MTV News |
- Lady Gaga Is MTV News' Woman Of The Year
- Kanye West Is MTV News' Man Of The Year
- 'Tron Legacy': Under The Hood Of Three Cool Vehicles
- Kanye West, Swizz Beatz And More Top Producers Of 2010
- Christian Bale Calls Real-Life 'Fighter' Family 'Passionate'
- 'How Do You Know' Star Reese Witherspoon Recalls Softball 'Crash Course'
- Diddy-Dirty Money Invite MTV News Aboard <i>Last Train To Paris</i>
- Waka Flocka Flame's Mom Denies That Prostitution Was Behind Raid
- Lil Wayne Gives Fan's Mother A Wheelchair
- Joe Budden Says Eminem/Slaughterhouse Deal 'Not Done'
- Lil Wayne's '6'7" ' Originally For T.I., Bangladesh Says
- Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars, More Added To Bamboozle Festival
- Train Say Grammy Snub 'Felt Like A Practical Joke'
- Britney Spears Inspired 'Country Strong' Lead, Director Says
- Cory Gunz Says Lil Wayne Told Him 'To Attack' '6'7" '
- Natalie Portman's 'Black Swan' Physique Gave Emily Blunt 'Anxiety'
- Tricky Stewart Defends New Michael Jackson Tune, 'Keep Your Head'
- Daft Punk's 'Tron Legacy' Score: Five Secrets Revealed
| Lady Gaga Is MTV News' Woman Of The Year Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:52 AM PST Massive tour, event videos and social causes earn Gaga her second-straight Woman of the Year title.
Lady Gaga didn't even release a proper album in 2010, and somehow, she managed to become an even bigger star. This had as much to do with the fact that she kept working with what she had — the endless tour, the incomparable videos — as it did with her harnessing her hard-fought stardom and attempting to become a force for social change. She spoke out loudly and proudly in support of gay rights and in opposition to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and, in the process, she became the kind of star we haven't seen in decades: One unafraid to offend, no matter how much she stood to lose. And that fearlessness — coupled with her continued chart success and her envelope-pushing event videos — is why we've chosen Lady Gaga as MTV News' Woman of the Year. It's the second-consecutive year she's taken home the honor, which is sort of fitting. After all, no one has dominated both the musical and pop-culture landscapes quite like she has over the past 24 months. This year, she just dominated differently. And so, in honor of her reign, here's a look back at Lady Gaga's 2010, a year in which she moved from pop icon to genuine social force.
2010 Highlights: Gaga began 2010 much like she ended 2009: on tour. In January, she wowed audiences with a triumphant four-night run at New York's Radio City Music Hall and then stole the show at the Grammys with her Elton John duet and appropriately outrageous attire. She teamed with Cyndi Lauper for the MAC AIDS Fund VIVA Glam campaign and paid tribute to the late Alexander McQueen with a performance at the Brit Awards. In February, she began teasing both her revamped Monster Ball Tour and her upcoming "Telephone" video, which would catapult her to even greater fame. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund and full of nearly as many blink-and-you'll-miss-it pop-culture nods as it was wanton violence and near-nudity, "Telephone" premiered on March 11 and basically became the event video against which all others would be judged. Fans loved it (celebs did too), and the clip would go on to inspire countless YouTube tributes. Needless to say, talk of a sequel quickly followed. In April, she was announced as a headliner at Lollapalooza and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People. In June, she sent fans into a panic when she told Larry King that she had tested "borderline positive" for lupus and then wowed them with her "Alejandro" video, which mixed German Expressionism with religious symbolism (needless to say, some thought it went too far). She then told Rolling Stone magazine that her new album was "finished right now" and then premiered the first song from that album, "You and I," at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball. She kicked off another leg of the Monster Ball Tour in Montreal, and, at a later date in Arizona, encouraged fans to protest the state's immigration law. At the beginning of August, she scored a whopping (and record-breaking) 13 Video Music Award nominations and delivered the goods with a surreal set at Lollapalooza. At the VMAs in September, Gaga won eight Moonmen — including Video of the Year — and announced that her new album would be called Born This Way. But seemingly all anyone wanted to talk about was her infamous "meat dress," which dominated celeb gossip for the remainder of the month. Also of note were the "dates" Gaga took with her to the show: men and women of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, all of whom had been discharged from the Armed Forces (or prohibited from serving) because they were gay. Inspired by their stories, Gaga began a (very loud) campaign to have the military's long-standing "don't ask, don't tell" policy overturned. She called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to vote on a repeal of the measure and posted an impassioned video plea, urging her fans to call their senators and demand they vote as well. She held an impromptu rally in Maine aimed at grabbing the attention of Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Ultimately, her efforts failed, as Senate Democrats were unable to garner enough votes to begin debate on the matter, though Gaga remained adamant in her support of gay rights, as producer RedOne told MTV News that her Born This Way album would be about "freedom." She capped 2010 by passing the 1 billion views mark on YouTube, being named one of Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women and Billboard's Artist of the Year. She scored six Grammy nominations, placed a pair of songs on MTV News' Top 25 countdown, including "Telephone" at #10, and was honored with eight different wax figures by Madame Tussauds. Oh, and then, there's the matter of Born This Way, which is due early next year and, by all accounts, is shaping up to be pretty great. And it sort of raises the question: At this time next year, will we be handing Gaga her third-straight Woman of the Year award? We wouldn't bet against her. As she proved in 2010, anything's possible. Did Gaga deserve our Woman of the Year title? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Kanye West Is MTV News' Man Of The Year Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:52 AM PST Undeniable music, brilliant tweets and one ambitious short film put 'Ye back on top in 2010.
He didn't sell the most albums (that was Eminem) or have the year's hottest single (that was Usher), but at the close of 2010, there really is no other choice for MTV News' Man of the Year than Kanye West. After all, no one dominated the pop-culture landscape quite like he did. From his self-imposed hiatus to his triumphant return to his tantrums (and, of course, his tweets), everyone was talking about West in 2010. No one completed as compelling a comeback story, and most importantly, no one released an album as searing and soaring as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. And he did it all his way, without compromise or contrition. It truly was 12 months to behold.
West came into 2010 as a villain, still stinging from the public smack-down he received following the Taylor Swift debacle, and he leaves it as a hero: not only the year's most celebrated artist, but its most compelling and visionary too. And if that's not worthy of an award, well, then we don't know what is. King Kanye reigns supreme. Here's a look back at a very memorable year in his life. 2010 Highlights: West's story actually begins in September 2009, after he stormed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. His actions were lambasted by everyone from Donald Trump to Jimmy Carter, and as a result, he tearfully told Jay Leno that he needed to "take time off." And he wasn't kidding. 'Ye canceled his much-anticipated Fame Kills Tour with Lady Gaga and all but disappeared from the public eye, leading to rumors that he had checked himself into rehab (or, alternately, fled to India). He briefly appeared onstage with Beyoncé in London, but, really, that was it. West was, for all intents and purposes, a ghost. He skipped the Grammys in February but did appear on the "We Are the World - 25 for Haiti" charity single, which signaled his slow return. The following month, he wrote a lengthy blog post that remembered late designer Alexander McQueen and hinted that he had begun working on, well, something. And then in May, we finally began to hear the fruits of his labor when the snarling "Power" leaked to the Net. The following month, he returned to the stage with a swaggering performance of the song at the BET Awards, and then, it was game on. He famously joined Twitter (a move that would give birth to an unending stream of brilliance in the ensuing months) and began a string of impromptu performances at corporate headquarters. In August, he premiered the arty 90-second clip for "Power" and spent the next month working with everyone from Bon Iver to Justin Bieber. He unveiled his G.O.O.D. Fridays project and premiered a new song, the artfully damaged "Runaway," at the 2010 VMAs. He wowed viewers on "Saturday Night Live," announced that his new album would be titled My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and began screening "Runaway," the 35-minute film he directed, around the world. In October, he made waves when he tweeted that the cover art for Fantasy had been "banned" and then premiered "Runaway" on MTV. In November, with the release of his album less than three weeks away, he became tangled up with George W. Bush and "Today" show host Matt Lauer. Fantasy garners rave reviews for its scope and swagger, and it subsequently tops the Billboard albums chart. "Runaway" and "Power" land at #2 and #3, respectively, on MTV News' Top 25 Songs of 2010 countdown, and as the year draws to a close, West continues to make headlines, both with a gory preview of his "Monster" video and rumors that he knocked up Kim Kardashian — both of which seem to point to the fact that 2011 is gonna be a big year, indeed. Did Kanye West deserve our Man of the Year title? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'Tron Legacy': Under The Hood Of Three Cool Vehicles Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:52 AM PST Designer Daniel Simon gives MTV News a behind-the-scenes look at how the film's futuristic machines were built.
The "Tron Legacy" vehicle design team had one goal: "We wanted to make the most sexy vehicles ever onscreen." According to German-born designer Daniel Simon, who worked on transforming the original film's iconic creations from clunky machines to sleek, futuristic works of art, the crew set the bar high for themselves. It was a four-year process that began with director Joseph Kosinski and production designer Darren Gilford, who conceived the overall concepts and then brought in folks like Simon, whose work includes designing real-world Bugattis and Lamborghinis. Not that they actually built the lightcycles and lightjets we see in the finished film, which hit theaters on Friday (December 16). While the crew constructed each vehicle's cockpit, complete with LED lights and instrumentation, the machines only exist on the sketchpad and in the ultra-powerful computers with which Kosinski created his film. Simon called up MTV News recently to walk us through the creation of three of the vehicles in the new movie. Here's what we learned. Lightcycles "It was a pretty obvious choice. That is what most motorcycles look like," Simon said. "They had exactly those ideas in the '80s but didn't have the technology to execute them. Making the lightcycles open-air was a way to show off our technological revolution. And it's more fun for the actors, since they can be seen and they can interact with the environment." To further update the bikes, the team drew inspiration from real-world bikes built to set speed records. "From the rider position and the wheelbase, it's inspired by land speed-record bikes that you would see in Bonneville or El Mirage," Simon explained. "Motorcycle fans will know Burt Munro, who set all these records in the '60s, he used the same rider position. The only difference is that you can't actually turn a bike like how the bikes are turned in the movie!" Lightjets Nor were they constrained by real-world consideration for airplanes; these lightjets never had to land safely at LAX. Yet such freedom had its limits: The jets had to conform to what the public is generally familiar with when it comes to aircraft. With so many possibilities, they drilled down to a few concrete references. "The big jets should be more like gliders, laid-back but still sinister with guns and sh--," Simon said. "The small ones should be like mosquitoes, aggressive and very agile." Quorra's Car The car, it turned out, was too huge, and Simon had to go back to the drawing board. "The door has this scissor-swing opening and it was difficult to design," he said. "And then the room where they were going to shoot it was not high enough for the door to swing open. We were like, 'Oh sh--, this has to be a foot shorter!' " Check out everything we've got on "Tron Legacy." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Kanye West, Swizz Beatz And More Top Producers Of 2010 Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:52 AM PST Bink! and Clark Kent also hold it down by finding key samples, in Mixtape Daily.
This is Mixtape Daily, so you know the deal: We spotlight the essence of street culture. And when it comes to those behind the boards, it gets no truer than producers who know how to dig in the crates and find a dusty sample that will inject life into a new composition.
These four guys reached deep down, far and wide, to the nether regions of their musical minds to create bangers that became the soundtrack of the past 12 months. Without further ado, we close out our year-end awards by saluting the Top Producers of 2010: Bink! Originally, this one (co-produced by Mike Dean) dropped as part of 'Ye's G.O.O.D. Friday series, and West picked apart Bink!'s loop of the Motown star's stirring vocals to add his own twist. "Hood phenomenon, the LeBron of rhyme," he spit. "Hard to be humble when you stunning on a JumboTron/ I'm looking at her like, 'This what you really wanted, huh?/ Why we arguing anyway? Oh, I forgot, it's summertime.' " Clark Kent Praises to Barry White and his "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Baby," but it's not that sample that raised this stirring Rick Ross track to sublime heights. Rather, it's the way Kent (and co-producers the Remedy) flip Enchantment's "Silly Love Long" that takes this one up a notch. "We shining when it's pitch dark, yeah this bitch a movie, but this time I play a big part," Ross muscles through the beat with his flow. "F--- marketing, look at what I'm accomplishing/ I'm beating n---as by margins bigger than Fran Tarkenton." Swizz Beatz While most producers speed up samples, Swizz took the road less traveled and slowed down this driving dance tune into a military-march tempo. The result was Hov's mantra for his next decade of dominance and MTV News' #8 Song of 2010. "Baby, I'm a boss, I don't know what they do," Jay spit. "I don't get dropped, I drop the label." Kanye West Rick James might be the signature sample on this one, but it's the drum loop from the Backyard Heavies where 'Ye (and co-producers Emile, Mike Dean and Jeff Bhaskar) set their sail for this number to rise to one of the year's best tracks. "See, I could have me a good girl and still be addicted to them hood rats," Yeezy rhymes. "And I just blame everything on you/ At least you know that's what I'm good at." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| Christian Bale Calls Real-Life 'Fighter' Family 'Passionate' Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:52 AM PST 'Everyone was like, 'Who knows what's going to happen?' ' he tells MTV News of having Dicky Eklund and his relatives on set.
For Christian Bale, one of the highlights of making "The Fighter," a performance for which he was recently nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Supporting Actor category, was meeting and getting to know the real-life inspiration for his character: Dicky Eklund. Bale said he and Eklund became buddies over the course of filming — during which Bale learned to speak "Dickenese," Eklund's unique manner of speaking — which proved useful when it came to translating the half-brothers' story to the big screen.
"[We said] 'Look, there's no story here unless we show the dregs. You've got to show the lows.' " Bale recalled telling Dicky and his brother Micky Ward, the inspiration behind Mark Wahlberg's character. "It's the roller coaster of their life that makes it a fascinating story. Each one individually doesn't make a movie, but you combine the two brothers, and there's a fascinating movie." The "Dark Knight" star added that in showcasing so much of the life of these two men, there were creative liberties taken for time's sake, which didn't always go over well with Eklund. "We [had] to show that side of it, and also condensing a life into two hours, you're taking some license," Bale explained. "Initially, there were a lot of problems. Dicky would be saying, 'That's not how it went down. I said this not that' and 'He wasn't there at that point. He was over here.' "[We told him] 'Right, but we've had to kind of blend these two scenes, because otherwise this movie is going to be years long.' " Bale recalled. "So he came to understand that, but there were a couple of moments where I had to say, 'Dicky, don't go punch [director] David [O. Russell] now. Don't go punch him. It's all right, count to 10, let's figure it out.' And I'm sure David and Mark had to stop him from punching me and stuff." Bale described the initial meetings with all of Eklund and Ward's family members — including Ward's feisty wife Charlene (played by Amy Adams in the film) — as a trip. "Charlene was there with her sisters," Bale recalled, "and everyone was like, 'Who knows what's going to happen?' ... They're a passionate family." Check out everything we've got on "The Fighter." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Photos |
| 'How Do You Know' Star Reese Witherspoon Recalls Softball 'Crash Course' Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:52 AM PST 'I'm not a ringer or anything,' she tells MTV News of her newfound skills.
Because director James L. Brooks has only made six films in his career, most actors jump at the chance to work with him — as was the case when Brooks approached Reese Witherspoon for a role in the upcoming romantic comedy "How Do You Know."
"[It was] incredibly flattering and terrifying at the same time," Witherspoon told MTV News recently regarding her reaction to Brooks' initial interest. "When he called me, I was like, 'He wants to meet me? And do what?' We sat down, and he said, 'I want to write this character, and I want you to play it.' And I was like, 'Great!' And he said, 'I want you to be a professional softball player. Do you play softball?' " 'Yes, of course I do!' " Witherspoon recalled responding — but she admitted to MTV News in a whisper: "No, I don't play softball. But I learned. I did a crash course with the UCLA Bruins, and they taught me. Three hours a day for four months. They really helped." Given the fact that there's not much of Witherspoon's character playing softball in the film, we wondered what motivated her to commit to such extensive training. "I think it's a completely different culture growing up as an athlete. You have a completely different high school experience, you have a completely different college experience, your whole career is over in your 30s — that's just a different life," she explained. "In a way, it's almost a suspended adolescence. My character doesn't really have much romantic knowledge. She's dated a bunch of athletes on the road and stuff, but she's never had to be in a real relationship. It was important to assimilate to that culture, because I didn't know anything about it." So given her newly acquired skills, can we call on Witherspoon to play on our team in a future pickup softball game? "I'd look really good doing it, because I know how to look good doing it," she admitted. "I'm just not sure I'd help you win the game. I'm not a ringer or anything. Don't call me in. I'm not going to help." Check out everything we've got on "How Do You Know." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos |
| Diddy-Dirty Money Invite MTV News Aboard <i>Last Train To Paris</i> Posted: 16 Dec 2010 01:17 AM PST 'I don't think you're an artist until people start looking at you like you're crazy,' Diddy says as Sway tags along for a day in the life of the trio.
When MTV News flipped on the camera to document Diddy-Dirty Money's promotional grind for Last Train to Paris on Tuesday, the Bad Boy CEO was firmly in mogul mode, typing away on his smartphone as he sat in an SUV ready to hit the town with MTV News' Sway for a daylong "RapFix Live" interview. But with Paris, the debut effort from Diddy-Dirty Money, on shelves, the businessman has to juggle the demands of both an artist and an executive — a type of multitasking he revealed he has not done for a long time.
"I've just been so taken aback just by how it's been received. I'm not used to being on that side," Diddy said. The frontman also added that he feels vindicated by the positive reviews Paris has been scoring, despite dealing with critical side-eyes since the project was first announced. "I don't think you're an artist until people start looking at you like you're crazy," he said. "It's been a couple years of people looking at me like I'm crazy, and I think that's one of the things all the interviews and reviews have admitted. 'Yeah, we thought he was crazy with the concept, but he proved to be right.' " When the ladies of Dirty Money, Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, entered the vehicle, the singers focused on the exhilaration of finally having the project available to the masses. "I'm so excited, Sway. It's crazy," Harper said. "We just keep staring at each other like, 'We did it!' " When their Swizz Beatz-assisted track "Ass on the Floor" pumps through the speakers from New York's Hot 97, it's obvious how amped they are, bopping to the beat and spitting the lyrics. Even though Diddy isn't new to the artist game, he maintained that the thrill of hearing his track hit the airwaves never goes away. Even with stacks of hits behind him, Diddy revealed that he still has a superstition he sticks to for every drop date. "You gotta buy 10 copies of your own album. It's, like, something I've always done every year, for good luck," he said. "It's like [when] you vote. You vote for yourself, right?" The convoy arrived at Best Buy in New York's Union Square a little while later, and staying true to his tradition, Diddy strolled down the aisles to find the Dirty Money records and picked out a stack. But the "Coming Home" rapper said the practice isn't limited to artists, saying to fans, "You could buy 10 too. You could join in." The star also urged gawking shoppers to throw down some cash in between posing for photos with fans. For some, a job where the boss is constantly around may be stressful, but Harper maintained that she appreciated having instant access to Diddy's years of expertise and input. Richard added that being an integral part of the boss' pet project also means it gets top priority. "It's also dope because you know that the product will not go in vain because it's the CEO and it's his project," she said. "You know that it's gonna be 10 times more pushed because it is his baby." Richard also added that the creative breadth of Paris, which ropes in everything from slinky house to jangly electro, afforded the ex-Danity Kane diva more creative freedom. "This is my third album, and having to conform so much in pop culture and people saying, 'Oh, your voice isn't this' and 'Your voice isn't that,' it was really refreshing to be able to do what I felt and be the tone [I wanted] and Kalenna to be able to sing the way we wanted to sing," she explained. "I have a more rock/pop sound, but I do it over more hip-hop stuff. That was just something I didn't feel like I had to conform [to] at all," Harper said. "I just sounded like I sounded." Later, the promo train headed back to the Bad Boy headquarters, where the trio got on a conference call with media outlets. When one journalist asked Diddy to respond to snipes that he's no longer relevant, the star was quick with a retort. "They better turn on the TV, man, and walk outside and breathe some air. I'm like air, baby," he said. "If I ain't relevant, then who is?" The mogul later dropped in on an artist whose relevance in 2010 hasn't really been contested: Justin Bieber. The teen sensation was working on some new music when Diddy stopped by to officially appoint him a member of the Dirty Money family, gifting him with a black-and-white "DM" letterman's jacket. The mogul also hooked him up with the official "swag walk" of the Dirty Money crew, coolly instructing Bieber how to stroll and use his free hand for "pushin' the hate back, 'cause there's a lot of hate sometimes." Proving he's a quick study, Bieber suavely bopped along behind Diddy, pushing back the hate like a Dirty Money pro. What did you think of MTV News' day in the life of Diddy-Dirty Money? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Waka Flocka Flame's Mom Denies That Prostitution Was Behind Raid Posted: 16 Dec 2010 03:13 AM PST 'We were really surprised, but the neighbors always watch,' Deb Antney, who also acts as Waka and Gucci Mane's manager, tells MTV News.
A home occupied by Waka Flocka Flame was raided by Atlanta authorities Thursday (December 16), and the rapper's associate, Gucci Mane, and his manager and mother, Deb Antney, were detained as police searched the premises. No formal charges were filed, but a TMZ report suggested that the investigation centered on prostitution. Antney staunchly denied that allegation when MTV News spoke with her Thursday (December 16); according to various reports, weapons and drugs were also found on the scene. "It had nothing to do with prostitution," Antney told MTV News. "The weapons they found were licensed weapons. There was under an ounce of marijuana, but it was nothing but a blunt. The other drugs were medication that was in Waka's room from when he got hurt," Antney said, referring to Waka Flocka Flame's February shooting. Under the terms of the search warrant, Antney said, any person on the property was detained, which included Gucci Mane, whom she also manages. Neither Gucci nor Antney were charged. Waka was not present at the time. It remains unclear if police are searching for the "No Hands" rapper. Antney indicated that she plans to pursue legal action against the authorities. "There's nothing going on for you to kick a door in," she said. "We were really surprised, but the neighbors always watch. We live in a country club, so they always watch, they always assume." Antney, who heads up Mizay Entertainment, was frustrated because her company is scheduled to host a toy drive Thursday. She said when she arrived on the scene, police called her "the Candy Lady" and suggested she was the ring leader of the prostitution operation. "Of course I'm not gonna sit back and be called 'the Candy Lady,' " she said. "There was no prostitution. And we're not gang-affiliated." Related Artists |
| Lil Wayne Gives Fan's Mother A Wheelchair Posted: 16 Dec 2010 07:22 AM PST 'I really thank him to be so great and give me a chair,' says Evelyn Austin, who received the present from Wayne after her daughter, Ronda, wrote him encouraging letters in jail.
Lil Wayne is making new fans, but this time, it's not for his Carter hits, it's for his compassion. When Wayne was riding out his eight-month prison bid this year, he received tons of kind messages from fans. However, the missives — and the plight — of one Weezy acolyte in particular, Ronda Austin, touched him so much that he lavished her family with a much-needed gift: a wheelchair for her mother. In a short film posted on the MC's WeezyThanxYou blog, Austin describes how her words of encouragement led to the generous present. "One day I was driving down the expressway and my phone rang ... Something said just pick up it up. I'm like, 'Hello?' and he's like, 'Hi, may I please speak to Ronda Austin,' I said 'Speaking. May I ask who's calling?' and he like, 'Yes, this is Lil Wayne.' I said 'Oh, ok. Who?' "she laughs. It may have taken Ronda a minute to realize who was on the line, but Wayne certainly knew who she was. She also describes how exactly how her relationship with her famous pen pal blossomed. "The first time I wrote Lil Wayne I just let him know that I support him, and I'm gonna keep writing him until he comes out. Just giving him a lot of encouragement [and] let him know that God is with him and tell him to keep his head up and stay encouraged. I would send him bible verses all the time, just a lot of words of encouragement. I talked a lot about my family, about myself, especially about my mom and my dad, which I love very much 'cause I always talk about my parents. I guess one of my letters must have touched him and he just gave me a call," she explains. "In the midst of our conversation he said, 'Did you and your dad get your mom a wheelchair yet?' and I said, 'No, we're still working on getting her a chair. He said ... 'Alright, don't worry about it.' I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'No, no, no, don't worry about ... I'm gonna take care of it.' " Wayne stuck by his word, and later the film shows representatives from Core Care Technologies, arriving at the Austins' front door in New Jersey with her spiffy new ride, The Quantum 6000. Evelyn, who had been confined to her home for nearly two years due to weak knees and a sub-par wheelchair, happily tests out the new gift in the streets, as her family looks on. "I don't know much about Lil Wayne but I'll tell you that what he's done, I think it's a gift," Ron Manno of Core Care Technologies says. "It's very rare that you can find an opportunity to do what he's done." Evelyn didn't know who Wayne was before the gesture either, but maintains she wouldn't forget Weezy's good deed. "I felt good, I felt really great. I didn't know Wayne before now, but I do know him now and I thank him. I really thank him to be so great and give me a chair. He didn't even know me and he got me a chair. I pray and ask God to bless him," she says. "My mom hasn't been out the house in the street in years. I just see such a difference in her. She has like, this get-up-and-go about her now. She can get in her chair, she's more mobile and that means so much to us 'cause me and my dad, we're doing a lot of things around the house and making my mom comfortable," Ronda says, getting emotional. "But when she's up and about, it's just a good thing to see." Wayne introduced the post with a short note that also ended with a heartfelt sentiment. "God Bless Austin Family," Weezy wrote. What do you think of Wayne giving the Austins a new chair? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Joe Budden Says Eminem/Slaughterhouse Deal 'Not Done' Posted: 16 Dec 2010 05:20 AM PST '[It's] too premature for me to speak on,' Jersey MC says of whether supergroup will sign with Shady, on 'RapFix Live.'
For fans of the supergroup Slaughterhouse, Joe Budden has one thing he can confirm about the crew's buzzed-about deal with Eminem: It's too early to confirm anything.
Whispers that the hip-hop A-Team of Budden, Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9" and Joell Ortiz will ink a contract with the Shady Records boss have followed the foursome for a while, but while closing a deal with the Detroit hip-hop head looks promising, nothing has been nailed down just yet. "The deal is not done. If everything goes according to plan, [then] hopefully. [It's] too premature for me to speak on," Budden said during his "RapFix Live" interview on Thursday (December 16). Even though Budden doesn't have any new answers for Slaughterhouse acolytes eager for an official stamp of approval from Em, the Mood Muzik MC noted that he's been fielding the same fan inquiries for a minute. "I've been answering that same question for a ... year and change. Maybe ever since the Drake "Forever" video ... when Slaughterhouse was standing with Eminem, I've been answering Eminem questions," he said. "Eminem is a whole 'nother entity, the guy's nominated for 10 Grammys." Em may be a chart-ruling trophy magnet but Budden said the first time he chopped it up with the Recovery lyricist, it was his wit that made an impression on the New Jersey-bred spitter. "[He said] something real sarcastic. Something sarcastic as far as rapping goes. I think it was about a verse that I was doing. It's OK. But he's funny like that," Budden recalled, before explaining Shady's disarmingly down-to-earth charm. "It's almost like you're not even talking to him, like he's not who he is. I'm a huge fan, so I'll be sitting there like, 'Holy snap, it's Em,' then [you're] cracking jokes the next minute. [He's] just a real cool guy." Budden also told MTV News last month that despite his outsize fame, Em remains a dedicated guardian of hip-hop culture. "Em, to be as successful as he is, and I'll just tell this to anybody with two ears, or one ear, for that matter, is just one of the most supportive hip-hop people that I've met," he said. "He's really, really just into hip-hop and rap and lyrics. He's just really into all of the things that group was built around." What are you looking forward to from Slaughterhouse and Joe Budden? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Related Artists |
| Lil Wayne's '6'7" ' Originally For T.I., Bangladesh Says Posted: 16 Dec 2010 03:43 AM PST Producer says he sent beat to Tip's camp first but was eventually convinced to hand over the track for Weezy.
From chart-topping records to serving time behind bars, Lil Wayne and T.I. have a lot in common. In fact, they were both set to lavish lyrics on what eventually became Weezy's latest joint, "6'7"." Producer Bangladesh, who supplied the rumbling, insistent beat for Weezy's beastly 2008 banger "A Milli," recently revealed that Wayne's lead lyrical K.O. from Tha Carter IV was originally sent to Tip's camp.
"Due to the situation and the circumstances of the Cash Money situation, I really wasn't thinking about Wayne at that moment when I made it," he told BET.com about sidestepping Weezy's label due to static that cropped up when Bangladesh claimed Cash Money owed him some, well, cash money. "I just knew that the beat was a big track and I couldn't at the time think of nobody that could swag this out like that or was worthy enough of this beat really. "I was actually sending the beat to Gee [Roberson, Atlantic Records executive] for T.I.," he added. "I mean, not that I think T.I. would sound good on the beat, they were just looking for a single and somebody said, 'Man, send that to Gee; T.I. need something.' " Even though the producer sent over the track, he knew that Tip wasn't likely to latch on to the record. Instead, Roberson, who co-manages Weezy, insisted the beat was Carter IV material. "I already dealt with T.I., I know how T.I. is. I knew he wouldn't really be rocking this beat right there, so I sent it anyway," he added. "And Gee just hit back talking about Wayne: 'Man, Wayne'll kill this, Wayne'll kill this,' so I had to really see if I wanted to do it or not, but they've been communicating, they've been reaching out." Bangladesh told MTV News on Wednesday that when the beat finally reached Wayne, he attacked it with the same fervor he did the steely Carter III smash, but this time he focused that raw, freewheeling energy to turn out more slickly delivered bars. "The overall wittiness is everything I was saying about 'A Milli' when it came to be," the producer explained. "He freestyled 'A Milli,' and before it was big and before we knew what it was gonna do, we all had our opinions of it. A lot of people loved it, but me being the creator of the art, I didn't see the vision that he had. I think he attacked it as a mixtape. And that was the genius of what he did and it became the biggest thing. The way he approached this one, was everything that I wanted him to do on 'A Milli.' I think he's really focusing on every, every line. It's like he's writing. It's different. It's a whole 'nother level of cleverness to it." Was Wayne the better choice for Bangladesh's "6'7" " beat? Tell us why in the comments! Related Artists |
| Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars, More Added To Bamboozle Festival Posted: 16 Dec 2010 03:56 AM PST Wiz Khalifa, Mötley Crüe, LMFAO also among new additions to New Jersey festival lineup.
New Jersey is getting an influx of star power for the 2011 Bamboozle Festival. A diverse range of newly announced hitmakers have beefed up the three-day East Rutherford affair, including Lil Wayne, Mötley Crüe, Bruno Mars and Wiz Khalifa. Rock outfits the Gaslight Anthem, Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional will also appear, in addition to dance-rap duos Chiddy Bang and LMFAO. The new additions fill out a lineup that already included a gang of names slated to rock the main stage, including Waka Flocka Flame, A Day to Remember, Boys Like Girls, New Found Glory with Marky Ramone, Circa Survive, Streetlight Manifesto and the RX Bandits. Dozens of hip-hop, dance and DJ acts will turn up for the festival, which goes down April 29, April 30 and May 1. G.O.O.D. Music recruit Big Sean, Brooklyn party upstarts Ninjasonik, hip-hop wunderkind Diggy Simmons and cult rap-rockers Insane Clown Posse will also helm sets. The festival is one of many high-profile public appearances filling up Lil Wayne's calendar since he was released from prison last month. Weezy will hit "Saturday Night Live" alongside Eminem this week and will toast it up next to his Young Money protégé Nicki Minaj on "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly." When Wayne first came home, Minaj predicted that among the priorities the Young Money leader would focus on in the coming months, hitting the road would be near the top. "I'm pretty sure he's going to go tour," she told MTV News at his homecoming bash in November. "I'd like to see him do a world tour this time. And I'd love to see him in a movie, I think. I don't know why. I really want to see him break into that." What do you think of the Bamboozle lineup? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Train Say Grammy Snub 'Felt Like A Practical Joke' Posted: 16 Dec 2010 01:27 AM PST Band performed at nominations concert before massive hit 'Hey, Soul Sister' was largely shut out by Grammys.
Even if you are the most casual of music fans, there's still a pretty good chance you know (and probably even own) Train's "Hey, Soul Sister," the most omnipresent (and best-selling) song of 2010. No matter where you turned, it truly seemed like the song was there ... except, strangely enough, the Grammys. Earlier this month, when nominations for the 2011 Grammy Awards were announced, "Hey, Soul Sister" was oddly absent. It failed to score a nod for either Record or Song of the Year — both of which seemed mortal locks, given the single's general inescapability — and ended up with just one nomination: for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. And that was for a live version of the song.
The fact that Grammy voters snubbed "Soul Sister" was even more shocking considering that Train were invited to perform at the annual Grammy Nominations Concert, a move that usually guarantees a plumb nod or two. And if you were surprised that Train left the telecast (largely) empty-handed, well, you weren't the only one. "You know, it was a strange night for us, to be real honest with you," Train frontman Pat Monahan told MTV News. "Playing the nominations show, being seated in the front to watch all the performances, and then to not be nominated for any of them during that show. I don't really know what the take is, to be real honest. It kind of felt like a practical joke at the time. "I mean, a guy even came around, he was like, 'You guys are going to be really happy tonight,' " drummer Scott Underwood added. "And we were like, 'Oh, really? OK, cool!' " Monahan admitted that part of the reason "Soul Sister" was shut out of the Grammy's big categories was because of a technicality: The song was released digitally in August 2009 — within the eligibility window for the 2010 awards — but added that the "live" version that picked up a nom probably should've sufficed for consideration, given the song's success this year. "I'll just speak for myself. During the ceremony, my feelings were hurt," Monahan admitted. "I felt like we were being set up for something kinda big and it didn't go down," he said. "And I was like, 'Wow, that was weird,' because if I hadn't been here, I'd just be psyched that we're nominated, instead of disappointed that we weren't nominated for the big several [awards]. But, you know, it's cool to be nominated at the same time, so I'm pretty appreciative. It was just that one moment was a little bit hurt feelings." And to that end, Monahan said he's already put the Grammy incident behind him. In fact, he's even learned a lesson from the whole thing. "It's a great reminder that that's not what we're here for. Really what we're here for — and we keep proving it over and over again — is, we're here because there's some Train fans out there, and somehow they keep growing instead of shrinking," he said. "And there's some music that we're supposed to provide people to maybe make their lives a little bit better and, you know, that's really why we're here. All the rest is just whatever, as the song 'If It's Love' says." What do you think of Train's Grammy experience? Were they wrongly overlooked? Sound off in the comments! Related Artists |
| Britney Spears Inspired 'Country Strong' Lead, Director Says Posted: 16 Dec 2010 02:38 AM PST 'I was seeing what was happening in the media to Britney Spears,' filmmaker Shana Feste says of crafting upcoming flick.
Gwyneth Paltrow may have honed her country-music skills for her role in the upcoming flick "Country Strong," but her troubled character was actually inspired by a pop sensation. In the film, Paltrow plays embattled crooner Kelly Canter, who fights to resurrect her struggling career as a music superstar. Writer/director Shana Feste recently told the Los Angeles Times that Paltrow's onscreen drama was inspired by the very public meltdown of pop megastar Britney Spears. "That's where this movie came from. I mean, I was seeing what was happening in the media to Britney Spears," Feste said. The filmmaker also added that wrapping up the script coincided with the outsize media frenzy surrounding another superstar. "I finished the script when Michael Jackson passed away," she revealed. Feste also lamented the dark side of celebrity-making, which entails ripping apart a once-beloved public figure at the first misstep. "I think it's tragic how we treat people who give us so much, and we love to see them knocked down to build them back up again, to knock them down again," she said. "It's a weird fascination." Paltrow has said that work on the project was challenging, due to both the physical and creative demands of the role. "It was brutal," she told MTV News in September. "It was a brutal shoot. I mean, I wasn't naked, naked, but I was semi-naked, in various stages of undress. [My character] has a drug and alcohol problem, so she's struggling a lot. It was a lot of fun for me, as an artist." Check out everything we've got on "Country Strong." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Cory Gunz Says Lil Wayne Told Him 'To Attack' '6'7" ' Posted: 15 Dec 2010 11:49 PM PST 'Some beats you hear ... and they hit you in a certain kind of way,' the Young Money upstart tells MTV News.
On Tuesday, Lil Wayne released his first post-prison song, "6'7"," a cut that features Bronx MC Cory Gunz. The son of rapper Peter Gunz, of "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" fame, spoke to MTV News about the strength of producer Bangladesh's infectious "6'7" " beat.
"We went straight to the studio and Tunes [told me,] 'I have something for you to hear,' and it went from there," Cory recalled. "[Wayne said], 'We gon' have to attack this.' As soon as I heard it, it was like instant. Some beats you hear [or] certain songs you hear in a party ... and they hit you in a certain kind of way and that's kinda what the beat did. So we sat and the record is now getting an amazing response. People been messing with the record, so it's dope. I'm happy to be here." As a Young Money artist, Gunz also said the label heads allow him creative freedom. "Honestly, [Wayne] just told me to be me on the record," Gunz said. "He didn't tell me any specific way to write or anything to do, and that's what I really appreciate. Mack Maine and Slim, they don't never try to, like, make me do anything that would compromise how I feel about it," he added about the YM president and Cash Money boss. "They always tell me to be '100' with it and that's what me and Wayne did — we bodied the record. As for whether fans will be able to catch all of Wayne and Cory's metaphors at first listen, the MC said fans should take their time. Related Artists |
| Natalie Portman's 'Black Swan' Physique Gave Emily Blunt 'Anxiety' Posted: 16 Dec 2010 12:43 AM PST Blunt, who also plays a ballerina in upcoming Matt Damon thriller, recalls marveling, 'That girl has some serious guns.'
Emily Blunt spent the end of 2009 training to be a ballerina for her role opposite Matt Damon in the 2011 sci-fi thriller, "The Adjustment Bureau."
The training regimen she thrust herself into was borderline brutal. "The tears did start to flow. I did cry a lot in pain," she told us months later. Around the same time Blunt was pirouetting like a madwoman, Natalie Portman had also slipped on some ballet slippers for "Black Swan." Portman's film beat Blunt's to the screen and quickly became an awards-season fave. Blunt herself is a fan of the film, even if seeing Portman dance caused a bit of apprehension. "I had a full anxiety attack after it but still loved the movie," Blunt laughed to MTV News while promoting the Christmas release "Gulliver's Travels." "That girl has some serious guns," she explained. "I was like, 'Wow, her back looks like a barrel of snakes.' She truly worked out and she looks incredible in the movie." Blunt shouldn't sell herself short. She, too, trained intensely for "Adjustment Bureau," recruiting the artistic director of the modern-dance company Cedar Lake to teach her how to dance like someone who'd been doing it her whole life. "It's definitely an endurance test, learning how to be a dancer," she said. "That is some lifestyle. That is day in, day out, hours and hours and hours a day, just crippling your body. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. I am so happy I did it because I think it's probably a good thing, soul-building, to do something every day that terrifies and embarrasses you." Check out everything we've got on "Gulliver's Travels." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Photos |
| Tricky Stewart Defends New Michael Jackson Tune, 'Keep Your Head' Posted: 16 Dec 2010 01:14 AM PST 'This was a record that [MJ] wrote and that he produced. And I just got in there,' the producer maintains.
While detractors of Michael Jackson's Michael album cry foul over the unfinished material that makes up the bulk of the posthumous project, producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is insisting that his contribution to the release was material MJ put together — and finished — himself.
In the case of "Keep Your Head Up," one of the album's biggest standouts, Stewart told MTV News that the track was not a remake of any kind. Rather, he just added minor additional production flourishes to the number. "The main thing I wanted to do was make sure that Michael would like it," said Stewart, who has worked with Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and The-Dream. "And that it would feel like something he would do naturally if he was here. A lot of it was probably me overthinking it a little bit. And trying to deliver what I think he would do. And there's so much music that he made that I could reference the precision of what he was into musically. I did that and this was a song that he wrote. It wasn't he and me making a record. This was a record that he wrote and that he produced. And I just got in there. He added, "It was really just about getting into his mental space and trying to find out the best way to deliver that record." "Keep Your Head" leaked online prior to Michael's release and was under scrutiny regarding the validity of MJ's vocals. Although, it's evident that Jackson's lead crooning on "Keep Your Head" is authentic and new, some of the background vocals are alleged to be from previously released material, like the 1995 tune "Earth Song." Stewart confirmed that the primary vocals are Jackson's and said he was satisfied with the result. "It was really surreal," the producer said of the experience. "Getting into that moment and getting into that space, to have the opportunity to work with the greatest entertainer of all time. Or work on, I should say. It was a tremendous time in my life to just get in there and listen to his voice, be able to strip down the track and listen to him in his purest form — something that most people can't do. It was a great experience. I'm glad I did it, I had a lot of fun doing it and I think the track came out great." What's your opinion about "Keep Your Head"? Tell us in the comments. Related Artists |
| Daft Punk's 'Tron Legacy' Score: Five Secrets Revealed Posted: 16 Dec 2010 09:55 AM PST 'They weren't shooting for a Daft Punk record. They wanted to create a full-bodied, timeless score,' film's music supervisor Jason Bentley says.
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter rock sleek robot helmets in public, rarely submit to interviews and have left electronic-music fans wondering for more than two decades, "Just who are the dudes from Daft Punk?"
Now, thanks to their collaborative work on the "Tron Legacy" score, the curtain shielding the French duo from the public eye has been pulled back perhaps farther than ever before. Music supervisor Jason Bentley ("The Matrix" trilogy) worked with de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter for two years on the project, and in a wide-ranging interview, Bentley gave MTV News all sorts of insight into Daft Punk's creative process and what they're like to hang out with on a day-to-day basis. Here are five secrets revealed about Daft Punk and their "Tron" score. Daft Punk Might Make a Film in the Future "They were looking at this as much more than a composer gig," Bentley told us. "It was going to be an education in filmmaking. I wouldn't be surprised if they made movies from here. There were too many questions about lighting and cameras and lenses or effects. The Daft Punk guys are very, very interested in filmmaking." Daft Punk Look Like Gorillaz Characters "You know the animation style of Gorillaz? They totally look like characters out of Gorillaz videos. It's pretty funny. I'd turn around, and whether they were working or walking across a lot to meet me, I'd chuckle to myself because they're just the oddest couple." Bentley went on to joke that they hardly need to wear the robot outfits "because they're such colorful characters." De Homem-Christo, he explained, "is the quiet one. You'll think he's not listening or there's a language issue, but it'll turn out he's been listening to everything." Bangalter, meanwhile, "is much more expressive and almost overcompensates for Guy-Man." Daft Punk Are Huge Pop Culture Nerds "They're such huge fans of popular culture," said Bentley. "The score that they set out to make was one that could stand with 'Star Wars' or 'Superman.' They weren't shooting for a Daft Punk record. They wanted to create a full-bodied, timeless score." The guys could often be spotted wearing "Back to the Future" T-shirts on the Disney lot. And Bentley recalled a time when they were all in a van together and Guns N' Roses' "November Rain" came on the radio. Daft Punk then launched into a highly detailed deconstruction of the song's 1992 music video starring Axl Rose and Stephanie Seymour. "It was so crazy how vivid it was in their minds," Bentley laughed. The "Tron" Score Is Better Than The "Matrix" Scores "What's amazing is how for the score, they fused the acoustic orchestral layer, the electronic layer — big kick drums or synth lines — and the granular, atmospheric level. I was the music supervisor for 'The Matrix' trilogy and we tried to merge those three layers and I think we did pretty good, but I don't think we nailed it. The problem was we were putting two different mind-sets in the room. It was our composer, Don Davis, who was fully on the orchestral side, and then we were introducing electronic people to him like Fluke or Rob D or Juno Reactor. We just didn't get a unified concept. With Daft Punk on 'Tron,' you feel that unified vision. " 'Solar Sailor' is a really good example of that," he added of one track. "It's not an easy task to bring those two worlds together, orchestral and electronic. It can sound really clunky. But for 'Solar Sailor,' you can hear the strings coming in, and they fused that with the other layers. It's amazing." Daft Punk's Cameo Started Out as a Joke "It was Joe Kosinski's idea," said Bentley. "At first it was just a jokey, amusing fantasy and it stuck. They liked the idea and just went with it." Almost all of the material the DJs play in the club made it onto the "Tron" soundtrack, except for one track. "The second of three cues — that cue did not make the soundtrack," Bentley explained. "No one has noticed that. It's somewhat in limbo. I don't know if it will come out as a Daft Punk track or bonus material. It's damn good, and who knows where it will end up?" Check out everything we've got on "Tron Legacy." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
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