. The past few episodes, Sammi and Ron have been snuggling and first-pumping as if they just got married on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. Meanwhile, things between Sammi and her two roommates have remained icy at best and vicious at worst. Now finished filming in Miami, Sammi opened up to MTV News about her reaction to both the note and Ronnie's less-than-honorable behavior and why the note seemed to bother her more than her boo's deception. "Why am I really upset more at the girls than Ron?" she said. "Well, Ron was a douche bag. He kind of screwed me over, messed me up, but these are my girls. The people that I lived in the room with, that probably should have came and told me personally. "I'm there crying to my friends — who I think are my friends — and they're staring at me lying to my face. I understand they didn't know what to do. I understand they were in a hard pickle," Sammi added. "I'm not mad at them for writing the note. Thank you — I wish people would understand this — thank you for writing the note. I'm more mad that you guys are supposed to be my friends and you were more worried about losing Ron as a friend than me." Back in Jersey, Sammi said, her friends would have told her the truth. But in Miami, she found herself not only facing the difficulty of living with her then-ex-boyfriend, but doing so without a group of trustworthy peeps on her side. Once she began to suspect that Ronnie was smooching girls behind her back, she began to feel truly alone. "I'm in this house now, everybody knows something but me," Sammi explained. "Ron was a douche bag, the house, everybody's fake, and I'm on my own. So now I'm coming into this, I'm losing my mind, I'm so insecure, I don't know who's my friend in the house, because not one person can come up to me and tell me what's really going on." Of course, none of that explains why Sammi chose to forgive Ronnie for his behavior but not Snooki and JWoww for theirs. Sammi does point out that she helped Snooki through a difficult time with her then-boyfriend, Emilio, and was upset that Snooki didn't support her in return. Ultimately, Sammi came to lean on Ronnie once again, if only because she had nowhere else to turn. "For them to just look at me and just lie to me every single day — knowing that they know something's going on — to me is not OK," she said of her roomies. "I felt really backstabbed when those girls just thought, 'Oh, let's write a note,' and then think it's funny when I asked them about it." Whose side are you on in the note debate? Let us know in the comments! Don't miss "Jersey Shore" every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Related Videos |
| Soulja Boy Remembers Vegas VMAs On 'When I Was 17' Posted: 23 Sep 2010 02:03 AM PDT Jay Sean and Kristin Chenoweth also reminisce on this week's episode.
Although many young people toil away in anonymity with hopes of living out their dreams one day, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em shared the stage with one of the biggest rappers on the planet as a teen.
"When I was 17, I flew out to Las Vegas to perform at the MTV VMAs with Kanye West," SB describes in this week's episode of "When I Was 17," also featuring Jay Sean and Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth. The "Pretty Boy Swag" star, 20, was a special invited guest of Kanye's during the 2007 Video Music Awards at the Palms. West was one of the few artists that night to perform in one of the themed suites instead of the house. SB, however, was restricted to a small room away from the action. "We were up in this huge super-suite with alcohol, everything," he recalls. "There were girls, all of that. But, they were telling me, since I was 17, I couldn't go to certain areas of the suite. I had to stay locked off in one part of the suite until the show. So I stayed in this one little room. But it was fresh, though, because they laid it out: They had video games and snacks. "Mind you, [I was] 17 and from the 'hood, ain't never had nothing," SB added. "I'm in Las Vegas for the first time, so it was mind-blowing. I was doing all these things. We had a food fight. We were tearing the suite up!" "When I Was 17," — this week featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, Jay Sean and Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV. Related Videos Related Artists |
| N.E.R.D. Play New Music At Times Square Show Posted: 23 Sep 2010 01:21 AM PDT Pharrell and Shay play new song 'Help Me' from Nothing album.
NEW YORK — Braving the unexpectedly intense heat of a New York City fall day, N.E.R.D. brought even more fire to their Thursday (September 23) Times Square performance. Shay Haley and Pharrell Williams of the hip-hop alterna-rock crew (fellow member Chad Hugo was absent) played to a slew of die-hard N.E.R.D. fans at a day-long event in celebration of Honda's spankin' new CR-Z Hybrid Coupe. During a warm-up set from downtown selector DJ Lindsay, featuring sunny tunes from Janelle Monáe and Madonna, concertgoers milled about under the supersized Times Square ads as a clock counted down the seconds until N.E.R.D.'s performance. Then, around 12:30, the duo hit the stage under the powerful midday sun, aptly opening the set with their balmy summer single "Hot-N-Fun." Supported by a live five-piece outfit, which included two drum kits, and flanked by two ever-undulating backup dancers, the fellas led an audience of sharply dressed fans — and a few curious tourists along the sidelines — through their sultry hit. Pharrell and Shay handled the stage with easy swagger, both sporting a basic T-shirt and jeans look and casually rattling off their lyrics, ramping up the energy as needed. After setting the tone with the well-known "Hot-N-Fun," Shay stepped back as Pharrell commanded the stage with "Help Me," a cut from their forthcoming LP Nothing. Pharrell worked the downtempo opening verse with his chill sing-song vocals before the producer/MC bellowed "I won't kill you/but I'll let you die!" as the track crescendoed with frantic instrumentation. Fans bopped along to the song's bluesy valleys and punk-rock peaks and whooped when Pharrell referenced America's ongoing overseas conflicts and yelled "How many want the soldiers to come home?" The three-song set was brief but didn't sacrifice powerhouse energy as the band closed with their debut hit "Lapdance." The dancers went into overdrive as the crowd went nuts to the hard-charging, rap-rock beat. Pharrell showed the city some love, revamping the lyrics and shouting, "...while people in New York gonna make some noise for me!" The band mixed up the mosh-pit energy with a sleek mid-song breakdown, during which Pharrell quipped about the heat, saying "Everybody in New York, Say hello to the sun." After asking the audience, "How many people know they're gonna change the world someday?" he coaxed the crowd into crouching down — even calling out the fans too cool to get low. Then, Pharrell commanded everyone to jump up and scream "Hell yeah!" as the fans and the frontman rocked out to the roiling beat — in the boiling heat — together. Were you at N.E.R.D.'s Times Square show? Tell us about it in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Nicki Minaj Says Lil Wayne Is 'Focused' In Prison Posted: 23 Sep 2010 09:39 AM PDT MC talks Weezy, Justin Bieber, more in interview with Funkmaster Flex.
November will be an important month for Nicki Minaj. During that month, the Young Money darling will drop her debut album Pink Friday and celebrate Lil Wayne's release from jail. In an interview with Funkmaster Flex, the Harajuku Barbie spoke about her latest visit with Weezy, the backlash to Will.I.Am's VMA outfit and a recent attempt to scam her fans. "I went to see [Lil Wayne], like, five days ago," she told the DJ. "I was on Rikers. First of all, his birthday is coming up in a few days. He was just very focused, but he was laughing the same way. He was just making me laugh." Minaj admitted that she forgot to thank her mentor when she revealed her album title during a live chat with fans. "He said that people were writing him in jail saying, 'We love Thank Me Later and we can't wait for Pink Friday.' So he said he was looking at the letters and was like, 'What the hell is Pink Friday?' " the rapper explained. "I didn't even tell him that [was] my album name and stuff, and he found out in jail by fans writing him letters. So he was like, 'OK, Nick, that's the name of your album,' and we were just having a great conversation." Nicki then talked about the blowback her VMA performance partner, Will.I.Am, received for his all-black outfit, which included dark makeup. "You're talking to me. And I live for doing stuff that is super crazy and outside the box, so I loved it," she said. "People are always going to have an opinion. It's like 'Yo, let him do his thing.' I think that Will.I.Am lived on a different planet. You can't expect him to make common folk happy. Common folk ain't never happy with anything. ... They going to pick everything apart." The Peas frontman wasn't the only guy she spoke about. When asked if she thought teen heartthrob Justin Bieber had a crush on her, she joked, "I think so. I think he had a little jungle fever. You know what I mean? I had to let the young boy know." The two shared a cheek kiss during the 2010 VMAs. Before Minaj left, she took some time to address a recent controversy surrounding an upcoming concert at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She is being billed as the event's headliner, even though she isn't performing. "I didn't have anything to do with it," she said. "People are going around pretending that they are able to book me. They're acting like they can sign paperwork and get me to do clubs, but in fact, I've never met these people a day in my life. I don't know who these people are." Nicki explained that she woke up one day and found fans tweeting about it. "I thought that it was a joke and then I clicked on it and it was dead serious, so I had to shut that down." For now, the rapper has recruited a legal team to look into the matter and said that she'll post her actual tour dates on her Twitter or official website. "I'm so tired of people getting scammed," she said. Share your thoughts on Nicki's chat with Funk Flex in the comments! Related Artists |
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